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GREAT LAKES FOLK FESTIVAL KICKS OFF FRIDAY, 6 P.M. AT M.A.C. STAGE

Get ready for more than 50 music, dance and artist showcases on five stages, for a celebration of culture, tradition and community Aug. 12-14 in East Lansing at the MSU Museum's Great Lakes Folk Festival.

The festival begins Friday at 6 p.m. with a boogie-woogie performance on the M.A.C. Stage with Bob Seeley and Bob Baldori.  The evening also includes dance sets with Gumbi Ortiz and the Latino Projekt, polka with Bob Kravos and the Boys in the Band, and Cajun with Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys.  Meanwhile, at Valley Court Park are Texas fiddlers the Quebe Sisters, followed by Ana & Jose Vinagre's Portuguese fado, and finally Celtic group Taeda.

Sponsored by the City of East Lansing, the festival music program presents 15 diverse musical groups, from as near as Lansing, all the way to Alaska, Dublin, Japan and Senegal and Canada.  Roots and rhythm are center stage with the full slate of spectacular musicianship -- from blues to bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Afro-Cuban, Texas fiddle, Gullah and more.

The award-winning Great Lakes Folk Festival is a celebration of culture, tradition and community. Beyond the music and maritime programs are a Taste of Traditions food court with authentic regional and ethnic cuisine; Children's Folk Activities Area, with hands-on fun for the whole family; Folk Arts Marketplace with hand-made, museum-quality goods for sale; and the Michigan Heritage Awards, honoring the state's leading tradition-bearers.

A special maritime focus this year is helped by a major grant from the Michigan Humanities Council. The MSU Museum will bring together traditional artists and workers from all over the Great Lakes for a look at how we use the resources of the Lakes and inland waterways: traditional boat-builders, ice fishers, decoy makers, model boat builders, commercial fishers, people who fry, smoke, pickle and otherwise prepare and cook fish, skilled workers in wire rope splicing and knot tying, sail-makers, ice boat racers, maritime craftspeople, and men and women who have worked on the Lakes in a variety of maritime occupations will share their stories, skills, and experiences.

Admission to GLFF is free and festival hours are: Friday, Aug. 12, 6 - 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 13, 12 noon - 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 14, 12 noon - 6 p.m.  GLFF was named the state's top public humanities program, 1974-2004, by the Michigan Humanities Council.

Festival facts:  travel and transportation
BUS, BIKE OR DRIVE TO THE GREAT LAKES FOLK FESTIVAL

The Great Lakes Folk Festival in downtown East Lansing will have a park and ride program on the days of the festival, Friday through Sunday, Aug. 12 - 14. Additionally, some East Lansing streets will be blocked off for the weekend of the festival.   Visit our "Travel & Transportation" area under "Festival Information" on our website to link to a map of CATA routes.

Ride the CATA Red & Green Routes:
Ride for just 25-cents each way when you board a Great Lakes Folk Festival CATA bus or use your CATA fixed-route bus pass. If you pay cash to ride CATA, you must use exact change.  Children 42" or less ride for free.  Board and deboard at any CATA bus stop along red and green routes, with designated parking areas at the Abbott Center and MSU Lot 91, respectively. (The Abbott Center is on Abbott just North of Saginaw & Lot 91 is located on Service Road, just west of Hagadorn Road, on the MSU campus.)

CATA service is open to all and transfers are free to other CATA routes. Additionally, bike racks are available on all CATA buses for those who wish to bike to the festival and ride the bus home, and all buses are equipped with lifts and ramps. The Great Lakes Folk Festival bus route schedule is available on CATA's web site, www.cata.org, at the MSU Museum, East Lansing City Hall and various business locations.

Please note the CATA Folk Festival bus routes are scheduled to run:
4:30 PM - 11:30 PM Friday, August 12
11 AM - 11:30 PM Saturday, August 13
11 AM - 6:30 PM Sunday, August 14

Buses run approximately every 10 minutes.  This service allows festival-goers to arrive early and stay until the end and still have a ride back to their vehicle.

Accessibility:
The Great Lakes Folk Festival is accessible to persons with disabilities. Wheelchairs are available at the main information booth. Schedules are available in Braille and large print by advance reservation.  Audiotapes with information about the festival are available by advance reservation. Call 432-GLFF (4533) to reserve schedules or audiotapes.

Handicapper Parking:
- Adjacent to St. John's Student Parish, 327 M.A.C. Avenue
- East side of the Valley Court Community Center
- Designated areas and in each Park & Ride parking area

Bike parking:
The Tri-County Bicycle Association will provide free guarded parking for festival-goers at a bike lot located at the corner of Albert Street and Abbott Road.

What to Bring:
Most of the stages and activity areas are under tents to protect visitors from rain or too much sun but visitors are encouraged to bring sunscreen, wear a hat, and bring an umbrella. Collapsible chairs and blankets are handy for seating on the ground at the Valley Court Park Stage.  A designated "blanket only" area will be marked on the Valley Court lawn, separate from lawn chairs.

Road Closures:
The following roads will be closed for festival pedestrian traffic from Friday, Aug. 12 through Sunday, Aug. 14: Evergreen Road (from East Grand River Avenue to Oakhill Avenue); Albert Avenue (corner of Albert Avenue and M.A.C. Avenue West); Grove Street (corner of Grove Street and Albert Avenue); Abbott Road (from Grand River Avenue to Linden Avenue); Valley Court Drive (closed entirely); MAC (from Albert to Linden); and Delta (from Grand River Avenue to Valley Court Drive). Motorists are advised to please find alternate routes for these roads on the days of the festival.

FESTIVAL FUN FOR KIDS HAS GREAT LAKES MARITIME APPEAL

The Great Lakes Folk Festival, set for Aug. 12 - 14 in downtown East Lansing, celebrates our country's diversity and traditional culture through music and dance, food, and crafts.  In addition, the festival brings opportunities for children to participate in imaginative hands-on activities in keeping with this year's theme of maritime traditions of the Great Lakes.

MSU Museum curators have developed these "dockside" activities for children and their adult companions:

… Knot Tying -- create your own knot board, to show and display
… Stuffed Fish Make-n-Take activity -- make a stuffed fish using crayons,
brown paper and newspaper stuffing
… Model boat building workshop -- design freighters, tugs, and sailboats and accessorize boats with various scrap materials; then water will be provided to see how well the boats float!
… Design a Ship's Flag -- create flags to identify ships, and to send messages
… Dockside Games -- learn about shipping on the Great Lakes, and about lighthouses and shipwrecks
… "Talk Like a Sailor" game -- learn parts of a boat and other nautical terms

Project F.I.S.H. (Friends Involved in Sportfishing Heritage) and the Michigan Fly Fishing Club will also be on site to teach kids the basics of fishing and tying flies. Children's Activities are scheduled throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday, 12 noon - 6 p.m at Valley Court Park.

SAMPLE "TASTE OF TRADITIONS" SPECIALITIES AT GREAT LAKES FOLK FESTIVAL

he Great Lakes Folk Festival, Aug. 12 -14 in downtown East Lansing is an annual three-day celebration of music, dance, traditional arts and culture, reflecting our diverse heritage in Michigan, around the country and all over the world.

"What we eat and how we prepare food says a great deal about who we are and where we came from," notes Yvonne Lockwood, MSU curator of folklife. Local restaurateurs invited to participate in the Great Lakes Folk Festival's "Taste of Traditions Food Court" specialize in traditional foods closely linked to their ethnicity or region. This list below gives a sampling of some of the treats available at this year's festival.

All festival events will take place in a half-mile plaza throughout downtown East Lansing across from the campus of Michigan State University, and admission is free.  For additional information call the Great Lakes Folk Festival at (517) 432.GLFF (4533) or visit www.greatlakesfolkfest.net .

Traditional food vendors featured:
Local vendors participating in the "Taste of Traditions" food court at the Great Lakes Folk Festival are:

A.J. Rib Experience (Lansing) barbecue ribs

Altu's Ethiopian Cuisine (East Lansing) Injera - a thin soft round bread served with lentils, chicken or beef stews seasoned with Berbere' - a mixture of spices and red pepper.

Federated Polish Home (Lansing) Pierogi (dumplings), homemade kielbasa (sausage) and sauerkraut.

Fonda Celaya (Bath) Gorditas (thick shells made from masa and filled with meat, potatoes, vegetables or cheese); flautas (taco filled with beef, then fried).

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (Lansing) Greek specialties.

House of Kababs (Lansing) Armenian and Russian specialties, including shish kababs.

Lopez Bakery (Lansing) Mexican sweet breads, pastries, rolls, and cookies.

Maria's Tacos (Lansing) "Tex-Mex" tacos, tortillas, burritos, and homemade salsa.

Sahara's (Okemos) Lebanese cuisine: roasted meats, rice and wheat dishes, stuffed vegetables, and a variety of fruit and vegetable juices.

Taste of India (Lansing) Asian Indian curried meats, rice, samosas (flour dough pastry wrapped in spiced filling and fried), sweets.

Thai Food (Mason) A combination of Asian flavors, including Szechuan Chinese, Malaysian, south Indian, Arabic influences.  Specialties include Pad Thai, egg rolls, crab rangoon, and chicken curry.

United Methodist Women (Holland) Dutch saucijzenbroodjes or, "pigs in a blanket."

Woody's Oasis (East Lansing) Aromatic spices and flavor roasted meats, rice and wheat dishes, pies wrapped in pastries, fritters, and a variety of fruit and vegetable juices.

Zemer's Rootbeer (Tyler, TX) Homemade Rootbeer

Festival hours are: Friday, Aug. 12, 6 - 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 13, 12 noon - 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 14, 12 noon - 6 p.m.

MORE NEWS REPORTS AND FESTIVAL FEATURES:

Detroit Free Press:
http://www.freep.com/entertainment/newsandreviews/folk10e_20050810.htm

Lansing State Journal - NOISE:
http://hub.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050810/NOISE11/508100316&SearchID=73216843885397

City Pulse:
http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/

WKAR-FM/AM:
http://www.wkar.org/newsfeatures/story.php?storyid=778

Lansing State Journal - What's On:
http://hub.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050811/THINGS0104/508110310

MSU - State News:
http://www.statenews.com/section.phtml?date=1123732800&sec_id=msandu&sec_num=8

MSU News Bulletin:
http://newsbulletin.msu.edu/

Michigan State University - home page:
http://www.msu.edu/

http://www.wilx.com

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE SET

The performance schedule is set and available on the GLFF web site, http://www.greatlakesfolkfest.net/Schedule/ .   The festival opens with a boogie-woogie performance on the M.A.C. stage Friday, Aug. 12 at 6 p.m., and follows up as in years past with a mix of dance sets on the Albert Avenue Stage and big sound under the stars at Valley Court Park.

In all, GLFF features more than 50 musical performances on five music and dance stages sponsored by the City of East Lansing.  New this year are "traditions showcases" that highlight singing and percussion traditions while bringing together musical artists from different groups.  The popular accordion and fiddle showcases will also be back, which always enthrall crowds with the give-and-take of story-telling, spontaneous performances, and the revealing display of varied instrumental techniques.

Also included in the schedule are narrative sessions drawn from this year's special maritime focus -- boat-builders, ice-fishers, a shipwreck survivor, cooks, musicians and other skilled workers and artists reflecting Great Lakes maritime heritage.

A PDF version of the schedule is also available on the festival web site.  The schedule, along with the complete program book for the 2005 GLFF, will be inserted in the Lansing State Journal on Saturday, Aug. 6.

Please note the schedule may be subject to change and festival-goers should always check the posted schedules by performance stages at the event.

HEAR THE MUSIC!

Since so many of the festival's performers are coming to the region for the first time, the audience can learn more about them and their distinct musical genres on the GLFF web site with newly installed sound clips.  Hear more at http://www.greatlakesfolkfest.net/Programs%26Activities/Music%26Dance/ .  Bios are also available that describe the musical traditions, special instruments featured and cultures represented.

VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION SET FOR JULY 28

A Great Lakes Folk Festival Volunteer Orientation is set for Thursday, July 28, 5 - 8 p.m. in the Robertson Room of the Peoples Church, 200 W. Grand River Avenue, in East Lansing.

Volunteers are still needed to fill three- and four-hour shifts in a variety of positions, particularly in the children's areas, maritime traditions, bucket brigades and merchandise sales.  Volunteers will receive a commemorative T-shirt and entry to a festival artist-staff-volunteer party.

A corps of nearly 400 volunteers help produce this annual award-winning festival Aug. 12 - 14, a celebration of culture, tradition and community. Music and dance stages -- sponsored by the City of East Lansing -- feature rhythms, sounds, stories and spectacular musicianship over three days, from blues to bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Japanese drum, Afro-Cuban and more; a Taste of Traditions food court with authentic regional and ethnic cuisine; Children's Folk Activities Area, with hands-on fun for the whole family; and living arts and heritage programs for this year's Great Lakes maritime theme, reflecting on the MSU Museum's traditional arts research.

Festival hours are: Friday, Aug. 12, 6 - 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 13, 12 noon - 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 14, 12 noon - 6 p.m.  For information on volunteering, call (517) 432-GLFF or email glffvolunteer@museum.msu.edu. Or, find out more about the Great Lakes Folk Festival at www.greatlakesfolkfest.net.

The Great Lakes Folk Festival is supported principally by the City of East Lansing, Michigan State University Office of the Provost, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and National Endowment for the Arts.  Additional in-kind faculty and staff support and staff expertise comes from the MSU College of Arts & Letters, University Outreach and Engagement, and Michigan State University Extension.

Great Lakes Folk Festival Music Program Has Rhythm, Roots 

From Alaska across to Massachusetts, and Japan by way of Canada, musical artists from diverse and dynamic traditions will converge in East Lansing for the 2005 Great Lakes Folk Festival, Aug. 12-14.

The Michigan State University Museum presents the award-winning annual event celebrating culture, tradition and community. Music and dance stages - sponsored by the City of East Lansing - feature rhythms, sounds, stories and spectacular musicianship over the three-day festival.

The preliminary line-up of musical artists includes - names in blue are links to biographical information:

--Carey and Lurrie Bell, Charlotte, North Carolina and Chicago, Illinois - Blues

--Diouf, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, -- "Quebegalese" percussionists -- Senegal, Africa, drums and vocal ensemble

--Georgia Sea Island Singers, St. Simons Island, Georgia -- Gullah music, dance and stories - call-and-response melodies adapted from African drumming

--Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble, Toronto, Canada -- Japanese taiko ("big drum") drum and choreography ensemble

--The Bob Kravos Band, Cleveland, Ohio -- Slovenian-American style polka

--Mountain Heart -- Nashville, Tennessee -- Bluegrass

--Gumbi Ortiz and the Latino Projekt, Florida -- Latin/Afro-Cuban

--Quebe Sisters, Burleson, Texas -- Western swing and old-style Texas fiddle

--Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Mamou, Louisiana -- Cajun

--Bob Seeley and "Boogie" Bob Baldori, Detroit and Lansing -- Boogie-woogie

--Bill Stevens, Fairbanks, Alaska - Athabascan (Native American) fiddle

--Téada, Dublin, Ireland -- Irish music

--Ana & José Vinagre, New Bedford, Massachusetts -- Portuguese fado ("fate"), songs of the sea 

Additional artists will be added over the coming months.

"This year's line-up features rhythm and percussion quite prominently," notes Marsha MacDowell, festival artistic director and MSU Museum curator of folk arts. "Visitors can experience distinctive styles from Africa and Japan and see how the drums are the heartbeat of different cultural contexts." 

Another element in this year's festival-line up is a maritime program, so festival organizers sought examples of coastal music: Portuguese fado, characterized by songs of the sea and backed by Spanish-style guitar, and the Georgia Sea Island Singers, from St. Simons Island, Georgia.

The festival's maritime focus this year is helped by a major grant from the Michigan Humanities Council. The MSU Museum will bring together traditional artists and workers from all over the Great Lakes for a look at how we use the resources of the Lakes and inland waterways: traditional boat-builders, ice fishers, decoy makers, model boat builders, commercial fishers, people who fry, smoke, pickle and otherwise prepare and cook fish, skilled workers in wire rope splicing and knot tying, sail-makers, ice boat racers, maritime craftspeople, and men and women who have worked on the Lakes in a variety of maritime occupations will share their stories, skills, and experiences.

Also new for the 2005 festival program will be special activities celebrating MSU's landmark 150th year. 

Great event!
The Great Lakes Folk Festival, which typically attracts 80,000 or more visitors annually, has become recognized as one of the premier events of its kind in the region. The Michigan Humanities Council honored the MSU Museum-produced event as the state's Most Outstanding Humanities Project, 1974-2004. GLFF also received an Imagining Michigan award for outstanding campus-community outreach partnerships in arts and humanities.

A half-mile festival site in downtown East Lansing features performances and living museum exhibitions showcasing the country's rich cultural heritage. In addition to the popular music program, activities include a Taste of Traditions Food Court, with authentic regional and ethnic food specialties, Folk Arts Marketplace with hand-made goods, and Children's Folk Activities area with hands-on games and projects -- such as boat-building this year. The festival is developed by the MSU Museum's Michigan Traditional Arts Program, the state's center for research, documentation, preservation and sharing of the folk arts and folklife in Michigan. 

Admission to the Great Lakes Folk Festival is free. Festival hours are: Friday, Aug. 12, 6 - 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 13, 12 noon - 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 14, 12 noon - 6 p.m. 

Nearly 500 volunteers assist with set-up, information booths, artist transportation, bucket brigade and other aspects of producing this large-scale community event. To volunteer, go to http://www.greatlakesfolkfest.net/Volunteers/Registration/ or call (517) 432-GLFF.

The Great Lakes Folk Festival is supported principally by the City of East Lansing, Michigan State University Office of the Provost, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and National Endowment for the Arts. Additional in-kind faculty and staff support and staff expertise comes from the MSU College of Arts & Letters and Michigan State University Extension.

MSU Museum's Great Lakes Folk Festival
nets $18,000 grant for maritime programs

Activities for the 2005 Great Lakes Folk Festival are taking shape -- shipshape, as a matter of fact -- thanks to a major grant from the Michigan Humanities Council. The $18,000 grant will fund programs celebrating Great Lakes maritime culture at the MSU Museum's Great Lakes Folk Festival, Aug. 12-14 in downtown East Lansing.

"Maritime culture is important to us because water is literally all around us. Maritime traditions take place on small rivers, streams, small lakes and the big lakes," explains LuAnne Kozma, MSU Museum assistant curator of folk arts and coordinator of the festival's 2005 maritime program. Kozma has researched and documented Great Lakes maritime traditions for nearly 20 years, including work on lighthouses, knot-tying, and the country's only boat delivering U.S. mail to passing freighters on the Detroit River.

The Michigan Humanities Council awarded the $18,000 grant as part of its program, "Strengthening Michigan's Communities Through the Humanities," which emphasizes collaboration among cultural, educational and community-based organizations and institutions to serve Michiganians today with public humanities projects and programs.

"This project will examine the impact of maritime culture in Michigan," said Jan Fedewa, executive director of the Michigan Humanities Council. "Having maritime culture as the focus of the 2005 Great Lakes Folk Festival is an excellent opportunity for citizens to share and explore maritime traditions through presentations and discussions."

The MSU Museum will bring together traditional artists and workers from all over the Great Lakes for a look at how we use the resources of the Lakes and inland waterways. Here's a glimpse: traditional boat-builders, ice fishers, decoy makers, model boat builders, commercial fishers, people who fry, smoke, pickle and otherwise prepare and cook fish, skilled workers in wire rope splicing and knot tying, sailmakers, ice boat racers, maritime craftspeople, and men and women who have worked on the Lakes in a variety of maritime occupations will share their stories, skills, and experiences.

Great event!
The Michigan Humanities Council honored the Michigan State University Museum's Great Lakes Folk Festival as the state's Most Outstanding Humanities Project, 1974-2004. This award recognizes the most outstanding project from among more than 1,500 funded by the Michigan Humanities Council in its 30-year history. The MSU Museum's Michigan Traditional Arts Program (MTAP) has been producing folk festivals - first on MSU's campus and now in downtown East Lansing - since 1987. MTAP promotes cross-cultural understanding in a diverse society through documentation, preservation and presentation of the state's folk arts and folk life.

About the Great Lakes Folk Festival
The Michigan State University Museum presents the annual three-day event celebrating culture, tradition and community. A half-mile festival site in downtown East Lansing features performances and living museum exhibitions showcasing our country's rich cultural heritage. Activities include a Taste of Traditions Food Court, with authentic regional and ethnic food specialties, Folk Arts Marketplace with hand-made goods, and Children's Folk Activities area with hands-on games and projects. Five music and dance stages -- with more than 75 performances over the weekend - range from blues to bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, polka, salsa traditions and more. The preliminary slate of musical artists will be set later this month.

Admission to the Great Lakes Folk Festival is free. Festival hours are: Friday, Aug. 12, 6 - 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 13, 12 noon - 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 14, 12 noon - 6 p.m. Read more about performer biographies, performance schedules, maps, parking options and more at www.greatlakesfolkfest.net or call (517) 432-GLFF.

The Great Lakes Folk Festival is supported principally by the City of East Lansing, Michigan State University Office of the Provost, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and National Endowment for the Arts. Additional in-kind faculty and staff support and staff expertise comes from the MSU College of Arts & Letters and Michigan State University Extension.

About the Michigan Humanities Council
The Michigan Humanities Council, founded in 1974, is the state's independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, please visit www.michiganhumanities.org
posted April 4, 2005

MSU MUSEUM ANNOUNCES

2005 MICHIGAN HERITAGE AWARD RECIPIENTS

The Michigan State University Museum announces the Michigan Heritage Awards (MHA) for 2005, the state's highest distinction to honor individuals who continue their family and community traditions with excellence and authenticity.

"The Michigan Heritage Awards are presented each year to honor master practitioners in Michigan who continue the folk traditions of their families and communities through practice and teaching," explains Yvonne Lockwood, curator of folklife at the MSU Museum and coordinator of the Michigan Heritage Awards program. Awards are also presented to outstanding community leaders who support and advocate traditional arts.

Since 1985, the MSU Museum's Michigan Traditional Arts Program (MTAP) has recognized the achievements of Michigan artists in material culture, performance and community leadership. The honorees have been drawn from all corners of the state and reflect the great diversity of skills, ethnicities and backgrounds of Michiganders. Some have also been honored as recipients of the National Heritage Fellowships awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The 2005 Michigan Heritage Awards are presented to:

Ia Moua Yang, of Warren -- artist, teacher and preserver of Hmong paj ntaub (embroidered story cloths), and

The J.W. Westcott Company and employees, U.S. mail boat based in Detroit -- for maintaining traditional maritime culture and long-term service on the Detroit River.

Later this year, the recipients of the 2005 Michigan Heritage Awards will be recognized at a public ceremony at the Great Lakes Folk Festival, produced Aug. 12-14 by the MSU Museum in downtown East Lansing.

GREAT LAKES FOLK FESTIVAL RECEIVES NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT 
As planning gets under way for the 2005 Great Lakes Folk Festival, Aug. 12-14 in downtown East Lansing, the MSU Museum has received a significant grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Washington, D.C.

The NEA $40,000 grant will help support the festival production for the three-day celebration of culture, tradition and community. The MSU Museum, in partnership with the City of East Lansing and the Center for Great Lakes Culture at MSU, produces this major regional festival showcasing the traditional cultural treasures of the nation's Upper Midwest and also a sampling of the best of traditional artists from around the country and the world.

The NEA grants are highly competitive and awarded on a national basis. The MSU Museum has been successful in garnering funding since the Great Lakes Folk Festival's inception in 2002, as well as previous festival productions. In recent years, the MSU Museum has regularly showcased NEA's National Heritage Fellows (musicians and other artists) as well as recipients of other state and national awards. 

The NEA grant represents a significant step in producing the 2005 folk festival, and efforts also center on building local investment in the event.

posted Dec 10, '04

BECOME A GREAT FRIEND!
Great friends can invest in the Great Lakes Folk Festival and help sustain this unique and powerful celebration of culture, tradition and community. Donations can be made online by using the "donate here" button at the top of this page; or send checks to GLFF Great Friends! c/o Michigan State University Museum, West Circle Drive, East Lansing, MI 48824,
(517) 432-GLFF.

posted Dec 10, '04

MSU MUSEUM'S FOLK FESTIVAL NAMED

MOST OUTSTANDING HUMANITIES PROJECT

Museum Staff with the award for the Most Outstanding Humanities program.  From Left to Right, Dr. C. Kurt Dewhurst, Julie Levy-Weston, Tim Soule, LuAnne Kozma, Dr. Marsha MacDowell and Hi Fitzgerald, Assistant Provost, MSU Outreach and Engagement   

This award recognizes the most outstanding project funded by the Michigan Humanities Council in its 30-year history. Almost annually since 1990, Michigan Humanities Council has helped sponsor a humanities program at the Michigan State University Museum's Festival of Michigan Folklife, which today has grown into the Great Lakes Folk Festival. These festivals have consistently demonstrated effective ways for humanities scholars to engage the general public in the exploration of humanities issues, especially those pertaining to ethnicity, occupation, regionality, religion, and cultural identity. Over the years, these festivals have enabled humanities scholars to reach thousands of visitors to the festivals and thousands more through the dissemination of related web-based, print, and media products. The MSU Museum's work was recognized from among more than 1,500 programs funded by the Michigan Humanities Council since its founding in 1974. Michigan Humanities Council is the state's private, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Timothy Lloyd, executive director at the American Folklore Society and adjunct professor of English at the Ohio State University, stated: "For those of us working in the field of folklore in the Great Lakes region, the Folklife Festivals serve as the major focus for the public presentation of our regional traditions and as a model for its behind-the-scenes partnerships that set the standard for effective folklore work. When I need to cite an example of best practices in our field, I choose this event."