Spirited blues

About 15,000 people are expected along Main Street at the Dunedin Wines the Blues festival, which features beer, wine, shopping and music.

By EILEEN SCHULTE

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 28, 2001

DUNEDIN -- This weekend, get the blues -- as well as the reds and whites -- at the same place: Main Street in Dunedin.

The Dunedin Downtown Merchants Association will host the 10th annual Dunedin Wines the Blues festival Saturday night in and around Pioneer Park.

The spirits and bands are just bait to get you to the downtown area to sample the restaurants and the shops, but organizers promise a good time.

They bought 60 different types of beer and wine and will sell them for $3, $4 and $5 a glass.

Plastic cups, of course -- for safe strolling.

"This is not a rowdy deal. This is more genteel,"said David Kaufman, president of the merchants association.

The group hopes to satisfy the palates of the expected crowd of 15,000 people who will walk along Main Street and listen to the blues in the park and "hear some darn good sounds," Kaufman said.

He's talking about Wendy and the Soulshakers, a hard-edge bluesy quartet, that will perform from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; Dr. Hector and the Groove Injectors, an American roots blues trio that will perform from 7 to 8:30 p.m.; and Pocket Change, a high-energy dance band that will be on from 9 to 11 p.m.

The city will close Main Street to car traffic from Broadway to Louden Avenue, allowing visitors to walk around freely with their wine and shop at artists booths, try the climbing wall and sample food at 10 restaurants, Kaufman said.

There also will be activities for children, such as a moon walk and a Dunedin Blue Jays pitching booth.

"This is the total package," he said. "People come out, stroll the streets, taste the food and listen to the music. The merchant's goal is to get people to come to downtown Dunedin and experience its ambiance and great shops. We encourage people to try Dunedin, and they'll come back."

The event was started a decade ago by downtown merchants Kathy Carlson, one of the owners of Kelly's Restaurant, and Gregory Brady, owner of Gregory's Salon.

The tenth event is a far cry from the first Dunedin Wines the Blues when only about 6,000 people showed up.

"It's grown tremendously," said Kaufman. "And downtown Dunedin has changed dramatically. Our redevelopment is constant. Each time somebody comes, they'll see something new. It's beautiful. It's quaint."

If you go

The 10th annual Dunedin Wines the Blues festival will be from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday on Main Street from Louden Avenue to Broadway. About 15,000 people are expected to come and sample fine wine and beer, sip it while they listen to blues bands in Pioneer Park and gift shop. Wine costs between $3 and $5 per glass. Admission is free.

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