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PerthThis year’s Kick-Off to Summer party, hosted by Stewart Park Festival, will be bigger than ever. So big, in fact, that it will take place on two different evenings.

On Saturday, June 16, the Festival will hold its annual Kick-Off to Summer Dance, this year featuring Big Bob Hammond & the Mississauga Delta Blues Band playing the best of the legendary Blues Brothers, the dynamic duo put together by comedy actors Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of their musical sketch on Saturday Night Live.  

Real life brothers Stan and Bob Hammond from Peterborough, Ontario, are steeped in the tradition of old Chicago and the tale of Jake and Elwood Blues the two brothers who set out on “a mission from God” to save the orphanage in which they grew up.

Billed as Big Bob Hammond and the Mississauga Delta Blues Band, featuring The Blus Brothers, the Hammond brothers have set out on their own “mission” to share their enthusiasm for rhythm & blues. Together they travel the country in their ’74 Dodge Monaco Bluesmobile and have entertained crowds at the Orangeville Blues Festival, the Wasaga Beach Jazz & Blues Festival, as well as the House of Blues in South Carolina.

The Bluesmobile will arrive in the Tay Basin in downtown Perth around 4:00 pm on the day of the dance and everyone is invited to come down and have their picture with the brothers and the car.    

In the evening, the Hammond brothers, backed by a 7-piece band, will have everyone on the dance floor for what is sure to be the party of the summer. Saturday June 16 at the Crystal Palace in downtown Perth.

Save the date, dust off your dancin’ shoes, find a fedora and glasses (prizes for best Jake and Elwood look-alikes) and get ready to welcome summer in style.

Blues Brothers style!

Tickets for the dance are $20 + $2.00 service fee in advance at Shadowfax, 67 Foster St. Perth, or by calling 1-800-518-2729 or $25 at the door.

For those coming from out-of-town for the dance be sure to book your room at the Best Western Plus Perth Parkside Inn & Spa where your special room rate will also include two free tickets to the dance.

And that’s not all! This year’s Kick-Off to Summer party will start with a Movie Night at the Crystal Palace in Perth on the Thursday prior to the dance (June 14). It will feature the original 1980 Blues Brothers movie playing on a giant screen, provided by the Together Smiths Falls, the organization responsible for Movies Under the Stars. There will be a canteen, complete with hot-dogs, popcorn and more, as well as a licenced bar hosted by local favourites Perth Brewery and Top Shelf Distillers.

The first 30 people through the door on Movie Night will receive a free Blues Brothers’ hat & glasses (to get them ready for the dance). Doors open at 8:00 pm, with the movie beginning at dusk. Movie Night is free for those with a dance ticket or $5.00 at the door.

Kick-Off to Summer is back! A party so big it takes 2 nights to get’er done.  

Big Bob Hammond & the Mississauga Delta Blues Band
Saturday, June 16
Crystal Palace, Perth, Ontario
8 p.m.
$20 + $2.00 service fee in advance or $25 at the door
Dance tickets available at Shadowfax, 67 Foster St. Perth or online at www.shadowfax.on.ca

Stewart Park Festival is a Downtown Heritage Perth BIA event.