WHITE SPRINGS – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs will host the 57th Annual Florida Folk Festival during Memorial Day weekend. Opening ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 22 at the park, and performances will continue through Sunday, May 24.
“The Florida Folk Festival allows friends and families to kick off the summer with a celebration of Florida’s heritage and culture,” said Florida Park Service Director Mike Bullock. “For 56 years the festival has been a tradition for residents and visitors – highlighting Florida’s folk heritage, history and great music.”
Since 1953, folk artists have come together for one of the oldest state folk festivals in America; an early photo from the state’s Florida Memory collection is at right. The Florida Folk Festival is the state’s premier heritage event, celebrating Florida’s land, people and diverse culture with performances each day by native folk and roots artists; including national recording artists, songwriters and musicians of swing, folk, blues, gospel, country, Latin, jazz, bluegrass, Caribbean and zydeco.
Among the more than 200 scheduled performances, Grammy Award winning, Nashville recording artist, Billy Dean, will perform on the main stage Saturday night. Other highlighted performances include, Spanky & Our Gang, Doyle Dykes, Ben Prestage and Florida Folk Heritage Award Winner Jeanie Fitchen.
Festival attendees can also learn about Florida’s Nature Coast, which includes eight counties along the Gulf of Mexico from Wakulla to Pasco County. Florida’s Nature Coast is the 2009 Folklife area theme – presented each year to reflect research and field documentation conducted by the Florida Department of State’s Folklife program. Attractions in the Folklife area will include worm grunters from Sopchoppy, mermaids from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, bluegrass gospel music, Mexican folkloric dance, and lasso and roping lessons and contests, as well as crafts and food.
Tickets for the Florida Folk Festival are $25 per day or $50 for the weekend at the gate. Children under six years of age are admitted free of charge. Ticket prices for children between the ages of six and 16 for the entire weekend are $5.00 at the gate.
Visitors planning a trip to the Florida Folk Festival are also encouraged to take part in DEP’s Rediscover Florida: 100 Ways in 100 Days campaign – an initiative urging Floridians and visitors to explore the exciting and affordable recreation Florida’s public lands offer – from the traditional (hiking, biking, and camping) to the unique (festivals, historic reenactments and museums).
The first two-time Gold Medal winner honoring the nation’s best state park service, Florida’s state park system is one of the largest in the country with 160 parks, which are open 365 days a year. Florida’s state parks, which span more than 700,000 acres and include 100 miles of sandy white beach, provide an affordable outing for people of all ages. Caladesi Island State Park, just off the coast of Pinellas County, was honored with the coveted Best Beach in the Nation award in 2008.
The Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park is located in White Springs on the banks of the Suwannee River. Gates open daily at 8:00 a.m. For more information on the festival, call 1-877-635-3655 or visit www.floridafolkfestival.com. For more information on Florida’s state parks, visit www.floridastateparks.org.
