Initial Press Release

Crossroads Blues Society has given the green light to begin planning their Inaugural Field of Blues Festival in earnest. The group was seeking funding for seed money for the festival and has obtained enough to get the ball rolling. Additional sponsorship for the festival is still desired and needed, but the festival has been approved by the Crossroads officers and board and it will happen on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at the soon-to-be renamed Rockford Riverhawks Baseball Stadium!

This is an exciting event and the first of its' kind in 20 years. Yes, Rockford has had other outdoor musical events, but the last pure blues festival has not been held for 20 years. With the demise of On The Waterfront, the Rock and Rib Fest and other outdoor summer events that featured a lot of blues music, there is a void that needed to be filled. This has been in planning for a few months and Crossroads is now ready to make it a reality.

The Society is in serious discussion with a half dozen or more bands to be featured at the festival. Some bands have already been arranged and Crossroads expects to have the lineup completed and announced within the next two weeks. They will feature 6 or 7 blues bands, plus solo acoustic blues between the sets. A good mix of local and international acts is planned for the event.

Tickets will go on sale soon. Advanced seating will be only $10. Seating in the ball park stands is available, first come, first served, and if you bring your own lawn chair or a blanket you can sit on the infield! The ballpark will provide concessions for the festival.

Crossroads Blues Society is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Their main emphasis is to raise money for Blues in the Schools (BITS) programs. They have done 108 of these programs to date for over 32,000 area students since May of 2002. All profits from this new festival will go towards their BITS efforts and will allow them to expand the number of programs done each year.

For information on the Inaugural Field of Blues Festival, please contact Crossroads President Steve Jones at sub_insignia@yahoo.com or at (779) 537-4006.

Kickstarter for 2013 Field of Blues Festival

Support Field of Blues on Kickstarter!

Sponsors for 2013 FOB Fest

Here are the sponsors who have graciously committed to support our festival so far:

Platinum
United Auto Workers Local 1268

Gold
Lamonica Beverage

Silver

Joe and Jeanette Geraghty

Steve and Annette Jones

Trish Rooney

Bronze

Andrew Bieber

Bob Ruschman

Bob Haendler

Brian Kobischka

Chris Hill

Gary Ainsworth

Jim and Sallie Krebs

John and Pam Cappitelli

Ken Blakely

Ken Pearson

Steve Simon

Jeff and Erica Wusclich

Jim Deming

John Lundholm

Kurt Foor

Mark Rodseth

Norm and Piera Sagon

Steve and Linda Leigh

Media Sponsors and other In Kind Services
BluesBlast Magazine
Chicago Blues Guide
Cumulus Broadcasting- The Eagle 96.7 
EA Jones Graphic Design 
WNIJ 89.5

Seeking Sponsors

Crossroads Blues Society is an all-volunteer 501c3 non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Illinois that works to conduct Blues in the Schools programs for area schools.  Sponsorship donations for the festival are tax deductible and are used to cover the many costs of running a music festival.  Costs include band fees, lodging for non-local bands, a stage, sound and lights, electrical work, insurance, licenses and an assortment of other items.  It takes a lot of effort to run an event of this magnitude.  We have a dedicated group of volunteers to help make the day a success, but need outside help for funding. 

  
Sponsorships are available at several levels: 

• Primary Festival Sponsor: $5000.  Once sponsor may become the primary sponsor and be named in the festival title.  For example, if ABC Company were to sponsor at this level, we would name the festival the “ABC Field of Blues Festival.”  We would incorporate your logo into the festival logo when created, be featured on the tee shirt front and all places the logo is displayed, name on banner on stage, recognition in program and other advertising plus provide you with 100 free tickets. 

• Platinum: $1000 and up.  Benefits include larger logo on tee shirt back, name on banner on stage, recognition in program and other advertising plus 25 free tickets. 

• Gold: $500 to $999.  Benefits include smaller logo on tee shirt, name on banner on stage, recognition in program and other advertising plus 10 free tickets. 

• Silver: $200 to $499. Benefits include name on banner on stage, larger name on tee shirt, recognition in program and other advertising plus 4 free tickets.
 
• Bronze Business: $100. Benefits include small name on banner on stage, recognition in program and other advertising, small name on tee shirt plus 2 free tickets. 

• Bronze Individual: $50. Benefits include small name on banner on stage, recognition in program and other advertising, small name on tee shirt plus 2 free tickets. 

Please contact Steve Jones at 779-537-4006 or at sub_insignia@yahoo.com to become a sponsor or get more information.  Thank you!