Starting at 6 p.m. Friday, September 27, 2013, the Richard Thomas 3rd Annual Open Mic Night will open the Waco Cultural Arts Fest on the Indian Spring Amphitheater Stage.

Musicians are encouraged to contact Kurt Krakowian by email at   texasvarietyentertainment@gmail.com to sign up for 15 minute performance time slots.  Backline  sound  and  light is  provided by Dave  Nordyke  from Sound Music Lab in Austin.

The Annual Poetry Slam hosted by Michael Guinn will be on Sat. night Sept. 28, 2013  starting at 6:30 pm on the Waco Convention Center Patio where it was held last year.

Poetry open mic events will be available at the WCAF on Sun. Sept. 29, 2013 hosted by Jenuine Poetess.

Over 160 tickets have been sold-out for weeks. Tables of six sold for $300 while open individual seat tickets sold for $35. Those lucky enough to have tickets will be treated to the divalicious talents of Karen Albrecht, Ashley Anderson, Paige Forrester, Linda Haskett, Jenni Holley, Lance Marshall, Kathryn Parsley, and Bibi Snow. The Horton Duo will play instrumental Broadway hits during intermission. All the entertainers are experienced stage performers in the Waco area and beyond.

Lance Marshall is returning to his Central Texas homeland to sing at the WCT where his performing career first began. Today Lance lives in New York City where he is a sought after stage and film professional.

Audience members are invited to dress like a ‘diva’ with as much ‘bling’ as they feel comfortable wearing. This popular event may become an annual fundraising event for the Waco Cultural Arts Fest (WCAF).

The WCAF is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year at Indian Spring Park on University Parks Drive in Waco. The three day event is scheduled for Fri. Sept. 27-Sun. Sept. 29, 2013. Mark your calendars now so you don’t miss a great week-end of FREE family fun featuring local dancers and music groups, art activities, a professional art vendor area, and nationally known musical entertainers.

Los Texas Wranglers will close out the music at the Indian Spring Park Amphitheater for the 2012  Waco  Cultural  Arts Fest.   This powerhouse Tex/Mex-Country-Conjunto band from the Austin area will play on Sunday from 4-5 pm.

Los Texas Wranglers has won many awards including:   2008, 2009, 2010 Best Latin Traditional Band; 2010 Best Drummer, 2011 Best Accordion and 2011 Best Country/Bluegrass Band at the Austin world famous SXSW (South By Southwest ) sponsored Austin Music Awards; inducted to the 2005 Texas Music Museum; inducted into the 2006 South Texas Conjunto Hall of Fame and  Tejano Magazine’s “Conjunto of the Year”’;  two time receivers of the Texas United Latino Artists Award and recognized as “America’s Conjunto” by US Congressman Lloyd Doggett.

Los Texas Wranglers play with great enthusiasm that matches their extraordinary talent.  This makes Los Texas Wranglers one of the most sought after Tejano bands in Texas. These wonderful musicians perform a blend of Tejano, Conjunto, Tex-Mex, Blues, Jazz, R&B, Rock, and Country.

Sunday’s music also features these local groups:  The Waco Children’s Theatre at 12:30 pm, The Horton Duo at 1:30 pm with Instrumental Music of the Mediterranean and The Baylor Percussion Group with Todd Meehan at 2:30 pm.

In 2010, Sara became the Official State Musician of Texas.  She uses her title  to bring music programs into public schools and to help families learn to create together. While in Waco, Sara will share her music at several public schools before the festival begins.

A compilation album of Sara Hickman’s songs recorded by other amazing Texas musicians, including Willie Nelson, Marcia Ball, Shawn Colvin, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Ruthie Foster and 25 other artists was recorded in 2011.  This  ground-breaking album The Best of Times, gives all proceeds  to ‘Theatre Action Project’, a group dedicated to putting art, music and theater back into public schools.

Sara has also performed with her kid friendly trio, Family Time Rocks!, whose motto is “families that create together, do great together!”  Sara released Absence of  Blame, her most recent CD and put out an animated DVD for children entitled, Big Bird, Little Bird , winner of Dr. Toy’s award for Best Summer Vacation item.

The Indian Spring Park Amphitheater will feature non-stop local talent from 11 am -7 pm. 

The  main stage will come alive with the sound of orchestral music from  11 am – 1 pm on Saturday,  September 22^nd. Waco area string and orchestral groups performing will be Prelude Gloria String Chamber Music, Central Texas Strings Academy, Waco Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Baylor Campus String Orchestra.

From 2-3:30 pm, the amphitheater will be filled with dancers from Waco dance studios wearing big  smiles and colorful costumes from All That Jazz Academy, Joy’s School of Dance, and Expressions Dance Company.

University High school’s Mariachi Troyanos band directed by Paula Soloss will entertain the crowds at 4 pm.

Stonehenj and Howling Blades will perform at 5 pm.

Lorena’s talented young star, Holly Tucker, will perform country music with a professional back-up band from 6-7 pm.

The sonic lovechild of Maná and Guns N’ Roses conceived to the sounds of Santana and born in the land of Crossover, VITERA fuses old-school American rock with Latin grooves and instrumentation as a backdrop for pop rock lyrics in Spanish, English, and Spanglish. His influences include AC/DC, G N’ R, Whitesnake, Allman Brothers, Maná, Cabas, Juanes, and Rabanes. Consistently backed by a hand-picked lineup of seasoned players, this Austin-based artist brings an unmistakable Texas edge to Rock Latino blending congas and horns with greasy slide guitar one minute and orchestral strings with fiery rock violin the next. at 8:45 p.m. Saturday, September 22nd.

http://viterarocks.com/

Saturday’s music also features Ghosts Along the Brazos. You will surely dance, you will often laugh, and you will inevitably be awed by the musical prowess of twenty-something’s playing far beyond their years.

Connor Forsyth on Piano and Hammond B3 is a wunderkind, a player that truly commands attention. A member of The Belleville Outfit, he honed his chops touring the country, and now splits his time between the Ghosts and the legendary Ray Price’s touring band. You may also recognize bassist Kristopher Wade and guitarist Gregory Harkins from one of Austin’s brightest swing/jazz outfits, The Marshall Ford Swing Band, and the interplay between Forsyth, Harkins, and Wade with drummer James Gwyn rounds out the 4-piece, who splits his time touring with country legend, Junior Brown. http://ghostsalongthebrazos.com