Canceled: 8th annual Cherokee Heritage Festival set for September

HAYESVILLE, NC – UPDATE: The Cherokee Heritage Festival has been canceled due to the threat of rain.

The Cherokee Heritage Festival, set in historic Hayesville, is an event  that many residents and area visitors look forward to each year . This year’s popular event is scheduled to take place Saturday, Sept. 15, 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. at the Cherokee Homestead Exhibit.

The festival will include a variety of Cherokee crafters, demonstrating their native skills, such as basket and finger weaving, pottery sculpting, bead working, wood carving, flint knapping, blowgun crafting, and arrow making.

Watch as Amanda Swimmer, a 95-year-old elder and well-known artist, displays her honed pottery skills. Eddie Swimmer, a champion hoop dancer, will entertain the crowd with an amazing 32-hoop routine. Dancers from the Ocanaluftee Village are scheduled to perform, and nationally-celebrated storyteller, Davy Arch, will delight guests with tales of traditions.

Cherokee cuisine, such as frybread with delicious toppings, will be available for purchase, in addition to unique artwork crafted by members of the Native American tribe.

Hiwassee Rivershed Coalition Restoration Coordinator, Tony Ward, will explain the centuries-old benefits of native plants at the Cherokee Botanical Sanctuary, followed by a fun-filled scavenger hunt.

Activities for children of every age will be offered.

Visitors are invited to walk the two-mile Quanassee Path, a paved trail which wraps along the Cherokee Cultural Center at Moss Library, the Spikbuck Mound, and the historic Quanassee town site.

Hayesville’s old jail museum, which sits adjacent to the Cherokee Homestead Exhibit, will be open during the event. Stop in to view local historical displays, artwork, and Cherokee artifacts.

The Cherokee Homestead Exhibit is located along Hwy. 64 Business, in downtown Hayesville.

For additional information, dial 828-389-3045 or visit cccra-nc.org