The Friends of Roseville’s Harriet Alexander Nature Center (FORHANC) present the 9th annual Wild Rice Festival. With sponsorship in part by Half Price Books and North American Banking, this family-friendly celebration of wild rice, Native American culture, and Minnesota’s fall season is free of admission charge, on the grounds of the nature center. The event begins with a fundraising pancake breakfast (8-11 am) featuring delicious wild rice sausages, wild rice pancakes and real maple syrup. Adults are $7, kids five and under, $5. New this year: On site all day will be food trucks, featuring Roseville’s own Messy Giuseppe, and the Pow Wow Grounds will be selling wild rice soup, fry bread, Indian tacos and more!
There will be informative exhibits, entertainment, demonstrations and activities, all free, beginning at 9:00 a.m.; all activities continue until the event closes at 4:00 p.m. Planned entertainment will include dancing and drumming by the Little Thunderbird Singers and the folks from the Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life will set up their big teepee for all sorts of fun activities along with a number of presentations in our amphitheater. There will be demonstrations including traditional wild ricing, and our resident bee expert will harvest honey from the HANC hives, honey which you can purchase (while supplies last). Everyone will want to take a turn at the cider press machine and kids will want to try out the games. At the Home Depot Kids Workshop kids can build something to take home. There will also be a silent auction, the FORHANC Store (selling the honey, hot pepper jelly, wild rice, and maple syrup) and much more!
Proceeds support the nature center, part of the Roseville Parks and Recreation Department, and its mission of environmental education and outdoor recreation.
