Main Menu
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu
)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
6/07/2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES-The Natchitoches- NSU Folk Festival will celebrate its 25th anniversary July 16-17 with a new event to go along with the festival's noted crafts, music and food. The Festival will be held in air conditioned Prather Coliseum on the campus of Northwestern State University.
This year's Festival theme focuses upon the cultures and folk traditions of the Louisiana's Neutral Strip. The Neutral Strip was about a 40-mile wide strip of land which ran from DeSoto Parish to the Gulf of Mexico. The Neutral Strip separated Spanish Texas from American Louisiana from 1806-1821.
The region was supposed to be an uninhabited area that served as a buffer between the two countries. However, because no governmental body existed in the area, it became known for its lawlessness as outlaws, land-seeking settlers and escaped slaves sought shelter in the Strip. Today the area is better known for its importance to the timber and fishing industries, Toledo Bend Dam and Reservoir and Fort Polk.
More than 15 narrative sessions are planned relating to the Festival theme. Sessions will address its outlaws and historical figures such as Leather Britches, John Murrell, and the figures involved in the Cordova Rebellion. Discussion will also focus on buried treasure tales of the Neutral Strip, ghost stories of the Neutral Strip, musical traditions in the region and occupational stories such as those that circulate in the commercial/sport fishing and timber industries.
The annual Louisiana State Fiddle Championship will be held Saturday, July 17 at 9 a.m. as part of the Festival. The event has been moved from Rebel State Historic Site and Country Music Museum in Marthaville. The champion fiddler will play a set on the main stage as part of the Saturday evening show at the Festival.
While the contest is a great way for fiddlers to show their skills, most musicians enjoy the chance to come together and play-sharing their songs and learning new pieces and techniques from one another. Along with the contest, a jam session area for fiddlers will be set up this year at Festival where visitors will be able to listen and play along if they wish.
Festival organizers have consulted with fiddlers and fiddle contest judges from around the state in order to plan the contest. Personnel from Rebel State Historic Site and the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism have also assisted in the planning of the event.
The Festival will feature three music stages with 20 groups performing almost all of the types of music heard in Louisiana. There will also be a dance floor, crafts area, narrative stage and foodways area with a variety of food vendors. Additionally, a KidFest area will be hosted to entertain and educate younger visitors.
More than 30 crafts persons will attend the Festival to show their work and explain how it is done. Cajun dance lessons will be offered both days, and a variety of family-friendly activities are planned.
Ticket prices are $7 per day for adults; $3 for children age seven through 12. Children six and under are admitted free. An all-event pass is available for advance purchase for $12. Group rates are available, but must be pre-arranged and pre-purchased. For more information, call the Louisiana Folklife Center at (318) 357-4332 or at www.nsula.edu/folklife.