‘Naked & Afraid’ Star to Appear at This Arkansas Festival in April

Get ready for a great festival to take place again this spring. It's the 3rd Annual James Black's Bowie Heritage Festival in April and it will have a star-studded celebrity lineup that you won't want to miss.

The City of Washington, Arkansas has teamed up once again with the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana Foundation and Historic Washington State Park for this incredibly fun and informative Festival.

This festival is a celebration of James Black, the local bladesmith who forged the first Bowie Knife for Jim Bowie in Washington Arkansas. You'll also have a chance to check out a great variety of Arkansas heritage crafts and trades.

Mark your calendars for April 20, 2024, from 9 AM to 7 PM.

This festival takes place with events all throughout the City of Washington.

Naked and Afraid's Melissa Miller

Get ready for the celebrity guests that will be at the festival, including Discovery Channel’s Naked and Afraid star and outdoor survivalist Melissa Miller also known as Melissa Backwoods.

Plus you'll meet the History Channel's Forged in Fire stars Jason Knight and Doug Marcaida and there will be world-class bladesmiths that will be there showcasing their knives.

According to the press release, there will be a ton of things to check out,

Exhibits and workshops, period music, a knife show, and a knife cutting competition organized by “National Living Treasure” and Mastersmith Jerry Fisk and former ‘Forged in Fire’ champion Ricardo Vilar, both of Nashville, Arkansas, will be features of the festival.

You'll also get the chance to see Lin Rhea, a former resident Mastersmith at the Historic Arkansas Museum. He'll be demonstrating his bladesmith skills at the festival too. There will be knifemakers from nine states showing off their work and their craft.

One of Arkansas’s best stories is of James Black, who forged the Bowie Knife for Jim Bowie around 1830. Black’s version of the Bowie Knife was a long, wide, and sharp blade that was strong yet flexible, topped with a coffin-shaped handle of black walnut embellished with silver studs. Jim Bowie was pleased with the knife, which became his fighting weapon used at the Alamo and in skirmishes along the way.

Actors will narrate the story of Jim Bowie’s travels, how the Bowie knife came to be and the importance of the Bowie Knife in Arkansas, Texas and American history.

But this festival isn't just about the Bowie Knife, you'll also see folk arts, crafts, music, and period dance.

Kids are welcome too with a Kids’ Corner. They'll have fun learning about heritage crafts and while supplies last they will each receive a free wooden replica Bowie knife.

Mark Zalesky from KNIFE Magazine will be on hand for a "knife roadshow" so bring your antique knife in and see what a real knife historian has to say about it.

There will also be a live auction and food trucks too! Admission is free. Parking for the festival is $6

For more information, call (870) 648-5084 or go to their Facebook page.

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