The 59th Annual Florida Folk Festival Continues Through Tomorrow Night

WHITE SPRINGS – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Park Service continues to celebrate the 59th Annual Florida Folk Festival at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park through Sunday, May 29, 2011. The Florida Folk Festival is the state’s premier heritage event, celebrating Florida’s land, people and diverse culture.

“The Florida Park Service is honored and exited to host this annual celebration of Florida’s life, people and ways,” said Florida Park Service Director Donald Forgione. “With so many avenues to pass along the innate culture of Florida’s folk traditions, every visitor will have a different, yet meaningful, experience with our heritage.”

Since 1953, folk artists and musicians have come to the Florida Folk Festival to be part of one of the oldest state folk festivals in America. The 2011 Folklife Area by the Florida Department of State will celebrate the diverse cultures of west Florida’s Panhandle region, including interpretation on the region’s seafood heritage with presentations from oystermen, shrimpers and fishermen. With a storytelling tent, three workshop tents to teach folk crafts and customs like net making, traditional costume making and unique Florida industries, the intense aromas of two food areas with rural foods to commercial seafood stands and a dedicated dance stage, the folk festival offers the traditional culture of all walks of life and regions of Florida.

The Festival features daily performances 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. This year, the Florida Folk Festival has more than 300 scheduled performances featuring several stars, including Nashville recording artist Billy Dean, who will perform on the main stage Friday night, and superstar John Anderson, who will take the stage on Saturday night. Other highlighted performances include Ben Prestage, Frank Thomas, The Morse Family, The Aaron O’Rourke Trio, Ariana Hall, Bullard Brothers & Friends, Chuck Hardwicke & The Hart Line, Ellen & Gary Bukstel, Jeanie Fitchen, Men of the House, Roadside Revue, Sam Pacetti, Tom Shed and the SAIL High School Acoustic Ensemble.

Adult admission is $25 per day, children between six and 16 are admitted at $5 per day and children under six years of age are free of charge. For more information, please visit www.FloridaFolkFestival.com. For more information on Florida state parks, visit www.FloridaStateParks.orgg.