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NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Leah Jackson (jacksonl@nsula.edu)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
7/11/2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES -The Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival will kick off with a diverse lineup of entertainment, food vendors and exhibits, beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, July 21. Guests are encouraged to make plans to enjoy their evening meal while listening to sounds of popular musical performers Willis Prudhomme of Kinder and Hardrick Rivers of Natchitoches.
"Many of the food vendors will be operating, the Country Store will be open and running and several of the exhibits will be up," said Sheila Richmond of the Louisiana Folklife Center. "As an added attraction, we will be offering door prizes. The McIlhenney Company has donated gift baskets worth $100. The Louisiana Gourmet is sending gift baskets and we have a poster/CD package of Eric Clapton's 'Me and Mr. Johnson.' We will also have books and prints as prizes." Guests must be present to win, Richmond said.
Prudhomme is a zydeco musician who performs the old style French zydeco songs, as well as his own versions of Cajun standards. He writes many of the songs he performs, injecting an earthy humor characteristic of rural zydeco.
Rivers' extensive repertoire includes rock and roll, rhythm and blues and jazz. A popular Natchitoches entertainer, Rivers has performed with several musical groups and is regularly featured at the Folk Festival.
Folk Festival activities will take place until 11 p.m. on Friday. Festival hours on Saturday will be from 8 a.m.- 11 p.m.
"Natural Resources in Louisiana's Traditional Cultures" is the theme of this year's Festival, which will also feature including Kidfest, exhibits and narrative sessions. 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.
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.
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.