• Kick up your heels!violin image by Eckbert Schulz from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
  
  Break out your fiddle; it's time for a hootenanny! As a celebration of folk traditions, a hootenanny brings together a community for a night of music and dancing. If you are throwing a hootenanny-themed party, every aspect---from the invitations to the food---can be imbued with the joy of American folk culture.
  
  

Invitations

• Make invitations in the style of an old, 19th century newspaper advertisement or poster. Stain the paper with tea and use a fork to tatter the edges a bit so the invitations look rustic and antique. Print the invitations with an old newspaper-style font, such as Thunderbird or Old West.
  
  

Costumes

• Ask people to come dressed in the style of pioneers, early settlers, mountain people, bayou people, plains people, farmers, cowboys, cowgirls and country musicians.
  
  

Musical Instruments

• Live music with audience involvement is an essential feature of a hootenanny. Get people to bring instruments so you can enjoy playing, singing and dancing together. Folk, country western, Appalachian, blues, and gospel are all appropriate.
  
  

Square Dancing

• Consider hiring a square dance caller. A square dance caller can teach guests basic square dancing steps and then call out the instructions while the music plays.
  
  

Hay Bales

• If you are having your party outside or in a hall, bring in hay bales. They can serve as part of a country-style background as well as benches for people to sit on. A local rancher might even lend them to you if you invite him or her to the party.
  
  

Tin Can Lanterns

• Tin cans and coffee cans are well suited for creating rustic lanterns. Make a tin can lantern by punching holes in the can to create a design. Affix a wire handle to the rim. Line the bottom with clay and stick in a candle. Guests will enjoy dancing outdoors at night by the light of the lanterns.
  
  

All-American Smorgasbord

• Serve a bounty of rustic, all-American food in the style of a buffet on a table with a red plaid tablecloth. You might even have a potluck, which is also customary of folk get-togethers. Examples of food include biscuits, cornbread, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, grits, ham, apple pie, corn dogs and fried chicken. Drinks can include lemonade, ice tea, root beer, ale and whiskey drinks.