Green Corn Festival Canceled for 2011, Resume for 2012

News Release January 16, 2011


Annual Green Corn Festival in Bland, VA Canceled for 2011, Resumed for 2012

Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum in Bastian, Virginia has decided to cancel the All Nations Green Corn Festival for 2011 in order to focus on village reconstruction and museum improvements. Sam Wright, General Manager of WCIV states, “ We are focusing all our resources on the rebuild of the replica of the 500 year old Indian village that once existed here. We are also working to obtain funding to enhance the trails, and increase parking. Our plans are to resume the festival for 2012.”
Denise Smith, Museum Programs Coordinator, stated, “I think this is a good move to postpone the festival to next year, so we can focus on rebuilding the entire village. Our thoughts for the future are to rebuild the village and get more parking here so we can hold events such as the All Nations Green Corn Festival at the sight of a recreated 500 year old First Nation's village. It would be an awesome development to have American Indians dancing with drums here at the village for the Green Corn Festival. It is their history.”


There are several festival events scheduled in the region for 2011 that the Green Corn Dancers, and vendors may be found attending. A representative of Wolf Creek Indian Village will attend the Strong Sun Powwow July 8-10, 2011 in Winston-Salem, N.C. and Drums of Painted Mountain Powwow September 16-18, 2011 at Southwest Virginia Community College in Cedar Bluff, VA. Information links will be posted at http://www.indianvillage.org/.


In addition to the village reconstruction, museum staff are busy developing new exhibits in the museum and also programs to benefit the local community. An exhibit for the 150th Sesquicentennial of Bland County will focus on Native Americans and their part in the Civil War.

April 2nd 2011, is our opening for the season. We have a Blessing Ceremony and an open house for the museum plus a 5k run in the works.


“Selu's Garden” is a new program to benefit the local community that will donate excess produce from the gardens at Wolf Creek to the Bland Ministry Center's food program. “We use non-hybrid seed just as the First people did and this produce, if you want to save the seed, you can and grow it again next year. There will be instructions with the produce on how to do that for those that receive it. Even if you don't plant a garden you can grow produce in a pot.” explains Denise Smith. The museum is also looking to develop after school programs in the future for the community.