Beautiful Pensacola Beach will be the host to the "1st Annual Songwriters' Festival" featuring the Songwriters in venues along Pensacola Beach.

During these three days in October, participating local venues will turn their restaurants and clubs into "listening rooms" with 1- to 2-hour songwriter showcases.

Venues will include - Paradise Bar and Grille, Lillo's Tuscan Grille, SandShaker and Sabine Sand Bar.

Adding to the excitement of the festival, the songwriters will not only play in venues but also in local school classrooms to help expand children's minds and creativity through music.

Music is a healing art that lifts the spirit, puts smiles on people's faces and brings back memories they had long forgotten. Songwriting runs across all types of music. There will be songwriters performing country music, southern rock, folk, bluegrass, Americana, pop, and Top 40 music. Next year, organizers plan to add gospel.

First time visitors will come away from this festival in wide-eyed surprise and wondering why it took so long to get this started.

As the songs begin, you'll be surprised to learn who wrote some of your favorite songs. In most cases, it's not the artist who sings them.

Songwriters have written thousands of hit songs, for which they don't get the same amount of credit as do the singers.

Just as importantly, the up and coming songwriters have material that is amazing and may very well be the hit songs we will be talking about next year as they gather down here on the coast.

Getting to know the people behind the words that make you sad, happy, grateful or tearful, and sometimes all those feelings at once, is an incredible, unforgettable way to spend a couple of cool days in October. The people are fun and the ocean is right here.

For more information, contact Reneda Cross at 850-341-0889 or rc.songwriters@ yahoo.com or Jim Pasquale at 615- 423-9038 or estring06@hotmail.com.

You can also visit the festival Myspace page at www.myspace.com/pensacolabeachsongwritersfestival.