Members of Bandan Koro African Drum & Dance Ensemble perform during the Heritage Festival at the corner of Cotton Square in downtown Lufkin in October 2023.
The 2024 Heritage Festival, hosted by Lufkin Creative, promises a vibrant celebration of community, culture and creativity. The event, set for Nov. 2, will feature food, live music and performances from the Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas.
"We invite you to be a part of a community, collaborative hands-on art-puzzle project," said Jackie Zimmerman, executive director of Lufkin Creative.
The Heritage Festival invites guests to immerse themselves in cultural enrichment activities that celebrate diversity within Angelina County. Food trucks will be present during the event, offering a wide variety of cuisines representative of the festival. Artisan vendors and artists will also be present during the event.
"This is a great way to celebrate the renovations of our downtown area as well as come together to learn and honor our culture and heritage through art," Zimmerman said.
The festival will kick off with a free yoga class at 9:30 a.m. taught by Jackie Johnston of Shepherd Street Yoga. Throughout the festival, local musicians Caleb Robinson and Brandon Morgan will take the stage between performances by Grupo Ketzaly, Enrique Mungla, Devin Hines and Voz Brillante, the Slack Elementary Choir.
"We want our arts and our cultural communities to come together," Zimmerman said. "We want to grow cultural arts to attract visitors and enrich our cultural tapestry."
Children can also enter in a coloring contest that celebrates the area's heritage. Coloring sheets were distributed to local schools and can be turned in at the Parks & Recreation tent before 1 p.m. on the day of the event. The drawing will take place at 1 p.m. and will be a random drawing of coloring pages. Prizes will be awarded to one winner in each of the following age groups: 0-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12-15 and 16-18.
"We want to make sure the arts are in school," Zimmerman said. "Art is key to people's overall health and their mental health."
The festival is set to take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, in Cotton Square in downtown Lufkin.
For more information about the Heritage Festival and Lufkin Creative, visit lufkincreative.com or contact Jackie Zimmerman at (936) 633-0359 or Rudy Flores at [email protected].