One hundred Iowans will travel to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., to be participants in the Festival of American Folklife, June 26-30 and July 3-7, where Iowa will be the featured state.

The theme for this year’s festival is “Iowa — Community Style” and will include displays of Iowa’s foods, crafts, music, culture, and recreational and sacred traditions.

“A common thread was found in research throughout. Whether it was a music group or a basketball team or quilting, there was found an incredible sense of community,” Jill Downing, event director for the Iowa Sesquicentennial Commission, said.

The 100 participants, who were chosen by the Iowa Sesquicentennial Commission, were picked from many applicants. “We picked out of 600 or 700 people to narrow it down,” said Amelia Morris, public relations director for the commission.

The Sesquicentennial Commission finally settled on 100 participants from all walks of life, including auctioneers, poets, clock-makers, quilters, musicians, farmers, physicians and a river boat captain.

The Festival of American Folklife celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and Iowa is the eighteenth state to be featured.

Iowa had been invited to attend festivals in the past, but had not accepted. The Smithsonian Institute was especially intent on having Iowa as the featured state because both are celebrating their 150th birthday in the same year.

The festival in Washington, D.C., is expected to draw more than 1.5 million visitors and requires a large force of volunteers. Many of those volunteers come from a strong contingency of former Iowans living in the D.C. area. Among them are a University of Iowa alumni group.

After the festival is done, the program will return to Iowa. On Aug. 22-25, it will be restaged as the Festival of Iowa Folklife on the State Capitol grounds.

“The entire state is invited. If you can’t make it out to Washington, you can come back here and see it,” Downing said.

The festival will be free to the public and will also have free parking and entertainment.

“In addition to just the Festival of Iowa Folklife, it is a sesquicentennial celebration. There will be additional enhancements about the state of Iowa.” Downing said.

The number to contact for more information about this summer’s sesquicentennial celebrations is 1-800-469-2150.