BLUES | Big Rib BBQ & Blues Fest 

It's the perfect festival, really. It centers on two of my three favorite pastimes: blues and barbeque. And it's a perfect blend of national and Rochester artists, with locals like the Deborah Magone Band, Steve Grills and the Roadmasters, the Coupe de Villes, Mitty and the Followers, Fred Vine, John Cole, and Joe Beard join the killed-diller line up of Cedric Burnside (that's right, RL's kid), blue-eyed soulster Jesse Dee, Average White Band, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, just to name a few. Both the line-up and the chow have me salivating like a lawn sprinkler.

The Big Rib Fest takes place Thursday, July 11-Sunday, July 14 at the Highland Park Festival Site, corner of Highland and South avenues. Festival hours are 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. (Sunday until 9 p.m.) Admission is free until 3 p.m., $5 after. rochesterevents.com.