The blues and maybe the barbecue sauce, fended off the rain in Franklin

How is it something called the blues can make so many people happy?

A twelve bar sequence from which an individual or band can transform themselves and the audience into another realm. Notes flattened in pitch hit you between the ribs and for a few moments ... feel.

Add in some smokey barbecue with it and you have the annual Blues & Barbecue Festival in downtown Franklin. The 10th anniversary show was looking shaky weather-wise leading up to the event, but was a success as the rains mostly held off allowing for a very active Bandstand Park for two days.

The festival began as a way to showcase great blues music for this area while raising money that can be used for Venango County music education initiatives. This year the festival doled out $3,000 to Franklin High School's music program and also two individual $2,000 scholarships to a couple of Franklin students pursuing music education degrees in college.

Madi Stewart will be attending Mercyhurst University and Gaby Lederer will be attending Slippery Rock University

This year featured some current heavy hitters in modern blues music like Kat Riggins and her Blues Revival, Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers and Selwyn Birchwood who was named the Albert King guitarist of the year and Blues Foundation's 2013 International Blues Challenge top band.

They were joined by some other local and national acts. Max Schang, one of the festival's chief organizers responsible for bringing in the well know blues acts also performed with his band with guest Phil Baron. The Franklin High School concert band performed with choir guests Madolyn Williams and Kendall Fonzo.

​The band received a standing ovation by many.

Booby Thompson and the Chosen Few kicked things off Saturday followed by Meadville area Roger Montgomery Blues Band, Colin John and the Long Tall Deb and Johnny Rawls performing Saturday. 

Besides the Franklin band and Riggins, The Jason Born Trio and Blues attack performed getting people up on their feet dancing in the aftyernoon.

This weekend also marked the 250th anniversary of the United States Army, Flag day and Father's Day, which was mentioned many times on Sunday at the festival.

Event organizers said the weekend was successful and they raised enough to keep it going another year.

So the organizers will be looking for good ways to help local music students and program needs in the future.