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Three Things to do this weekend

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Rockstock III Featuring Korn
Saturday, August 1

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Heavy metal bands are converging this weekend in Cedar Rapids for Rockstock III. Two-time Grammy award winning Korn will headline the festival. An American rock band from Bakersfield, Calif., Korn had nine consecutive debuts in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, won two MTV Music Video Awards and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Rockstock III special guests will be Chevelle, Hail Storm, Destrophy and A.D.D. The event, held at Hitters Ballpark, near the intersection of Highway 13 and the Marion bypass, is sponsored by Rock 108 and is featured as part of Korn’s summer venture – the Escape from the Studio Tour.
Rockstock III Featuring Korn
4 p.m. Saturday (8/1), Hitter’s Ballpark, Cedar Rapids, $32 in advance (Music Go Round, Neon Dragon Tattoo, DC’s Riverwalk Pub & Eatery, 1st Avenue Live), $35 at the door, www.rock108.com or www.etix.com

Bluesmore
Saturday, August 1

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Bluesmore is celebrating its sweet 16th birthday Saturday. This year the annual day-long blues festival, co-hosted by the Linn County Blues Society and Brucemore, will showcase Guitar Shorty, Mike Zito and Dennis “Daddy-O” McMurrin and the Demolition Band. No pets, coolers or outside food. Gates open at 3 p.m.
Bluesmore
4 to 9 p.m. Saturday (8/1), Brucemore, Cedar Rapids, $13 in advance or $15 at the gate, www.lcbs.org or www.brucemore.org

Division 2 Show Ski National Championships
Saturday, August 1 to Sunday, August 2

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Evansdale, southeast of Waterloo on Highway 380, will host the ninth annual Division 2 Show Ski National Championships this weekend at Eagle Lake. Each club has one hour to present a performance on water skis. Part dance, part acrobatics, watch competitors do moves like ballet skiing, adagio doubles, human pyramids and freestyle jumping. Costumes and music keep the shows entertaining and an announcer guides the audience through the competitions.
Division 2 Show Ski National Championships
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (8/1) and Sunday (8/2), Eagle Lake, Evansdale, www.usawaterski.org

THREE OTHER THINGS:

Irish Fest ‘09
4 p.m. Friday to Sunday (7/31 to 8/2)
Lincoln Park, Downtown Waterloo, $5 daily admission, $10 weekend pass, children 12 and under free, www.iowairishfest.com

Downtown Farmers’ Market
7 a.m. Saturday (8/1)
Downtown Cedar Rapids, www.downtowncr.org

All-in-a-Day Play Festival
8 p.m. Saturday (8/1)
Englert Theater, 221 E Washington St., Iowa City, $7, www.dreamwell.com

Bluesmore celebrates Sweet 16

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bluesmore-flyerBlues enthusiasts and music lovers of all kinds will revel in the headliners showcased on Brucemore’s lawn at the 16th annual Bluesmore Saturday, Aug.1. Presented by Brucemore and The Linn County Blues Society, Bluesmore will feature Guitar Shorty, Mike Zito and Dennis “Daddy-O” McMurrin & the Demolition Band.

Guitarist/vocalist and blues legend Guitar Shorty, born David William Kearney, is a man of the people. Between his blistering, rocked-out guitar work and his fierce, soulful vocals, the power of his music is unmatched and his perceptive and meaningful lyrics are unique among modern bluesmen. Credited with influencing both Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Buy, Shorty has been electrifying audiences for five decades with his super-charged live shows and his incendiary recording.

Growing up in St. Louis, Mo., Mike Zito was immersed in the gritty sounds of the south side that would unknowingly become the groundwork for his future in music. Zito’s journey took off at the age of 19, when he busted into the local St. Louis music scene, developing his sound even further from the stage. Through the course of four albums, Zitohas developed what is touted by critics as “Soulful pop,” blending formative influences with musical heroes and legends such as Prince, Van Halen, Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Danny Gatton.

After recording his self-titled album with the Tower of Power horns in 1986, Dennis “Daddy-O” McMurrin formed the Demolition Band in 9187. The band has played east and central Iowa and Illinois, including their most remembered gigs at the Yacht Club in Iowa City between 1988 and 1995. In Sept. 2008, McMurrin was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame.

Gates will open at 3 p.m. Aug. 1 and bands will perform from 4-9:30 p.m. on the First Avenue lawn at Brucemore, 2160 Linden Drive SE. Food and beverage vendors will be available. Tickets are $13 for adults (12 for Brucemore or Linn County Blues Society members or students) in advance or $15 at the gate. Children 10 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. For tickets or more information, call Brucemore at 319-362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org or www.lcbs.org.