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FOR IMMEDITATE RELEASE
Harsens Island Bluegrass Festival Returns    Festival Fast Facts...  ~ Harsens Island Bluegrass Festival  ~ Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011 Noon - 9 p.m.   ~ Harsens Island Schoolhouse Grille, 2669 Columbine Road, Harsens Island, Mich. 48028 ~ Featuring Outstanding Regional Bluegrass Bands  & a Bluegrass Jam ~ Local vendors and food celebrating a back-to-basics lifestyle  ~ Admision is $20, Kids under 12 FREE - proceeds to Harsens Island Lions Club with proceeds going to to the Harsens Island Lions Club Family Emergency Fund, Readers Cove Island library and the Schoolhouse Grille Scholarship Fund for Island residents ~ Tickets are on sale online and at select local businesses  ~ Online Tickets@ http://2011harsensislandbluegrassfestival.eventbrite.com/ ~ Parking is FREE ~ Producer: Kate Hart, 810-748-3204, katehart@speakeasy.net ~ Media Contact: Peggy Blue 586-291-2018, bluehorizonmedia@gmail.com   Bluegrass Festival has something for everyone  (HARSENS ISLAND, MICH - JULY 22) -- You don't have to look like George Clooney in the movie Oh, Brother Where Art Thou? - long, fuzzy beard and tweed cap - or dress like Jed Clampett from "The Beverly Hillbillies" to enjoy a little old-time Bluegrass music. If you love a lively tune, enjoy a bit of dancing or just like tapping your foot to the beat, you're qualified to become a bona fide Bluegrass fan. So grab your kinfolk and come on out, 'cause the Second Annual Harsens Island Bluegrass Festival is almost upon us! The Harsens Island Bluegrass Festival will play out on the playground of the former two-room schoolhouse Saturday, Aug. 13 from noon until 9 p.m. The old school, now home of Harsens Island Schoolhouse Grille, is located at 2669 Columbine.Tickets are $20, with proceeds going to island charities.  A ferry ride away from Algonac and just across the river from Canada, the festival offers close-to-home fun for families with a full day of music by great regional bluegrass bands, slow-roasted barbecue beef and veggies, plus organic, natural and handcrafted goods from vendors in a beautiful island setting. Festival producer Kate Hart was drawn to the island for its natural beauty and historic charm. After more than 40 years on the road traveling with the best in blues, Hart - a Grammy-nominated blues singer and songwriter - settled on Harsens Island three years ago with her husband Joe Veler. "This island instantly makes you feel connected to nature," explained Hart. "It is absolutely breathtaking here. We love it and wanted to share the experience with others. For us, music is a way of connecting. That's how this festival came about." Kristin and Tony Bane, the owners of the Harsens Island Schoolhouse Grille, quickly adopted Hart's vision and began work to transform the playground into the perfect festival grounds and plan a mouth-watering menu. Festival goers seemed to love the result. Nearly a thousand Islanders and visitors came out last August and had a foot-tapping, thigh-slapping good time. Families spent the day listening to the music while enjoying ice cream cones and kettle corn. Others stopped in after church and strolled the old schoolyard, catching up with old friends. Still others shopped at the vendor show, picking up paintings, handcrafted flutes, pottery and jewelry. And island resident John Horvath worked with the Banes, slow-roasting beef on an open flame filling the air with an aroma that made the mouth water in anticipation. And now they're ready to do it all again! 	GET TICKETS: Online @ Eventbrite.com Just click the image above. Or visit one of these convenient locations... Harsens Island Schoolhouse Grille 2669 Columbine Road, Harsens Island, MI 48028  Delta Hardware 3062 S. Channel Dr. Harsens Island, MI 48028 The Spiritwear Shop 5297 Pointe Tremble Rd Algonac, MI 48001  Sue's Coffee House 201 N Riverside Ave St Clair, MI 48079  Holistic Voice Institute 2769 Coolidge Berkley, MI 48072 An arial view of the island.    An Island Paradise  For those who've never beenthere, Harsens Island is a real surprise. Only about an hour from Detroit or Port Huron, the Lake St. Clair island feels like a secluded rural island teeming with wildlife -swans, ducks, foxes, deer, raccoons, even an American Bald Eagle has a nest there. Its crystal waterways and canals are dotted with quaint wood-framed cottages and elegant Victorian homes. The only way to access the island is a  ferry ride (in your car!) or traveling by boat. The ferry ride across is $7.
It's About the Music! Organizers have worked hard to find the best regional bluegrass bands around. So count on the air sizzling with lively traditional bluegrass and a bit of gritty newgrass. At the end of the day, festival goers will be invited to join in a jam session entitled Jammin' With Jerry's Kids, which is a tribute to Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead.   Hart said the jam session was added as a way to draw the crowds further into the music. Each of the bands is expected to play a tribute to Garcia or the Dead. If crowds choose to jam too, Hart said she'll be pleased. "We'd love it if people brought their instruments and joined in," Hart said. "Bluegrass really lends itself to improvisation. From the music to the food to the vendors, this festival will be organic - growing naturally into whatever it is supposed to be."   Goldmine Pickers Goldmine Pickers is a young, passionate, four-piece band weaving together roots and inspiration in bluegrass, jazz, folk and Irish traditions to create an energetic new space in Americana music. With memorable acoustic performances, the group has mesmorized audiences in intimate clubs and expansive concert halls; at festivals and on live radio shows with inspiring interplay between guitar, mandolin,upright bass, a fiery fiddler and soaring, heartfelt vocal harmonies. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN Bill Bynum & Co. With songs both traditional and original, and a sound that's at once as comfortable as old jeans and as fresh as a new blade of grass, Bill Bynum & Co. is a band that's easy to love and hard to quit. The band's core of guitar, pedal steel, fiddle, bass and harmony vocals can lean into country, veer toward bluegrass, or take listeners on a unique journey through Bill's original songs. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN   Lonesome County Back by popular demand, Lonesome County, has long been known as Michigan's finest bluegrass band and one of the finest anywhere. They have been garnering loads of attention since their 2002 inception. From concert halls to many large bluegrass festivals throughout the U.S., they can be found playing their distinctive style of bluegrass - a lively mixture of traditional Bill Monroe style music to energetic originals. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN    New County Grass This quartet out of the Flint area -yes Flint -bangs out hard-driving traditional bluegrass music with a  Nine Pound Hammer and still has plenty of energy left to create cutting edge originals. One festival critic says New County Grass is a band with "one of the most eclectic blends of modern and traditional bluegrass to take the stage" in years. Since their inception three years ago, the band has been playing festivals around the Midwest and has released its first CD - Start the Whole Thing Over. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN    VENDOR VILLAGE Hart made a concerted effort to attract vendors and artists who celebrate a back-to-nature, hand-crafted or organic lifestyle. The result has been pretty impressive. Below is a sampling of some of our vendors.   Photography by Island resident Brenda Thomas focuses on natural beauty. Award-winning collectible - or usable - handmade fishing lures by Ron Cracchiolo. And yes, the ones meant for fishing catch some impressive fish! Check out www.bluewaterbait.com to see more lures and the fish they helped catch.   Distinctive, custom-made jewelry and crystal writing instruments by Debbie Irvine and gorgeous pieces made by another talented artisan - Michelle Yinger - will be available at the festival.   Watercolor paintings, photographs and notecards by Mary Jo Beranek and pottery by Sondra Maryon focus on natural beauty and whimsy. Be sure to bring some extra spending money because not every vendor accepts credit cards and you don't want to miss an opportunity!	OUR SPONSORS         Sunset Harbor Marina 1784 N. Channel Drive    Harsens Island, MI 48028 810-748-3082 Planning on coming to the festival by boat? Call Sunset for information on a slip for the day. Trolley service will take you from Sunset to the HarsensIsland Schoolhouse Grille.   Preferred Charters  3233 Dove Road Port Huron, MI 48060 (810) 982-7433    This year, in addition to theTrolley transportation from the Ferry, Preferred Charters is offering Festival Packages with rides from Port Huron, St. Clair and MarineCity for $30, including festival ticket. Call today to make your reservations.     Spiritwear Shop  5297 Pointe Tremble Rd  Algonac,  MI 48001  810-956-9032    Holistic Voice Institute  2769 Coolidge  Berkley, MI 48072  248-460-356  UPDATES We'll be posting regular updates about the festival on Facebook. So won't you 'Like' our page?