Native American event planned in Lima

Van Wert independent/contributor content

LIMA — The third annual Lima “Honoring our Native Heritage” Powwow will be held February 18-19 at the United Auto Workers Hall, 1440 Bellefontaine Ave. in Lima.  The doors open at 11 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday.  Grand entry will be at 1 and 6 p.m. on Saturday and at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The UAW Hall is off Ohio 309, at the 309, 117, and Kibby Street intersection.  Bellefontaine Avenue runs behind the Shell service station. Coming off I-75 it is Exit 125 from the south and 125B from the north.  The UAW Hall number is 419.224.6791.

Co-host drums for the powwow are Sky Hawk and Eagle Boy.  Head dancers are Tim Samaniego and Angela Allen.  Brian Darst is the announcer and head veteran. Arena director is Aaron Stevens

As a special treat there will be a hoop dancer dancing to the beat of the music with several hoops at the same time. The dancer, Peterson Chiquito, was born and raised in New Mexico and is of Navajo and Apache descent. He started hoop dancing at the age of 10 with five hoops and just keeps adding more.  After moving to New York at age 18, Peterson started performing and teaching young people how to dance. Now living in the Columbus area with his wife and children, he continues to perform and teach whenever possible, mostly in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

Chiquito had the privilege to work with Daystar Jones and the Daystar Jones Dance Company at Denison University’s Native American Culture Dance Program.

Bud Eagle Wolf will provide Indian flute music at 12:30 each afternoon and during intermission. An auction will be held on Saturday.

There will be vendors from several states in the United States, Canada, and South America with their offerings of many varieties of handmade Native American merchandise. They will have everything from beads and craft supplies, fur and leather clothing to tomahawks and bow and arrows, turquoise jewelry, and artwork.

Of course, there will be Indian frybread and Indian tacos, buffalo burgers, Shawnee dogs, corn soup, nachos/cheese, fried dill pickles and more to warm the stomach and satisfy the hunger pangs.

The admission fee is $5 for adults, $3 for those over 62 and children between the ages of 6 and 12.  Those under 6 and over 90 are free.

A powwow is spiritual, exciting, entertaining, beautiful and educational, all in one, under one roof — a moving experience area residents won’t want to miss!  Come feel the heartbeat of the drum and learn more about native ways. The public will be invited to participate in many of the dances, and don’t miss the candy dance for the youngsters!

For more information, contact Phyllis Davis at 419.203.0377 or padavis39@embarqmail.com, Terri Brewster at 419.648.9230 or dancing_fawn@watchtv.net or Jackie Musto at 419.604.3605 or ruthiej60@yahoo.com.