close

Not attending this year’s Blues Fest

1 min read

To the Editor:

My name is Kip Lawrence and I originally brought The S.W. Florida Folk and Blues Fest (now The S.W. Florida Blues Fest) to Pine Island about 10 years ago. I wanted to both showcase diverse forms of music as well as bring people to Pine Island/Matlacha to support our local businesses. Now I see this festival has “outgrown” Pine Island and must move to Cape Coral. At least, they do give money to “music education, youth groups,senior citizen support networks and other local charities.” I am disgusted with this move to Cape Coral and wish I would have demanded the festival stay on Pine Island or return to me. If the festival organizers must grow, why not move the festival to New York where it can grow into a Woodstock? I feel like the citizens of our islands have been used. We support the festival, help make it a success and it goes to Cape Coral. Shame on you. I won’t be attending this festival or Cape Coral’s other festival, MangoMania.

Kip Lawrence

Founder of The S.W. Florida Folk and Blues Fest