Blues night to highlight Last Fling

Naperville will be singing the blues as it kicks off its farewell to summer later this year.

Blues greats The Robert Cray Band and Lonnie Brooks both will take the stage on opening night of the Naperville Jaycees Last Fling festival over Labor Day weekend in the city's downtown.

"We wanted to try to do something different ... during the weekend with having blues as the genre for Friday night," said Kevin Piket, co-executive director of Last Fling. "These two gentlemen will be excellent choices for that."

The weekend bash runs from Sept. 4 to 7 near the Riverwalk and features live music, carnival rides, food vendors and a Labor Day parade.

The Robert Cray Band will perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 4 led by the Grammy Award-winning Cray, who released his first blues album in 1978 and since gained worldwide fame.

Over the years Cray and his band have played with the likes of the Rolling Stones, B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Chuck Berry.

Opening for The Robert Cray Band is Lonnie Brooks, known for his "voodoo blues" style. He was nominated for a Grammy for "Bayou Lightning Strikes: Live from Chicago," headlined the Chicago Blues Festival and appeared in the movie, "Blues Brothers 2000." Brooks will perform at 6 p.m.

Entertainers for the remaining three nights have yet to be announced. Tickets will be available this summer.

"It's the last (festival) of the year and it's a great time to come unwind before you hit the grind of school and work and of the fall," Piket said.

Last Fling is a major fundraiser for the Naperville Jaycees who have contributed more than $1 million to area service agencies over the past two decades.

For more information about Last Fling visit lastfling.org.