10th Annual Bud Light Ferndale Blues Festival

Friday, January 28 to Saturday, February 5, 2011

For the tenth year in a row, the City of Ferndale will rock and roll with the sounds of great music during the nine days of the Bud Light Ferndale Blues Festival. Held across the city in more than twenty venues, up to 60 individual concerts will be held during the depths of winter to bring music and energy to southeast Michigan.

The festival is held each year in late January into early February to raise money for two local charitable organizations, including the Michigan AIDS Coalition and Ferndale Youth Assistance, both located in this small city just north of Detroit. Volunteers pass blue piggy banks wearing sunglasses at concerts and locations around the city to raise funds. Along with sponsorships, the festival raises more than $20,000 each year.

About forty hand-crafted blue piggy banks are in stores and locations around the city already, created by a class of students from Detroit public schools.

A youth concert will be held again this year at Level One Bank featuring the Ferndale High School and Middle School jazz bands on Tues. Feb. 1 at 6 pm.

In addition to the charitable aspect, the festival is designed to bring people out of their homes during the long Michigan winter for camaraderie, great music, and culture.

The events climax each year with a huge outdoor Blues and Ribs Barbeque tent on the last day of the festival sponsored by Dino’s Lounge on Woodward Avenue (this year on Saturday Feb 5 from noon to 5 pm.) Eight local celebrities, businesses and chefs compete to win awards for best barbeque ribs.

Major sponsors this year include Bud Light, Blue Care Network of Michigan, Level One Bank, and Dino’s Lounge.

“It gets me out of the house in the dead of winter for hot music, spicy food, and warm people,” says Craig Covey, event co-founder and Oakland County Commissioner.

“Live music, people-watching and mingling, great food, and helping local charities…all the while supporting local businesses,” says event co-chair Monica Mills, “it doesn’t get much better than that!”

www.ferndalebluesfestival.org