Indian Summer is celebrated on the Milwaukee lake front at Henry Maier Festival Park, known by many as the Summerfest Grounds. This year’s Indian Summer Festival will be held September r7 through 9, 2007.
The Theme of the festival is “One Drum, Many Voices”. Indian Summer Festival is the largest American Indian Festival in North America.
Eleven Wisconisn Indian Tribes will be honored at this year’s festival. The eleven tribes are:
Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Forest County Potawatomi
Ho-Chunk Nation
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Menominee Nation
Oneida nation
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Sokaogon (Mole Lake) Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
St. Croix Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohicans.
The 2007 festival will open with a multi cultural performance that features representatives from other ethnic festivals. The American Indian entertainers will be joined by Irish performers and African-American drummers.
The salute to the Native American Indian includes a competition pow wow, lacrosse games, a fine arts area, marketplace, Native foods, herbal healing, a cultural demonstrators, tribal villages, an reenactment encampment and entertainment stages with music and dance.
The Pow-Wow is a traditional event where the American Indian people gather to sing, dance and socialize with friends and relatives. The tradition preserves a heritage that goes back centuries. In Indian Summer Pow-Wow is a competition event that celebrates the American Indian culture. The heartbeat of American Indian Culture is the drum. The drum will beat as original songs and chants are sung in native language.
The traditional area covers one half of the festival grounds. Alcohol is not allowed for sale or consumption on in the traditional area. This area includes the competition pow wow, authentic tribal villages and cultural activities.
Fireworks. Saturday evening will be capped off by a spectacular fireworks display. There will be a torch =lit canoe procession and flag raising.
Five stages of entertainment present a variety of dance and music. Some of the best American Indian entertainment will be featured on five stages. Music includes blues, rock, rap and flute.
Traditions Passed On. Festival visitors enjoy watching the people from many American Indian nations as they demonstrate traditional skills. “Traditions Passed On” features artisans as they demonstrate skills such as basket making, finger weaving and blanket weaving.
Indian Summer Village is a recreation of tradition dwellings. A nearby encampment captures the daily life of traders and settlers that lived and worked with the Native American Indians.
The Circle of Friend Art is a display of fine art with American Indian themes. Artworks by some of the best known American Indian artists in the country are available for purchase. Artworks include ceramics, oil paintings, watercolors paintings, jewelry, bead work, flutes, metalwork, bead work and fine leather clothes.
Eat traditional American Indian foods including Indian tacos, buffalo, turkey, venison, corn soup, wild rice and fry bread. American style food will also be for sale, including BBQ ribs, pork sandwiches, chicken, fish and chips, chili, pizza, burgers, sub sandwiches, hot doges, popcorn and ice cream.
The Indian Summer Festival runs September 7 -9. Tickets are $12 Adults and $7 for children. Discount for advance purchase. For additional information call 414-604-1000 visit the web site (indiansummer.org).
Recommended hotels with Indian Summer Rates are Best Western Airport, Best Western Third Street, Doubletree Hotel Brookfield and Doubletree Hotel Milwaukee City Center. Henry Maier Festival Grounds in Milwaukee is about a 90 minute drive from downtown Chicago.
