On Sunday, July 27 from noon to 4 p.m., International Friendship Gardens will present its annual free event highlighting the historical Potawatomi natives of this area. A Native American will start the fire at noon in a traditional manner. This fire will cook squirrel, some bison tongue and jerky, and garden grown squash and beans seasoned with herbs and maple sugar.
There will be demonstrations of flintknapping, corn grinding, gardening techniques, trapping and others. Some presentations about gardening and trapping begin at 1 p.m. Come and help celebrate these early woodland natives. Parents are especially urged to bring their children to see the events and try Native American craft projects. Dogs are welcome if on leash and sociable.
Visitors can enjoy tours of the gardens Jude has established using heritage seeds from the 1820’s. “The Pottawatomi Indians had hundreds of acres under cultivation up in the St. Joseph, Michigan, area where they were based, long before European contact. Our gardens are a small version of what they did.”
This is one of several community education events held each year at Friendship Gardens. The usual $4 admission fee is waived, so this is a free event. The Gardens are located in Michigan City at 2055 U.S. Highway 12, just east of Liberty Trail. For more information, call the office at 219-878-9885.