Fourth municipality joins WI Blues Fest
By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban
The 21st edition of the West Island Blues Fest is preparing to launch with spectacular performances lined up and a fourth location added to the mix this year.
Dorval is the most recent city to join in on hosting this West-Island-wide summer favourite, along with Dollard-des-Ormeaux (DDO), Pierrefonds-Roxboro and Pointe-Claire. Pierrefonds-Roxboro will kick off with the annual VIP night on May 30, followed by the free concerts in Dorval on August 10 and the season finale Pointe-Claire on September 7.
West Islanders and WI Blues Fest fans are invited to enjoy some of their favourite blues, jazz and reggae artists including Sylvie Desgroseilliers, Jewel McKenzie, the Old Soul Band, Dwane Dixon, Inus Aso reggae band, Dawn Taylor Watson, Justin Saladino, The Contractors, Uprising Reggae Band, the Freddie James Project and The Stone Doctors.
The West Island community organizations that will benefit from the funds to be raised at this year’s concert are West Island Association for the Intellectually Handicapped, the West Island Black Community Association, the West Island Women’s Shelter, Literacy Unlimited, AJOI, the West Island Palliative Care, Portage and ABOVAS.
“Not only are we expanding the festival to respond to the signature event that we created 21 years ago, but we also added a new beneficiary, ABOVAS, which is an association that caters to the seniors community; an important fraction of our community, who were particularly brought to the forefront of our attention throughout the pandemic,” WI Blues Fest co-founder and Pierrefonds-Roxboro mayor Jim Beis told The Suburban.
Co-founder and DDO City Councillor Errol Johnson reminds that the WI Blues Fest was originally intended to benefit WIBCA, which has since grown and is currently renovating to accommodate its steady expansion. As the Blues Fest has grown, it has extended its support to various community organizations. “The event really benefits the community and it extends itself as seniors are involved, young kids and young families are involved, everybody is involved and we love that,” Johnson told The Suburban. Johnson’s perspective was put on perfect display as gospel singer Sylvie DeGroseilliers took to the stage following the Blues Fest announcement with her son on guitar and grandson on her hip, as she performed Aretha Franklin’s Chain of Fools.
WI Blues Fest host and board director Daniel Khoury told The Suburban that he is excited to see the growth to neighbouring City’s n
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