The drummer for the Joanna Connor band performs a solo at Czech Village Blues in 2017. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

CEDAR RAPIDS – A long-awaited project will be boosted by an upcoming concert in Czech Village.

The second Czech Village Blues is slated for Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018, to benefit the resurrection of the Riverside Roundhouse, home to farmers markets for decades.

Friends of Czech Village, which is spearheading the effort, teamed last year with the Linn County Blues Society to host Czech Village Blues as a fundraiser to bring back the Roundhouse, which was dismantled following the 2008 flood that devastated core neighborhoods of Cedar Rapids.

An early farmers markets is shown in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (photo/Friends of Czech Village)

Once rebuilt, the roundhouse will be a venue for farmers markets, recreational activities, festivals, social events and more.

See photos from last year’s Czech Village Blues.

Learn more about the concert from Friends of Czech Village:

The Linn County Blues Society is teaming up with Friends of Czech Village to start a new blues tradition in Cedar Rapids. When the Linn County Blues Society’s Bluesmore ended its 21-year run in 2015, the all-volunteer group began looking for a new venue for the event. In 2017, they found it. We are excited to have Czech Village Blues back for a second time in 2018.

Czech Village Blues will be held on Saturday, August 11, 2018 in the Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village. The event will be a one-day blues music festival to raise funds to rebuild the Roundhouse in Czech Village. The show is a joint production of Friends of Czech Village and the Linn County Blues Society.

Gates open at 4 p.m. Youth stage performers will begin at 4:30 and Tim & TheTrutones take the stage at 5 p.m.

Czech Village Blues will feature Bernard Allison, Mike Zito and Ally Venable: Ruf Records Blues Caravan as our 2018 headliner performers. This is three acts in one: You’ll not only find one young gun with a dazzling career ahead of her, but also two heavyweights with sky-high reputations. The other acts include Shane Johnson’s Blue Train and Tim&TheTrutones.

Czech Village Blues will also feature a youth stage at this year’s festival where young, local Blues performers will have the opportunity to “show their stuff” in front of a large audience beginning at 4:30pm.

Learn more about the concert: Czech Village Blues

Czech Village in Cedar Rapids, Iowa was the site for Czech Village Blues on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. (photo/Cindy Hadish)