FREEPORT — Native people from all over northwest Illinois will be coming together for a celebration of their culture on Saturday, June 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Freeport store Quiet Souls, along with The Muse on Cedar Creek, will be co-hosting the special event. Music, drums, storytelling, food, and Native American inspired vendors will be in attendance to share their crafts. There will be a drum making demonstration, and a presentation by Ho-Chunk elder Gerald Savage whose family is associated with the land surrounding Starved Rock State Park. 

Ojibwa elder Kim Sigafus, an Illinois Humanities Road Scholar, will be presenting on the history of Native Americans in Illinois. 

A native lodge will be set up, and tours will be offered of the inside.

The Native American Awareness Committee will also be in attendance, and they will be drumming and singing during the opening ceremony and teaching pow wow dancing. 

There will be a children’s crafting corner, where children and their parents can learn to make felt pouches and other native crafts.

Wonderful fry bread and other food will be available for purchase, and the public is encouraged to bring a blanket or chairs, and sit outside and listen to music.

The event is free to the public. For more information, call Quiet Souls at 815-616-8934 or The Muse on Cedar Creek at 779-994-6873. The event will be held at The Muse on Cedar Creek, located at 395 N Cedarville Rd, Freeport.