Take Me To Post Comment Form The final Luncthime Concert in the Park for the 2008 season will be held Friday, October 17th, featuring solo performer Ben Prestage who is a well-known entertainer throughout the Southern region. He is a one-man band who shares his stories through his culturally rich musical style and lyrics. Born the grandson of a Mississippi sharecropper, Ben Prestage has been soaked in Blues tradition and Mississippi culture since birth. Growing up in the swamps of south central Florida, Prestage began to mix Mississippi Country Blues with his own brand of Florida Swamp Blues. This muddy- water- meets- black- water stew has led him to perform from California to the Carolinas to the Florida Keys, in large festivals, every kind of bar, and sometimes on downtown sidewalks. Ben Prestage spent some time as a street performer on historic Beale Street, while living in Memphis, TN. He used to share a spot in front of the New Daisy Theatre with modern blues legends Robert Belfour (Fat Possum Records) and Richard Johnston (2001 International Blues Competition winner). Being a street musician in the “Blues capital of the South threw Prestage’s music in a new direction. To his show, he added a cigarbox guitar (made by Memphian an one-man-band John Lowe) which has stereo guitar and bass strings that can be played independently, at the same time. Then Ben added a series of four foot pedals that can be manipulated by the heels and toes of both feet to play a drumkit. The final result is Ben playing guitar, bass, and drums while singing his own brand of Blues.

The sponsor-support and community response has been tremendous for our first year which saw five concerts between April and October. We are already beginning to line up sponsors and entertainment for the 2009 series, projected to begin in April. This month's concert is made possible through the sponsorship of OMI.

The longevity and frequency of these concert series will determined based on the attendance of the events. This could be an "every Friday concert series", IF we have enough people to support the event through attendance. So, plan to attend this month's concert and bring your friends, family members, or co-workers.

Whether you are a downtown worker, stay-at-home mom, homeschool family, retired, Fort Stewart affiliated, or just want something unique to do come on out to our last concert in the park and relax, enjoy great FREE entertainment on a fall day.

A special note of thanks to our concert series sponsors:
Hinesville Area Arts Council, Coastal Courier, and the Hinesville Downtown Development Authority.