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About the Longfellow River Gorge Festival
The Longfellow River Gorge festival is one of LCC’s longest running annual events. Each fall we honor and celebrate the Mississippi River, its history, and its vital ongoing importance to humans and wildlife. The festival educates community about the River’s functions and ecology in a fun and approachable way focusing on restoration and conservation.
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Sunday, September 8, 2024
34th – 36th Streets along West River Parkway
12 to 4pm
Location information
34th Street: The Staircase – and path to the “Sand Flats” Longfellow Beach and boat load in. For the hearty adventurers amongst us.
35th Street: Main Gathering Space: Educational Tables, Water/Drink, Food (Ice Cream), Guided Tour Starting Point, and proposed: A “kids” activity area, an area for a microphone and small amplifier, and a special area at the small overlook that happens to have a great view of the river and gorge. All very accessible.
36th Street: Oak Savannah “Giggly Hills” – need to be able to walk nonpaved paths and a few hills.
2024 Event Details and Schedule
Sand Flats/ Beach
- 12-4pm: Wilderness Inquiry, canoe rides
- 12-4pm: Mpls Rowing Club, boat rides – TBD
- 12-4pm: National Park Service, rangers and history and interpretation
- 1pm (tentative): Geology of the Gorge walk and talk with Rebecca Clotts, University of St Thomas
Tabling/Education Area
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LCC Table (one at the headquarters, and one at the top of the stairs)
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Mississippi Watershed Management Organization
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Migizi – TBD
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Friends of the Mississippi River
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Adopt A Drain – TBD
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Elmer the Elm Tree and Mpls Forestry – TBD
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MN Pollution Control Agency – TBD
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Friends of Minnehaha Park – TBD
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Artists – TBD
Guided Nature Walks/ Tours (on nature paths to the Oak Savanna)
- Time TBD: Friends of the Mississippi River, Conservation Organization
- 12:30pm: Friends of the Mississippi River, Conservation and Oak Savanna Restoration
- 1pm: Ramona Stately, Santee Sioux Dahkota Nation, Writer/Educator/Artist
- 2pm: Rebecca Clotts, University of St Thomas, Geology of the Gorge
Friendly Green Stage (Main stage)
- 12pm: Opening Ceremony with possible Brazilian drum march/parade to the Stage
- 12:30-12:45pm: Kitto “Preview” and invite
- 1-1:50pm: Bass & Fife
- 2- 2:50pm: Brazilian Drumming – TBD
- 3- 4pm: Kitto, Stories, Spoken Word, Rap, and more
Oak Hill Stage
- 1-1:50pm: Brazilian Drumming – TBD
- 2- 2:50pm: Bass & Fife
Kids Area
- 12- 4pm: Ice Cream – TBD
- 12- 4pm: Face Painting – TBD
- 12- 4pm: Chalking of walking paths
- 12- 4pm: Children’s Activity Handout – event bingo or scavenger hunt, etc
- 2pm: Ramona Stately, kid and family read along with Q&A
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About the Artists
Ramona Kitto Stately is an enrolled member of the Santee Sioux Dakhóta Nation, holding a BA in Dakota Art and Culture with a minor in Business, and a Masters of Education with an emphasis on Teacher Leadership from Augsburg University. With a career spanning over 15 years directing Indian Education at Osseo Area Schools in Minnesota, she now assumes the role of Project Director for We Are Still Here Minnesota, focusing on actionable steps for narrative change.
She is the mother of two children, Jillian and Reuben, both citizens of Red Lake Nation. Ramona is not only a dedicated educator but also an accomplished beadwork artist, showcasing her work with moccasins on display at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Since 2016, she has served as the Chairperson of the Minnesota Indian Education Association.
Ramona is an integral part of the scholars’ team for the Minnesota Humanities Center’s Learning from Place: Bdote initiative since 2013. She is also the author of Pazahiyayewin’s (pah-Zah-hee-yah-yay-ween’s) Story of the Bdote, drawing inspiration from her Great-Great Grandmother’s survival during the genocidal tactics of the US Dakota War. Currently serving as the 2023 Indigenous Elder in Residence for Carleton College, Ramona has been recognized for her impactful contributions, receiving the 2021 Ron McKinley Award from Minnesota Education Equity Partnership and the McKnight Culture Bearers Award in March 2023. A 5 minute video sample of their work: https://vimeo.com/880290146
Reuben Kitto Stately is a Native artist, composer and rapper who performs under the name Kitto. He is a graduate of Augsburg University with a BA in American Indian Studies. a lifelong Dakhota Language learner and Beginning language teacher at Bdote Learning Center. He served as the youngest member of the Minnesota Indian Education Board of Directors since 2019. Reuben has been one of the leads on Learning From Place: Bdote since 2018 and is passionate about the connections of language and place. Find Reuben’s Music on Soundcloud. Reuben is currently training to work wiith Minneapolis
Thanks to LCC volunteer community organizers for making this event possible!
The Longfellow River Gorge Festival (formerly Share the River Gorge) is an annual events hosted and partially funded by the Longfellow Community Council. The event is organized by a dedicated group of neighborhood volunteers who are passionate about the River and our shared environment. It’s the work of community volunteers that has kept the River Gorge Festival going for over a decade, bringing free, educational, and fun environmental experiences to our neighborhoods.