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The Bonnie Kate Theater will observe Jazz Appreciation Month with a concert Saturday, April 24, featuring three different jazz groups — Eddie Dalton and the TJO Seven, the Peterson Perkins Quintet, and the ETSU Jazz Faculty & Friends.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and end at 10:30 p.m. But before the music, there will be on-site food trucks and craft beers provided by Riverside Tap House.
Proceeds from the concert will go to help with the Friends of the Bonnie Kate project to restore the historic theater, built in 1926. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the door or online at: www.ShowTix4U.com
The jazz concert is one of several events planned in the future to not only raise funds for the Bonnie Kate restoration program but to provide entertainment for the community. In August, the Bonnie Kate Friends group will sponsor Barbecue Blues and Brews.
Offering events of this magnitude continues to follow in the theater’s hopes of being a regular downtown attraction for residents and visitors alike.
The Eddie Dalton and TJO Seven Band is composed of members of the Tri-Cities Jazz Orchestra led by Eddie Dalton.
Dalton is an active teacher, clinician and player. Dalton has performed with such national world renowned artists as Jerry Douglas, Kenny Chesney, Steve Lippia, Jon Faddis, Lee Greenwood, Ernie Watts, Louise Mandrel, just to name a few.
The Peterson Perkins Quintet is composed of Bill Perkins, Tom Peterson, Jay Farmer, Jason Carpenter, and Alex Leonard. 
Perkins plays guitar and has been playing since 1971 with a taste for rock n’ roll. He got his taste for jazz in 1978 and moved to Johnson City in 1982, where he has played with various bands.
Farmer plays upright bass with the quintet. He plays in various jazz bands in Knoxville and the Tri-Cities, including the Tri-Cities Jazz Orchestra.
Carpenter plays drums. He studied percussion at ETSU, taught music in public school systems and has played with many bands.
Leonard plays trumpet. He played in New York City with his mentor and friend, Doc Severinson. He has also played with Ron Stiles, Rusty Holloway, and Rick Simerly. He has also taught music in the public school systems.
The ETSU Jazz Faculty and Friends is made up primarily of ETSU Jazz Program musicians. The group is an extremely talented and experienced mix of jazz musicians having many years of professional jazz music experience. Individual members have played and recorded with some of the jazz greats. The band features Martin Walters on bass, Dan Hitchcock on saxophone, Colton Fenner on piano, and Matthew Geiger on percussion.
A spokesman for Friends of the Bonnie Kate said COVID-19 guidelines will be followed for this event, including temperature screening, face mask use, social distancing etc.
Events like the jazz concert fall in line with the city’s goal of making downtown a more vibrant area with the Bonnie Kate leading the charge said Rachel McCann, one of the event’s organizers.