Re: Where in US are Harp festivals and jams October 2003 - Jan 04

[Gatorharp@xxxxxxx]

wbradley@xxxxxxxxxx writes:

<< If you are coming to the US in October, may I suggest the King Biscuit 
 Festival in Helena, Arkansas October 9-11.  The lineup for this year has 
 not been announced yet, but you can keep an eye out for it at 
 www.kingbiscuitfest.org.>>snip<<
<< All the lodging in Helena is already booked up, but you should be able 
 to find lodging in Clarksdale, Mississippi, about 30 minutes away.  The 
 Delta Blues Museum is in Clarksdale.  At the Delta Blues Museum you can 
 buy the Delta Blues Map Kit put together by Jim O'Neill for about $8US. 
  You can also purchase it on the web at www.deltabluesmuseum.org.  This 
 contains a number of maps and directions for most of the major blues 
 sites in the Mississippi Delta.  For example, a short drive south of 
 Clarksdale is Tutwiler, where Aleck "Rice" Miller (aka Sonnyboy 
 Williamson II) is buried. >>

we took a long weekend to memphis a couple of weeks ago and it was great.  we 
went down to clarksdale and helena one day.  the drive was cool, 'cause 
there's just miles of fields there.  more instructive is just being in these small 
towns.  it's amazing that so much came from such a relatively small area, but 
i couldn't help wishing that there was more in each town to get people there.  
as it is, the only reasons someone might visit either town is for the 
museums.  the delta blues museum, as has been stated, is wonderful, and there's a 
cool little luncheonette across the street.  friendly folks all around.
if you're going to be in that area and have the time, spend a couple of days 
(or more) in memphis.  not harp related, but there's graceland, sun studios, 
the new stax records museum (a wonderful museum, if you like soul music), as 
well as the gibson guitar factory and the national civil rights museum, both of 
which we didn't get to.  oh yeah...beale street...rum boogie cafe; get the 
gumbo and catfish.

steven j gatorman