By Victoria Ewing Ware
Guest Writer
Hayesville’s Cherokee Homestead Exhibit is the place to be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 21 as Clay County Communities Revitalization Association hosts its 12th Cherokee Heritage Festival.
Begun in 2011, the festival is a traditional fall event to celebrate the rich and proud heritage of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Clay County. Locals and visitors look forward to this free, family-friendly event.
Enjoy the EBCI performers’ traditional dancing. Appreciate the craftsmanship of the authentic native arts and crafts. Purchase a keepsake. Attend Davy Woods’ demonstrations on dart-making, flint-knapping and blow-darts. Listen to the fascinating storytelling of EBCI historian Davy Arch. Spend time with Lamar Marshall viewing maps he’s created of Cherokee trails in the southern Appalachians. Appreciate the sweet sounds of Dan Hollifield’s native flute. Take a guided tour of the Cherokee Botanical Sanctuary with Stephanie Brundage, assistant manager of the sanctuary for Clay County Historical & Arts Council. Have a break and enjoy traditional food from Frybread Missions, operated by New Song Church’s pastor Eric Moore from Cherokee, N.C.
The Cherokee Homestead Exhibit is located at 805 US-64 Business, next to the Old Jail Museum, which is free to the public and includes exhibits with Cherokee artifacts and local history displays and artwork. The Clay County Historical & Arts Council will conduct a fundraising silent auction featuring donated art pieces starting at 11 a.m.
After exploring the Cherokee Heritage Festival, hike the newly lengthened 2 mile Quanassee Path which leads to other exhibits celebrating the Cherokee people, including Spikebuck Mound, the Cherokee Culture Center at the Moss Regional Library and the Chamber of Commerce’s Cherokee Mural.
Come out this Saturday to this free, family-friendly Cherokee Heritage Festival and celebrate Clay County’s indigenous heritage.