2002 Festival

Celebrating Louisiana's Military and Folk Traditions in 2002

This year, the Natchitoches/NSU Folk Festival will focus upon the many Louisiana residents who have maintained a proud commitment to military service. Our state, over its long history, has seen a variety of military installations constructed and maintained and has provided high numbers of troops for a variety of war and peacetime military efforts.

Because of the events of 2001 and our current involvement in Afghanistan, there is no better time to remember and pay tribute to those who have given so much to maintain America's freedom. The Natchitoches/NSU Folk Festival Steering Committee, however, had no inkling about the timely nature of this year's Festival theme when, back in September 2000, the members chose Louisiana's Military and Folk Traditions as the theme for the 2002 Natchitoches/NSU Folk Festival.

The Festival, which will be held on July 19 and 20, 2002, in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum will highlight Louisiana's military and folk traditions. We invite both active duty and retired members of the military to share their stories and experiences at the Festival.

The Festival will host three music stages, narrative sessions, a foodways demonstration area, and KidFest, a staging area for child-oriented activities. Many historical and cultural exhibits dealing with Louisiana's ties to the military will be mounted; over thirty craftspeople and some 100 musicians who play music ranging from country, bluegrass, gospel, patriotic, Cajun, blues, jazz, western swing, and zydeco will perform. Come and join us in our effort to salute our veterans.

Military Recognition

This year, the Festival plans to honor Louisiana's active and retired military in two special services. When you arrive, please be sure to go by the Military Recognition Table so that we can present you with a recognition certificate during the ceremony on Saturday. The debt that our community and nation owes to all military personnel is great, and the festival staff wishes to honor the military for its many valiant efforts during all of America's military involvements.

PT Boaters

This year the Festival will host a PT Boaters "Bull Session." This session will allow PT Boat Veterans to gather and to share their stories of World War II. The PT Boaters Association is very active and maintains a solid membership and meets yearly to share their stories and to reunite. We are happy and honored to have the PT Boaters as guests this year.

New T-shirt Design for this year

This year the Festival special edition T-shirt will be a reproduction of the entire 2002 poster. Mary Jane and Gary Day designed this year's logo, which contains an outline of the state of Louisiana overlaid with three rings of stars with an eagle with shield and arrows. The highly collectable T-shirt design will be a nice memento for Festival visitors.

2003 Festival Theme Announced

Next year's Festival theme, "The Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial and Folk Traditions," will celebrate the cultures and people of Louisiana that came into contact during the Louisiana Purchase Period and who still live in Louisiana today. Native Americans, Creoles, African-Americans, and Anglo-Scots-Irish from Louisiana will share their cultural traditions, their foodways, their narratives, and their material culture.

We look forward to this exciting year-long celebration of the Bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase. Next year's dates for the event will be July 18-19, 2003.

Tell Me About It

The Festival's narrative sessions will incorporate elements from the following humanity disciplines - history, anthropology, music, political science, folklore, and linguistics. Scholars from the previously mentioned fields will be invited to share their expertise with Festival visitors during narrative sessions.

The narrative session entitled "On the Homefront" will provide an opportunity for several Louisiana residents, who remained in Louisiana during World War II, to share their stories of stateside life. Narrative session 4

"The Louisiana Maneuvers" session will invite Louisiana residents both military and civilian, who experienced the maneuvers first hand during the 1940s and the 1950s to tell the stories of this interesting time period. Nick Pollacia will host this interesting session. Narrative session 11

Another narrative session planned for this year will focus upon Louisiana's Vietnam Veterans and their experiences during this difficult period in American history. Vietnam Veteran groups will participate in this interesting session. Narrative session 7

"Narratives of the Vietnam War" Dr. Julie Kane and her coauthor, Kiem Do, a former general in the South Vietnamese Military will discuss the Vietnam War from both the American and South Vietnamese perspectives. Dr. Kane and Mr. Do have recently completed a volume which deals with narrative and the Vietnam War. Narrative session 14

A narrative session regarding "Life as a Soldier in World War II" will be presented, and members from the Alexandria and Natchitoches Veterans of Foreign Wars Groups will participate. Military personnel who served in both the European and Pacific theaters will tell visitors of their experiences and will answer questions regarding their lives during and since the war. Narrative session 5

"Lost Louisiana" is a narrative session which will focus upon the elaborate military installations which were used as training facilities during World War II but were hastily dismantled once operations had been completed. Sites such as Camp Livingston boasted very well-developed infrastructure ad covered many thousands of acres of rural Louisiana, yet as troops moved to Europe to fight, the Camp ceased operation and is now National Forest Land. Participants will discuss their experiences while working at Camp Livingston and other now non-existent military installations, such as Camp Claiborne. Narrative session 1

"The Gulf War and America's Recent Military Involvements" is a narrative session, which calls upon veterans of the Gulf War, Somalia, and Operation Enduring Freedom to share their experiences with Festival visitors. These veterans will tell their stories of recent and current military involvements, and their experiences will provide an interesting contrast to those of veterans of earlier wars and conflicts. Narrative session 13

The "Food and War: Produce for Victory" session will focus upon the ways in which war impacts food and other important supplies. Most of the stories in this session will derive from those efforts during World War II in which rationing was a way of life for American citizens. Narrative session 10

"Women in the Military" will address the role that women have played in military service in the past and currently. Current and former military women will participate in this interesting narrative session. Narrative session 9

"The Korean Conflict" will present members of the armed forces who served in the Korean War. Members from all branches of the military will discuss their experiences during this military action. Narrative session 2

"Louisiana During World War II" Dr. Jerry P. Sanson from Louisiana State University Alexandria will discuss his extensive research in World War II in Louisiana. Dr. Sanson specializes in Louisiana history, and his most recent volume, Louisiana During World War II was published by LSU Press in 2000. Narrative session 12

"World War II and its Music" will be composed of musicians, historians, and ethnomusicologists who will discuss the importance of music to the World War II era of Louisiana soldiers and residents. Dr. Kathleen E.R. Smith will participate in this session; her Ph.D. dissertation focused on music and World War II. Narrative session 6

"The Buffalo Soldiers" session will focus on African-Americans and their connection to the military both in the past and currently. The Buffalo Soldiers have a strong tradition in the military, and their insight will be interesting and pertinent to this year's theme. Narrative session 8

"Code Talkers and Native American Involvement in America's Wars" This session will present information regarding the use of Native American languages and the contributions of Choctaw, Comanche, and Kiowa code talkers during World War I and II. Narrative session 3

What You Should Know

2 day all-event pass $12.00 for adults $5 for children 7-12

Friday/Saturday $7.00 each day for adults, includes evening activities

Friday/Saturday evening only $5.00 each day for adults, after 6:00 p.m. admission

Friday/Saturday day or evening, child 7-12 $3.00

Children 6 and under free

Group Rates are available for groups of 10 or more. Group tickets must be purchased in advance through the LA Folklife Center.

All-event passes must be purchased in advance by Thursday, July 18 by 4:00 p.m. at Louisiana Folklife Center, Room 213, Kyser Hall; no discounted all-event passes will be sold at the Festival.

Getting to the Festival:

The Festival is held in comfortable, air-conditioned Prather Coliseum, on the campus of Northwestern State University in historic Natchitoches. The site provides ample, nearby parking and is handicap-accessible. No alcohol is allowed or sold on the site. To reach the Coliseum, take Natchitoches exit from I-49. From Shreveport, turn left (from Alexandria, turn right) on Highway 6/College Avenue to South Jefferson. Turn right on South Jefferson. Prather Coliseum is on the right, just past the President's house and the tennis court.

Contact the Center at (318) 357-4332, or folklife@nsula.edu or www.nsula.edu/folklife

Folk Fest Needs Your Military Memorabilia

The Festival staff plans to present a collection of military memorabilia and pictures from around the state.

Please feel free to call the Louisiana Folklife Center if you have pictures, letters, or other mementos from any of Louisiana's military involvements which you would be willing to loan for the exhibit or allow staff members to image scan and return to you.

Currently, the Festival staff has recieved some photographs from the World War II era, some letters, ration books, and set of window stars used during World War II to designate the homes of service personnel involved in the war.

The staff encourages anyone who has such materials to call so that these materials can be shared with generations of people who have not lived through these wartime experiences. Please call us at (318) 357-4332 if you are interested in sharing your materials with us.

Attractions

Friday Night Attractions

Jay Cormier and Cajun Country

Early in the evening, Jay Cormier and Cajun Country will play their highly requested Cajun music, which will be sure to keep Cajun music fans on their feet. This band is the house band for the popular South Louisiana restaurant, Mulates and is noted for its outstanding four-part harmony, which they incorporate into many of their Cajun French songs.

Big Band Music at the Festival: The Natchitoches Jazz Orchestra

Friday night, the Festival will host the Natchitoches Jazz Orchestra which will play a variety of musical favorites from the 1940s. The Natchitoches Jazz Orchestra conducted by Galindo Rodriguez brings together a collection of many fine musicians who can play a wide variety of big band and swing music. This evening will indeed by magical, so bring your dancing shoes and come to the Festival.

Maggie Warwick

Maggie Warwick's influence in Louisiana's music has been long celebrated, for she has kept the Louisiana Hayride Band alive over the past thrity years. Maggie has played many times in the past at the Festival and her country music/western swing style has pleased many crowds.

Saturday Night Attractions

Saturday night's entertainment again will include a wide variety of music.

Bernie Alan and Knight Train

This Alexandria-based group's music includes both country and Cajun favorites. The group has played throughout Central and South Louisiana and draws lively corwds at all their performances. They play everything from Zydeco and Zydecajun to Swamp Pop and Blues. The band's mix of musical styles, as well as their energetic live shows, have quickly earned them a reputation of being a high energy band that is guaranteed to get the crowd moving every time.

Following Bernie Alan and Knight Train will be Glenn Jaqneaux and Jackpot. Glenn Jaqneaux and Jackpot play traditional Cajun music. They play regularly at parties and clubs throughout south Louisiana and east Texas. Glenn is the founder of this group and plays traditional Cajun accordion. He is accompained by five other very skilled musicians who can play a variety of Cajun tunes as well as swamp pop, zydeco, and blues. This exciting group will be sure to please Festival guests.

Sugarloaf Swing

Sugarloaf Swing will be rounding out the evening with a session of toe-tapping western swing music. Gene Gasaway, Daryl Pace, Buddy Baker, John Reynolds, and J.R. Baker will preform traditional western swing music from 8:00-10:00. Gene Gasaway is one of the Bob Wills Original Texas Playboys and currently tours with Hank Thompson. Daryl worked with the legendary Ray Price for eight years as a side man, and now works primarily with Sugarloaf. Drummer, John Reynolds, keeps things hoppin with Sugarloaf, but he also plays with Jake Hooker and the Outsiders. Buddy and J.R. play with local bands near their homes regularly. This outstanding group will, indeed, provide Festival visitors with a treat.

Rocque's Blues Band

To end the evening's festivities, Rocque's Blues Band will close the performance with their very popular blues music. Rocque's has become a Natchitoches tradition and is always a hit with blues fans who attend the Festival. Musicians Hardrick Rivers and Rick Seale form the backbone of this very popular group.

KidFest

KidFest, this year, will include many great events for children. Spoon races, three-legged races, string games, jump rope games, compass navigation, and musical activities are planned for our younger visitors. Additionally, military personnel will show and discuss their uniforms with younger visitors. A flag handling and disposal presentation will also take place, and this session will interest young and old alike. We look forward to having many of our young friends join us again this year.

Ration Pie and Cake Contest

Get ready to raid your grandmother's recipe file to find those World War II era recipes which found ways around sugar rationing and butter shortages, for now is your opportunity to show off your culinary skills, and maybe even win a prize.

The contest judging will take place on Saturday at noon at the Judging booth on the Coliseum floor, and the winners will be announced during the Hall of Master Folk Artists' Ceremony. The rules for the contest can be obtained by calling the Louisiana Folklife Center at (318) 357-4332.

Military Equipment

Several of Louisiana's military posts have agreed to provide military equipment to display at the Festival. Currently, plans are in progress to bring a tank and tank carrier, small artillery, humvs, and helicopters. Additionaly, some of Louisiana's best military reenactors will set up their camps at the event. There will be no shortage of interesting military displays.

Exhibits/Static Displays

The Louisiana Maneuvers Museum and several other military museums and installations will provide a wide variety of static displays and educational exhibits this year. A variety of other groups and individuals have agreed to contribute items to these exhibits. Past military uniforms, memorabilia, and pictures from World War I and II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and Operation Enduring Freedom will be included in the displays.

Proper Flag Etiquette and Flags of the United States

On Friday at 2:05 p.m., on the West Stage, the American Legion and Boy Scouts will present a session regarding proper methods of storing, posting and disposing of flags. This will surely be an informative session with practical application. This session will be of interest to children and adults alike.

Antiques Roadshow

This year, the Festival will sponsor a miniature version of the popular LPB "Antiques Roadshow." Appraisers will be on hand to evaluate toys, autographs, collectibles, furniture, silver, china, jewelry, political memorabilia, crystal, old license plates, and historical documents. Guns cannot be brought for appraisal due to the University's firearm regulations. Five items can be brought by an individual for appraisal and will be appraised for a fee of $2.50 each. Please call the Louisiana Folklife Center to find out when specific appraisers will be evaluating items.

2002 Material Culture Artists Announced

The following provides a partial listing of material culture artisits who have been invited to demonstrate and sell their creations at the Festival.

Virginia Thacker: tatting; Fisher Snell: rocking chairs; Roy Gandy: walking sticks; Mary and Ken Royston: whittling, toys, and needlework; Geraldine Robertson: corn shuck dolls and cornshuck items; Harris Family: white oak baskets; Lorena Langley: pinestraw baskets; Myrna Wilson: pinestraw baskets; Elois Tyler: Jena Choctaw crafts; Lair LaCour: Creole Ma-Man dolls; Billy Anderson: whips and leather goods; Elaine Bourque: cotton spinning and weaving; Dempsy and Brenda Perkins: wool carding and spinning, wool felting, and hand-turned bowls and wood items; Betty Hatcher: bobbin lace; Robert Nelson: whittling; W.D. Norton: white oak baskets; Roy Parfait: wood carving; Claude and Pat Oubre: Job's Tears rosaries; Los Adaes Quilters: and Michael Moran: file making.

2002 Natchitoches/NSU Folk Festival

"Louisiana's Military Traditions"