Hanging Out at the Blue Collar BBQ and Arts Festival

I had a busy but fun Saturday this past weekend. On Saturday morning I was out at The Ride at Faribault Harley-Davidson. Once the all the participants had departed, I had to quickly pack up my gear and head to Owatonna for an afternoon of bowling and video games as we celebrated my grandson's birthday. By the time that wrapped up and I made my way downtown, the last band had already taken the stage at the Blue Collar BBQ and Arts Festival. Chad Johnson and the 8th Street Band were on fire, rocking the place with a nice group of people dancing in front of the stage and a large crowd packed onto Third Street and spilling onto Central Avenue. Halfway through the show, the band took a break but the music didn't stop. Chad was joined onstage by Mark Allen, who had played earlier with the Key West Rejects, and by Jason Paulson, from the Jason Paulson Band. These guys put on a show within the show and kept the joint a jumpin'.

We ran into quite a few friends as we made our way toward the food booths that lined Central. We found a great deal on a brisket sandwich and fries and visited with our old neighbors and later on bumped into to some high school friends that I hadn't seen since last year's event. The Blue Collar BBQ is one of my favorite events that I attend during the year. The music is always great, the food is delicious and I get to see old friends that I haven't seen all year. I hope you were able to make it downtown for this wonderful summer event hosted by the Paradise Center for the Arts. If you didn't, I'll see you next year.