Heritage days brings a 'country feel'

PORTER | Bright sunshine and mild breezes welcome visitors Saturday to Duneland Heritage Days at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

The annual fall festival celebrates the lifestyles of the area's diverse residents, from American Indians to the present day, who made the dunes their home over the centuries.

Park staff and volunteers treated event visitors to authentic music, traditional foods, and live demonstrations -- such as butter, sorghum, and honey making -- at the Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm sites.

Barb Barton, of Lansing, Mich., demonstrated the Native American process of preparing wild rice at the "rice camp" at Bailly Homestead.

After "parching" the rice in a kettle over a wood fire, volunteers donned moccasins and "danced" on the rice in a small pit to remove the grain from the hull just before cleaning.

"Elders and children would sit around the table and pick out the ones that haven't separated from the hull," said Barton. "That's when there was all kinds of sharing and stories."

Aarafa Payne, of Chicago, took time from performing with the Drum Divas, a women's percussion band, to watch the process and enjoy the festival's activities.

"It is absolutely wonderful," said Payne, of the event. "If there's ever a time to come out and enjoy nature, this is it."

Park Ranger Bruce Rowe said the staff was delighted with the mild fall weather.

"We were breathing a sigh of relief there was no rain," Rowe said. "The turnout is definitely good. It's nice and steady."

Guillermo Alvarez and Blanca Uribe, of Chicago, were hiking in the dunes when they "stumbled" upon the event after hearing music through the trees.

"We were thrilled to see this," Alvarez said. "We didn't know this was such a hidden treasure."

Debbie Grah and Audi Gutauskas, of Palos Hills, Ill., relaxed at a picnic table while listening to the Celtic tunes of musical group Trillium at the Chellberg Farm outdoor stage.

The couple found the festival a calm antidote to a hectic morning at The Wizard of Oz festival in Chesterton.

"It's pleasant and very laid back," said Grah. "I like the country feel."

Duneland Heritage Days continues today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.