Entertainment lineup to heat up the day

             The stage is set for a fantastic lineup of entertainment at the fourth annual Salsa Festival. Stage One will open at 10 a.m. with a salute to our troops overseas. Veterans are invited to come and join the celebration as we take a few moments to remember the courageous men and women that are fighting the war in the Middle East. A flag-raising ceremony will be performed by local scouts, while several ministers will lead the crowd in prayerful remembrance of our servicemen. An hour of gospel music, including patriotic favorites, provided by the First Baptist Church and Linda Couk will set the stage for the rest of the day´s events.

            Salsa dance group X-Claro-Frio will appear at 11 a.m., followed by Shati y Su Orquestra of San Antonio at noon. Back by popular demand of the festival, Shati´s 13-piece band is nationally-renowned group for their rich brass sounds and powerful orchestration. At 1 p.m., Corpus Christi-based Mariachi Classico will take the stage for an hour of traditional mariachi music. A new band, Lasso, fronted by local entertainer Ruben Salazar, will perform at 2 p.m., followed by Megan Ramos and Grupo Sensation at 3 p.m.. Shati will again take the stage at 4 p.m. for an hour of big band salsa favorites. The X-Claro-Frio dancers will close the entertainment on stage one at 5 p.m.

            On Stage Two, entertainment will begin at 11 a.m. with the Brush Country Jamboree favorite Chris Rybak and his accordion. At noon, Mariachi Classico will take the stage followed by a three hour block of country music dubbed “Stars of the Brush Country Jamboree”. The segment will include the Brush Country Jamboree house band, champion fiddler Randy Elmore, young country singer Blayne Center, Rick Reyna, gospel vocalist Linda Wientjes, singer Daniel Hindes from Pleasanton and Rybak. At 4 p.m., local musicians will jam with Elmore. The stage closes at 5 p.m. to prepare for the street dance, with begins at 8 p.m.

Photo:  Chris Rybak