Trashy Ribs and Blues Festival
By Jeff Curtis, Director Orange Downtown Alliance | Posted: Thursday, May 27, 2010
"Ain't much better'n doin' a good thing, eatin' some soul food and gettin' right with the blues."
Rev. Valentino Moutan Founder, Trashy Ribs & Blues Festival
"We been up to that town a Orange before when the train come through. Always knowed that was gonna be home of the Virginia blues someday."
Dr. Butrose-Butrose Bailey Founder of the local music group, Blues Farm
Get Ready for the First Ever, World-Class, Never Before Attempted, Soon To Be Replicated… "
"So…what's this about trashy ribs and a blues festival and something about a litter clean up?"
That's what we've been asked and here's the low-down: A short while ago the Orange Downtown Alliance (ODA) was presented with the idea of co-sponsoring a litter clean-up competition for the town. It was to be called "The Dash 4 Trash" and teams get points toward cash prizes by collecting bottles, plastic bags, cans, fast food wrappers… you know, the stuff nobody seems to think twice about throwing out their windows. We liked the idea enough to present it to the ODA Promotions committee who in their typical zeal and exuberation asked, "Sure but why not turn it into a party afterwards?" Which led to getting music, which led to having food, which led to having beer, which ended up being the first-ever, "Trashy Ribs and Blues Festival."
The "DASH 4 TRASH" works like this: It's a liter collecting scavenger hunt where teams compete for cash prizes. Each type of litter will have a point value associated with it (i.e. 20 oz. bottle of cigarette butts-15 pts, trash bag of recyclable bottles-5 pts, etc). Points will be given for: specific items (Dog Poo, Cigarette Butts, Most Unusual Trash), Recyclable Material, Team Spirit, and Golden Tickets which will be strategically hidden.
We'll meet at the Orange Train Depot/Visitors Center on Short Street (participants should arrive by 9:30am). The teams are launched that morning at 10:00am and we'll be back to wrap it up at noon. The litter pickup is limited to Orange Town Limits (Public Areas Only!)
Everybody and anybody is invited. Registration is free! You will be provided cotton gloves, trash bags and an orange safety vest. Register your family, church group, neighbors or whatever team of people you put together TODAY! (please, no more than 10 members per team!)
Contact the ODA by June 25th for more information or to register:
540.672.2540
director@orangedowntownalliance.org
The TRASHY RIBS & BLUES part: Think thick, juicy, dripping ribs, coleslaw, beans, rolls and cold oh so cold beer. Then, while you're wiping the sauce from your face and fingers you hear some of that local, harmonica-based, funky blues from our home town boys, Blues Farm. Get it? Hopefully you've helped with the litter clean up, taken a break and come back to town for the street party. It's free to the public, family-friendly, inexpensive and very danceable. If you haven't heard the band before you've missed out on brilliant musical teamwork. These guys are tight and they rock and will play as long as you want to dance. CASH PRIZES $200 First Place $100 Second Place $50 Third Place
SO . . . Save Saturday, June 26th for the ODA's Trashy Ribs and Blues Festival! "A little bit of work and a whole lot of fun!"
Dash for Trash Safety Information
Dash for Trash Team Registration
