International Folkfest returns to South Jackson

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Murfreesboro’s International Folkloric Society will be bringing its International Folkfest to Tullahoma at South Jackson Performing Arts Center Tuesday, June 4.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 16 and under, and can be purchased here.

The folkfest, which began in 1982, will feature approximately 75 dancers and musicians from Mexico, United Kingdom, Czech Republic and the United States as they join Rutherford County’s Cripple Creek Cloggers and The Slim Chance Band, led by Rob Pearcy. For the week of June 2 through 9, the dance troupes will have public performances in Tullahoma, Bell Buckle, Nashville, Smyrna and various locations in Murfreesboro.

All groups will share dances and music at a welcome party hosted by Susan and Ricky Gulley. Each troupe will have its own local guides and buses for the week, and officials representing local, state and U.S. governments will be invited for traditional gift exchanges.

International Folkfest was the first of its kind in the U.S. Beginning in 1973, Cripple Creek Cloggers began to represent the U.S. in other countries’ festivals. Their experiences were so positive that a group of interested folks founded the International Folkfest in Murfreesboro. The International Folkloric Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so planning is a labor of love for those involved. Interested people are always welcome to participate in planning.

Major sponsors for the folkfest include Middle Tennessee Electric, Tennessee Arts Commission and the Rutherford County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

For a full schedule of public performances, as well as information on all performing troupes, click here.

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