The sights, sounds and tastes of downtown Urbana will be alive on Saturday when the first annual Blues, Brews and BBQ Festival arrives at Lincoln Square Village.

In celebration of the city’s 175th birthday, the festival will feature an array of barbecue cuisine from the area, multiple beer vendors and steady doses of blues performances.

Reminiscent of the ‘Shades of Blue’ festival, which fell victim to poor attendance and city budget cuts, Urbana’s newest blues event is the brainchild of partners Jeff Grant and Perry Davidson of Fluid Events.

With the Urbana City Council searching for a proper way of commemorating this founders’ day weekend, Grant and Davidson readily pitched a solution.

“My partner and I stepped in and said we could help them out, that we have this idea for this event we could do,” said Grant. “So we approached the city and the City Council and everybody really liked the idea and we moved forward with it.”

The original concept included plans for a barbecue cook off, sanctioned by the Illinois Barbecue Society and the Kansas City Barbecue Society, but time constraints forced a postponement until future years, which will also see a wider selection of beer and a possible arts boulevard.

Fluid Events did not receive final approval from the city to pursue the festival until late March, forcing both sides to fast track their plans.

“They’ve bent over backwards basically, the city of Urbana has, to help us pull this one off this year in the short time frame we’ve had,” Grant said. “We’re very thankful to the city of Urbana for everything they’ve been able to help us with and push this thing through as fast as it had to come through.”

Six bands are scheduled to perform, which will be active from noon until 10:30 p.m., including Lonnie Brooks and local product The Kilborn Alley Blues Band.

Temperatures are projected to reach upward of 90 degrees at the rain or shine event, which, weather permitting, could see “a few thousand people,” according to Grant.

“Bring your lawn chairs, bring your shade umbrellas, bring your appetite – it’s going to be a very, very fun weekend,” Grant said.

With more time more to seek out sponsors for later festivals, free admission may be a reality in coming years, but tickets to the 2008 version of Blues, Brews and BBQ will cost $20 at the gate. Children under 13 are free with an adult.