THE FORKS – A night of blues along the banks of the Kennebec River is planned for the Blues at the Forks II music festival Saturday, Sept. 11.
The festival features four bands: Kevin Kimball and The Steeldrivers, Bonnie Edwards and The Practical Cats, The Pat Pepin Project and headliners The Maynard Brothers who play classic rock and blues.
The Maynard Brothers of Johnsonville, N.Y., have four members. Erv Maynard plays guitar and sings harmony vocals; Jeff Maynard plays bass guitar and sings lead vocals; Clutch Reiser plays drums; and Zeke Brajczewski plays lead guitar.
According to the band, Erv Maynard writes most of the music, while his brother Jeff interprets the lyrics.
In 2002, the band won the Northeast Blues Society’s Colossal Contenders Contest. They have two albums: a self-titled release in 2000 and “Nasty Packages” in 2003.
Characterized as a high-energy act, Bonnie Edwards and the Practical Cats won the 2002-2003 Blues Award from the Maine Blues Society.
Pat Pepin from the central Maine area began her musical career singing in church youth and adult choirs. Her natural aptitude allowed her to learn many instruments including the saxophone, guitar, flute, drums and bass. She graduated from the University of Maine at Augusta with a B.S. in jazz and contemporary music.
The festival is at Northern Outdoors’ Forks Resort Center on the Kennebec. Music fans can easily combine the Saturday night concert with a day of whitewater rafting on the Kennebec, kayaking or hiking.
Both camping and lodging packages including tickets to the festival are offered at the resort starting at $31 per person per night for a full-service campsite and $39 per person per night (for a group of three or four) in a cabin tent. Rooms in the lodge and log cabin accommodations are also available.
The site is in Maine’s western mountains, 18 miles north of Bingham on Route 201. The setting is pure wilderness so it is suggested that drivers keep a sharp lookout for moose along the way, organizers say.
Additional information is on the Web at www.northernoutdoors.com. For activity information, lodging and reservations people can call 1-800-765-7238.
Advance tickets for the festival are $20; they will be $25 the day of the show. Tickets for children 12 and under are $10. The festival will take place rain or shine.
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