Okemo Hosts Free Red, White and Blues Festival on July 6th
LUDLOW, VT – On Saturday, July 6, Okemo wishes the U.S.A. a happy birthday with its third annual Red, White & Blues Festival presented by John C. Stewart and Son Inc. This free, all-American concert features popular blues artists from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers take the stage from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; The Chris Kleeman Band, 1:30 to 3 p.m.; Gracie Curran & the High Falutin’ Band, 3:30 to 5 p.m.; The Dave Keller Band, 5:30-7 p.m.
Erin Harpe has been hailed “an authentic blues chanteuse,” earning a reputation for her raw style and accomplished finger-picking guitar playing. Erin and her gang give the music a new twist to create a genre they call “Charles River Delta Blues,” Delta soul and spirit combined with Boston’s rich blues heritage. Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers earned Boston Music Award nominations for Blues Artist of the Year in 2010 and 2011. They won the 2010 Boston Blues Challenge, were semi-finalists at the 2011 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, and have opened for blues legends Honeyboy Edwards and James Cotton.
Chris Kleeman is Ludlow’s hometown Bluesman. Kleeman’s blues are multi-spectral, rolling from stinging slide guitar to deft rag-time; from the southern styles of the Mississippi Delta, all the way up the big river to the blues of Chicago. His performances include scat singing, vocal trombone, and some 12-String guitar instrumentals that send the spirit soaring.
Gracie Curran & the High Falutin’ Band is listed as the #12 Best Boston Band and one of the Top 30 Roots/Soul Acts. Curran is a Top 30 Vocalist, listed with the likes of Bonnie Raitt and Susan Tedeschi, by Alternate Root Magazine. Gracie Curran & The High Falutin’ Band have earned their reputation for jaw dropping Blues and Soul. In the three years since the 28-year-old vocal powerhouse joined forces with Bassist Geoff Murfitt and Guitarist Tommy Carroll, the band has exploded onto the scene, sharing the stage with such luminaries as Shemekia Copeland, Nick Moss and Roomful of Blues. In 2012, Gracie Curran & the High Falutin’ Band won the Boston Blues Challenge.
The Dave Keller Band’s reputation for dynamic, soul-stirring performances extends throughout New England. Dave Keller is a singer/guitarist who has forged a style uniquely his own – intense and soulful, gritty and sweet. Like the best blues and soul men before him, Keller learned his art firsthand from the blues masters.
Admission to Okemo’s Red, White and Blues Festival is free. The lawn in the courtyard at Okemo’s Jackson Gore Inn becomes an outdoor concert venue for the special occasion. Families are welcome, and all attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets. Okemo’s culinary staff will be serving frosty-cold beverages and fresh-from-the-grill barbecue. Concert-goers can also opt for full-service dining with al fresco seating at Jackson Gore’s Coleman Brook Tavern.
The Jackson Gore courtyard offers plenty of room to kick off those shoes and dance on the lawn, or to toss a ball or a Frisbee back and forth. Okemo’s Adventure Zone will be open with plenty of heart-pounding activities including the Timber Ripper Mountain Coaster, a roller-coaster-like ride where riders control the speed. There’s trampoline bungee jumping, miniature golf, disc golf, a climbing pinnacle, zipline tours, Segway Personal Transport tours, and the Amp Energy Big Air Bag, a giant inflatable pillow like Hollywood stuntmen use. Okemo’s Adventure Zone is open daily in July and August.
Each of Okemo’s Adventure Zone features are priced individually or visitors can purchase an Adventure Zone Day Pass wristband for $53. The Day Pass includes three rides on the Timber Ripper, unlimited use of The Stump Jumper Bungee Jump, Disc Golf, Lumberin’ Cal Mini Golf, the Amp Energy Big Air Bag, Climbing Wall and use of The Jackson Gore Springhouse Pool and Fitness Center.
Specific information about hours and pricing is posted online. Zipline tours and Segway Personal Transport tours may be reserved by calling (802) 228-1600. More information about Okemo Mountain Resort may be obtained by visiting www.okemo.com,