Fresh faces, familiar acts at Wallace Blues Festival

WALLACE — The annual music extravaganza known as the Historic Wallace Blues Festival is just days away and the city of Wallace is getting ready for a full weekend of packed streets.

After losing the event in both 2020 and 2021, the music came roaring back in 2022, as thousands of people packed the streets of Wallace in the sweltering heat.

This year, the festival is running with the theme that "Wallace is the stage," and after taking a quick look at the artist lineup and the many different venues that will be hosting them, the theme is pretty accurate.

The music officially kicks off Thursday evening with a pair of performances at the Wallace Depot Stage and at the Stardust Motel. Friday is when things look to really heat up as more than 15 different venues host artists throughout the afternoon, including an art show inside the Brooks Hotel on Friday and Saturday.

“On Friday, we have music all day long with Buskers and Art in the Afternoon and we're closing out the night with a party on the street,” festival organizer Adam Cook said. “We are especially happy to offer family-friendly venues this year and plenty of 18+ locations with different flavors of blues to choose from.”

This year, C.J. Chenier and The Red Hot Louisiana Band, Hank Shreve Band, Dogs With No FUR, Stephanie Anne Johnson and the C.D. Woodbury Trio will be headlining the show on the Cedar Street main stage. Saturday’s lineup will begin with a special mining memorial tribute from Wallace’s own John McGee and will wrap up with the Grammy-nominated Chenier with more than a few surprises along the way.

Local favorites Casey Ryan, Ginger and Rusty will be among the more than 20 artists who will be performing at the many venues and stages throughout Wallace over the weekend.

The Historic Wallace Blues Festival is organized annually by the Wallace Arts Council and is the primary focus of the group. Cook, who took over the festival from longtime organizer Marcy Hayman, does it for the people.

“My favorite part of BluesFest is having a town full of people and talking with all of our visitors,” Cook said.

The 2023 Historic Wallace Blues Festival is July 7-8.

To purchase tickets or to learn more about the festival, visit www.wallaceblues.com, or check out the Historic Wallace Blues Festival Facebook page for a list of the artists and a map of the various stages and venues. Tickets will also be available at the gate on the days of the event.