 Me in My Chicago Blues Hat Ever think about how music fills our lives? Perhaps you wake to a clock radio. The drive to work is punctuated by music. We work and exercise to music, and then relax with music. Then there are those days when that ONE SONG just keeps playing over and over in your head.. But the Blues, now there’s a genre that is special. |
 Musician at work Two weeks ago, I had the good fortune to be in Chicago at a conference that also had me at a hotel within walking distance of Grant Park, and The Blues Festival. South Side Chicago, and the Blues – their 29th annual festival – free to all to attend. Have I mentioned before how much I love Portland Center Stage? My Blues journey continued with yet another outstanding performance at PCS. Act 1 of It Ain’t Nothin’ But the BLUES took the audience on a journey through the Delta Blues/The Mississippi Blues/the Catskills and beyond. Act 2 brought the stage back up north, Sweet Home Chicago, and beyond. |
 Vendor sells me a baseball cap (which I asked – how do I look? – to which he offered his “mirror”) And now it’s time again for the Portland Blues Fest. Portland’s 25th Annual. The festival began in 1987 as the Rose City Blues Festival, sponsored by the Cascade Blues Association, to benefit the Burnside Community Council’s projects for the homeless. The FM community radio station KBOO has broadcast performances from the event, throughout the festival’s history. The following year, Oregon Food Share (predecessor of the Oregon Food Bank) becomes the beneficiary of the Rose City Blues Festival, making the event Oregon’s first annual blues festival to benefit the hungry. In 1991, the name was changed to the Waterfront Blues Festival. |
 Vet with Camo Leg Enjoys the Show The festival benefits the Oregon Food Bank, a non-profit organization which provides food to low-income persons in Oregon and SW Washington states. Grab a couple cans, and if you’re feeling generous, $10 to gain entry. And meet me down at the Waterfront. |
 The Mighty Elm Tree Stay Informed To stay up-to-date on all the fun things to do in the Portland Metro Area, you can either follow me up and down the hills and dales of Southwest Portland, or you can check out my blog, Portland Currency. And remember to find me on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter Happy 4th of July! Francene |
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