Tenth Annual Salsa Festival will be hotter than ever

            Music, music and more music will be the order of the day as the 10^th Annual Three Rivers Salsa Festival unreels on Saturday, April 4. “In celebration of our 10^th anniversary we have attempted to bring back some old favorites who have appeared on the Salsa Festival stages in past years and also bring in some of the best new talent we could find”, said Murrell Foster, Festival Director. 

            As usual, The Tejano Stage (Stage 1) will open with an hour of gospel music featuring local legend Linda Couk and Johnny Darling. Before the music, there will be a flag raising by local Girl Scouts and a prayer. Live Oak County Judge Jim Huff will act as the master of ceremonies.

            At 11 a.m. Chris Rybak “the prince of polka” will take the Country Stage (Stage 2) and demonstrate his accordion and vocal skills. Rybak is a one man band and you will see him play several instruments during his set.

            At 11:15 a.m. Los Algreas, a seniors conjunto band from Pleasanton will entertain the crowd gathered around Stage 1. Around noon the feast of country music on Stage 2 will begin. There will be all kinds of country music including blue grass, gospel, Western swing and an Elvis entertainer. The blue grass will be served up by the Ribbon Cane Bluegrass band. Six times national fiddle champ and Three Rivers favorite, Randy Elmore and his wife from Cleburne, will entertain the crowd all afternoon. She will sing several Bob Wills hits.

            Over on the Tejano Stage, Elvis impersonator Henry Vasquez, Jr., from Corpus Christi will wow the audience with his high energy performance of the King´s  favorites beginning at 12:30 p.m. Groupo Fusion, of Beeville, who is rapidly becoming a Salsa Festival featured act, will take Stage 1 at 1:45 p.m.

            On Stage 2, the country crowd will be hearing Ricky Turpin, Allison Crowson and Ken Brothers. Ally Coscetti, sensational juvenile performer will appear with such seasoned entertainers as Tom Teboe and Peter Cane. Rob Carter, the tall Elvis, will also entertain with his version of some of the King ´s greatest hits.

            At 3 p.m., Vallejo will turn up the volume as they become the first Latin rock act to play at Salsa Festival. Their five piece band is composed of three Vallejo brothers and two other musicians. Austin based, Vallejo has toured with numerous well known entertainers including Los Lonely Boys, the Food Fighters, Matchbox 20 and Los Lobos.

            The 12 piece band, Night Life, from Del Rio will make music on Stage 1 beginning at 4:30 p.m. They feature a driving brass section and have recorded with such stars as Ruben Ramos and Jimmy Edwards.

            Local favorite Ruben Salazar and his band Groupo Patron, will conclude the evening beginning at 6 p.m. Groupo Patron is a show band playing a wide variety of Latin and country music with a few older rock numbers thrown in for good measure.

            When the music goes silent around 8 p.m., surely Salsa Festival fans will agree the 10 anniversary was a good year for outstanding entertainment.

Photo:  Hot Talent – at left: Karlene Fey of Seguin will perform at the 10^th Annual Salsa Festival on Saturday, April 4 in Three Rivers; at right: Chris Rybak an accordion player will also perform at the Salsa Festival.