WC Handy Music Festival

What happens when you cram 300 musical events into 10 days? You get the WC Handy Music Festival. Because that many events is more than a little overwhelming to navigate, I’ve done some of the legwork for you and created a handy guide to the festival events. I’ve gone through all 300 events and picked out some of the ones I think you all will like and broken them down into several categories:

• Easy on the Wallet 
• Family Fun
• Fancy Schmancy
• Heart Pumping
• Mixed Bag

The Man Behind the Festival

If the name behind this festival struck you as familiar  there’s a good reason. The blues composer and musician WC Handy is known as the “Father of the Blues,” and even has a connection to Huntsville, AL! He taught music and was the band director at Alabama A&M in the early 1900’s. You may also have heard some of his musical compositions:

• Memphis Blues
• Beale Street Blues
• Saint Louis Blues
• Ole Miss Rag

But back to the present and on to the music!

WC Handy Music Festival: Easy on the Wallet

These are events that won’t break the bank. All of these WC Handy Musical Festival events cost $10 or less and quite a few are even free!

12th Annual Bluegrass Festival: The Home Of Alabama Bluegrass Music Championship

• Date: Thursday, July 18th at 6 pm
• Cost: FREE
• Location: Rogersville Heritage Park, Rogersville

Book It with Jazz

• Date: Monday, July 22nd from 11 am-1 pm
• Location: Helen Keller Public Library, Tuscumbia
• Cost: $5 (lunch tickets available at the library, call 256-383-7065)
• Music by: Robert Dickson Combo

Music and Munchin’ in Gattman Park

• Date: Wednesday, July 24th from 11 am-1:30 pm
• Location: Gattman Park Recreation Center, Muscle Shoals
• Cost: Music is free/ box lunch available for purchase
• Featuring: Bay City Brass Band

Blues on the Bluff 

• Date: Wednesday, July 24that 6:30 pm
• Location: Standpipe Park, Sheffield
• Cost: FREE
• Featuring: The Blue Navigators, The Hitmen

Black and White Party

• Date: Saturday July 27th from 7-10pm
• Location: Studio 256, Sheffield
• Cost: $10
• Featuring: Crossroads Band [spacer size=”0″]

WC Handy Music Festival 2013: Family Fun

If you’ve got kiddos in the house, these WC Handy Music Festival events are for you!

Music in the Park 

• Date: Saturday July 20th from 7-10 pm
• Location: Wilson Park, Florence
• Featuring: Rewind

Jazz it up with Trash 

• Date: Monday July 22nd at 10 am
• Location: Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, Florence
• Featuring: Hands-on activities making instruments from recycled materials
• Special Guest: Microwave Dave

Kidz Jamm 

• Date: Tuesday July 23rd at 10 am
• Location: St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, Florence
• Featuring: Shoals Area Piano Students with guests Bob Wray & James Counts

Geoblues 

• Date: Wednesday July 24th at 1 pm
• Location: Children’s Museum of the Shoals, Florence
• Featuring: Where in the World

Cypress Lakes Music 

• Date: Wednesday July 24th from 7-9 pm
• Location: Cypress Lakes Golf & Country Club, Muscle Shoals
• Cost: Music is free – restaurant and bar available
• Featuring: The Muscle Shoals All-Star Band with guests the Decoys, Gary Nichols, Christine Ohlman, Charles Rose, Harvey Thompson

Downtown Tuscumbia Street Party 

• Date: Thursday July 25th from 5-10 pm
• Location: Main Street, Tuscumbia
• Featuring: Arts & Crafts vendors, food, music
• Music: Pine Hill Haints

Evening at the Roxy with The Great Pretenders 

• Date: Thursday July 25th at 7 pm
• Location: Roxy Theatre, Russellville
• Cost: $5 / children younger than 6 free
• Featuring: The Great Pretenders

Youth Conference 2013 & Hip Hop Finale Concert 

• Date: Sunday July 28th at 6pm
• Location: New Birth Ministries, Florence
• Featuring: Mr. Del & Holy Smith (Former Three 6 Mafia), NBY Step Team, Free to Grow, Vocal Pointe

WC Handy Music Festival 2013: Fancy Schamancy

Looking for a date night? Then head out to one of these $25 dollars and up events at the WC Handy Music Festival.

Helen and the Blues 

• Date: Friday, July 19th at 6:30pm
• Location: Marriott Shoals Conference Center, Florence
• Cost: $50 open seating/ $62.50 reserved seating plus music and dinner buffet
• Reservations: Call 256-386-4747
• Featuring Music By: The Thompson Trio and Debbie Bond

Coaches vs. Cancer: “Howlin’ Madd for a Cure”

• Date: Thursday July 25th at 6 pm
• Location: Pickett Place, Florence
• Cost: $80 per person or $150 per couple
• Tickets: Available at the American Cancer Society Office/ Pickett Place
• Featuring: Bill Howlin’ MADD Perry & Band, a member of the Delta Blues Foundation

Headliner Concert: An Evening with Keb’Mo’

• Date: Saturday July 27th at 7:30 pm
• Location: Norton Auditorium University of North Alabama, Florence
• Featuring: Keb’Mo’
• Cost: $40 general admission

WC Handy Music Festival 2013:
Heart Pumping

These events combine fitness and music for a fun and healthy day.

Dadoorunrun (5k) & Fun Run (1 Mile) & Walk (1 Mile)

• Location: W.C. Handy Home & Museum, Florence
• Date: Saturday July 20th
• Time: Registration at 6:30am; 5K Race at 8am; 1 mile Run/walk at 9am
• Cost: Run – $15; $20 after July 13
• Registration: Online or at the Festival Office, 217 E. Tuscaloosa St., Florence
• Featuring: Mary Mason Band

29th Annual 3-State Bike Ride 

• Date: Saturday July 27th
• Times: 6 am Registration; 7:15 am Mass Start
• Location: McFarland Park, Florence
• Route Options: 21, 39, 61, 70, 100 & 107 mile options; View the route maps online
• Cost: $30 per rider until July 17/ $35 after July 17
• Register: Available on-line by searching “Handy”

WC Handy Music Festival 2013: Mixed Bag

From documentaries to musical jazz bees, these are events are anything but your standard concerts.

Swampette Mystery Tour 

• Date: Friday, July 19th at 4pm
• Location: Wilson Park, Florence; Tour begins and ends at the parking lot of the 1st Baptist Church Annex on Wood Avenue across from Wilson Park, Florence.
• Cost: $25 per person. For reservations call 256-740-4141

Artworks & All that Jazz

• Date: Sunday, July 21st from 1-3 pm
• Location: Tennessee Valley Museum of Art, Tuscumbia
• Featuring: Exhibit of current works by artist members of the Tennessee Valley Art Association
• Music by: Cheryl Sparks

Bridgin’ the Blues

• Date: Monday, July 22nd from 6:30-8 pm
• Location: Old Railroad Bridge over the Tennessee River, Sheffield
• Featuring: Microwave Dave

Musical Spelling Jazz Bee 

• Date: Tuesday July 23rd at 2:30 pm
• Location: Mount Moriah P.B. Church Family Life Center, Florence

Rock Out with the Writers 

• Date: Wednesday July 24th at 7 pm
• Location: Shoals Theatre, Florence
• Cost: $20; All proceeds benefit the Sidney’s Safe Foundation
• Featuring: Songwriter’s In the Round with Chris Thompkins & Friends

Mr. Handy’s Blues: A Musical Documentary 

• Date: Thursday July 25th from 10-11 am
• Location: W.C. Handy Home and Museum, Florence
• Featuring: Preview and conversation with filmmaker and producer Joanne Fish

Screening Room 

• Date: Thursday July 25th from 2-4:30 pm
• Location: Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, Florence
• Featuring: Martin Scorsese’s documentary The Last Waltz (1978)

Muscle Shoals To Music Row/Msma & The Marriott Shoals Present A Tribute To Jerry Wexler

• Date: Thursday July 25th from 8-10 pm
• Location: Marriott Shoals Conference Center, Florence
• Details: Concert and Exhibit of Dick Cooper’s Iconic Photographs
• Cost: $10
• Featuring: Christine Ohlman, The Muscle Shoals All-Stars, (David Hood, Kelvin Holly, NC Thurman, Mike Dillon, Will McFarlane) With special guest: Bonnie Bramlett, Spooner Oldham, Donnie Fritts, Paul Wexler plus surprises!

12th Rollin’ on the River 

• Date: Friday, July 26th at 6:30pm
• Location: Joe Wheeler State Park, Rogersville
• Featuring: Dorothy Cole as “Tina Turner”

Gas Handy Fest Concert 

• Date: Friday July 26th from 7-11 pm
• Location: GAS Design Center, Tuscumbia
• Cost: 3 canned goods/ small donation to area food bank projects
• Featuring: Shonna Tucker & Eye Candy with special guests The Lorels, Elias Patriot, Red Mouth, Clara Belle, The Edward Armstead Project, David Haselton, Hempanzee, and Muscle Shoals Mashup by Canless & Parallel Thought

Street Strut & Parade 

• Date: Saturday July 27th at 10 am
• Location: Wilson Park, Florence; Rain location – Regency Square Mall
• Music by: Bay City Brass, Thompson Trio, Johnson High School Band,  Sheffield High School “Sound of the Shoals Marching Band PLUS Prizes for the best Strutters

Event Information: WC Handy Music Festival 2013

Dates: July 19-28, 2013
Locations: Various establishments in the Shoals
Complete Schedule: You can download a complete event schedule on the WC Handy Music Festival website

Want to learn more?

• Visit the WC Handy Music Festival website
• Find the WC Handy Music Festival on Facebook
• Follow the WC Handy Music Festival on Twitter