The 2011 Bonita Blues Fest recently received a stellar write-up in BluesSource. Read on friends....
I may not be very smart ...... and I've been told that on many occasions, but
I've proven the saying "You can't teach an old dog news tricks" is totally not
true. In my mis-spent youth I was always under the mistaken impression that
"bigger was better." Well when it comes to blues festivals, that's not
necessarily true. I've been to the Chicago Blues Festival, Pocono Blues
Festival, San Francisco Blues Festival, Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The Heritage
Blues Festival and the list goes on. But I'm finding that the
smaller, town backed festivals are more enjoyable to attend: the Madison
Ribberfest in Madison, Indiana, Michigan festivals including the Kalamazoo
Blues Festival, the Flint Blues Festival, Old Town Blues Festival in Lansing.
And now I can add the Bonita Springs Blues Festival to this list. This was our
first visit to this festival, and I can tell you it won't be our last.
The city of Bonita Springs, Florida is not large by any
stretch, but with a population of almost 44,000 it's not small
town USA either. Nestled in between Naples and Ft. Meyers,
it's become known as the "Gateway to the Gulf." But it has small
town sensibility and supports its causes. A group of friends went to a music
festival at Pine Island and, because of a random comment made
there, the Bonita Springs Charitable Foundation was born. And from that came
the Bonita Springs Blues Festival.
Local, National Acts Take Stage at Blues Festival
By Andrea Stetson � Special to News-Press.com � March 16, 2008
They were singing the blues at Riverside Park on Saturday as hundreds gathered for the second annual Bonita Blues Festival.
The event, billed as family-friendly entertainment, was where blues fans brought blankets, lawn chairs and coolers to listen to music.
Organizers hoped to raise $30,000 for the Shelter for Abused Women and Children, the Immokalee Friendship House and Healthy Start. Last year's event raised $15,000.
Ambitious Plans Promise Bigger Bonita Blues Festival
Naples Daily News - Friday March 14, 2008
Planning the second Bonita Blues Festival hasn�t been quite as hectic as putting together the first, said event co-founder and local businessman Michael Pfeffer.
But the ambitious undertaking has been even more work.
�Last year there were just a few of us working on the festival but this year we have a committee of eight,� said Pfeffer, an associate with Murphy Business and Financial Services in Bonita Springs. �Still, it seems like each of us has three times as much to do.�
Charitable Groups Not Singing The Blues After Bonita Festival
Naples Daily News - Saturday March 15, 2008
Country blues musician Frank Corso held the stage, wearing a straw hat and blue jeans. He bent over his guitar and tapped his toe as he sang:
�Whatcha� gonna� do when your troubles look like mine? Whatcha� gonna� do when your troubles...�
For several hundred people lost in the music at the second annual Bonita Blues Festival, the day�s troubles may have seemed as light as the afternoon breeze at Riverside Park.
