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Wednesday night the band Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in New York.
Friday, they're set to take the main stage at Warsaw's Blues and BBQ event in Central Park.
Lil' Ed, as well as Mike Milligan and Steam Shovel and local blues band The Groove are scheduled to play the event Friday, taking part in a 11-year tradition of musical performance and summertime cookouts inside the park.
"We usually have a good crowd for the day - around one to two thousand," Janelle Wilson, activities director for Warsaw's parks department, said. "But we'll be expecting a larger number this year because of (Lil' Ed's) national recognition."
The band's frontman, Ed Williams, is a Chicago native who has been playing the blues since childhood. He and his band, the Blues Imperials, have been performing together for more than 20 years, touring all over the world for various concerts and festivals.
Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials are expected to begin their performance at 9 p.m. and will play for close to an hour and a half. Including all three bands set to play, the parks department anticipates five hours of blues music for Friday's event, with The Groove starting at 5:30 p.m.
Along with the night's music, vendors will sell barbecue and other concessions throughout Central Park.
"We're expecting good weather, but it's going to be a hot one," Wilson said. "There will be plenty of vendors selling ice cream and bottled water, so I'm sure the heat won't be too bad."
Wilson said the only thing that is being run differently compared to previous years' events is that park officials will reserve seating for the festival's sponsors.
"Every year this program keeps growing and growing," Wilson said. "We want to continue that growth the best we can."
