The East Pete Blues Fest will be held on Saturday, Sept. 3, at the East Petersburg Community Park, 6051 Pine St., from 1 to 7 p.m. The rain-or-shine event is free to attend and has been expanded to include an extra hour of music, with six different acts slated to perform at the amphitheater throughout the day.

The blues fest will host locally based artists as well as musicians from various other communities on the East Coast; the local acts will include Bobby Gentilo, Smokehouse 4 and Blues On The Loose. Headlining the festival is Clarence Spady & The Electric City Band, hailing from Scranton. Other artists performing will be Acoustic Stew of Harrisburg and Tiffany Pollack, and each band will perform a 40-to 45-minute set.

Multiple food trucks will be present at the event, including Bellys BBQ & Burrito, Dutch Country Concessions and Scoop ” Dough. A new addition to the festival will be a beer garden, hosted by Mad Chef Craft Brewing, that will be open from 1 to 6:30 p.m. "The blues fest is a fun day of free music that we've been hosting for the last 11 years," said Randy Bucksner, the event promoter. "I'm a saxophone player and very involved with the blues scene. I'm always discovering new acts that I think people will enjoy at the blues fest." Attendees are invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets to the park for the event.

The East Pete Blues Fest was first conceived by a former mayor of East Petersburg and avid blues fan. Over the last decade, the event has served to highlight local musicians in addition to connecting East Petersburg to other music scenes up and down the East Coast. "My favorite thing about the blues fest is just seeing people sitting together, meeting new faces from other communities and enjoying everything it has to offer," said Kristin Troop, the event organizer. "It's a different piece of something we can offer the community, and it highlights our amphitheater. We love sharing the beautiful park with others."

Several aspects of the blues fest have been improved upon or added in recent years. Most recently, the amphitheater was introduced to the park, providing a large stage where musicians can perform. Audio equipment is supplied by Phil Kresge. "He really helps us out. It makes a huge difference in the quality of the sound when bringing in bands from outside of our own state and community," said Troop.

For more information, visit http://www.eastpetersburgday.com or search for "East Pete Blues Festival" on Facebook.