ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Thousands of people are expected to come from across the country this weekend for an Allentown festival celebrating Native American culture.
The 43rd annual Roasting Ears of Corn Festival, held by the Museum of Indian Culture, will be returning Saturday and Sunday.
The festival celebrates the corn harvest and Native American culture.
- This weekend is the 43rd annual Roasting Ears of Corn Festival, hosted by the Museum of Indian Culture
- The two-day event will feature performances, cultural heritage demonstrations, artifacts displays and more
- Museum Executive Director Pat Rivera said visitors should refrain from touching hair or regalia and should always ask before taking pictures
The festival will have performances, vendors, cultural heritage demonstrations, artifacts displays and activities for kids.
Roasted corn is the featured food, but there also will be frybread, Indian Tacos, buffalo burgers and more.
It will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 2825 Fish Hatchery Road.
Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and $7 for teenagers. The event is free for ages 12 and younger.
“We're very thankful that it's been very well-received, not only by the public, but also by various Indian nations as well.”Executive director for the Museum of Indian Culture Pat Rivera
Museum Executive Director Pat Rivera said while the festival is a few decades old, the idea of celebrating the corn harvest has been around for thousands of years in Native American cultures.
“So we are just following through tradition with a modern version of that harvest and celebration,” Rivera said.
'Very well-received'
Rivera said about 5,000 people have attended in past years. People come to the festival from across the country and internationally, she said.
“We have grown to have such a reputation, so as a result, it's something that many Native nations want to be part of,” Rivera said.
“We're very thankful that it's been very well-received, not only by the public, but also by various Indian nations as well.”
Rivera described the Roasting Ears of Corn Festival as a “gathering of friendship, and a gathering of the community.”
“It's just so wonderful to be able to have everybody come together and share in this wonderful celebration of Native American culture."Museum of Indian Culture Executive Director Pat Rivera
“It's just so wonderful to be able to have everybody come together and share in this wonderful celebration of Native American culture,” she said.
Event features
Each day will have a Grand Entrance at noon that will feature nation flags, dances and a prayer. Visitors should stand during it because they will be honoring their veterans.
Award-winning Native American and Celtic performer Arvel Bird will perform both days at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. There also will be a traditional Aztec dancing performance by the Salinas Family from Mexico City.
The American Indian Collectors Association of the Northeast, or IACANE, will hold its Native American Artifact Show at the festival, featuring thousands of artifacts from across North America, according to the website.
The event also will have cultural heritage demonstrations such as a Cree Tipi Display, fire making, Lenape cooking and more, Rivera said.
Vendors will offer products including pottery, leather goods, Navajo silver jewelry, beadwork, Kachina Dolls and more.
Childrens activities include creating Native American-inspired crafts, sand art, totem poles and pony rides
How can visitors be respectful?
Rivera said attendees should never touch people’s hair or regalia, and should always ask before taking photos.
Some performers will let viewers take photos and videos, but there will be some events that should not be photographed and filmed.
“There could be very personal ceremonies that are taking place in the dance circle,” Rivera said.
"Sometimes we have naming events, sometimes people come in because they want to honor somebody that has passed on. So those types of things, obviously, we need to respect.”
Rivera said there will be a master of ceremonies who will say when it is not appropriate to take photos.
