60TH ANNUAL FLORIDA FOLK FESTIVAL

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Park Service will host the 60th Annual Florida Folk Festival May 25th through 27th at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. Opening ceremonies will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 25, on the banks of the Suwannee River. Headlining this year’s festivities will be Florida’s own superstars John Anderson, and Billy Dean, and a Florida favorite Arlo Guthrie; plus hundreds more folk music legends from throughout the Sunshine State.
The story of John Anderson and his platinum-plus album, Seminole Wind, is the story of the country music “come-back” of the decade. It’s the true-to-life, yet larger-than-life, saga of one of the most dramatic career turn-arounds of the 1990’s. It’s the story of just reward for a singer who originally took country music by storm and helped keep it true to its roots back in the early ’80’s. His memorable hits from that musical era included Wild and Blue, I’m Just An Old Chunk Of Coal, 1959, I Just Came Home To Count The Memories, Black Sheep and Swingin’. Swingin’ was not only the Country Music Association’s 1983 Song of the year; more recently it was cited by the A.M.O.A. as one of its all-time top-forty jukebox hits–right up there with Hey Jude and other perennial favorites by The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Patsy Cline, George Jones, and The Rolling Stones.
A native of Quincy, Florida, Billy Dean moved to Nashville in 1983, where he recorded his first top five country music hit Only Here For A Little While. Dean’s unique repertoire has earned numerous awards and appearances on numerous television shows as well as made-for TV movies. In 2001, Dean began his own publishing company, Billy Dean Music Group. Dean is also a spokesperson for Averitt Cares For Kids and Sunkist’s Take A Stand Program. Dean’s illustrious career was recently recognized with a proclamation from the State of Tennessee House of Representatives.
Arlo Guthrie is the eldest son of America’s most beloved singer/writer/philosopher Woody Guthrie and Marjorie Mazia Guthrie, a professional dancer with the Martha Graham Company and founder of The Committee to Combat Huntington’s Disease. Arlo’s career exploded in 1967 with the release of “Alice’s Restaurant”, whose title song premiered at the Newport Folk Festival. Over the last four decades Guthrie has toured throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia winning a wide, popular following. In addition to his accomplishments as a musician, playing the piano, six and twelve-string guitar, harmonica and a dozen other instruments, Arlo is a natural-born storyteller, whose tales and anecdotes figure prominently in his performances. Arlo is also heard on “This Land is Your Land” alongside the voice of his father Woody Guthrie. The album has won several awards including a 1997 Grammy nomination as “Best Musical Album for Children”.
Additional featured performers include Ben Prestage, Hannah Dean, Rachel Carrick, Bob Patterson & Friends, The Young & The Old String Band, Clyde Walker, Amy Carol Webb, Frank Thomas, Doug Gauss and more.
Folk artists and tradition-bearers presented each year in the Folklife Area reflect research and field documentation conducted by the Florida Department of State’s Folklife Program. The 2012 Folklife Area celebrates the diverse cultures of west Florida’s Panhandle inland counties.
Since 1953, folk artists have come together for this event. One of the oldest state folk festivals in America will continue a grand tradition of celebrating Florida’s land, people and diverse cultural heritage. With more than 300 performances each day by Florida’s greatest folk and roots artists, including national recording artists, songwriters and musicians of swing, folk, blues, gospel, country, Latin, jazz, bluegrass, Caribbean and zydeco music, it is truly an event not to be missed.
Advance tickets for the Florida Folk Festival are $20.00 per day or $40.00 for the entire weekend for adults and $25.00 per day or $50.00 for the entire weekend at the gate. Children under six years of age are admitted free of charge. Ticket prices for children between the ages of six and 16 for the entire weekend are $4.00 in advance or $5.00 at the gate. Credit card purchases can be made by calling (877) 635-3655, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To order by mail, send a check or money order to:Checks should be made payable to “Florida Folk Festival.”
Florida Folk Festival
Post Office Drawer G
White Springs, Florida 32096.

The Festival will take place:

Friday, May 25 – Sunday, May 27, 2012

Gates open daily at 8:00 a.m.

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park

11016 Lillian Saunders Drive

White Springs, Florida 32096