NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

7/07/2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES -The presentation of traditional crafts is one of the big draws for the annual Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival, which will be held July 21-22 in Prather Coliseum on the Northwestern State University campus.

Craftspeople will present their talents and traditions on Saturday in the Prather Coliseum arena. One unique aspect of the festival is that craftspeople interact by demonstrating their work and selling items. Many of these artists use natural resources such as vines, river cane, white oak, and moss in creating the crafts that are part of their culture.

As part of "Inspirations from the Forest,"an exhibit created by the Smithsonian Institution and the USDA Forest Service, several artisans will be attending the festival and highlighting their use of natural resources in their crafts. "We are especially happy to have Irvan Perez join us at the festival," stated Sheila Richmond, Festival coordinator. "He has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts as a National Heritage Fellow."

Perez creates realistically textured wildfowl and songbirds from cypress roots. He paints his work with oil pigments that he mixes himself. This allows him to get closer to the birds' natural colors. Perez is perhaps the only singer still performing the traditional Isleño ballads known as dècimas. These songs, characterized by 10-line stanzas, are sung a capella and are considered to be the oldest Spanish language form.

"Natural Resources in Louisiana's Traditional Cultures" is the theme of the Festival, which will also feature including music, food, Kidfest along with exhibits and narrative sessions.

For the third year, the Folk Festival will host the Louisiana State Fiddle Championship on Saturday, July 22, from. 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Prather Coliseum's Main Stage. Fiddlers from around the state will compete for cash prizes and ribbons in two categories ­ Trophy Division and Championship Division. The winner will perform Saturday, July 22 at 5:45 p.m. on the Festival's main stage in Prather Coliseum.

For music lovers, this year's festival will include many of the types of music heard in Louisiana including country-western, Cajun, blues, ballads, jazz, bluegrass, gospel and zydeco.

Narrative sessions will focus on the use of natural resources in cultural traditions. Sessions include Hunting Stories, Basketry, Commercial Fishing, Conservation of Natural Resources, Wild Plant Uses, Woodworking, Wild Game Preparation, and Tanning/Taxidermy/Trapping. A foodways demonstration on Creole cooking will also be presented.

Festival activities will be from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $7 for an all day pass, $5 for an evening pass and $10 for a weekend pass which is available in advance only. Children age 7-12 are admitted for $3, and children under six are admitted free.

For more information, contact the Louisiana Folklife Center at (318) 357-4332 or visit www.nsula.edu/folklife.

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