Blue Collar Fun in Faribault

The day was picture perfect for the ninth annual Blue Collar BBQ and Arts Festival in downtown Faribault on Saturday (8/12). Every year this event, hosted by the Paradise Center for the Arts, gets better and better and this year's music line-up did not disappoint. Right from the start the artists held court from the stage with the female duo, The Home Fires, kicking things off in style. They were quickly followed by a searing set from the JoyAnn Parker Band and a wonderful send-up of the eighties rock scene, Son of a Bueller, featuring some fine work on the accordion. That's something you don't see everyday in a rock band.

Kelly K-Rage and I had a great view of the stage and were joined by several festival goers during our live broadcast from 11AM to 4PM. I just wish they had been more willing to bring me some food or at the very least share. Unfortunately we couldn't stay for the rest of the event. Kelly had a wedding she had to go to and I had the evening stint on Power 96. Hopefully the rest of the night went just as well with the Moses Oakland Quartet, Tim Mahoney and Element 13 rounding out the rest of the festival.

Next year's Blue Collar BBQ and Arts Festival will be their tenth and I've been told it will be even bigger and better than this year's.