Organizers of Vicksburg’s largest annual festival, Riverfest, say music during the 23rd annual festival will include bluegrass, country, blues, rock and R&B.

“This is by far the most diverse lineup we’ve ever had,” said 2010 Riverfest President Erin Hern. “We really focused on staging something for everybody this year, and we’re offering more bands on the stage than ever before.”

Rising country star Jason Michael Carroll will headline the first night of the festival, April 16, while popular Memphis R&B singer J. Blackfoot with Blue Mountain will close out the second night. Opening acts on Friday include local favorites The Chill, Jackson bluesman King Edward, Oxford-born rocker Reid Stone and his group, The Guild Ridden Troubadour, as well as The Tip Tops, a Mobile-based group that covers R&B and Motown standards from the 1950s through the ’80s. 

Opening acts Saturday include the Mayhem String Band, Rocket 88 and Jimbo Mathus. Based in Oxford, the Mayhem String Band fuses bluegrass with Cajun two-steps, Irish jigs and Delta blues, while Rocket 88 bills itself as a Mississippi roots rock group. Clarksdale-native Jimbo Mathus was a founding member of the 1990s ragtime, vaudeville group Squirrel Nut Zippers, and has since gone back to his Mississippi roots, churning out solo blues and rock albums as well as recording and collaborating with the likes of Buddy Guy and the North Mississippi Allstars.

For the second night, Riverfest will feature one stage at the corner of China and Washington streets. The festival had as many as three stages, but financial constraints forced organizer’s to scale back to one. Nonetheless, nine bands will be featured on the stage over the two-day festival, as opposed to the typical three per night.

Tickets will again be $15 per night or $25 for a weekend pass. Hern said they will be available in the coming weeks at www.riverfestms.com, as well as Paper Plus and Toot’s Grocery. Jammin’ On The River, is the 2010 Riverfest theme. Raymond artist Michael Wade has designed the event T-shirt and poster, which will also be available in the coming weeks.

The 42nd annual Vicksburg-Warren County Riverfest Arts & Crafts Show will once again come to Walnut, South and Crawford streets on the Saturday of the festival weekend, while free entertainment and vendors will be along Washington Street during both days of the festival. Street performers are yet to be lined up, but will also return as part of the free, daytime activities — as will Gospelfest.  

Last year’s Riverfest was marred by cancellations and heavy rain, although it still drew in about 3,000 over two days and organizers were able to recoup some costs through weather insurance. Clarence Carter had been tapped to headline the first night’s entertainment, but cancelled the week of the festival due to health reasons. Country artist Aaron Tippin, Saturday night’s headliner, was rained out.

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com