Texas: A Celebration of Music, Food, and Wine
odd: label: Introduction
content: Some 120 of Texas's best musicians, dancers, singers, cooks, and winemakers came to Washington for the 2008 Festival's celebration of the Lone Star State.

Winemakers, sommeliers, viticulturists, and others gave visitors a look behind the scenes at the fascinating but largely unknown world of Texas wine. The vast state has been blessed with dozens of microclimates, many closely mimicking the more famous microclimates of France and Spain. While most people know that Texas is BIG, few understand the variety of climates the state has to offer. Despite visitors' disappointment that wine could not be sampled on National Park Service grounds, a sensory station was set up to educate people on what they could learn from the scents wine produces.

The food demonstration area offered visitors an illustrated symposium on the diversity of Texas cultures. Vietnamese, Polish, African American, Tex-Mex, cowboy, and Czech traditions were shared, along with barbecue, home canning, and more. But most interesting were the ways that traditions crossed cultural lines. Take chicken fried steak, for instance: early German and Austrian settlers brought recipes for Wiener schnitzel and "texafied" it as they became more Texan. There are hundreds of examples of foods in Texas born of neighbors from different cultures sharing and adapting traditions. This is still happening today and made for rich conversations in the Lone Star Kitchen.

The unique flavor of the Texas singer-songwriter tradition was also on display. Texas musical icons were in abundance, among them Joe Ely, Joel Guzman, Guy Clark, Verlon Thompson, Terri Hendrix, Lloyd Maines, CJ Chenier, Little Joe y la Familia, Marcia Ball, Los Texmaniacs, and Asleep at the Wheel. They performed, delivered workshops, and spoke about their inspirations and what makes Texas the perfect environment for music making. Songs were sung in English, Spanish, Polish, Czech, and many a combination of the above. Sacred music is also an essential part of the Texas ethos. The Original Soul Invaders and the Jones Family Singers shared this moving tradition with appreciative audiences. Dance was not forgotten; it was, after all, a program about Texas where mere listening is unacceptable. Texans get up and move when they hear music. Texas dancers gamely ignored the sweltering Washington heat to show visitors how to dance to zydeco, Cajun, mariachi, blues, western swing, conjunto, polka of all varieties, cowboy music, and more.

Pat Jasper was Curator and Dawn Orsak was Foodways and Wine Curatorial Consultant; Amanda Pike served as Program Coordinator.

The program was produced in partnership with the Texas Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism. The Major Donor to the program was the Texas Commission on the Arts. Contributors to the program included the Texas Department of Agriculture, the City of El Paso, Houston Endowment Inc., the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the City of San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs. Additional support was provided by the Music Performance Fund, with major in-kind support provided by Southwest Airlines.
label: Participants
content: Music

Asleep At the Wheel  -- Asleep At the WheelRay Benson, 1951-, Austin, TexasJim Finney, Austin, TexasElizabeth McQueen, Austin, TexasDavid Miller, Austin, TexasJason Roberts, Austin, Texas

Marcia Ball  -- Marcia BallMarcia Ball, 1949-, Austin, TexasDon Bennett, 1950-, Austin, TexasCorey Keller, 1977-, Austin, TexasJohnny Medina, 1953-, Austin, TexasAndrew Nafziger, Austin, TexasThad Scott, 1970-, Austin, Texas

C.J. Chenier  -- C.J. ChenierC.J. Chenier, 1957-, Houston, TexasTimothy Betts, 1976-, Phoenix, ArizonaDaniel Glenn Griffin, 1966-, Oklahoma City, OklahomaMichael Morris, 1974-, Houston, TexasMichael Vowell

Guy Clark  -- Guy ClarkGuy Clark, Nashville, TennesseeVerlon Thompson, 1954-, Nashville, Tennessee

Conjunto Los Angeles del Sur  -- Conjunto Los Angeles del SurJosé Cantú, 1946-, Mercedes, TexasArturo Galván, 1952-, Rio Hondo, TexasJoe Sánchez, 1954-, La Feria, TexasJoe Sánchez, Jr.Lorenzo Sánchez, 1935-, La Feria, Texas

Joe Ely, Austin, Texas

Joel Guzman, Kyle, Texas

Fiddlin' Frenchie Burke  -- Fiddlin' Frenchie BurkeFrenchie Burke, 1933-, Lytle, TexasJeffery Barosh, 1954-, El Campo, Texas

The Gillette Brothers  -- The Gillette BrothersGuy Gillette, 1945-, Crockett, TexasPipp Gillette, 1950-, Crockett, Texas

Mark Halata and Texavia  -- Mark Halata and TexaviaMark Halata, 1967-, Webster, TexasBruce Brosch, Houston, TexasJeff Brosch, Austin, TexasMike Gest, 1958-, Houston, Texas

James Hand  -- James HandJames Hand, 1952-, West, TexasWill Indian, 1953-, Dripping Springs, TexasJohn McGlothlin, 1954-, Austin, TexasSpeedy Sparks

Terri Hendrix, 1968-, San Marcos, Texas

Lloyd Maines, 1951-, Austin, Texas

The Jones Family Singers  -- The Jones Family SingersFred Allen Jones, Sr., 1949-, Markham, TexasVelma Davis, 1966-, Bay City, TexasErnestine Jones, Bay City, TexasFred Allen Jones, Jr., 1949-, Bay City, TexasSarah M. Jones, 1941-, Bay City, TexasTheresa Patrelle Jones, 1974-, Bay City, TexasAlexis Jones-Roberts, 1977-, Bay City, TexasIan Wade, Markham, TexasSabrina Renee Wade, 1965-, Markham, Texas

Tutu Jones and Soul Crew  -- Tutu Jones and Soul CrewTutu Jones, 1966-, Dallas, TexasTyson Grimes, 1948-, Spicewood, TexasKevin Vaughn, 1963-, Dallas, TexasWayne Ross, 1953-, Forest Hill, Texas

Les Amis Creole  -- Les Amis CreoleEd Poullard, 1952-, Beaumont, TexasJames Adams, 1956-, Houston, TexasLawrence Ardoin, 1946-, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Little Joe y la Familia  -- Little Joe y la FamiliaJoe Hernandez, 1940-, Temple, TexasGracie Acosta, 1986-, Big Spring, TexasFrank Cagigal, 1949-, Fort Worth, TexasManuel Castaneda, 1969-, Arlington, TexasThomas Cruz, 1956-, Temple, TexasJesus Gaitan, 1972-, Temple, TexasSam Jones, 1954-, Temple, TexasJesse Lopez, 1962-, Leander, TexasJohn Ontiveros, 1985-, Big Spring, Texas

Los Texmaniacs  -- Los TexmaniacsMax Baca, 1967-, San Antonio, TexasDavid Farias, 1963-, San Antonio, TexasLorenzo Martinez, 1967-, Whittier, CaliforniaIsrael Villanueva, 1962-, San Antonio, Texas

Mariachi Los Arrieros  -- Mariachi Los ArrierosManny Andrade, 1982-, Las Cruces, New MexicoJoseph Baca, 1985-, El Paso, TexasAntonio Luis Bordonada, El Paso, TexasDoug Edward Brown, 1975-, El Paso, TexasRene Eduardo Castañeda, 1980-, El Paso, TexasJuan Alberto Contreras, 1973-, El Paso, TexasLeopoldo Gomez, Las Cruces, New MexicoAngel Hernandez, 1974-, El Paso, TexasEduardo Alfonso Hernandez, El Paso, TexasOmar Daniel Lopez, El Paso, TexasAlbert Gil Martinez, Jr., El Paso, TexasJose Montes, Jr., 1976-, El Paso, TexasGabriel Prado, 1974-, El Paso, TexasManuel Talamantes, III, El Paso, TexasJavier Villarreal, Jr., 1976-, El Paso, Texas

Augie Meyers  -- Augie MeyersAugie Meyers, 1940-, San Antonio, TexasJoe Forlini, Lakeway, Texas

Jody Nix and The Texas Cowboys  -- Jody Nix and The Texas CowboysJody Nix, 1952-, Big Spring, TexasJohnny Cox, 1957-, Eustace, TexasDixie Hankins, 1957-, Weatherford, TexasLarry Nix, 1940-, Big Spring, TexasRobert Weeks, 1977-, Eastland, Texas

The Original Soul Invaders  -- The Original Soul InvadersRoy Green, 1958-, Industry, TexasDanny Davis, 1984-, Washington, TexasDemontreal Edmond, 1985-, Chappell Hill, TexasDavid Scott, 1953-, Houston, TexasChadwick Turner, 1982-, Bellville, TexasChris Washington, 1986-, Benham, Texas

The Quebe Sisters Band  -- The Quebe Sisters BandGrace Quebe, 1986-, Burleson, TexasHulda Quebe, 1990-, Burleson, TexasSophia Quebe, 1987-, Burleson, TexasJoey McKenzie, 1963-, Burleson, TexasDrew Phelps, 1956-, Burleson, Texas

Mingo Saldivar, 1936-, San Antonio, Texas

Texas Johnny Brown  -- Texas Johnny BrownTexas Johnny Brown, 1928-, Houston, TexasLarry Evans, Houston, TexasGiovanni Godley, 1963-, Houston, TexasWilliam Hollis, 1942-, Houston, Texas

Charles Thibodeaux and the Austin Cajun Aces  -- Charles Thibodeaux and the Austin Cajun AcesCharles Thibodeaux, 1952-, Austin, TexasSteve Doerr, 1949-, Austin, TexasPeter Schwarz, 1968-, Austin, Texas

Texas Food

Hoover Alexander, 1954-, Austin, Texas

Bill Avila, 1955-, El Paso, Texas

Gene Marie Bohuslav, 1936-, Hallettsville, Texas

Rene Matula, Komensky, Texas

Tom Nall, 1943-, Burnet, Texas

Lyly Nguyen, 1967-, Corpus Christi, Texas

Betty Orsak, Katy, Texas

Steve Orsak, 1943-, Katy, Texas

Tom Perini, 1943-, Buffalo Gap, Texas

Wendy Power, San Antonio, Texas

Texas Wine

Ed Auler, 1945-, Tow, Texas

Jason Englert, 1971-, Fredericksburg, Texas

Gary Gilstrap, 1942-, Johnson City, Texas

Kathy Gilstrap, 1950-, Johnson City, Texas

Raymond Haak, 1939-, Santa Fe, Texas

Gladys Haak, 1941-, Santa Fe, Texas

Jim Johnson, 1947-, Bend, Texas

Karen Johnson, Bend, Texas

Kim McPherson, 1953-, Lubbock, Texas

Guy Stout, 1954-, Houston, Texas

Caris Turpen, 1955-, Fort Worth, Texas
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
setName: label: See more items in
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
identifier: label: Identifier
content: CFCH.SFF.2008, Series 5
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials