Pee Dee Blues Bash kicks off Pecan Festival

This year’s Pecan Festival will feature the first Pee Dee Blues Bash, which will kick off Thursday with a concert in Lake City.

Fourteen acts will perform at 11 different locations from today through Sunday.

On Thursday, the Deb Callahan Band will perform from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the National Bean Market Museum in Lake City.

On Friday, Veronika Jackson and Charlie Sayles & the Blues Disciples, featuring Tony Fazio, will perform at the Drs. Bruce & Lee Foundation Library in Florence from 6 to 8 p.m. Apple Annie’s will play host to Studebaker John & The Hawks at 9 p.m., Creek Ratz will have the Daddy Mack Blues Band at 9 p.m., and Indigo Joe’s will showcase Juke Joint Johnny & Drew Baldwin beginning at 9 p.m. Bill Lupkin & The Chicago Blues Coalition will perform at J. Michaels, and Victor’s will have Motherless Chillin’.

On Saturday, the Florence Downtown Development Corp. will present the fifth annual Pecan Festival in downtown Florence. The Blues Bash will continue and is a new highlight of the festival. Starting at 10:30 a.m., the Matt Walsh Band will perform on the First Bank Blues Stage. Continuing on the First Bank stage at noon is Charlie Sayles & The Blues Disciples, featuring Tony Fazio. Bill Lupkin & The Chicago Blues Coalition will take the stage at 1:30 p.m. Daddy Mack Blues Band will take over at 3 p.m., followed by Studebaker John & The Hawks at 4:30 p.m.

Starting at 11:45 a.m. in Acoustic Alley, Shrimp City Slim will play. Juke Joint Johnny & Drew Baldwin will take over at 1 p.m., followed by Freddie Vanderford & Brandon Turner at 2:15 p.m. Cotton Blue will take the Acoustic Alley stage at 3:30 p.m., and Jeff Norwood will wrap it up at 4:30 p.m.

The blues will continue through the night at Apple Annie’s with Studebaker John & the Hawks starting at 9 p.m. Daddy Mack Blues Bank will be at Creek Ratz at 9 p.m. J. Michaels will get started at 8 p.m. with Bill Lupkin & The Chicago Blues Coalition. At 7 p.m., you can catch Charlie Sayles & the Blues Disciples, featuring Tony Fazio, at Redbone Alley or Cotton Blue at Victors Bistro.

The final performance of the event will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Barnes Street Activity Center, with Drink Small, “The Blues Doctor,” and band.

“We are very excited to have this variety and quality of performers here in Florence. It is a great opportunity for the community and visitors to immerse themselves in the wonderful genre of blues during the festival,” Tom Marschel, event organizer and president of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce, said in a press release.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit the Pee Dee Blues Bash’s Web site, http://www.peedeebluesbash.com.