The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian promises “a stampede of family fun” at its annual Buffalo Roast and Fall Festival on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum, located at 3001 Central St., Evanston.
The Buffalo Roast consists of a buffet of sliced, freshly roasted buffalo meat; fry bread; wild rice salad; wojapi, a Plains Indian dish made of thickened berries; and assorted beverages. Meal tickets, which include museum admission, are $25 per person for adults ($20 for Mitchell Museum members) and $10 for children ages 12 and under.
Visitors not wishing to dine can participate in festival events and view the museum’s exhibits for the regular cost of admission. Suggested entry donations are $5 for adults; $2.50 for seniors, students, and children. Maximum suggested admission per family is $10. For information, phone (847) 475-1030. On the Net: www.mitchellmuseum.org.
The museum will unveil its Teaching Lodge, a newly renovated space on the second floor that will house its popular Native birch-bark hunting lodge, a replica of a tepee-like dwelling of the type used by hunters in the upper Great Lakes. Adults and children alike can crawl into the cozy, conical structure and sit around a simulated camp fire. Native implements and accessories line the walls of the new space, which sports a mural depicting woodlands and prairies, painted and donated by art student Ilana Ostraar of Northern Illinois University.
Mike Pamonicutt, of the Menominee Indian tribe, will demonstrate and teach powwow dance steps. And veteran professional storyteller Judy Staunton will relate traditional Native tales for all ages.