LET
THE FESTIVAL BEGIN!!!
The 30th Annual Texas Folklife Festival gets under way today with opening ceremonies at 5:30 p.m. by the flagpoles at the Institute of Texan Cultures. The Wells Fargo stagecoach will make a return run, carrying 2001 commemorative TFF coins, worth $1 towards food or beverages.
Participants from every corner of the state representing over 40 cultural
and ethnic groups will share their traditional dances, ethnic dishes, music,
stories and hand-made treasures. Three new cultural groups are taking part
this year, the Japanese, Turkish and Native Americans.
Also new for this year is the Texas Authors' Autograph Party, which will feature
daily presentations, a book fair and book-signings by prominent Texas writers,
including the Tri-Campuses own Felix Almaraz, Sarah Massey, John Miller Morris
Jr. and Marian Martinello!
The Autograph Party is being presented in collaboration with Texas A&M
Press Consortium, Gemini Ink and The Twig Book Shop. Authors' pressentations
and topics will coordinate with a variety of activities and themes, including
the culture and ethnic groups of Texas; truestories of Texas; Food, Fiction
and Whodunit?; and nature and children's books.
To read more about the Texas Authors' Autograph Party:
http://www.texancultures.utsa.edu/tff/authors_schedule.htm
Through generous support from Texas Folklife Resources, the Texas Commission
on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Texas Folklife Festival
will also present world-class entertainers.
Performers include Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie zydeco band, "Step" Rideau and the Zydeco Outlaws, The Gulf Coast Playboys Cajun band, Jill Jones and the Lone Star Chorale cowboy and western group, San Antonio musician Mingo Saldivar y su Conjunto, Santiago Jimenez Jr. y su Conjunto and Mark Halata Texavia's Czech-Moravian music.
Festival hours are 5-11 p.m. Thursday and Friday; noon-11 p.m. Saturday; and noon-9 p.m. Sunday. Discounted tickets for the festival are available through Friday at the UTSA Bursar's office and through June 10 at other retail locations.
Advance tickets for adults 13 years and older are $6, a savings of $2 over
the full gate price. Tickets for children 6 to 12 years are $2 in advance
or at the gate, while children five years and under are admitted free.
Wristbands good for the entire four-day festival June 7-10 are also available
for $20 each. Seniors will be admitted on June 7 for $4 at the gate, and June
10 is Kids' Day, when all youngsters 12 years and under will be admitted free
when accompanied by an adult.
To read more about the Texas Folklife Festival: http://www.texancultures.utsa.edu/tff/index.htm