Those looking to experience and better understand different cultures are welcome to gather for “A Celebration of Custom and Culture,” held at the Saratoga Museum grounds Saturday.
The celebration is an all-day event on the museum grounds and pavilion. It starts at 9:45 a.m. with friends of the museum memorial. The names of Donald Erickson, Debbie Chastain and Ada Jackson will be added to the memorial garden.
Roy Pilcher, of Devils Tower, will be sculpting wood with a chainsaw. Pilcher began his chainsaw art career eight years ago, and his artistic expertise has grown from carving simple bears to creating a nine-foot replica of the Blind Lady Justice. He demonstrates his craft throughout the region and to a variety of interested groups, from children to adults.
Pilcher’s craft was demonstrated in detail when Bears & Company was featured on the Discovery Network’s Science Channel. During the summer, he can be found at his carving studio near Devils Tower, where tourists and locals alike stop to admire his work.
Chris “Chilly” Rollison will do a demonstration on how to identify tipi rings, and talk about the history and structure of the Wyoming tipi. He graduated from Black Hills University with a double major in history and American Indian studies. He is one of the first three men to receive a degree in American Indian studies at the university.
Before that, Black Hills University only offered American Indian studies as a minor. Rollison earned an Eagle feather, awarded by the Sioux tribe, and he wore it on his mortar board at graduation. He also worked with two professors and the Board of Regents to add American Indian studies as a major at Black Hills University. Rollison’s demonstration will include setting up a 14-foot Cheyenne style tipi and will explain the history of the construction of the tipi and the two major differences between a three-pole and four-pole tipi. He will also discuss the evolution of the tipi from the Lakota standpoint and archeological standpoint, and talk about the tipi rings that can be found in the Platte Valley.
Jessica Flock will demonstrate Dutch oven cooking, talk about the history and make dessert for the barbecue dinner. She was introduced to Dutch oven cooking 35 years ago when her mother and father joined a friend for a whitewater adventure on the Selway in Idaho, and fresh bread, Dutch oven potatoes and cherry cobbler were on the menu using a Dutch oven, an early 18th century cooking innovation. Flock was 6 years old at the time, and her parents’ experience led her to a lifetime of excitement, adventure and hundreds of Dutch oven meals. She has honed her skills during the past 32 years of camping and river-running throughout the West. Cinnamon coffee cake, lasagna, enchilada casserole and pizza dominate Flock’s current choices, and she explores the historical roots, current uses and meals associated with the Dutch oven. She has been a teacher at Cathedral Home and a young adult librarian. Flock’s interactive presentation takes place in conjunction with the Wyoming Council’s 2012-2013 Smithsonian exhibit tour about food, “Key Ingredients”. Her program Saturday is sponsored by the Wyoming Humanities Council.
The day will wind up with the colorful Flores de Colores dance troupe from Cheyenne, made up of girls ranging in age from 6 to 18, performing in the pavilion. Flores De Colores was founded in 2002 by Danelle Moyte-Fernandez, and encourages youth involvement in after-school community service while learning the history, footwork and language of Mexican folklore. As official Cinco De Mayo ambassadors for Cheyenne, Flores De Colores presents a wide variety of dance steps, as well as historical information, from various Mexican states including Chiapas, Chihuahua, Sinalao, Jalisco, Veracruz and Baja California Norte. The group, which also presents Mexican singers upon request, tailors its dances to the audience. Moyte-Fernandez invites opportunities to share this cultural history with schools, organizations, clubs, and at community events in surrounding cities and towns.
The event is sponsored by the Wyoming Arts Council, Carbon County Visitors Council, Wyoming Council for Humanities and the Saratoga Historical and Cultural Association. The day’s events are followed by a barbecue dinner.
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