Contact: Ricky Rodriguez, TMP, CTTP
Wilson County Convention & Visitors Bureau
615-453-9655  phone  615-444-3757  fax
www.visitwilsoncounty.com

Annual Mt. Juliet Pow Wow Celebrates Native American Culture

Mt. Juliet, TN, September 2, 2009 –  The public is invited to celebrate Native American culture at the 28th annual Mt. Juliet Pow Wow on September 26-27. The Pow Wow will be held at Charlie Daniels Park at 1038 Charlie Daniels Parkway in Mt. Juliet.The gates to the park will open at 10:30 am both days. Official opening ceremonies for the Pow Wow will take place on September 26 at 11:45 am. There will be Native American food, arts and crafts, music and dancing, as well as a silversmith on site. Over $11,000 in prize money will be awarded for drum and dance contests.  Admission is free for children five and under, $4 for ages six to 12, and $7 for everyone 13 or older. Everyone attending is encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

The first event is the fifth annual Commemorative “Trail of Tears” walk. The one-mile walk will begin at 8 am on Saturday, September 26. Participants will start at Cedar Ridge Church, located at 7104 Lebanon Rd. in Mt. Juliet, and end at Cook’s United Methodist Church.  There will then be a service followed by a free breakfast at Cook’s for everyone who participates in the walk.

The commemorative walk was created to recognize the hardships suffered by the Five Tribes of the Southeast (Muscogee Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole) who walked their “Trail of Tears” to Oklahoma Indian Territory after the Indian Removal Act was enacted by President Andrew Jackson. The walk is sponsored by Cook’s United Methodist Church, Mt. Juliet Pow Wow and the Native American Gatherer’s Fellowship. For more information, call Melba Checote-Eads at (615) 765-5854.

The Pow Wow has added meaning this year, as Governor Phil Bredesen has signed a bill by the legislature designating September as “American Indian Heritage Month” in Tennessee. The bill recognizes Native Americans, as descendants of the original inhabitants of the United States, for their military service and for their contributions to society in many different fields. It also encourages all Tennesseans to observe the month “with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities, including activities relating to the culture, traditions and languages of Native Americans.”State and local dignitaries are expected to attend the ceremonies, as well as, Alfred Berryhill, the Second Chief of the Muscogee Creek Nation in Oklahoma.  For information on the Mt. Juliet Pow Wow, visit www.mtjulietpowow.com, contact Cindy Yahola at (615) 443-1537, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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