Save the Date: 13th Annual Gila River Festival September 21 – 24, 2017
For Immediate Release: May 31, 2017
For more information contact:
Allyson Siwik: 575-590-7619; allysonsiwik@gmail.com
Gila Conservation Coalition; www.gilariverfestival.org
Announcing the 13th Annual Gila River Festival
Gathering the Gila
September 21 – 24, 2017, Silver City, New Mexico
The 13th annual festival, Gathering the Gila will engage participants in an exploration of the bountiful native foods, plants, and medicines found throughout the Gila River and its watershed. Presented by the Gila Conservation Coalition, the Festival will feature dynamic presentations and hands-on activities designed to foster a deeper intimacy with the Gila River, including river outings, field trips, workshops, storytelling, cooking, and foraging. Full schedule and on-line registration available at www.gilariverfestival.org
Ojibwe activist Winona LaDuke, who, in addition to environmental activism, works to preserve traditional foods in Native American diets, will give the keynote address on Friday, September 22. Ms. LaDuke will discuss innovative strategies for stewardship of our water, land, and traditional native plant foods.
On Thursday evening September 21, “aural” historian Jack Loeffler, author of Thinking Like a Watershed, and Adventures with Ed, will return to the festival with the presentation “Seeds of Consciousness,” featuring audio vignettes on gathering seeds, insights from indigenous peoples, and bioregional and watershed ideas from some of the Southwest’s most dynamic thought leaders.
In partnership with The Volunteer Center, workshops on acorn processing and mesquite milling will be lead by bioregional herbalist John Slattery and the volunteer group the “Mesquitos.” Returning favorite Alex Mares will again lead a rock art field trip. Photographer Diana Molina will explore the Gila region’s native plants through her art. There will be opportunities for kayaking the Gila River, fly fishing, birding, edible native plant gathering, and much more.
Las Cruces-based performance writer, novelist, and playwright Denise Chávez will lead a storytelling event focused on food stories. Chávez is author of A Taco Testimony: Meditations on Family, Food and Culture and former Executive Director of the Border Book Festival.
As part of the fundraising Native Food Brunch on Sunday September 24, Santa Clara Pueblo artist Roxanne Swentzell, author of the Pueblo Food Experience, presents a talk on her experiential work to improve the health of her people through the restoration of Native culinary customs.
Miguel Santistevan, a dynamic teacher and experimental farmer, will discuss the acequia-based agricultural traditions of northern New Mexico that preserved locally-adapted seeds and created traditions around growing, preparing, and sharing food. He will also lead a workshop on seed saving.
Musician, poet, and spoken word performer Lyla June Johnston will give a presentation entitled “Tending the Wild” and will speak to the importance of preserving indigenous plants, seeds, foods, and traditional ways of tending nature’s bounty. She will also play her original music and perform her spoken word compositions at the Gila River Extravaganza in downtown Silver City.
Saturday’s downtown Gila River Extravaganza takes place in Big Ditch Park and will feature live music, spoken word poetry, tastings of native food products, kid’s activities and the beloved Monsoon Puppet Parade. The Fort Sill Apache Fire Dancers with the Gooday Family from Oklahoma will return for an encore performance.
Thank you to our major sponsors: New Mexico Humanities Council, National Endowment for the Humanities, McCune Charitable Foundation, Fort Sill Apache Tribe, ALAYA, and the Center for Biological Diversity, with funding from the Town of Silver City Lodgers Tax.
For more details and registration, visit our website at: www.gilariverfestival.org or call us at 575-538-8078.
On-line registration begins July 1.
Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GilaRiverFestival/, and follow us on instragram and twitter: @gilariverfest
Images available via Dropbox.
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