Bluesa turns twenty
Mammoth’s Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza turns 20 this weekend. When I asked event founder Sam Walker if he ever envisioned it going so long and getting so big, he said, “Of course not. But … “ he added, “If you do things because you want to have fun, you want other people to have fun, you do it for the right reasons … growth comes.”
While Walker thought it was all fun (and still does), he says he particularly relished hanging around ‘til closing and saying goodnight to folks as they left and thanking them for coming. The personal touch. “That was mt favorite part,” he said.
He did indicate that the Wood Site venue probably had one more year left. “After that, all bets are off,” he said.
When asked if he could think of any other venue in Mammoth which could replace the Wood Site, Walker replied, “Camp High Sierra. It’s a place I’ve always loved. It’s wind-protected, on a down-slope … it’s almost a natural amphitheater up there.”
Mammoth Brewing’s Sean Turner filled The Sheet in on some of the new happenings at Bluesa this year.
1.) Thursday night is now a ticketed event with Tommy Castro and Robben Ford headlining. Locals can still get tix to this event for just $15 at the Mammoth Brewing Tasting Room.
2.) MBC has also opened a “Brewer’s Hall” upstairs and Turner says MBC plans to bring in higher-end musical acts year-round. Ruthie Foster (see profile p. 16) will play an intimate show at the Brewer’s Hall on Friday night. Some tickets are still available.
3.) If you just can’t get enough, Jelly Bread will play a free closing show at the newly expanded MBC beer garden on Sunday evening.
4.) Turner promises a couple of surprises at the event. Because they’re supposed to be surprises, he wouldn’t tell me what they were.
5.) If you want to help promote Mammoth and the event, post photos on Instagram with the hashtag blz2015.
And from Bodine’s desk …
The sad ballad of Muddy
An old man has ruined his own life and the life of his neighbors. Roi Ballard was seen in his pick-up following Muddy, a cattle dog mix, slowly in the Mustang Mesa area on Sunday morning. He was seen by another neighbor swerving off the pavement and followed the dog for a short time, then sped up to run Muddy over, and then got back on the pavement.
Muddy had just gotten out of his yard a few moments before and had gone around a corner before the dog sitter could catch up. Ballard has since been charged with felony animal cruelty.
He told Muddy’s owner, Kirsten DiNicola that he thought Muddy was another dog, a neighbor’s dog that barks all the time, a neighbor’s dog whom he had allegedly said he would poison to shut it up. She said he didn’t admit to running him over, though. She said he tried talking to her but she didn’t want to listen. She said she wished he would just move away. She can’t leave her home without passing his house on Mustang Mesa. She said she loved living there until Sunday.
Muddy was a rescue from the Big Pine Animal Shelter. ICARE has since filed a petition, “Justice for Muddy the Cattle Dog!” at petitionsite.com. The petition asks Inyo County District Attorney Tom Hardy to punish Ballard to the fullest extent of the law.
DiNicola says her other dog Jesse is depressed, too.
