CONGRESSWOMAN

DEBBIE STABENOW

N E W S  R E L E A S E

The Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival will be included in the Library of Congress' collection of local legacies, a new program designed to preserve the history of local events across the country, Congresswoman Debbie Stabenow announced today.

"I believe the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival is exactly the kind of Americana the Library of Congress is interested in documenting," Stabenow said. "Driven by volunteers, the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival brings the Ann Arbor community together for a unique celebration of culture and music. " Stabenow nominated the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival for consideration in the Library of Congress' Local Legacy program.

"The Board of Directors are thrilled that the Festival has received this designation and feel that it will go a long way in helping us fulfill our mission of keeping music alive and viable in the twenty-first century and beyond," said Mary Motherwell, President of the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival Board of Directors.

In 1969, a few thousand music enthusiasts gathered on a Huron High School practice field for the Ann Arbor Blues Festival featuring up-and-coming artists. The festival died in 1974 but was revived by a committed group of volunteers in 1992 and has been a staple of the Ann Arbor cultural scene since. Many of the green 1970's performers have returned to the festival as jazz and blues greats including Bonnie Raitt, Luther Allison, Muddy Waters, Miles Davis and Ray Charles. The non-profit event has expanded over the years offering activities for children, educational outreach, and a popular "Meet the Artists" program that gives the audiences an opportunity to chat face to face with music legends and hear their incredible tales of working in the jazz and blues industry.

"I am excited that the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival will now live not only in the hearts and minds of its enthusiastic supporters, but also in the hallowed halls of the Library of Congress through the Local Legacies Program," Stabenow said.