‘The Many Shades of the Blues’ in Arlington
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‘The Many Shades of the Blues’ in Arlington

The weather is hot but the music is hotter at the 22nd annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival on June 17. Sol Roots with Carly Harvey from Charlottesville perform a mix of New Orleans funk, raw blues, energetic rock and southern soul.

The weather is hot but the music is hotter at the 22nd annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival on June 17. Sol Roots with Carly Harvey from Charlottesville perform a mix of New Orleans funk, raw blues, energetic rock and southern soul. Photo by Shirley Ruhe.

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

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Photo by Shirley Ruhe

The annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival on Saturday, June 17 features blues to New Orleans jazz, R&B and hip hop with Bettye LaVette, a three-time Grammy nominee, as headliner. This year's event "strives to show its attendees the many shades of the blues." Wide-eyed babies in carriages sit alongside rows of bring-your-own folding lawn chairs while an occasional attendee jumps up to dance along. Fresh funnel cakes hot out of the oil are sprinkled with powdered sugar while African kabobs with Nigerian spices (suya) send smoke spiraling into the air. A dog waits patiently, but unsuccessfully, for his own wine-tasting bowl. A children's area offers face painting, a moon bounce and story telling. The festival is produced by the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization.

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