Festival turns downtown Wallaceburg blue

Posted By David Gough, COURIER PRESS

Posted 1 month ago

An overcast sky kept crowd numbers low, but organizers weren't singing the blues over the first ever Glasstown Blues Jam held in downtown Wallaceburg on Saturday.

Music filled the streets and a number of vendors were on James Street during the event.

"I think we've had a great day downtown," said organizer John Gardiner.

"We've had a fairly good crowd at the band stage for most of the afternoon and I don't know, I think we've a good beginning. If the skies would have cooperated a bit better we would've had a big crowd down here."

A number of blues bands performed including the Tim Woodcock Band, the Chris Murphy Band, Darren Wrightman and True Blue Hoodoo and the Southwest Blues Review.

The event was sponsored by the Wallaceburg and District Council for the Arts and the Downtown BIA.

Mike Hatfield from the downtown BIA said with the right management, the event can be even bigger next year.

"I think the BIA made a wise decision in voting to approve the funds to make it happen. The Arts Council had a great idea. Let's see if we can make a run and turn it into something as big as the Kitchener Blues Fest one day," Hatfield said.

Gardiner was unsure if the Blues jam will become an annual event.

"We'll have to sit back and evaluate and talk to the BIA and the Hornets and see if everybody did well enough to see if it's worthwhile to do it again."