Free Annual Wild Rice Festival Coming Saturday to Roseville

The Friends of Roseville’s Harriet Alexander Nature Center (FORHANC), with the assistance of Northland Visions and the Pow Wow Grounds, will hold the 10th annual Wild Rice Festival this Saturday (Sept. 14)  at the Harriet Alexander Nature Center. 

The day-long event kicks off with a fundraising pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m.  Cost is $8 for adults and $5 for kids age 6 and younger. The menu will include your choice of wild rice or buttermilk/blueberry pancakes, wild rice sausages, maple syrup , dairy butter, milk or fruit juice, and coffee or tea.  

Afterwards, there will be a variety of lunch and snack foods for sale including two varieties of soup (wild rice and Four Sisters, which contains wild rice, corn, squash and beans), fry bread, fry bread tacos, prairie dogs (hot dogs wrapped in fry bread), wild rice/yogurt parfaits, sodas, lemonade and bottled water. 

Historical vignettes 

Meanwhile, activities during the day include the Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life offering two different historical vignettes: “Buffalo Nation” and “Jane and the Dakotah,” in the nature center’s amphitheater.  

There will also be replicas of representative artifacts of traditional Dakotah life set up in the picnic area by the parking lot.  Activities are scheduled to end at 4 p.m. 

(NOTE: Lakota George, the Native American flute player, was originally scheduled to play. However, he won't be able to attend now due to a family emergency.)

"With the help of volunteers, the Wild Rice Festival serves as a major fundraising endeavor by FORHANC to help provide exciting new projects and displays at the nature center," said Nancy Robbins, publicity committee volunteer. " There is no charge or the festival itself, but proceeds are collected from food and gift store sales, a silent auction and donations from visitors." 

For further details, click on to this Roseville Patch report. 

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Submitted by Nancy Robbins, Publicity committee vol