In 2006, packed wall-to-wall, The Blue Room Cafe held its first annual "Tribute to The Beatles." The concert was to pay tribute to one of pop rock's greatest bands in the world. The cafe always held much respect for the Beatles. Many times artists could be heard on a Friday night or in an Open Mic forum playing their renditions of one of the most famous songs ever written. It was then that the cafe's owners, brothers Paul and John Vezmar, thought of the idea to create a multi-artist concert filled with original bands doing their own versions of the Beatles' music. Little did they realize at the time, that 4 years later they would play host to one of the Region's largest and most unique, outdoor, ALL-AGES festival!

Now in its 4th year for the festival, The Blue Room Cafe has near perfected the atmosphere for a night of fun and excitement, and not to mention, the area's best artists, still playing their own versions of the Beatles' music. The "concert," which has now grown into a "festival" has gone from 75 listeners in a square room to hundreds of listeners, outdoors, in the beautiful cityscape of Downtown Hammond just next to The Blue Room Cafe located at 5246 Hohman Avenue.

This year's festival is slightly different than past years. On AUGUST 15, 2009 at 7PM, The Blue Room Cafe will once again be proud to host the festival! The concert will boast 5 regional artists. There will be plenty of surprises in between acts. The Blue Room Cafe will provide food and cold beverages, and The Flat Rock Tap will entertain the adult crowd with a beer garden. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the gate. $1 from each ticket will be donated to the organization Books, Brushes and Bands. Please visit them on the web at bbb4e.org. Books, Brushes, and Bands for Education has successfully ran a community choir and band program for the past 6 years. Their exceptional instruction prepares students for many exciting concert venues, such as Symphony Center in Chicago, the Towle Theater, and Purdue University Calumet. We expect this year's festival to be much larger than last's, so please review the parking map before heading to Downtown Hammond.

We'd like to thank our Executive Sponsor this year, The Post-Tribune. Be sure to view our ads in the paper or online at post-trib.com. You can also view our supporting ad at WXRT's website, wxrt.com.