July 10 [12:00 EDT] -- Who better to emcee the second annual Furthur Festival -- the 21-date tour founded by former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart -- than another aging rock veteran, Arlo Guthrie, who turns 50 today.

Son of folk legend Woodie Guthrie and an accomplished artist in his own right, Arlo is best known for his 1967 classic hit, "Alice's Restaurant."

Guthrie has been enlisted to announce the acts in the festival, which include headliners the Black Crowes, Weir's Ratdog, Hart's Planet Drum, Bruce Hornsby , Jorma Kaukonen & Michael Falzarana, Moe, Sherrie Jackson and Guthrie, who released two albums last year.

The Furthur Festival kicked off June 26th in Virginia Beach. On Friday, it hits Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The tour runs through August 3, when it plays the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater in Irvine, California.