File photo of Blues by the Drop 5, out of Hale perform at the annual Blues Festival last year.

ALPENA – The annual Alpena Blues Festival, presented by the nonprofit Alpena Blues Coalition, returns from 2 p.m. to 10 pm June 20 at the Alpena bandshell at Bay View Park.

The free event is open to the public and people of all ages.

This year’s festival will honor Stu Bartlett, an original member of the Alpena Blues Coalition who died at the age of 91.

The lineup features a full day of blues performances, starting with Kathleen and the Bridge Street Band (2-4p.m.), followed by Chris Crown and the Get Down Band (4-6 p.m.), Shaun Booker Dammit Band (6-8 p.m.) and headliner Sunny Bleau and the Moons (8-10 p.m).

Blues Coalition President Ed Hickok said the festival is always a popular event and this year’s event should be a good one because of the quality of the musicians.

“We had a bunch of die-hard blues fans back then and we thought wouldn’t it be great if we could put together our own Blues Fest,” Hickok said. “All of our founding members were a part of that, some of which are still with us today, and it took off from there.”

Hickok said the coalition is fortunate to have strong vendor support each year. One key contributor, Huron Distributing, will not be present this year, however, attendees have the option to bring their own beer.

The organization did not need a large volunteer turnout this year, thanks to members of the coalition stepping up.

“We did not need a lot of volunteers this year thanks in large part to the dedicated members of the coalition stepping up to pick up the slack where it was needed,” Hickok said

Hickok also said it is a goal of the coalition to keep blues music alive for younger generations.

“Because the younger generations are not usually familiar with Blues music, it’s hard to show them how great it is,” Hickok said. “Once they experience that type of music many people discover they like it.”

He added that the genre’s influence extends far beyond itself.

“Without Blues music many other genres would not be what they are today. There is an old saying, when the blues had a baby, they called it rock and roll,” Hickok added.

The festival is free this year with the same level of sponsor support and no revenue from gate admissions. Hickok encouraged attendees to support the coalition’s mission in two ways.

“We would love it if people would do two things, one, bring a nonperishable food item to help our mission to feed the hungry,” Hickok said. “Two, we will gladly accept any contributions to help us keep this festival going.”

The coalition has long collected nonperishable food donations at the festival to aid local hunger-relief efforts.

Whether you’re a long-time blues enthusiast or discovering the genre for the first time, the Alpena Blues Festival offers a perfect summer evening of live music, community spirit and lakeside vibes in Bay View Park. Come celebrate the rich legacy of the blues, honor those who built the festival and help keep this vital tradition alive for future generations.