Blues are back in town

The sixth annual West Island Blues Festival returns this Saturday.

The charities benefiting from the festival this year will be the West Island Association for the Intellectually Handicapped and the West Island Black Community Association.

“While it’s a Dollard des Ormeaux event, it’s really a West Island project,” said organizer Errol Johnson, a longtime Dollard town councilor. “It’s grown from nothing to what we have today. People look forward to this event each year. We make sure its professional and a family-oriented event.”

The week of festival activities kicked off with a Jimmy James show at Burbon Street West in Pointe Claire on Tuesday.

On Friday, June 12, there is a VIP concert, to be held in the banquet room at the Dollard Civic Centre, featuring Dale Boyle (acoustic solo) and the Monkey Junk blues band. The VIP tickets are $100 and include wine and finger food (provided by Carmines Tuscany Grill) from 6 to 8.15 p.m., with the concert starting at 8.30 p.m. Tickets for only the concert portion are available for $25.

“(The indoor VIP show) gives us a chance to have local officials and sponsors come together and also do some fundraising before the main festival, which we have to hope for good weather,” Johnson said. “We still want to make a contribution to charities (in case of poor weather).”

The main event, a free outdoor show, will be held Saturday, June 13 from 3 to 11 p.m. at Dollard Des Ormeaux Park on De Salaberry Boulevard, just west of Sources Boulevard.

The outdoor show lineup includes 2Hands, 2 Horse Town, Late Night Blues, Dale Boyle and the Barburners, the Paul Deslauriers band featuring Dawn Tyler Watson and it closes with the Kevin Mark Band. Food, such as Jamaican patties and jerk chicken, and beer will be available for sale. Raffle tickets will also be sold, with the top prize being a trip for two to Jasper, Alberta. For more information, check www.westislandbluesfestival.com.



Chronicle, Jacques Pharand