| The Cherokee Preservation Foundation (CPF) will host its annual Community Celebration on Friday, May 9 at the Yellowhill Activity Center from 11:30am – 2pm. The Community Celebration is an event for members of the Cherokee community to see the various projects funded by the CPF throughout the year. It also gives grantees the opportunity to showcase what they have been and are doing with granted funds and to see what other grantees are doing in their communities.
The celebration will feature a complimentary Indian dinner at noon prepared by the North American Indian Women’s Association (NAIWA). This year, all the cutlery, plates, cups, table decorations and table coverings are made from biodegradable products and natural materials to reinforce environmental sustainability, one of the core values of the Foundation. There will also be a composter for viewing located outside the center. At 11:30 am, grantees will be at exhibit booths to talk with visitors about their projects and programs. The celebration will recognize the 10-year anniversary of the Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources (RTCAR). After lunch, three representatives from this organization who have received preservation grants from the CPF will make short presentations about the results they have achieved so far. Other grantees also celebrating their 10-year anniversary include the New Kituwah Academy and Cherokee Day of Caring.
RTCAR presenters are:
* Dennis Desmond is the Land and Easement Stewardship Coordinator for the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and has been a grantee of RTCAR since its inception. He will give an overview of the resources managed on LTLT lands.
* Joe-Ann McCoy is the director of the North Carolina Arboretum Germplasm Repository. She will be speaking about several wild foods projects she has undertaken as an RTCAR grantee concerning ramps, sochan, and waneget.
* Alyne Stamper is the art teacher at the Cherokee High School. She will speak about RTCAR’s support for the basketry classes.
Over twenty grantees will have exhibits at the event and will share information about their programs and projects. They include:
|
– Marilyn Ball on behalf of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation
