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The Russian River's two major music festivals will be combined into one weekend this September to provide music fans an exciting weekend of both jazz and blues music.

The 2009 Russian River Jazz & Blues Festival will be held Sept. 12-13, 2009, at Johnson's Beach Resort in Guerneville, a popular resort town nestled in the scenic Russian River Valley north of San Francisco.

This is the first year the two events will be combined into the same weekend. Previously, the Blues Festival was held in June, while the Jazz Festival took place in September. Organizers cited the current economic downturn and the desire to create something special for attendees as the reasons for change.

"This allows us to keep the Russian River festival tradition alive for its 33rd year, while enabling music fans to still enjoy their love of jazz and blues, outdoors in this picturesque setting," said Rich Sherman, president of Omega Events and the festival's producer. "We look forward to welcoming fans back for another year of live music on the river."

The Russian River music festivals have a rich history dating back to the 1970s. Music legends have traveled to Guerneville, from blues artists such as Etta James and Al Green to jazz musicians Stan Getz and Pat Metheny. Hundreds of thousands of fans have attended the events over the years.

"Congrats to Omega Events for coming up with a creative solution to bring quality music to the river for another year," said Clare Harris, proprietor of Johnson's Beach since 1967. "This will be a wonderful event that brings two unique styles of music together. We can't wait for September to come."

For the event, jazz music will be featured on Saturday, Sept. 12, and blues on Sunday, Sept. 13. The line-up will be announced in early April and the website will be re-launched at that time with all of the event information. Tickets will be available through local outlets, including the Russian River Chamber of Commerce. Beneficiaries of the event include the Russian River Chamber of Commerce, as well as Food For Thought, a Sonoma County AIDS food bank.

"The Russian River Festivals have been loved and supported by the community, bringing in thousands of new visitors to the river every summer," said Margaret Kennett, President of the Russian River Chamber of Commerce. "The events create a tremendous amount of exposure to the area and are a great boon to the local economy. We look forward to another great year of music on the beach!"

For more information on the Russian River Jazz & Blues Festival, visit the official festival website or call 707.869.1595.