 2008 TEXAS
FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL
CELEBRATES BELONGING
Participants share traditions,
food, music, crafts and folklore
By AARON PARKS
Photography Courtesy of Institute of Texas Cultures
“We all belong.” It’s a simple slogan for
one of San Antonio’s most celebrated
events,but in a yearwhen race and gender
are cemented in the national headlines,
and cultural and religious divides influence
an increasingly sensitive world balance, it
serves as an important reminder: There is a
place for all of us.
For three days in June — 13, 14,and 15 — the Texas Folklife Festival at UTSA’s
Institute of Texan Cultures is the place
where friends, families and complete
strangers from every corner of the cultural
kaleidoscope will come together to
celebrate the things that make us different
while discovering the things that
make us very much alike.
Widely regarded as the “Biggest
Cultural Celebration in Texas,” the 2008
Texas Folklife Festival is the anchor event of
the museum’s 40th anniversary celebration.
It will showcase more than 250 participants
from across the Lone Star State who
converge in San Antonio once a year to
share their most cherished traditions. And
by “share,” they feed you, entertain you,
engage you, get you up on stage to
dance the hula, and send you home with
a piece of original Texas artwork that will
look great in your living room.
The Texas Folklife Festival brings the
exhibits at UTSA’s Institute of Texan
Cultures to life. While Texans One and All — the classic exhibit showcasing more
than 20 of the ethnic groups woven into
the state’s cultural fabric stands alone in
its ability to convey the amazing stories of
people that brought their knowledge,
skills and abilities to Texas — there is
something about tasting it, smelling it,
feeling it and doing it that makes the
connection more real. That’s the magic
of the Texas Folklife Festival.
Ten event stages situated across the
festival grounds will feature 25 hours of
music and performances. Tear a page
from the entertainment guide and you’ll
find trick ropers, Indian, Scottish and Aztec
dancers,Afro-Brazilian acrobats, Texas rock
bands,mariachis,hip-hop artists, fiddle and
banjo musicians, jazz bands, blues artists
and gospel choirs. And that’s not even a
tenth of the full lineup.
A popular act among the female set is
Hot House, a Texas band featuring Dallas
firefighters with a broad repertoire ranging
from classic rock to blues to Motown.
Listen closely, and you’ll recognize
German and Czech influences. First-time
performers, The Lavens, prove that the
family that plays together, stays together
with their brand of original Americana,
folk, country and roots rock music.
 For event-goers with a passion for dance, the American Turkish
Association will share traditional Turkish folk dances, emphasizing
the regional influence of each dance’smusic, rhythms and dance
steps. Scandinavian Folk Dancers of Houston, Inc. will perform
authentic dances from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and
Iceland in traditional folk costumes that also identify their regional
ancestry. The Filipino Americans in San Antonio Dance Troupe will
perform folk dances that represent the traditional tribal way of life
and reflect 10th-century Muslim influence.
And the always-popular Lebanese Folk Dancers of St.
George Maronite Catholic Church, a multi-generational fixture
at the Texas Folklife Festival since its inception,will perform traditional
Lebanese folk dances and choreographed belly dancing
influenced by the ethnic culture of Lebanon.
Craft aficionados and the just plain curious are sure to get a
kick out of Texas Folklife Festival demonstrators and artisans who
delight in sharing their talents with fellow Texans.
Kathy Overstreet has been weaving baskets made of reed
and native Texas vines and grasses at the festival for 35 years.
Twenty-two-year Festival veteran Johnny Stewart will show off his
wrought iron cattle brands and discuss the practice that helped
tame the Texas frontier. Another Festival favorite for more than
28 years, the Crossroads of Texas Living History Association, will
host enlistment ceremonies for young Texas Rangers.
Glenna Chumbley of Huntsville demonstrates the use of the
charka,a small spinning wheel fromIndia used to weave cotton, silk
and other fibers for clothing. The Lithuanians in Texas organization
from Stockdale teaches the art of finger weaving to make friendship
bracelets out of yarn.Guests will hear the stories of Lithuanian
neighbors,who took turns gathering in each other’s homes during
long winter evenings as women wove sashes and garments, and
men would interlace ropes, string,belts and harnesses.
Vendors include Nanny’s Best from Hamilton, specializing in ‘Nanny’s Best All Gut No Butt’ suspenders hand-crafted from
English riding leather that can be custom-tooled with designs of
your choosing, and Jan Mingus of Stained Glass Expressions in
Houston, specializing in 2-D and 3-D stained glass creations.
Guests can relax in the cool shade of the Grape Arbor stage
and imagine faraway lands as talented storytellers recount folk
tales and fairy tales from around the world. Or enjoy a Tex-Mex
comedy show with ventriloquist Nacho Estrada and his supporting
cast of five dummies.Keep your head down when the South
Texas Gunfighters pull into town with their shoot-‘em-up Wild
West show. And get a taste of what it takes to be a championship-caliber watermelon seed spitter with the Luling
Watermelon Thump Association.
Another element of the Texas Folklife Festival is the carnival,
featuring rides and games geared to the young and young at
heart. Ride along or stand aside as your youngsters create new
memories with family and friends.
 Entertainers, artisans, vendors and carnival rides are great …but a festival isn’t a festival without food. Imagine sampling traditional
delicacies from Europe, Asia, South America, Mexico
and, of course, Texas, during your palate-pleasing journey
through the Festival grounds. Exciting additions to this year’s
menu are the Club Social y Cultural Peruano’s tamales, a corn
masa mix with meat wrapped in a banana leaf, and the
Vietnamese Lotus Flower Temple’s spring rolls.
Take a break from your diet and try a Greek gyro or Texassized
Lebanese shish kabob. Sample the Cajun gumbo, etouffee,
boudin and fried fish.Daring food lovers in search of unconventional
fare should try the Scottish Society of San Antonio’s
haggis, a blend of beef, pork, liver, onions and steel-cut oats
stuffed into an intestine casing. Less adventurous types may
want to stick to dessert. From baklava to Belgian waffles to
refreshing Hawaiian-style shaved ice,event-goers are certain to
find one or two or 10 appealing options.
June 15 is Father’s Day. Discriminating wives and children know a day at the Texas Folklife Festival is the perfect way to
honor their husbands and fathers. It’s one-stop shopping for
plenty of sun, delicious food, great live music and an enjoyable
foray into Texas wines and beers. He can do it all and still get
home in time for the game.
The festivities begin Friday night from 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday’s
event hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.,and Sunday’s hours are noon
to 7 p.m. Advance tickets go on sale May 1 at all area H-E-B’s.
Military personnel can purchase advance tickets at Fort Sam
Houston and Lackland and Randolph Air Force Bases.Advance
tickets are $10 for adults ages 13 and up or $12 at the gate.
Tickets for children ages 6–12 are $6 in advance or at the gate.
Children 5 and under are admitted free.Group tickets are available
at the museum during normal business hours or online at
www.TexasFolklifeFestival.org through June 1.
VIA Park and Ride service will be available to and from the
Texas Folklife Festival. Rates, pick-up and drop-off times and
locations are available online at www.VIAinfo.net. For all other
information, please visit www.TexasFolklifeFestival.org, or call the
Event Information Line at (210) 458-2390.
So strap on your chaps or slip into your lederhosen and apply
the sun block. The 2008 Texas Folklife Festival is guaranteed to
entertain, inform and inspire, June 13, 14 and 15 at UTSA’s
Institute of Texan Cultures.
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