Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/13059
NOTHIN BUT BLUE SKIES Mammoth's Blue Sky Fest Celebrates Mountain Lifestyle, Music & Adventure! August 12-15, 2010 By: Daniel Albert B lue Skies symbolize all that is good and right in this world. Whether it is fun in the sun under bright blue skies at the beach or a calm relaxing day at the park looking up at puffy white clouds, blue skies are a symbol of good times, which is why the Mammoth Blue Sky Fest is set to be sheer bliss. The Second Annual Mammoth Blue Sky Fest takes the outdoor stage August 12-15 in Mammoth Lakes, California, and focuses on more than just fun in the great outdoors. The premier cultural event celebrating mountain living, world-class music, and adventurous outdoor activities will astound crowds with wave after wave of pure awesomeness. The four-day festival is positioned to be a progressive lifestyle celebration promoting healthy, eco-conscious living for people and the planet. Blue Sky Music Fest will feature an eclectic and energetic line-up of musical genres including rock to reggae, jazz to funk, surf to hip- hop, and everything in between. The festival's musical diversity kicks off with Thursday's World Beat Dance Party featuring a free concert by world-renowned Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars. Forced from their homes during a brutal civil war in Sierra Leone, these talented survivors formed a band while living as refugees in the Republic of Guinea. Through their music, they share their message of unity, cultural celebration, and spiritual salvation, delivering electrifying and uplifting live performances. The free concert and film screening is sponsored by the newly renovated Sierra Nevada Lodge. Appropriately titled, the festival's Funk 'n Fusion Friday will feature the rocket-propelled music activists Ozomatli; the acid jazz grooves of Karl Denson's Tiny Universe; the soul jazz/hip- hop fusion of Boston's Soulive; and the San Francisco-based high energy reggae-rock of My Peoples. Rolling into Rock 'n Reggae Saturday are the alternative melodic folk-pop-rockers Toad the Wet Sprocket; the catchy soul surfer vibes of Iration; the smooth hip-hop, reggae rhythmics of Orange County's very own Pacific Dub; the distinctive groove rock of Top Shelf, and the energetic reggae rockers The Holdup. Both Friday and Saturday concerts will take place outdoors among the pines at Sam's Wood Site. Gates open at 3:00 p.m. Friday, and 2:00 p.m. Saturday, with music until 10 p.m. both days. A variety of healthy food fare is available on-site. Blue Sky Adventure Fest offers FREE daytime activities that encourage outdoor enthusiasts to take part in Mammoth's summer fun featuring guided hikes and mountain bike rides, fly fishing demos, yoga and fitness sessions, kayaking, healthy cooking and gardening demonstrations, ranger talks, and much more. All daytime activities take place in and around Mammoth at participating businesses, and at Sam's Wood Site (festival headquarters), located on Minaret Road between Main Street and Meridian Boulevard. All activities are free to the public unless otherwise stated at vendor locations. Daily updates to the Adventure Schedule can be found at www.BlueSkyFest.com/ Adventure. New to this year's festival, the Blue Sky Film Fest, showcases "movies that matter," cutting-edge, thought-provoking documentary films on a variety of topics. The Blue Sky Film Fest is free to the public, and takes place in the Blue Sky Theatre at Sierra Nevada Lodge. Featured Films include the award-winning documentary Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars (also performing at this year's event), Fresh, and more to be announced. Updates for the film festival can be found at www.BlueSkyFest.com/Films. Tickets can be purchased online at vallitix.com; by phone at 888- 825-5484; in Mammoth Lakes at Mammoth Brewing Company's Tasting Room at 94 Berner Street near The Village; and at the gate. Advance 2-day music fest tickets (Friday/Saturday) are $55. Single day tickets (Friday or Saturday) are $35. Children ages 10 and under are free with a paid adult and all concertgoers are encouraged to bring blankets and low-back sand chairs. No pets or outside alcohol are allowed so all little critters must be left at home. For festival event information, updates and special Blue Sky lodging packages, call toll free, 888-285-5893, ext. 0, or visit www.BlueSkyFest.com. Whether you're out to enjoy the mountain air, outdoor adventure, or music under the pines, Mammoth's Blue Sky Fest has surely got you covered. Join the festivities and learn just what the heck Irving Berlin was singing about! Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza Celebrates 15 Years of GREAT BEER AND INCREDIBLE BLUES! It's Mammoth's ENDLESS SUMMER of fun! Plan on spending the whole week- Come up for the 15th Annual Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza , August 6th –8th and stay through the week for the Mammoth Blue Sky Fest, August 12-15th. It's all outdoors among the pines at the most beautiful venue in the West. The Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza showcases sixty of the best microbreweries in the country and top blues performers. One of Mammoth's biggest events, the festival will include 3 days of fun in the sun and is one of the best parties of the summer! This immaculate setting couldn't be more perfect to spend a "blues and brews" weekend. With featured artists like Los Lonely Boys, Dave Mason, Ruthie Foster, Shemekia Copeland, Duke Robillard and breweries like Mammoth Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada, Fireman's Brew and many more – (60 breweries in all). This event is sure to please both your musical and physical palate. Tickets range from as low as $25 for a Friday Night Blues Concert ticket up to an Ultimate Blues/Brews 3 Day Party Package for $99. Visit www.mammothbluesbrewsfest. com or call 888-992-7397 for more information. Don't miss these two great events in beautiful Mammoth Lakes, CA! 40 LIVEMAGS.NET JULY>>10