The roots, the rhythms and the richness that connect cultures from across America and around the world converge in downtown East Lansing Aug. 8-10 for the MSU Museum's Great Lakes Folk Festival.
Five music and dance stages feature blues, bluegrass, gospel, polka, Quebecois, Western Swing, Zydeco and more. This award-winning event has emerged as one of the region's premiere arts programs and is expected to draw approximately 90,000 festival-goers for the fusion of culture, tradition and community.
The three-day event also includes a new CraftWORKS! program developed by the MSU Museum's Michigan Traditional Arts Program, designed to preserve and present the creativity and vitality of master artists throughout the state; the Taste of Traditions authentic and regional and ethnic food, from Native Hawaiian to Middle Eastern and Polish; a Folk Arts Marketplace, with hand-made goods ranging from quilts and braided rugs to wood carving and Indian henna tattoos; the Michigan Heritage Awards, the state's highest honor for tradition-bearers; and the Children's Folk Activities Area with fresh-air fun and hands-on make-and-take crafts.
Admission to the MSU Museum's Great Lakes Folk Festival is free. Festival hours are: Friday, Aug. 8, 6 - 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 9, 12 noon - 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 10, 12 noon - 6 p.m. CATA will provide extended bus service, with a pick-up and drop-off lot on the MSU campus at Lot 91 (Hagadorn and Service roads), and the Tri-County Bicycle Association will also staff a bike corral on site. For more information, call the MSU Museum at (517) 432-GLFF (4533) or visit http://greatlakesfolkfest.net .
The event is produced by the Michigan State University Museum, Michigan's first Smithsonian affiliate, and GLFF was named the state's top public humanities program by the Michigan Humanities Council.