“It was so well organized by the city of Jackson,” Maneck said. “The last few years that I lived here, I had a sense that Jackson was going downhill, but this is a total reversal. It is coming back to life again with a vengeance!”
The National Folk Festival has been featured in nearly 30 communities around the country- but it’s the first time the festival is being hosted in the Deep South. The event featured several Mississippi artists.
Delta Blues musician and artist James “Super Chikan” Johnson makes guitars from just about anything, including electric fans and cigar boxes.
“We was poor people coming up and we made our own toys for Christmas and it stuck with me,” he said. “So, I still make my own toys, you know. Take found objects and make stuff out of them, paint them up and make them look pretty.”