Press Release
August 1, 2019
Contact: Adam Lynn
Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 918-473-5572
alynn@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/honeysprings
Civil War–Era Concert and Presentation at Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center
CHECOTAH, Okla. — Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center is excited to announce a Civil War–era concert and presentation by the Loco Focos band on Saturday, August 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. Loco Focos attempts to represent songs of the Civil War period as closely as possible to their original form, using period instruments. This program will be held at the Visitor Center and is free to the public, but donations are welcome.
Musicians performing in this concert will be Chris Rucker on guitar and vocals, Curtis Payne on banjo and vocals, Sandy Payne on vocals and guest performer Adam Lynn on drums. Rucker, Payne and Payne are from Tulsa, and Lynn is the director of Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center.
The United States was still a young country in the 1820s and had not yet developed its own musical style. However, by the 1830s American-style music began to take shape. The goal of the Loco Focos band is to present the birth of this authentically American sound. The band’s name, Loco Focos, historically defined as “a strike-anywhere match,” became associated with a political movement of the 1830s–1840s defined as Locofocism in the writings of Secretary of State William Seward, who served in President Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet.
After the program, visitors will have the opportunity to tour the battlefield and learn about key aspects of the engagement and those who fought at Honey Springs. Visitors also can tour the Visitor Center, purchase items from the gift shop, and learn about the new exhibits that will open in the near future.
For more information regarding the presentation and the Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center, please email honeysprings@okhistory.org or alynn@okhistory.org, or call 918-473-5572. Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center is located east of U.S. Highway 69 between Oktaha and Rentiesville. The Visitor Center is located on the northeast corner of the intersection of East 1030 Road and 11th Street, diagonal from the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame.
Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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