Rock, Rhythm, and Blues Fest to Hit Leslie, Arkansas On May 11, 2013, some of the best musicians around will be converging on the small town of Leslie in North Central Arkansas. Leslie, a town of about 480 people, is located halfway between Harrison and Conway on Hwy 65 and home to the Buffalo River Blues Society.
The Blues Society is pulling the festival together to help raise funds for “Operation Kindness”, the Searcy County Humane Society. Searcy County is badly in need of a no-kill shelter. For now, they “are limited to a few dedicated volunteers lending our mistreated and abandoned furry friends their homes and love until they can find permanent homes.” The list of acts who have graciously signed on to play for the festival, in no particular order: Eric Dill of Drasco, Ben “Swamp Donkey” Brenner of Little Rock, Kasey Lee Kimmons of Shirley, Maddog & Blue of Springfield, MO Trouble Behind of Central Arkansas, The Cruize Brothers of Little Rock Smooth Down Under of Branson/Springfield/Kansas City, MO, Brethren of Hot Springs Low Society of Memphis, TN., Charlotte Taylor & Gypsy Rain of Little Rock, Family Dog of Cabot with Tyrannosaurus Chicken of Fort Smith, Headlining the Festival These bands represent festival experience, International Blues Challenge experience, and a WHOLE lot of talent! They represent a wide variety of tastes: Mississippi Delta Blues, Memphis Blues, Texas Blues, Chicago Blues, KC Blues, Hillstomp, Classic Rock, Rhythm & Blues, Rock-a-billy. This is a family event, so bring your kids!
Acts will be performing between 1 pm to 11 pm at 4 different venues: Masonic Lodge Outdoor Stage, Leslie Cafe & L.A. Blues Hall, The Drop Zone, and Jewel West Art Gallery.
Performance times will be staggered, allowing folks to hear & see every act. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the gate, advance tickets go on sale April 2, Check buffaloriverblues.org, the blues society website, for locations to buy tickets. All the venues are within a block of each other in downtown Leslie. Leslie merchants are planning extended hours, during the festival.
Also, planned in Leslie for that day, will be a City-Wide Yard Sale, starting at 8 am and going throughout the day. The Ozark Mountain Market, the local farmer’s market, will be in the Leslie City Park, also starting at 8 am and going until Noon.
The Blues Society is looking for Arts & Craft vendors to sell their wares on a closed portion of Oak Street, during the Festival hours. The Blues Society is also looking for sponsors and for volunteers for the Festival. All donations will be tax-deductible. For more information on the Leslie Rock, Rhythm, and Blues Fest, please contact the Buffalo River Blues Society at 501-253-6373, at buffaloriverblues.org, or on Facebook. For more information on Operation Kindness, a 501c3 non-profit organization, go to http://searcycountyhumanesociety.webstarts.com/index.html or call Chopper at 870-221-1630.
