Things just keep rolling along with more excitement and entertainment than you can shake a stick at – if you were so inclined to shake a stick at something.
With all kinds of crafts, vendors and kids activities along with the finest of central Illinois entertainers on a nice outdoor stage, this weekend the Lincoln Memorial Garden presents their annual Indian Summer Festival. The music starts at 11 a.m. and goes until 4 p.m. with Saturday’s musical lineup including Jeff Cordes (indie-folk), Kraig Kenning (Americana/blues) and Skibbereen (Celtic), and Sunday’s list shows Rylie Bourne (country), Ivas John (folk/blues) and The Gordons (original/classic folk).
I hear tell Gary Gordon will strum some Dobro with Ivas, as Mr. John recently recorded an album at Inside Out Studios with The Gordons. The CD, Good Days a Comin, features Ivas originals, classic country and folk songs performed by Ivas and the talented bunch of studio cats Gary uses in Sparta, including multi-instrumentalist master Robert Bowlin. Ivas plays later in the evening at Walnut Street Winery (5 to 8 p.m.), again joined by Gary.
Come welcome Danville-based blues group Susan Williams Band to the Third Base Sports Bar on Saturday night. Susan plays bass for the classy Shirley King as a gig, then works fronting her own band as well, covering bass and vocals. At times she plays with Springfield favorite Billy Galt and does lots of blues shows all around central and eastern Illinois.
Sunday seems to be the day when everything is happening this weekend. The Brothers Alvin (Dave and Phil) reunite for a Bedrock 66 Live show at Casey’s Pub (featured in our Band Spotlight) with Hard Road Blues Band playing first from 3 to 6 and Dead Rock West opening the official show at 7:30. Jeff Kornfeld and Mike Burnett do their J and M magic at Crow’s
Mill Pub from 7:30 to 10:30, and I’ll be at the Brewhaus with some Raouligans from 8 to 11. Weebles breaks in the newly remodeled beer/band garden area with a 6 to 9 show by SOHO headliners Chicago Loud 9 with local bluesman Devin Williams kicking off the party.
To top off all this wild and wonderful music, it’s time again for Girl-A-Thon, the charity-driven, hard rocking, all-day event put on by the women in Springfield music to benefit the American Cancer Society research for breast cancer. Coors Light sponsors the happening on Sunday, Oct. 11 at Boondocks with festivities starting at 2 p.m. Your $10 donation at the door gets you an all-day entertainment delight of epic proportions including the Girl-A- Thon band of Tina Thornhill, Janet Morris, Gwen Harris, Caprice Hardin, Patty Kniss and Kyla Kruse plus special guests. Andi Brooks of WFMB’s John and Andi Show emcees the goings on and the Girl-A-Thon choir features Alexia Blakeman, Gwen’s granddaughter who has raised over $2,200 in the last 5 years for breast cancer, 15-year old Emily Hough, Maddie Brown of Lick Creek, Aley Mundstock formerly of New City Road, along with Ashley Reilly and Liz Christofilakos from The Mix.
Other guests are promised as surprises for you, who make the effort to show up for the sixth Girl-A-Thon, plus exciting items such as a guitar signed by Sammy Hagar and a special handmade beauty by Bordignon Guitars are on display as auction items. Plenty of hard work goes into making an event like this happen and the good it does goes out to helping hearts everywhere. Thanks to all who contributed time and talents, heart and soul to GAT.
Be sure to check our Pub Crawl listings for more music going on.
Contact Tom Irwin at [email protected].
