The 42nd Annual Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival will be held on Saturday, July 23rd in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum, located at 220 South Jefferson Street at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. The Festival will continue throughout the day from 9:00am until 10:00pm. The family-oriented festival is fully wheelchair accessible.
The 2022 Festival theme is “Stronger Together: The Power of Traditional Culture”. “We are so grateful to once again be able to hold a face-to-face event,” said Dr. Shane Rasmussen, director of the festival and NSU’s Louisiana Folklife Center. “This year’s theme will celebrate the ways in which folk traditions bring people together in positive ways, providing solace, hope, cheer, and inspiration. We are truly stronger together than apart!”
According to her bio: “Music has been engrained into Shaw’s world for as long as she can remember. She has become one of the most recognizable brands in Louisiana music. From national appearances on the Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, the Today Show’s Roker-thon, and the Rosie O’Donnell Show, to a once-in-a-lifetime performance with Cyndi Lauper, Shaw’s magnetic presence helped her to build an extraordinary following of fans and supporters. Younger fans look up to Shaw for her pristine fiddling skills and sassy sense of style, while order fans respect her strong work ethic and sincere sensibility, but audiences of all ages agree that Shaw’s musical talent and appealing personality give her a special flair and make her an incredible representative of Louisiana’s melting pot of music.
Shaw works extremely hard to give her fans the best she has to offer, and her passion for her craft has been recognized with prestigious honors and awards throughout her career. The local artist has received dozens of honors including the Big Easy Award for Best Female Entertainer, Louisiana Music Hall of Fame Future Famer, Offbeat Magazine’s Best of the Beat Singer/Songwriter of the Year and many, many others. In the past, she has also collaborated with Grammy award-winning musicians, such as Chubby Carrier, and renowned songwriters, including Matthew Gerrard, to give her fans a superior way to experience Louisiana-rooted, world-class music.”
“Growing up in the music industry, I have had the chance to tell my story to an international audience,” says Shaw. “I have traveled many places and experienced many cultures, but I never lose sight of my Louisiana roots. My intention with my music is to bring a little bit of Louisiana culture with me everywhere I go.”
The Annual Louisiana State Fiddle Championship will be held at 1:00pm in the Magale Recital Hall. There will be a non-championship class and a championship class. A twin fiddle category will also be held. Registration is at noon in the first-floor foyer outside Magale Recital Hall. The Fiddle Championship winner will perform on the main stage in Prather Coliseum at 4:30pm.
More than 75 crafts vendors have been invited to display and discuss their traditional work with Festival patrons. Craftspeople are expected to display beadwork, baskets, cowhide chair covers, alligator jewelry, Pysanky eggs, Native American crafts, and pottery. Other expected craftspeople will display needlework, wood carvings, handmade toys and dolls, paintings, sculpture, homemade soap, spinning & weaving, handcrafted knives, handmade brooms, walking sticks, folk art quilts, and more.
KidFest will once again be available from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Kidfest is an area dedicated to child-friendly activities and is a fun way for children to examine their own cultural and family traditions as well as those from around the state. Children 12 and under are admitted to the Festival free.
Support for the Festival is provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., the Louisiana Division of the Arts, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the Natchitoches Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Foundation, and the Shreveport Regional Arts Council.
Festival tickets are $10.00 at the door for all events, or $6.00 for an evening pass to all events after 5:00pm. For more information, call (318) 357-4332, email folklife@nsula.edu, or go to louisianafolklife.nsula.edu.