Baltimore's popular Hot August Blues & Roots Festival is ready to unfurl the banners for its "sweet 16" anniversary party Saturday, Aug. 16 from noon to 10 p.m. at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville (13401 Beaver Dam Road). This year's slate of live blues performances will be highlighted by the concert appearance of singer-songwriter and 11-time Grammy Award nominee John Hiatt.

Hiatt, whose career traces back to his beginnings as a new-waver of sorts, has a best-selling CD out now of many of his biggest hits featuring the talents of Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe and Sonny Landreth. As a songwriter, he provided hits for Bonnie Raitt, Aaron Neville, Rosanne Cash and many others. At Oregon Ridge, Hiatt will be backed by his group the Ageless Beauties.

Grammy Award-winner Marcia Ball will also take a turn center stage at the annual blues blow-out. Ball is a singer-pianist whose music reflects her upbringing along the Texas-Louisiana border. Dubbed "the bayou queen of the piano," Ball has had a career spanning three decades that has earned her a devoted following.

Also on the bill at this year's roots music festival will be Alligator recording artists JJ Grey & Mofro, who blend funk and soul; the New Orleans-based "brass funk rock" group Bonerama, featuring former members of Harry Connick Jr.'s big band; and Woodstock Records artists Professor Louie and the Cromatix, who perform regularly on Levon Helm's "Midnight Ramble" jam session Web casts.

Fans of local music should keep an ear tuned for Janet Griffin and the Fine Young Segovians. Griffin is an Owings Mills-based singer-songwriter who was for many years a popular performer at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. In 2000, she began performing full-time, and has performed with Michelle Shocked and David Wilcox. She released the indie CD "Gabriel" in 2003.

Beyond the music, the Hot August Blues & Roots Festival will feature food by a variety of caterers, plus artisans and roving performers like fire-eaters and stilt walkers. A 30-piece, all-women's drum corps, Batala, will perform, and there'll be entertainment and diversions for children too.

Admission is $30 in advance, $40 at the gate. Proceeds benefit the Baltimore Blues Society, the Marcia's Kids Endowment Fund, and Common Ground on the Hill. Call 877-321-FEST or go to www.hotaugustblues.com.

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