The Swiss and Italians who settled in Arkansas in the late nineteenth century with the black farmers of the delta and with the mountaineers, whose forebears hailed from Britain, are contributors to the patchwork of traditional cultures which characterize the State of Arkansas today. Each year the Festival focuses attention on a state to present an intensive picture of the stamina and variety of the area's folk cultural patterns.

Sponsorship for the Arkansas presentation has come from the Office of The Honorable, the Governor of Arkansas, Winthrop Rockefeller; from the State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission and from a number of ...