On behalf of our Board of Directors and Steering Committee I would like to say a huge thank you to all of our volunteers and sponsors that made the fifth annual, 2011 Bonita Blues Festival the best yet. We had two beautiful days in the sun and fun and we are so pleased to be able to contribute to the Bonita Springs Assistance Office, the Music for Minors Foundation, and the Wounded Warriors Project. We had nearly one-hundred volunteers that donated their valuable time to make the event a success. The food was great and there were a variety of vendors to satisfy the shoppers in the crowd.
The music was incredible, ranging from Hamilton Loomis ’ west Texas and Josh Garrett’s Louisiana blues, to Victor Wainwright’s Memphis boogie woogie and the legendary Eddie Shaw’s Chicago blues. Joanne Shaw Taylor , from England, blew everyone away with her driving guitar and sultry voice. Of course, it wouldn’t seem like a Bonita Blues Festival without an appearance from Albert Castiglia who played the Friday after-hours party. JP Soars , The Boys from Buckingham , the Captiva Band and the Certified Band rounded out the lineup and made for a sometimes smooth and sometimes wild musical ride. Just what we look for in a festival.
Please take the time to learn more about the charities we contribute to and consider a donation of your time or financial support. As we like to say, give ‘til it feels good. See you next year.
Sincerely
Michael Pfeffer, President
Bonita Blues Charitable Foundation
Come out Labor Day Weekend and enjoy some awesome blues talent featuring: Danny Shepard and Blue Mercury, The Kim Page Band, Marty Stokes and the Captiva Band, Mike Morgan, Rick Howard and Rex Bongo.
Weather permitting this will be an outdoor event with great food and drink specials. If it rains, we will move the music inside. The family is welcome. $5.00 donation at the door, kids 12 and under are free with an adult.
Proceeds will be donated to the Bonita Blues Charitable Foundation. The music will be awesome. The food will be great. The event will be one to remember. See you there!
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Bonita Blues Festival Committee, I would like to thank everyone that supported our Fourth Annual Bonita Blues Festival. That includes the attendees and especially the 100+ volunteers that were the oil for the gears that made the show run smoothly.
Because of torrential downpours, Friday turned into a fabulous “private pre-show” for die-hard blues fans. Saturday, on the other hand, brought perfect Bonita Springs March weather. Riverside Park was comfortably full and there was plenty of great food and drink to match the incredible performances by all of the musicians. From the opening with Rex Bongo & the Cornbread Brothers on Friday afternoon to the stunning jam session with Albert Castiglia, Motor City Josh (Ford) and friends, we were treated to the sounds of blues from Detroit, Chicago, Memphis and Florida.
Each year we learn from the show and we hope we can continue to bring great blues to southwest Florida while we support our local charities. Thanks again to each and every one of you.
Sincerely
Michael Pfeffer, President
Bonita Blues Charitable Foundation
Thank you from the President (2009)
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Bonita Blues Charitable Foundation I would like to say thank you to the many volunteers and wonderful blues fans that helped make this year's Bonita Blues Festival the best yet. The music was incredible all day long! Tommy Lee Cook, Dan Shepard and the All-stars set the tone early and we were never let down the rest of the day.Rastus Kain and the Jony James Band kept everyone dancing until Albert Castiglia blew us away once again. Joey
Gilmore was perfect for the finale and the jam session at the end was unbelievable.It makes one wonder why they call it the blues when you see so many smiles and happy feet.
We can't think of a better way to
give to our community than to have a day filled with great music, friends,
family and beautiful weather in a perfect venue. We are truly blessed and I am grateful that we can each give in our own way to making the lives of others better during these challenging times.
Thanks again. I look forward to another successful show next year.
Michael Pfeffer,
President
Thank you from the President (2008)
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the many volunteers of the Bonita Blues Festival, I would like to thank you for your generous donation and for supporting the efforts of the Bonita Blues Charitable Foundation. The feedback from this year’s event has been overwhelmingly positive and we are already planning next year’s event.
The support from you and many others allowed us to donate $4,000 each to the Shelter for Abused Women and Children, the Immokalee Friendship house for the homeless, and Healthy Start to promote prenatal care and fight low birth weights. The directors of these charities will be able to provide benefits amounting to many times the monetary value given.
In order to be better prepared for next year’s event, we are asking our previous donors to indicate if and how much they are likely to donate in 2009. That way we will be able to prepare a more accurate budget and schedule top-notch entertainment once again. Our musical goals remain to showcase our local and regional talent, and to bring a national act to the blues fans of southwest Florida. We believe these goals will allow us to help more and more people in need each year. One of our Directors will contact you later in the year to see if you will be able to help once again in 2009.
We welcome any feedback you can provide that will help us make the Bonita Blues Festival as good as it can be for all involved.
Thank you once again for your support and we look forward to seeing you at next year’s festival.
