This weekend the sounds of drums and dancing will echo through Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park as the park hosts the annual Native American Culture Festival.

The festival will be held on Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. and on Sunday, June 4, from 11:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. This is the 27th year for the annual event at the park.

This weekend long festival will feature traditional and contemporary arts and crafts, traditional Native American song and dance, Cherokee storytelling and legends, Native American flute, Cherokee language workshops, and craft demonstrations and sales.

On Saturday evening, a traditional campfire will be held at the far end of the meadow in front of Fort Watauga at 7 pm with several guest storytellers.

“A unique feature of the Native American Culture Festival is our educational/ demonstration area, located within Fort Watauga,” said Park Manager Jennifer Bauer. “The dance circle is located in the center of the fort, where the popular traditional dance and drum performances take place. In addition, flute music, storytelling, lectures, and so much more take place within the circle, which shares native culture and history with our visitors.”

In keeping with the festival’s annual tradition, this year’s dance circle will host several performances of Native American music, drum, and dance. The dancing demonstrations will include the Fancy Dance and Hoop Dance, the Jingle Dance, the Men’s Traditional, Grass and Straight Dances, and many more. Everyone is invited to join in the dance, according to Bauer, so bring your regalia.

New to the festival this year will be a demonstration of 18th century Cherokee social dancing hosted by Dale Cloer, who makes his home in Cherokee, N.C.

Featured dancers for this year’s festival are internationally known hoop dancer Eddie Swimmer, Head Man Emerson Begay, and champion powwow dancer Nikki Crisp. All three have taken part in the festival during previous years and are always favorites with those in attendance.

Swimmer has captivated audiences across the globe using between 36 and 42 hoops. His accomplishments include a former World Champion Hoop Dancer title, performances in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and at the World Cup Soccer Tournament in Dallas Texas. Swimmer also choreographed the hoop dance for the hit Broadway show Annie Get Your Gun.

Begay has been a competitive dancer for many years and has garnered accolades at many powwows across the Southeastern United States and has been the featured male dancer for many Native American festivals.

Nikki Crisp as danced across the world as well, and has been performing for over 20 years. Her talents also include traditional beadwork and authentic frybread cooking. Nikki Crisp will be providing food vending for this event, including her famous Indian tacos.

In addition to the dance circle, the interior of the fort will also be the location of a variety of demonstrations which include a children’s blowgun challenge, beadwork, gourd art, pine needle basketry, stone carving, Cherokee language, wood carving, flint-knapping, corn shuck dolls , native river cane flutes, and pottery. Attendees can also visit a replicated Cherokee cabin from the early 19th century with historical reenactors Mark and Sherry Finchum.

Just outside the fort a Native American arts and crafts area will be featured, in addition to ethnic Cherokee food, and a Lakota Tipi exhibit.

The featured storyteller for this year’s festival is Freeman Owle, a noted lecturer, historian, and member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee.

Dr. Michael Abram of the Cherokee Heritage Museum and Gallery in Cherokee, N.C., will be the featured speaker for this year’s festival. He will give two lectures on Saturday, “The Importance of Stonecoat to Cherokee Culture,” and “The Ancient Cherokee White and Red Government,” inside the circle of Fort Watauga.

Most activities and demonstrations during the festival are held on the park grounds in and around Fort Watauga unless the weather turns bad. In the event of rain, the show will relocate to inside the Visitor’s Center.

Admission to the festival is $6 for adults and $1 for children. All proceeds from admissions go to the Friends of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area to support this annual event as well as other park projects. This event is made possible by the support of Friends of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area, the DoubleTree by Hilton, and the Comfort Inn of Johnson City.

For more information on the festival, contact Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park at 423-543-5808.