For the past 18 years, I have spent my Labor Day weekend at Chuck Wentworth’s Rhythm and Roots Festival at Charlestown’s Ninigret Park, plus many years before that at Chuck’s former Cajun and Bluegrass Festival in Escoheag.

I return every year to listen to my favorites like Grammy-winning Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys and New Orleans pianist Marcia Ball.

Chuck always introduces us to new artists like the Canadian group, The Bombadils, and Chicago Blues players, The Cash Box Kings.

This was the year of Sarah Potenza, Rhode Island’s own “The Voice” finalist, who performed all three days and mingled with fans at the festival grounds.

My favorite group was The Mavericks, who closed the main stage Saturday night with a foot-stomping set that sent me back to Cranston humming their tunes.

For my tastes, there was a bit more blues music than I cared to listen to. The good news is that I didn’t have to. With three stages to choose from, I could easily move from blues to Cajun to country to zydeco and some great sounds that cross all boundaries.

Wentworth added a new twist to the former Heritage tent, renamed the Roots tent. While there still were the traditional workshops where fans interacted with the musicians, a welcome addition included Louisiana, Canadian, and Americana showcases, where artists in those genres performed in what we used to call jam sessions.

As always, the festival was well run, including a number of physical improvements initiated by Wentworth, who has taken over sole management of the festival.

Perfect weather (last year a hurricane quickly wiped out the final set and late Sunday dancing), Jambalaya from Chili Brothers, oysters from Matunuck Oyster Bar, and potato pancakes from Travelers Kitchen, and great music all made for a perfect holiday weekend.