BLUES and roots music fans will have no shortage of entertainment this weekend with the first Bendigo Blues and Roots festival launched last night.Chief co-ordinator Colin Thompson got the festival going at Gold Dust Lounge in Williamson Street last night but the festival proper begins tonight.Tasmanian blues band Pete Cornelius and the DeVilles kicks off the festival at the Metro/Puggs from 6pm while central Victorian legend Archer is on stage at Gold Dust Lounge at the same time. Blues and Roots Festival teaser... are you ready?options={AutoStart:false,DefaultQuality:"High",PlayerWidth:463,PlayerHeight:260}Mr Thompson said he was excited to see a lot of acts after so many months of organising the gigs.“I could start naming individual acts I’m particularly excited to see again, but I really do respect, admire and enjoy the talents of absolutely every act on this program,” he said.“We’re co-operating with 15 plus venues, we’re running the big all-day concert in Rosalind Park and we have more than 60 acts performing over the course of the weekend. “It’s been a huge juggling act and, a big part of me will be relieved when the weekend’s over and we’ve managed to get through it all.”Mr Thompson said he couldn’t positively say how many volunteers are helping out but the crew were vital to many aspects of the shows as well as the support of the council.“Truthfully I’m not sure how many volunteers we have on board, but we have a huge and varied crew taking care of all sorts of things, from Saturday’s Park event to all the various gigs around town,” he said.“John Rossi, Raph Beh and other City of Greater Bendigo staff have jumped in and made this a true collaboration with the city council.” For more information on the Bendigo Blues and Roots festival log on to www.bendigobluesandroots.com.au