Wild Rice Festival scheduled for Sept. 13

The Harriet Alexander Nature Center, with the assistance of Northland Visions, the Pow Wow Grounds Cafe, and Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life, are pleased to announce the 11th Annual Wild Rice Festival on Sat., Sept. 13. This family-friendly celebration of wild rice, the Minnesota harvest, and Native American culture is an all-day event filled with good food, fun activities, educational presentations and engaging exhibits. It will be held, free of admission charge, on the grounds of the nature center at 2520 N. Dale St., Roseville. Foods at the festival will highlight wild rice products and Native American foods. The annual wild rice pancake breakfast, 8-11am, offers wild rice pancakes, wild rice sausages, fresh blueberries and 100% pure, local maple syrup. Additional offerings throughout the day, provided by the Pow Wow Grounds, a Native American cafe in Minneapolis, could include wild rice soup, fry bread, Indian tacos, yogurt/wild rice parfaits, buffalo “dogs” and fry bread. A major goal of the festival is to provide education to the community about local Native American cultures and traditions. Presentations, 9am-4pm, include Native American drumming, dancing, singing, flute making and music, storytelling, and traditional wild ricing methods. In addition, the Gibbs Museum offers historical vignettes and a replica tipi with representative artifacts of traditional Dakota life. The festival features hands-on seasonal harvest activities like honey extraction and apple cider pressing. Our resident beekeeper demonstrates the honey extraction process and fills bottles with honey fresh from the hives. Volunteers operate an apple cider press where visitors can help to squeeze cider from donated apples.