Festival Success!The DC Blues Society's 17th Annual Festival was an unequivocal success! Thanks to the record numbers (possibly over 5000, pending the Park Service's official count) who came out to enjoy the "Divas Stir UpThe Blues" themed show, and workshops. See Vice President Amanda Sweet's article for more on the festival. Our second annual After Party was twice as big as last year's. The After Party featured Blue Lou and Friends and a special guest appearance of Charles "Big Daddy" Stallings and his band. They played to a mostly full house of revelers, who enjoyed free food, cake, and tasty hot BBQ pork, chicken, and fish catered by the Rib Shack Blues Cafe. A very special treat for the After Party crowd was Candye Kane, and Ruby Hayes who dropped by and took the mike for a cameo performance. Thanks to everyone who partied with us and help raise over $1500 to defray festival expenses! 
And mad props to the many volunteers who heeded our call and worked long and hard to make the Festival and After Party standout successes. Once again WPFW broadcast the festival and supported us in myriad ways. Thanks a heap! DCBS 20th AnniversaryWe are beginning plans for our 20th anniversary celebration. The DC Blues Society was founded in June 1987. Since then, DCBS has been serving the Blues community with a variety of activities and events. For the momentous occasion of our 20th year in business, we hope to present a yearlong series of high-profile events to highlight our longstanding commitment to the perpetuation of Blues entertainment and education. Events may include performance and lecture series, workshops, special guest performers, field trips and the like. In order to mark our 20th anniversary with high caliber, well-produced events we will need your help. Volunteers are needed to help plan events, solicit sponsors, assist in grant writing, secure cost-effective venues, sell tickets and perform other tasks. We encourage and welcome suggestions and ideas to make this an exciting year of celebration. To volunteer to work on the 20th Anniversary Celebration, contact Cassie Sweet, our new Volunteer Coordinator, and let us know how you can help. Contact me with your ideas and suggestions. Join us and help make this DCBS milestone a very special and memorable occasion for the Blues in the DC region. Hurricane Katrina ReliefWe will be supporting and initiating fundraising activities to support the survivors of the devastating hurricane Katrina. DCBS has contributed a portion of our festival sales to the relief effort and begun a fund drive for Gulf coast performers, some like Marva Wright, who have been displaced to the DC metro region. Hurricane Katrina was a massive natural tragedy compounded by a series of bureaucratic blunders. All of our help is needed to restore constancy and hope to the lives of the many victims of this calamity. Please support our efforts in easing the suffering.
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