Festival brings the blues to Bisbee

A myriad of blues fans will converge on Bisbee Saturday, Sept. 9, to see acts like Ruben Moreno, Texas’ Zydeco Re-Evolution and the Sugar Thieves.

But Blues in Bisbee at Warren Ballpark is more than a concert. It’s a way to give back to the Easterseals Blake Foundation, which serves people and families who face physical, emotional, intellectual, social and educational disabilities.

Money is raised through ticket sales, sponsorships and a 50/50 raffle. This year, Dina Scalone, chief external relations officer for Easterseals, said the organization hopes to raise $30,000 to $50,000.

This year, raffle tickets will be pulled by individuals served by the foundation. They will sell ceramics they made as part of a program offered to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“It helps us to raise money for our services in Cochise, Graham and Greenlee counties, right over there by Bisbee,” Scalone said. “It also helps raise awareness that we are one of the largest nonprofit organizations serving those counties.”

The festival’s history goes back more than 20 years in Tucson. Formerly staged by a radio station, the Blues in Bisbee Festival was taken over by the Easterseals Blake Foundation in 2018.

Each year, Easterseals pays homage to the festival’s history. This year, it will sell T-shirts and have information in its slide show about Tucson blues singer Anna Warr, who died in July.

Warr, an Arizona Blues Hall of Fame inductee, played the festival with her band Giant Blue. Last year, Easterseals honored Buzz Pearson, the blues musician who started the event in 2004.

“We try to keep some of the history of it alive,” Scalone said.

This year’s lineup also includes Arizona’s Sugar Thieves, the Heather “Lil’ Mama” Hardy Band, Cat Daddy, Aaron McCall and Poppy Harpman and the Storm, among others.

“We try to mix it up. We have zydeco blues. We have more traditional blues,” Scalone said.

As for fans, there’s a mix.

“There are some people who travel to different blues festivals, and there are some people who are just looking for a day of music,” she said.

Attendees can bring blankets and chairs to enjoy a day outside. Food trucks and vendors will be plentiful.

Artisan beers from the Old Bisbee Brewing Company will be available for purchase.