Come rain or shine, Hudson River Park’s annual Blues BBQ Festival is on for Sunday, August 23rd from 2:00 to 9:00 PM. As always, admission to the big family-friendly event is FREE!

The Festival brings some of the best blues bands from across the country together with 4 of the 10 Best New York City BBQ restaurants as rated by Citysearch. Held on Manhattan’s Pier 54 at West 14th Street, the event makes for a fantastic summer day on the historic Hudson River, a true feast for the senses with the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a true southern BBQ experience!

Here’s the Entertainment Line-up for 2009:

2:30 Eden Brent
A native of the Mississippi Delta, Eden Brent is known for her vast repertoire of jazz and blues standards - and performs at special events throughout the Southern United States and around the globe.

3:45 Homemade Jamz Blues Band
Homemade Jamz’ Blues Band consists of three young siblings, the youngest blues band to sign with a major record label. Their 2008 debut album, Pay Me No Mind, features electrified Chicago- and raucous juke-joint-style songs. Blues legend B.B. King says, “These young kids have got energy, talent and do the blues proud with their own flavor. I believe they’ve got a GREAT future ahead.”

5:00 Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater
Tall, lean, and lanky Chicago southpaw Eddy Clearwater is a pioneer of West Side-style blues guitar and one of the Windy City's finest bluesmen. His exciting live performances have cemented his reputation as a masterful showman. Gospel, country, '50s rock, and deep-down blues are all incorporated into his slashing guitar attack.

6:15 Diunna Greenleaf
Diunna Greenleaf, the leader of Blue Mercy, is a native Texan (Houston) who has a background steeped in gospel music. She has developed "Diunna's style of Blues" in the same tradition as so many other great Texas blues men and women. She combines intricate patches of jazz, gospel and heartfelt soul to create a kind of blues that takes one on an emotional roller coaster ride. She has performed throughout the United States and at the Lugano Blues Festival and the Bern Jazz Festival, both in Switzerland, as well as the Cahors Blues Festival in France.

7:30 Michael Burks
“Michael Burks will singe the whiskers right off your face, kicking every tune in the butt with the chunkiest sustaining siren-wail of a tone this side of Albert King, by mixing back-snapping funk and traditional postwar blues grooves. He's a big, bad blues guitar slinger with a brawny tone. Fans of rompin', stompin' blues power are the beneficiaries of Burks' trials and tribulations, as his deeply emotional playing and singing derives from his personal experiences. In a blues world desperate for a post-Stevie Ray guitar hero, Michael Burks is an immensely talented guitarist and singer poised to fill the void... Big, fat guitar tone over modern funky blues...excellent” - GuitarOne

The BBQ Restaurants

Foodies who enjoy feasting with their hands should be well pleased with menu selections from 4 of the city’s best BBQ restaurants:

• Brother Jimmy's BBQ
• Dallas Jones Bar-B-Q
• Dinosaur Bar Be Que
• Mara's Homemade

Hudson River Park is the largest park to undergo construction in Manhattan since Central Park was created, and includes beautiful public piers, a waterside esplanade, and limited commercial activities at several sites. The Hudson River Park Trust is entrusted with completing the design and major construction phases, improving the park's Estuarine Sanctuary through public education, research and habitat enhancement, and providing free or low-cost recreational opportunities for both New York City residents and visitors.

If you’d like to learn more about the park & its recreational offerings go to: Hudson River Park Trust

To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook