The Cascade Geographic Society is holding their twenty-third annual Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom, & Bigfoot Festival on October 4th (Saturday), from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and October 5th (Sunday), from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The location of this family-oriented Festival is Mt. Hood Village, 65000 East U.S. Highway 26 near the Village of Welches snuggled in the foothills of beautiful Mount Hood situated in the Cascade Mountain Range of Oregon.
The Autumn season can definitely be a time of rain which benefits both the mushrooms and the salmon. But, Fall showers will have little impact on the festivities because the majority of the annual Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom, & Bigfoot Festival will be held indoors, with the remainder beneath shelters and two large tents, so weather conditions will not be a dependent factor in whether the festivities take place.
Craft vendors will be offering their unique wares each day; from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday. This is the perfect place to pick up special items hand-crafted by local artisans, and to begin (and perhaps complete) your holiday shopping!
A special attraction at the 2014 Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival will be the Quartz Creek Dance Group from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. This group is comprised of the extended family of Sandra Greene, a familiar individual who has been cooking salmon for many years at annual festivals and events sponsored by the Cascade Geographic Society. They will begin their performance in the courtyard beginning at Noon on Saturday, October 4th, and will feature traditional dances and songs by Native People wearing traditional regalia.
The Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival is definitely the place to come to escape the unpredictable Autumn weather, to have a good time, and to listen to some great original Folk, Pop, Light Rock, and Blues music performed by some incredible singer-songwriters from the Portland Metropolitan Area. This includes Wayne Richards & Southern Nights with their special sound that features New Folk that dovetails into Country, Pop, and Americana in a whole new way of entertainment; singer-songwriter Brian Harrison with his original and special Americana tunes that will captivate your heart and soul; the unique foot-stomping, heart-pounding sounds of the impressive Lumberjack with their Vagabond Folk music created with a guitar, standup bass, and suitcase drum; and the original Country Blues of banjo-picker Sly David.
To add to this special sound of Autumn will be some very talented Native flute players like Foster Kalama and Spirit Wind, comprised of flute-players who come from Warm Springs, the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range, and seemingly every place in between. Beautiful and haunting, these traditional songs honor the past, while still making it relevant for today.
The Mount Hood Salmon,Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival celebrates our rich bounty of Nature. This annual event features exhibits on Wild Salmon, Wild Mushrooms, and other natural resources for their historical and contemporary uses. In addition, on hand will be experts from the Oregon Mycological Society to help identify Wild Mushrooms and discuss the preservation of habitats for this important natural resource and wild food. And, added to the festivities are educational presentations on the elusive Bigfoot of the Pacific Northwest.
Food, as always, will be a critical feature at the Mount Hood Salmon,Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival. There will definitely be plenty of opportunities for the public to sample some wild foods and other Festival foods at their very best. This includes lunch and dinner.
As always, a well-established tradition at the Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival will be a Native American salmon bake. The public can purchase a salmon dinner and Indian fry bread from very talented traditional Native salmon cooks from Warm Springs, from noon to 6:00 p.m. or until sold out.
These same Native cooks will also have some of the typical standby Festival foods available, such as hamburgers and hotdogs, french fries, and much more. In addition, they will also have items made with Indian fry bread such as Indian Tacos, Rez Dogs, and fry bread burgers. Indeed, the Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival is the place to come to sample something different for a festival goers palette.
The activities of the Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival are suitable for the entire family; they include Native American dancing and drumming, Native American storytelling, a“Scarecrow-Making Contest,”a “Scarecrow Fashion Show,”arts and craft booths, Native American flute music, folk and contemporary music, books on history and Nature, Salmon habitat walks, and Mushroom identification and safety, as well as information on the Northwest's Salmon and Wild Mushrooms.
A major feature at the Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival will be a number of educational presentations that have become known as known as a“Sasquatch Talk” and have proved to
be very popular. The presenters are not only knowledgable about this elusive beast, but some have had encounters and will be talking about their personal experiences.
“Due to demand from people wanting to know more about what the Native people of the Pacific Northwest often referred to as the Wild People, we had to add even more presentations about these elusive legendary creatures of the Pacific Northwest,”according to Michael P. Jones, a Mount Hood and Pacific Northwest historian, folklorist, and storyteller. “As the interests on these legendary creatures continued to grow, talks about Sasquatch or Bigfoot were a natural addition to this Festival that had long featured only salmon and mushrooms.
These elusive creatures that have become known to non-Native people as the‘Sasquatch’or‘Bigfoot,’ have long occupied the oral traditions of Native Americans. Since time immemorial, stories about these hairy, big-footed creatures have been told and retold throughout time from one generation to the next.
Although the stories of these creatures have been firmly planted in the myths and legends of Native people that date back thousands of years, some of the presentations will be focusing on the scientific investigations that are associated with the Bigfoot. In addition, the current controversies about the Sasquatch will also be discussed, like reportedly being the missing link to modern humans, to killing a Bigfoot for the purpose of scientific research.”
On Saturday evening, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., will be the “Concert for Sasquatch” along with a “Concert for Mount Hood Sacred Lands.” Foster Kalama, a Native Flute player from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, will feature traditional songs dedicated to these hairy creatures who are said to walk upright like humans and can be found in the traditional huckleberry fields.
A traditional Native flute player, Foster is one of the few people who plays a double flute. He has performed his music throughout the Northwest and beyond. He has even performed in Germany.
Joining Foster on stage will be Spirit Winds. This is a group of Native Flute players, comprised of family and friends, who not only perform traditional music, but are also working to keep it alive by passing it on to future generations.
A bonus feature to the 2014 Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival will be Bigfoot At Large. This hairy creature will be available for photographs, grunt-like conversations, and is an ideal creature to have around the festivities.
The Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival allows people of all ages the opportunity to spend the day listening to some incredible original music for free. On the "Great Northwest Music" stage, there will be some of the best original Folk music around as the featured entertainment. A number of singer-songwriters from the Portland Metropolitan Area, associated with the Portland Songwriters Association, will be performing from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, and will be selling their CD's during that time.
Special“Salmon Habitat Walks” will take place on both Saturday and Sunday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. A naturalist will lead people on an educational and fun excursion along the Salmon River to learn about the natural environmental elements needed for Wild Salmon. There is no cost to participate.
Native American storytelling will take place several times on both Saturday and Sunday. Storyteller Michael P. Jones will share traditional Northwest Indian myths and legends about Coyote, Raven, Wolf, the Wild People, and other creatures. He will be accompanied by the impressive and talented flutist Cyndi Hubb.
Also featured at the Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival will be what is now a long-standing tradition --- our ever- popular, freshly-made Wild Huckleberry Milkshakes. Rain or shine, these tempting desserts have proven to be best sellers.
Under a unique label of the Cascade Geographic Society, there will be some very unique foods for sale, such as Huckleberry Jam, Huckleberry Syrup, Huckleberry Sauce,
Huckleberry Vinaigrette, with all labels featuring a beautiful photograph of a close-up of Wild Huckleberries in a Native American basket with a tipi in the background. All of these products have proven themselves to be popular and will be available at the Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom, & Bigfoot Festival.
Due to the emphasis on food at the Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival, uniquely-flavored mustards will also be featured. On the label of the Cascade Geographic Society this will include "Mount Hood Herb & Garlic Dijon," "Cascade Extra Hot & Sweet Habanero," "Waterfall Orange & Ginger Honey," and "Sandy River Honey Hot-Sweet," which are ideal for sandwiches and for cooking, whether you broil, bake, or barbecue.
With the coming of the Autumn season and cooler temperatures, there is also a special hot drink that is made of Huckleberry that will be available at the Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival. This is our own special blend of Huckleberry Coffee, which is gaining in popularity as it is discovered by more and more people looking for something uniquely different with a wild-natural taste.
Huckleberry Coffee under the label of the Cascade Geographic Society has become steadily growing in popularity as specialty item. People attending the Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival will be able to sample what has become a great hot brew for not only this Autumn gathering and for special occasions, but also for everyday use.
Each year in the Pacific Northwest, people are made ill or even die from eating non-edible and poisonous Wild Mushrooms. As a direct result, a major emphasis of the Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival will be on Mushroom safety. As in past years, knowledgeable volunteers of the Oregon Mycological Society will be on hand to answer the ever-increasing array of questions from the public.
Once again, this year's Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival will have a large tent for arts and crafts vendors, in addition to those stationed indoors with the music, and special exhibits. With these facilities available, rain will have a difficult time dampening the spirits of this special Indian Summer gathering
The Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival is the place to be if you want a delicious Native American salmon bake, fresh and dried Wild Mushrooms, good 'ol down-home music, cookbooks featuring delicious and very unique and creative Salmon and Mushroom dishes, arts and crafts featuring natural resources from the Pacific Northwest, photographic displays, educational exhibits, and much more.
The Year 2014 marks the Twenty-Third year of Cascade Geographic Society's special Autumn celebration that is now known as the Mount Hood Salmon, Mushroom,& Bigfoot Festival, which calls attention to the rich heritage of our natural resources and that elusive hairy creature that has been featured in Native American oral history from time immemorial. For further information, contact the Society at (503) 622–4798; email us at cgsmthood@onemain.com; or, please write us at: Post Office Box 398, Rhododendron, Oregon 97049. And, be sure to check out our website for any updates or changes at: cascadegeographicsociety.com.