Third Annual Ft. Hamby Pow Wow September 18 to 20

Gather your wagons and come early, bring your lawn chair and stay at the 3rd annual Ft. Hamby Pow Wow all day. This is an educational event, so be prepared to learn something about the Native American people—how to dance, how they lived or how they made things. The schools are invited to come on Friday for Kids Day. Pow wow hours at Ft. Hamby State Park are 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. On Friday, activities for the children start as soon as the schools arrive.

The W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir Park Rangers and staff will facilitate children’s activities on Friday for Kid’s Day and on the weekend. Activities include leather bag making and dreamcatcher making, as well as displays of history and culture. Flint knappers will show how arrowheads and spear points were made, and Cindi Quay of Cindi’s Sacred Garden will answer questions about wild plant uses.

Activities like dancing, drumming, singing, storytelling and music performances will alternate all day throughout the pow wow, and two tee pees will be set up. During the dance sessions, when the emcee says “Intertribal,” that means all attendees can participate in the dances.

On Friday, during Kids Day, the children will be asked to participate in the dancing. The boys will learn “the stealth of the warrior” from the head man and the girls will learn the “dignity and grace” of the traditional lady dancer from the head lady. 

Dances such as the Crow Hop, Buffalo Dance and Snake Dance will take place, and even the teachers are asked to dance. Sometimes the teachers are asked to compete and children will judge who is the best.

Native American Music Award Nominee Dave Trezak is the emcee. He sings and plays the Native American flute and the guitar. He and Miss Vicky Hutto will sing and play periodically during the day, and on Saturday evening they will give a concert after the pow wow is over.

Grand Entry—when the Native Americans dress in their finest and best and have a formal entry—happens at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

The Grand Entry will be led by the Eagle Staff, which is carried by the Head Veteran, and is followed by veterans carrying the American flag, the prisoner of war flag and other flags. Native American veterans will follow the flags. Next are the head man and head lady. They are followed by the men’s categories of traditional, fancy and grass, the ladies’ categories of traditional, fancy shawl and jingle and the children’s categories of boys and girls.

The veterans and dancers will make one loop of the circle, and then the veterans will stand in front of the Drum Arbor. After a prayer is said and honoring songs are sung, all veterans are asked to be honored by dancing a Victory Dance together. When all the veterans have exited the dancing begins.

Ft. Hamby State Park is located six miles north of Wilkesboro on Highway 421 just north of mile marker 293. Turn south on South Recreation Road to the park entrance.

Admission to the park is $1 and then admission to the pow wow is $5 for adults and $2 for children. Friday is Kids Day and children with the schools are only $1.

The park opens at 8:00 a.m. and the pow wow starts at 9:00 a.m. The vendors will be open around 8:00 a.m. and the regular dancing activities will start at 9:00 a.m.

Holiday Inn Express is the host hotel. For reservations, call 336-838-1800 and ask for the pow wow discount. For information on reserving camping spots, call the park at 1-877-444-6777.

For more information on the pow wow, call Mabel at 813-765-3073. To volunteer to help pass out fliers before the event or help during the pow wow, call Mabel at 813-765-3073 or Ranger Juanita Souther at 336-921-3390.

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