Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Department of Conservation and Recreation
Media inquiries: Please contact Dave Neudeck, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov, 804-786-5053.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 12, 2004
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Occoneechee State Park to host 12th Annual Native American Heritage Festival and Powwow May 8
(CLARKSVILLE, VA) - The 12th Annual Native American Heritage Festival and Powwow will be held May 8 at Occoneechee State Park in Clarksville, Va.
The Powwow is an opportunity to learn and celebrate Native American culture as they gather and celebrate their heritage. The Powwow is sponsored by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Gates open at 10 a.m., and the grand entry procession of Native American dancers dressed in authentic Native American regalia begins at noon. New this year, the park hosts a replica Native American hut, an Ati.
John "Blackfeather" Jeffries will be master of ceremonies for the Powwow and festival. Dancers Phyllis Campbell and Doug Logan will lead traditional, straight and fancy intertribal dancing accompanied by the Eastern Bull as host drum.
The festival also features Native American foods, arts and crafts, and singing, as well as demonstrations in the use of primitive weapons, bead crafting and backwoods survival skills. The park visitor center, highlighting the Occoneechee culture, will be open during the festival. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children (ages 3-12) and seniors (62 and older). Visitors should bring blankets or lawn chairs. The event is held rain or shine.
Occoneechee State Park, in Clarksville, Va., features multi-use trails, picnic shelters, camping and three boat launching ramps for access to Kerr Reservoir (Buggs Island Lake) for both motor and non-motorized boats. The park is 1.5 miles east of the town of Clarksville on U.S. Route 58, near the U.S. 15 intersection. For more information call Occoneechee State Park at (434) 374-2210 or the Virginia Lake Country Chamber of Commerce at (434) 374-2436, or visit www.dcr.virginia.gov.
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