Ocmulgee Indian Festival Preview

Macon is once again going back in time with the Ocmulgee Indian Celebration on Sept.16-17.

The celebration will take place at the Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon, showcasing Native American heritage, arts and culture as it has for 26 consecutive years.

According to Superintendent Jim David, over 300 native people will be performing at the celebration. The performers include dancers, storytellers and actors performing historic portrayals of Indian culture.

“They are all very talented,” David said about the performers.

The dance groups will be composed of people from various southeastern tribes. Flintknapping, the making of flaked or chipped stone tools, will also be demonstrated by pre-historic interpreters.

“Something new this year for visitors is that the Chief of the Muscogee Creek Nation will address the crowd Saturday morning,” David said.

The Visitors Center will also be open to the public, with over 2,000 artifacts and displays for them to see.

The park expects over 20,000 people to visit this highly anticipated celebration.

David said that the public will be able to get a look at all aspects of southeastern native culture.

Native food will also be available for purchase including roasted corn, buffalo burgers and ‘Indian Burgers.’

The Ocmulgee Indian Celebration is also highly rated online. According to reviews on the the popular travel/tourism website, Tripadvisor, the celebration has five stars.

For both days,  the park opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. The cost is $6 for ages 13 and older, $3 for children ages 6-12 and military members and children younger than five get in free. There are no student discounts.

Parking will be available at The Visitor's Center. The address of the Ocmulgee National Monument is 1207 Emery Hwy, Macon GA 31217.

For more information visit www.nps.gov/ocmu or their facebook page at www.facebook.com/ocmulgeenps.