Free Annual Wild Rice Festival Coming Sept. 14

The Friends of Roseville’s Harriet Alexander Nature Center (FORHANC), with the assistance of Northland Visions and the Pow Wow Grounds, will hold the 10th annual Wild Rice Festival on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the Harriet Alexander Nature Center. 

Sponsored in part by Half Price Books and North American Banking, this free,  family-friendly celebration of wild rice, Native American culture, and Minnesota’s fall season is an all-day event filled with  food, fun activities, educational presentations and engaging exhibits. 

The festival will be held on the grounds of the nature center, 2520 N. Dale Street, according to event volunteer publicist Nancy Robbins.  

Foods at the festival will highlight wild rice products and Native American foods. The annual wild rice pancake breakfast, which starts at 8:00 am, offers wild rice pancakes, wild rice sausages, fresh blueberries and 100 percent 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,  Indian tacos, yogurt/wild rice parfaits, buffalo “dogs” and fry bread.

Robbins said a major goal of the festival is to provide education to the Roseville area community about local Native American cultures and traditions. Presentations, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm, include Native American drumming, dancing, singing, flute making and music, storytelling, and traditional wild ricing methods. 

Also, the Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life will offer historical vignettes and a replica tipi with representative artifacts of traditional Dakotah life. 

Another featured activity: 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," Robbins said. "Volunteers operate an apple cider press where visitors can help to squeeze cider from donated apples.

While admission to the festival is free, sales from food and the gift store help generate funds to provide exciting new projects and displays at the nature center, Robbins said.  There will also be a silent auction. 

For more information about the Wild Rice Festival, click on to www.WildRiceFestival.org or call the Harriet Alexander Nature Center at (651) 765-HANC (4262). 

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