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UNIVERSITY VILLAGE MARKETPLACE MAXWELL STREET BLUES FEST – WHERE YOU MET THE BLUES!

The Maxwell Street Foundation was pleased to be invited to the inaugural FREE Maxwell Street Blues Fest on Maxwell Street, organized by the University Village Maxwell Street (UVM) at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  The festival was organized by the UVM to pay homage to the Chicago Blues sound and its artists on Maxwell Street and at the former marketplace that is considered to be the birthplace of Chicago Blues.

The event took place on Saturday, September 9, 2017, from 12-9 PM and was a day of Blues and refreshments on Maxwell Street between Halsted Street and Union Avenue. Well-attended by both Blues and Maxwell Street enthusiasts, and residents and students now comprising the University Village community surrounding Maxwell Street, a line up of talented blues artists was hosted by WDCB 90.9FM DJ Tom Marker.

The Maxwell Street Foundation displayed original Maxwell Street business signs from their collection in front of 723 W. Maxwell Street, sharing a table with Connecting4Communities’ Mural on Morgan project.  The large signs that once fronted storefronts on Maxwell Street featured words such as “Maxwell Market” and colorful Vienna hot dog images and food stand menus, providing a “sense of place” that once was uniquely Maxwell Street.  Some of the hand-painted signs on pressboard, metal and wood were as large as a 22′ x 3′, and served effectively as a backdrop for the Foundation’s sale of popular Maxwell Street-themed merchandise.

Featured in this post is Maxwell Street Foundation Vice President, Laura Kamedulski, amidst the Foundation’s collection of original Maxwell Street signs at the Maxwell Street Blues Fest event.

For a schedule of performers and fest activities that took place, you can still visit www.maxwellstreetbluesfest.com.  To shop for Maxwell Street-themed merchandise, visit the Maxwell Street Foundation store on the Support Us page at http://maxwellstreetfoundation.org/support-us.