This year's Festival theme coordinates with the statewide Francofete celebration which commemorates 300 years of French influence in Louisiana. Additionally, 1999 marks the 20th anniversary of the Natchitoches/NSU Folklife Festival. At this year's Festival, we will showcase many French-influenced traditions such as la boucherie, tatting, French Creole cooking, and egg knocking or paqueing, as some call it.

Many notable Cajun musicians will play at this year's Festival, such as Hadley Castille, Kevin Naquin, Blackie Forestier, and of course, other favorites such as western swing band, Last Chance and swamp pop band; the Cane River Gators will perform as well. Other artists will perform gospel, bagpipes, blues, traditional Irish, English, and French music. This year, the Festival staff has worked hard to compile a program with a wider variety of folk artists who will display, demonstrate, and sell their work.

This year, the Folklife Festival staff will hold short interviews with various folk artists and musicians on the East and West stages, which will provide an opportunity for audience participation and open discussion of folkways and traditions.

Special Attractions and Exhibits

Ms. Lillie's Kitchen

Lillie Delphin will conduct a presentation about traditional French Creole cuisine. Ms. Delphin will discuss and demonstrate this important foodways tradition, and spectators are sure to come away with many tasty and innovative food ideas and will get a taste of flavors from the Creole kitchen.

Marksville Egg Knockers

This group of Marksville residents participates in and stages the annual egg knocking/paqueing in Marksville on Easter Morning. This group will discuss the tradition of egg knocking and will illustrate the manner in which eggs are prepared and selected for the context. A short video presentation of their Easter tradition will be included in the presentation.

La boucherie (pig roast)

Avoyelles Parish residents Vierd "Butch" Cole and his family will demonstrate and discuss the pig roast tradition in Louisiana French culture. Their presentation is sure to be a crowd-pleaser as they talk about the pig roast and offer samples of cracklins and other pork delicacies to the audience. Their presentation will include a short video of an actual pig roast and the preparation of the pig before roasting.

Houma Indians

This year at the Festival, French-speaking Houma Indians will present French and Native American folktales, both in English and French. This is sure to be an important and interesting session which will enoucrage discussion of the French influence in Louisiana culture.

Billy & Bobby Keyes

Billy & Bobbye Keyes will teach Cajun dance lessons at no charge to Festival attendees on both Friday and Saturday. We are sure you will enjoy this special treat.

Crafts

The following artists will be at the Festival to display and sell their crafts:

Irene Louviere: waxed paper flower wreaths
Lair LaCour: Creole Ma-Man Dolls and Quilts
Loretta Naquin: Gar fish scale crafts, moss dolls, palmetto hats, crocheted items
Claude and Pat Oubre: Job's Tears Rosaries
Elaine Bourque and Gladys Clark: Acadian Weavers
The Moran Brothers: Sassafras makers
Dempsey and Brenda Perkins: weaving, hand-turned wooden items
Gilbert Harris: split oak baskets
Jr. Martin: accordian maker
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Gandy: walking sticks, embroidery, crochet
Stacy Fontenot: Shuttle Tatting
Rachel Jackson: Needle tatting
Kathlene Thomas: Choctaw baskets
Myrna Wilson: Koasati baskets
Fisher Snell: hand-made rocking chairs
Lorena Langley: pine straw Koasati baskets

Festival Entertainment Schedule

Friday, July 16	West Stage	Main Stage	East Stage
1-2 p.m.	Folk Artist Interviews	Armadillo Jackal Band
2-3 p.m.	Crossroads Pipe Band	Last Chance	Back Porch Band
3-4 p.m.	Folklife Artist Panel Discussion	Cajun Dance Lessons with Billy and Bobbye Keyes	Bill Conly Irish Ballads
4-5 p.m.	Donnie Broussard & The Louisiana Stars	John Wilson & the Zydeco House Rockers	Basic Country
5-6 p.m.	Bill Conly Irish Ballads	Roque's Blues Band	Folk Artist Discussion Panel
6-7 p.m.	John Wilson & the Zydeco House Rockers	Donnie Broussard & The Louisiana Stars	Kevin Naquin & the Ossun Playboys
7-8 p.m.		Cane River Gators
8-9:15 p.m.		Maggie Warwick & the La. Hayride Band w/ Kenny Bill Stinson
9:30-10:30 p.m.		Kevin Naquin & the Ossun Playboys

Saturday, July 17	West Stage	Main Stage	East Stage
11 a.m.-12 p.m.	Armadillo Jackal Band	Cajun Dance Lessons	Crossroads Pipe Band
12-1 p.m.	Cane River Gators	Evangeline Aces	Houma Storytellers
1-2 p.m.	Blackie Forestier & the Cajun Aces	Back Porch Band	Old Time Fiddlers
2-3 p.m.	Monty and Marsha Brown	Jay Cormier & Cajun Country	Evangeline Aces
3-4 p.m.	Scotty Pousson and the Pointe Aux Loups Playboys	Roque's Blues Band	Old Time Fiddlers
4-5 p.m.	Jay Cormier & Cajun Country	Zydeco Farmers	Life as a Cajun Musician -- Hadley Castille
5-6 p.m.	Basic Country	Blackie Forestier and the Cajun Aces	Cane River Playboys
6-7 p.m.	Zydeco Farmers	Scotty Pousson and the Pointe aux Loups Playboys	Last Chance
7-8 p.m.		Ruble Wright & the Country Diamonds
8-9:30 p.m.		Hadley Castille
9:30-11 p.m.		Ruble Wright & the Country Diamonds