DAY TRIP story and photos by Al Griffin
Roots N Blues Festival September 24-26 | Stephens Lake Park
The Blind Boys of Alabama Perform in Columbia.
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he best event in the Fall—besides students returning to school—is the Roots n Blues Festival, September 24-26, on the grounds of Stephens Park in Columbia, just 90 minutes from the lake. The festival attracts musical acts with a national reputation. This year, Mavis Staples and Sheryl Crow will be on one of the two main festival stages. Larkin Poe, Shemekia Copeland, The Burney Sisters, and twenty other acts will fill the air with music to set feet tapping and hands clapping. In between the headline acts, local artists perform on smaller stages. The festival is always alive with sound. The event is cashless with wristbands being mailed in September. One-day or three-day admission tickets are available, and there is little need to leave the park. Food 14 VACATION NEWS
and beverage vendors line the pathways between the two headliner stages, slinging everything from funnel cakes to BBQ and Glenn’s Café fare. All that’s needed are blankets or lawn chairs to enjoy the acts. Standing and dancing are just fine, too. Columbia’s established breweries, including Bur Oak and Logboat, are often represented at Roots n Blues. Both offer tours. Two other breweries have restaurants in town as well as a brew operation. They are Flat Branch and Broadway Brewery. Another dining option away from Stephens Park is Booche’s Billiard Hall, a place nationally known for burgers, chili, and beer. Booche’s has existed continuously since 1884 in downtown Columbia and in its current location on 9th Street since 1928. September 17-30, 2021
