The 2011 February Blues & Jazz Bash took place on on Saturday, February 12 at the Best Western Plus Orangeville Inn & Suites.

  

It was another resounding success, and featured a silent auction with many great items up for bid, dancing, and live performances by Café Ole with guest artist Ryan Grist and by Larry Kurtz of Trouble & Strife with special guests Chris Whiteley & Diana Braithwaite.

  

Congratulations to Suzette C. of Orangeville, Sylvia K. of Mississauga and Karen B. of Brampton who each won a pair of tickets in our contest draw.

  

As the 2011 Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival weekend draws near, we will be sharing details regarding upcoming events which will take place leading up to (and during) the Festival weekend.

  

For instance...

• We will be hosting another Monday Night at the Movies event on April 4th at Galaxy Cinemas in Orangeville, featuring Flip Flop & Fly: 40 Years of the Downchild Blues Band. Tickets are $15 each and will feature a LIVE performance by Chuck Jackson and other members of Downchild at the theatre, followed by the film. Festivities start at 7PM.
• On Friday, June 3rd we will be holding the 3rd annual Blues Cruise event featuring over 200 classic cars.
• On Saturday, June 4th we will be expanding last year's motorcycle event and introducing a Vintage Motorcycle show, featuring a number of extremely rare and valuable bikes - some over 100 years old
• And there may even be a few surprises...

So, stay tuned for more festival details, and be sure to visit the Festival's website (www.objf.org) and Facebook profile to stay up to date with the latest happenings. 
 

The Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival is very pleased to announce an opportunity to WIN a Caribbean Cruise for Two with Celebrity Cruises!!

  

Prize includes ALL of the following:

Cruise includes stops in San Juan (Puerto Rico), St. Thomas (Virgin Islands), St. Maarten (Netherlands Antilles) and Miami, Florida.

  

  

Tickets are $10.00* each, or $25.00* for three, and can be purchased at any of the following locations:

• Blighty's Tuck Store: 88 First Street (MAP)
• Broadway Musical: 232 Broadway (MAP)
• Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival Office/Kurtz Millworks: 493 Broadway (MAP)
• and, at ALL upcoming Festival events, while supplies last

Only 1,500 tickets have been printed. This could easily be the best $10 you have ever spent.

  

The winning ticket draw will take place at 3:00PM on June 5, 2011 at the Festival Main Stage.

  

For more details, call the Festival Office at 1.888.792.5837 TOLL FREE or 519.941.9041.

Good luck to all who enter!

  

The Blues Foundation held its 27th annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis Tennessee on Saturday, February 5, 2011.

Several Canadians made the cut to the semi finals at this year's event, including:

• Michael Jerome Browne* (solo/duo)
• Carlos del Junco & The Blues Mongrels (band)
• Harrison Kennedy* (solo/duo)
• Theresa Malenfant & The Instigators (band)
• Rick Taylor* (solo/duo)
• Al Wood & The Woodsmen (band) 

Other Canadians at the Blues Challenge this year included Erin McCallum* and David Rotundo*, Jordan John and Bill Johnson.

  

The winners of the band competition are:
1st Place: The Lionel Young Band (Colorado Blues Society)
2nd Place: The Mary Bridget Davies Group (Kansas City Blues Society)
3rd Place: Rob Blaine's Big Otis Blues (Windy City Blues Society)

  

For the second consecutive year a non-American act won the solo/duo category, which is a testament to the global scope of the event.

  

The solo/duo winner was Germany's Georg Schroeter & Marc Breitfelder, sponsored by the Baltic Blues Society in Eutin, Germany.

 
The second place honours went to Hamilton Ontario's Harrison Kennedy sponsored by the Canal Bank Shuffle in Thorold, Ontario, Canada. Harrison has twice played at the Orangeville Blues & Jazz Festival.

  

Congratulations to Harrison and the rest of the Canadians who competed at this prestigious event.

  

You have all done us proud!

  

  

If you are not already aware, the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival is on Facebook, and you are invited to join us as we count down to the 9th annual Festival which will take place from June 2 - 5, 2011 inclusive.

We also encourage you to visit our website (www.objf.org) to stay up to date with events and developments related to this year's big event.

In the meantime, we would like to thank you for your interest in (and support of) our Festival.

Stay tuned for more...