Brownsville celebrates the Blues Memorial Day weekend

Elmo Lee Thomas has been the driving force behind one of the Mid-South’s most popular bands, Elmo and the Shades, for over 25 years. He is a Memphis native, a high-energy blues shouter and soul singer and one of the region's top harmonica talents. Elmo and The Shades will take the stage at this year's Exit 56 Blues Fest in Brownsville at 8 p.m., Saturday, May 26.

Brownsville, Tenn., will once again celebrate its blues heritage during the Exit 56 Blues Fest Saturday, May 26, at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center. Festivities will include an arts and crafts show, art exhibition, cruise-in and live music. The daylong event will run from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m.

The Center will open at 9 a.m. with self-guided tours of the museums. "Sonnets to Orpheus," a mixed media art exhibition by Jackson native Lendon Noe will also be on display for attendees to enjoy.

This year's arts and crafts fair will open at 10 a.m., and artisans will showcase their special handcrafted items until 6 p.m. Among the featured items this year are quilts, baby items, jewelry, aprons, paintings, wind chimes and specialty wood items. Delta-themed folk art and specialty clothing will also be available, along with your favorite festival foods, including barbecue and pork rinds.

Blind Red Rooster

Musical entertainment begins with the first performers taking the stage at 1 p.m. Local and regional favorites will perform from the porch of the home of Blues pioneer "Sleepy" John Estes. This year's Haywood's Got Talent winner Hannah Smith will take the stage first, followed by Sleepy's Jug Band All Stars, a group of Brownsville musicians who will pay homage to the old country blues style of music. Union City's Blind Red Rooster will make a return appearance at this year's festival.

Other performers for the evening include a host of accomplished bluesmen such as Brownsville's Jimmy D. Taylor and Jackson's Steve Patterson. Theo D "The Boogieman" and Sean "Bad" Apple from Clarksdale, Miss., will share their special Delta Blues style. Opening for the evening's headliner is Eric Hughes, harmonica player and favorite on the Memphis blues scene. At 8 p.m., some of Memphis' best known and most talented musicians, Elmo and The Shades, will take the stage.

Blueshine Duo
Steve Patterson & Jimmy D. Taylor

Car enthusiasts are invited to cruise-in for the music and compete to take home some unique awards during the Exit 56 Cruise-In from 2-6 p.m. Participants are asked to check in or pre-register online to qualify for awards. Registration is free and includes recognition for "Cool Chrome," "Most Likely to Get a Ticket," "Oldest Ride" and more.

Another special event of the day will be the debut of West Tennessee's newest magazine, Good Ol' Boys. Good Ol' Boys Magazine is a monthly publication for those who enjoy the southern lifestyle of good times, good food, and good friends. The magazine will be given away during the Cruise-In.

Festival admission and concerts are free and everyone is invited to attend and enjoy a day celebrating the Brownsville blues. The West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center is located off of Interstate 40 at Exit 56, behind McDonald’s. For more information, contact the Center at 731-779-9000 or visit www.westtnheritage.com/exit56/.

Crafters invited to participate in the 2nd Annual Exit 56 Blues Fest

A Cut Above's Joe Adams won the Most Creative Item Award for his scroll saw wood puzzles at the 2010 Exit 56 Blues Fest.

Calling all outside arts and crafters. The West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center is seeking do-it-yourselfers and traditional and non-traditional crafters who create high quality, one-of-kind items to take part in the Exit 56 Blues Fest Arts and Crafts Show May 26, in Brownsville, Tenn.

Cookbook author Pamela Whinnery, talks about her Tennessee celebrity cookbook with a festival attendee at the 2010 Exit 56 Blues Fest in Brownsville, Tenn.

The show will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is limited to the first 50 applicants. Application deadline is May 1. The location, just off of Interstate 40 at Exit 56, offers crafters a unique opportunity to showcase their talents and wares to visitors traveling through West Tennessee, as well as residents of the region.

This is a non-juried event, but special care will be taken to ensure that a good selection is available without an over abundance of any one particular items.

"The Blues Fest is planned for Memorial Day weekend, which is the first big travel weekend of the year," says center director Sonia Outlaw-Clark.

The event attracted more than 400 attendees in its first year and is expected to grow substantially over the next few years, according to Clark. Planners are already working on how they can increase the festival area to accommodate more activities.

In addition to the Arts and Crafts show, live Blues music will be performed from the porch of the Sleepy John Estes home from 1-9 p.m. A car cruise-in, special exhibits inside the Center, festival foods and a kid's area are also planned for the event.

Crafters may download an application by visiting the Center's website at www.WestTNHeritage.com and click on the Exit 56 logo. For more information or questions, email info@westtnheritage.com, or call the Center at 731-779-9000.