Buzz Builds For Casey Jones Blues Fest
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The Casey Jones Blues Fest will celebrate the city’s rich railroad heritage and one of the most famous engineers. Casey Jones’ fame is attributed to the traditional song, “The Ballad of Casey Jones,” that was recorded Mississippi John Hurt and other blues musicians.
WATER VALLEY – Vendor spaces are full, the musicians are ready and anticipation is building for the first Casey Jones Blue Fest scheduled March 23 on Main Street in Water Valley. The Water Valley Main Street Association is hosting the event, with help from sponsors and volunteers.
Main Street Director Alyssa Benedict reported the festival will celebrate the community’s rich railroad heritage including engineer Casey Jones. A Blues Trail Marker on Main Street honors Jones, the fated engineer whose death on April 30, 1900 is celebrated in many songs.
The festival will be in the middle of the city and Main Street will be blocked off from Church Street to Blackmur Drive, with traffic still flowing on those two streets. Benedict reported 80 vendors have registered, filling all available spaces. Vendor booths will be located on Main Street from Church Street to Wood Street and the stage will be farther north on Main near the Panola/Main intersection.
Vendors will have a wide variety of locally sourced and handmade items ranging from jewelry to soaps and body care products and from western gear to knives.
“Literally anything you can think of that someone can craft, we will have it,” Benedict explained.
The festival kicks off Friday night with the Wine Down. A $25 registration fee includes a wristband for the wine tasting, special discounts at participating businesses and a collectible wine tumbler.
The action gets going Saturday with a 5K run/walk at 8 a.m. Registration starts at 7 a.m. There will be a cornhole tournament at 11:30 a.m. at the Courthouse Commons (224 Blackmur Drive) parking lot. Other events include the Rally at the Rails Car Show from 10 am. to 4 p.m. in Shuffield Park. A Kids Zone will be set up in Railroad Park from 10:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. A vintage market will be located at the Courthouse Commons (224 Blackmur Drive) from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Benedict report 10 food trucks have registered, and will sell food from 10:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Main Street offering a variety of delicacies to compliment local restaurants.
Benedict shared the buzz for the festival has exceeded expectations.
“The buzz is there, people are interested in visiting our town,” she said. “It is running on radio stations in north Mississippi, it has been in lots of newspapers and the Memphis Blues Society has blasted it for us, the word is out,” Benedict said.
The lineup of musicians is impressive, especially for the inaugural festival as Benedict is determined to build a strong foundation for what is expected to become a new Water Valley tradition. She initially reached out to the Mississippi Arts Commission, looking at their artist roster to find strong talent in the state.
“We really wanted to focus on the Mississippi Blues and we wanted to have a cool lineup that would attract people who are as excited about coming to Water Valley as we are about being here,” Benedict explained.
The biggest attraction is grammy winning artist Castro “Mr. Sipp” Coleman. He won his first Grammy Award in February after being nominated in two categories.
Benedict has communicated with Mr. Sipp since booking him for the show including a phone call shortly after the 66th Annual Grammy Awards last month.
“He was still on Cloud 9. We just wanted to let him know that we are excited in Water Valley and looking forward to his performance. He is excited about coming here, he loves Mississippi and that is what he said from the get-go. He wanted to do this show for Water Valley,” Benedict shared.
Garry Burnside is also on the lineup. The youngest son of R.L. Burnside and a member of the Junior Kimbrough Band, Burnside has been captivating artists since he was 11 years old. In 2015, he was a Grammy Award Nominee for Best Blues Album for the Cedric Burnside Project.
“Garry Burnside has a love of small towns and doing these type of shows,” Benedict shared.
The Water Valley High School band will take the stage first at 11 a.m. Band Director Wes Brown reported band members have been practicing for the performance that will include some familiar songs with an addition – St. Louis Blues.
Libby Rae Watson will follow at noon. She grew up in Pascagoula and became captivated by Blues music in her teens and has played festivals and music venues across the south and in Canada, Sweden and Switzerland.
The Harrell Brothers take the stage at 1 p.m. and are a dynamic musical act that pays homage to the North Mississippi Hill Country Blues tradition. The brothers – Kody & Kane – also perform as members of Proud Hound, a blues-rock quartet based out of Como.
Local favorite Effie Burt follows at 2 p.m. She is a lifelong vocalist, Burt was born and raised in Oxford and has been performing since she was 13. Although jazz is her first love, Burt is just as engaging belting R&B and soothing with the Blues and gospel.
Benedict reported that strong community support for the festival is equally impressive as the lineup of talented artists.
“We have a lot of people helping, some who have never been involved in a Main Street event,” she said. It has been really exciting for me, as a director, seeing a diverse group of people get involved. It really boils down that the Blues is something that brings people together from all walks of life, especially in Mississippi, it runs deep for us,” Benedict said.
