 Texas Folklife
Festival Will
Celebrate Friendship in 2007
By JAMES BENAVIDES and AARON PARKS
Photography COURTESY OF:
INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES
Before diversity and multiculturalism
became popular buzzwords,
they were part of the fabric of UTSA’s
Institute of Texan Cultures. On the heels
of HemisFair ‘68 and aligned with the
museum’s mission of interpreting the history
of the cultures that settled Texas,
O.T. Baker established the Texas Folklife
Festival, an event that celebrated the
Lone Star State’s multinational,multiethnic
heritage through the contributions
of more than 40 of the cultures that
make Texas great.
Baker’s inspiration for “the nation's
biggest block party” was seeded at the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington,
D.C., in 1968, where he and a group of
Texans represented our great state at the
American Folklife Festival. After his return,
it took O.T. four years to get the community
backing and financial support to
make the first Texas Folklife Festival a reality.
In 1972 Baker’s efforts paid off. He did
more than throw a party — he started a
tradition hosting one of the state’s largest
ethnic reunions.
Fast-forward 36 years to 2007, and the
magic still hasn’t gone away. UTSA’s
Institute of Texan Cultures will host the
36th Texas Folklife Festival June 8, 9, and
10 on the grounds of the museum downtown
in HemisFair Park beneath the Tower
of the Americas. The 2007 event will feature
entertainment stages, over 150 ethnic
foods, artisans, craft vendors, demonstrators
and infinite memories.
There have certainly been changes
over the years. In the early years, the
Texas Folklife Festival was hosted in
September, and then it moved to
August and now June. This year the
event will pack four days of fun into
three.“We changed our hours to reflect
peak visitation times,” says Jo Ann
Andera, event director. “This allows our
volunteers to focus their efforts over
three days and opens the door to cultural
groups that may not have been
able to commit to four days. There will
still be 26 hours of celebration!”
One thing that hasn’t changed is the
mission of the event.
 “The Texas Folklife Festival and all of the events we produce at UTSA’s Institute
of Texan Cultures are designed to be
extensions of what guests enjoy on the
museum’s exhibit floor,” says Dr. John L.
Davis, executive director of the museum. “Our events bring the stories of Texas’ cultural
contributors to life. The performances,
food options, artisan demonstrations
and everything else guests experience at
our events are reflections of the traditions,
customs, and lifestyles of cultural
groups that settled in Texas and continue
to make it an amazing state.”
“In short,” Davis continues with a
laugh, “you’ll walk away entertained,
educated, potentially inspired, and most
likely full.”
The feeling of goodwill and the sense
of welcome and belonging have
become the trademark of the festival.
Some people may come to the museum
or San Antonio only once a year, but to
Texas Folklife Festival veterans, they are
old friends. In fact, that’s what inspired
the theme for the 2007 event.
“The event’s theme is simple: It’s all
about friendship,” says Andera. “Bring
your friends and make some new ones.”
Among the friends you are likely to
make at this year’s event is Claudia Ball of
Comstock,who prepares delicious prickly
pear jelly. She directed the Texas Folklife
Festival between 1975 and 1980 and hasn’t
missed TFF in 35 years. At 80 years old,
Fritz Foster is possibly the best zydeco
dance partner anyone can find. Constantine Sgagias and his team grill
hundreds of pounds of chicken and lamb
for gyros, while Bill and Trish Hightower
man the Dutch ovens to cook up an oldfashioned
chuck wagon dinner.
The list of cultural representatives goes
on and on,in part because they know how
important it is to share their traditions.
Anthropologist Dr. Shirley Mock has
studied cultural groups in Texas for 15
years.“For the traditions and customs of
a group to survive, they must be passed
on to new generations. Events like the
Texas Folklife Festival not only instill a
sense of pride and ownership among
descendants but also invite new participants
to share in and embrace the culture.
By inviting guests to join in the
dancing, hear the music and stories,
and smell and taste traditional foods,
these cultural groups encourage new
generations to honor their heritage and
carry their traditions and customs forward,”
she says.
 Brianna and Phil Santillanes have
attended the Texas Folklife Festival twice
since moving to San Antonio from
Albuquerque, N. M. This year they will
introduce the event to their 2-year-old
daughter, Kaleigh.
“We want our daughter to understand
and embrace her heritage, but
we also want to introduce her to the traditions
and beliefs of others,” says Phil.“It
sounds odd since she’s only 2, but we
want to prepare her to work in a global
economy when she grows up. Teaching
her to honor and enjoy other cultures
will make her a better employee and a
better person.”
Brianna adds, “The bottom line is we
want to expose our daughter to different
cultures early in her life, and this is a fun
event.We worried about it being too hot,
but there are plenty of shade trees, cool
tents, misting stations, and air-conditioned
indoor activities, so we know we’ll
be comfortable.We’re looking forward to
a great event!”
“The whole is so much greater than
the sum of the parts,” says Andera.“We
are all enriched when we share our heritage
and traditions, and we take pride
in our own heritage while we come to
appreciate the traditions and histories
of others.”
To learn more about UTSA’s Institute of
Texan Cultures and the Texas Folklife
Festival, visit www.TexanCultures.com and www.TexasFolklifeFestival.org.
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