Photo gallery: Woody Guthrie Folk Festival continues in Okemah on Woody's 100th birthday

Billy Bragg performs during the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Okla., Thursday, July 12, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman

Mike Blackwell and Ross Johnson play music near their camp during the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Okla., Thursday, July 12, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman

"Cactus Jack" Owens sells hats for his company, Cactus Hat, during the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Okla., Thursday, July 12, 2012. The prices of the hats ranged from $20-35. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman

Jace Gaskill, 21 months, walks the Pastures of Plenty during the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Okla., Thursday, July 12, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman

Happy 100th birthday, Woody Guthrie!

The famed folk bard would have turned 100 years old on Saturday (today), and in his hometown of Okemah, the free Woody Guthrie Folk Festival will include many events the Dust Bowl balladeer likely would have appreciated: poetry readings, children’s activities, a pancake breakfast hosted by his younger sister Mary Jo Guthrie Edgmon and, naturally, lots of live music.

This year, the 15^th Annual WoodyFest is part of a worldwide centennial commemoration dubbed “Woody at 100,” a series of all-star concerts, album releases and tributes of all kinds.

Although he is best known for penning the anthem “This Land Is Your Land,” between his birth on July 14, 1912, and his death of Huntington’s disease on Oct. 3, 1967, at the age of 55, Guthrie wrote about 3,000 songs as well as essays, newspaper columns and novels.

At WoodyFest, musicians, fans and relatives of the Oklahoma icon reflected on Guthrie’s lasting legacy as a political rabble-rouser, an insatiable rambler and a complex, colorful character. To read my feature on Woody’s legacy at 100, click here, and to see a NewsOK video from WoodyFest, click here.

Intrepid NewsOK photographer/videographer Garett Fisbeck spent the day and night Thursday at WoodyFest, recording the performances, festivities and crowds. Check out these photos from the event:

The Damn Quails perform during the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Okla., Thursday, July 12, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman

Jon Knudson, of the Damn Quails, practices before a show during the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Okla., Thursday, July 12, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman

Jeff Clanton plays mandolin near his camp during the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Okla., Thursday, July 12, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman

Peter Dieold, of Illinois, tunes his guitar during the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Okla., Thursday, July 12, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman

Brooke Teter, 10, of Wichita Kansas, watches a performance during the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Okla., Thursday, July 12, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman

-BAM