By Shereen Siewert, Wausau Pilot & Review

A longstanding Wausau-area tradition continues next week with the Blues Café, a two-day event featuring high caliber musicians while raising funds to help area students.

The 22nd annual event is presented by the Great Northern Blues Society, a group of tireless music lovers who put on a terrific show each year. Mike Tatro, who helps organize the Blues Café, said the group has so far granted more than $17,000 worth of scholarships to qualified area students at Wausau East, Wausau West, D.C.Everest, and Wausau Newman, among others.

The Blues Café was initially put together by Tom Schlief, one of the original and long-time organizers of the Big Bull Falls Blues Festival. The event initially aimed to raise funds for the Marathon County Historical Society. According to the Society’s information page, the event ran for several years and then disappeared. When the Great Northern Blues Society was formed in 1998, reviving the Blues Café was discussed as a way to raise money. After several years of planning, the first “reincarnated” Café was held at Marathon Park’s Youth Building in 2000.

The event took place there until 2008, when it was moved to the Stoney Creek Inn. The Blues Café came full circle in 2010 and moved back where it started in 1999 – the historical Rothschild Pavilion.

The artists change from year to year. Tatro said the group strives for a variety of bands with differing styles, from Texas blues to Chicago, Memphis and more.

“We also like to bring in bands that may not have played our area before,” Tatro said.

This year, the Blues Café kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 11 with the Harrison Street Band, followed by Hip Pocket at 8:30 p.m. While Hip Pocket plays a wide variety of music ranging from R&B to classic rock, the band’s music is deeply rooted in the blues tradition, organizers say.

Saturday, March 12 the music continues with The Blues Disciples starting at 1 p.m. The versatile, talented Ivy Ford Band takes the stage at 3 p.m., followed by the Hector Anchonado Band at 5 p.m., a group that won the 2020 International Blues Challenge in Memphis.

The Jimmys, a Midwest blues scene favorite, will perform at 7 p.m. and the Altered Five Blues Band performs at 9 p.m. to round out the show. Altered Five, hailing from the Milwaukee area, is teetering on the edge of breaking big on the international blues scene and can be heard on XM Radio’s B.B. King Bluesville channel.

Between each artist on Saturday, Michael “Big Dog” Murphy will perform acoustic sets to keep the energy going.

Tatro said the 2022 Café brings in two of the best horn bands in the Midwest – Hip Pocket and The Jimmys.

“Both of these bands have a great horn section that will literally blow you away,” Tatro said.

Food vendors will be on site, as well as adult and non-adult beverages of choice. Out-of-town guests can take advantage of a free hotel shuttle running to participating Rothschild hotels near the Cedar Creek Mall.

For ticket and additional performance information, visit this link.

And be sure to bring your dancing shoes.