TERRE HAUTE —
A river of lawn chairs flowed down Wabash Avenue on Saturday, beneath a sky of blues.
The 12th Annual Blues at the Crossroads festival wrapped up Saturday with a final performance by The Ragbirds, after a full day of music and food.
A total crowd count wasn’t available, but Jim Brown, a volunteer with the Maryland Community Church, said attendance seemed as good as it’s ever been. Past years have generated between 8,000 and 10,000 visitors over two days.
“It’s going pretty smooth,” he said near the gates on South Seventh Street. Since the festival’s inception, the church has volunteered to help take tickets at the gates, and this year’s traffic seemed pretty steady all day, he said. “The weather’s been great, which is awesome.”
Parking was tough to come by downtown, as Blues at the Crossroads shared time with the Terre Haute Oberlandler Club’s 40th Annual Oktoberfest just two blocks away in the Clabber Girl Festival Marketplace. And the India Association of Terre Haute’s Taste of India fundraiser was hosted inside Hulman Center.
But the crowd for the bluesfest didn’t seem too interested in other happenings downtown. Megan Swan, 19, said she’s been attending the music festival since she was a little girl.
“I come back for this show every year and help out,” the Indiana University student said, adding that members of her family play in local bands and help organize the event. “I like the music and the atmosphere. It’s a good place to hang out.”
Saturday afternoon inside Lynn’s Boutique, Jessica Aiden said the festival had been good for business. Located just a few doors west of Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue, the store’s sign blinked “Open” next to a door fixed to the opposite wall.
“It’s been good. They’re all trying on stuff,” she said amid a store full of patrons, many just wandering in to see what was on the racks in between musical sets.
By 8:46 p.m., the sky was dark against the red and green stoplights at Seventh and Wabash, the street lamps and glowing stage. The pavement-covering lawn chairs had flowed over Wabash Avenue and spilled south along Seventh Street. Sidewalks were standing-room-only, and a crowd of dancers faced the stage.
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band was warming up with a washboard and guitar, thumping and grinding the instruments into tune with locomotive speed and the snarl of a chainsaw.
Jennifer Flynn and Jessica Roberts rounded the corner of the Crossroads of America, following the music.
“It’s a great night and great weather for this event,” Flynn said. “It brings the whole community together.”
Roberts said the pair had just gotten there and was looking forward to the music.
“It’s a great atmosphere for the community,” she said.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
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Blues at the Crossroads finds success in downtown Terre Haute once again
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