2019 Kanatsiohareke Strawberry Festival June 29th & June 30th, 10:00am
The community of Kanatsiohareke would like to send a great big Nia:wenko:wa to all the family, friends, supporters, volunteers, vendors, and visitors who helped make the 23rd annual Strawberry Festival another huge success!
And a special thanks goes out to Theresa "Bear" Fox, who did a fantastic job coordinating and managing the performance stage events! Ioianere!!!!
Tom Porter with Blanket made by Billy Myers
PAST ANNUAL STRAWBERRY FESTIVALS
The 2011 Kanatsiohareke Strawberry Festival was held on June 25th and 26th, and the community and Board of Directors of Kanatsiohareke would like to acknowledge the many dedicated volunteers who have continued to come from far and near to help prepare and, assist during the event. Niawenkowa to all of you for helping to make this a successful fundraising event.
We would like to acknowledge the performing artists who generously donated their time and talents to assist with providing a wonderful program and making this an enjoyable & memorable event. This year Kanatsiohareke presented: Darryl Tonemah, traditional Abenaki music & storytelling with Joseph & Jesse Bruchac, traditional Haudenosaunee storytelling with Kay Olan, Spider Nick & The Maddogs, Crow, Harold Ford, the Akwesasne Women Singers, Kindig Sindaw presented by Lotus Music & Dance, Traditional singer Kenny Perkins and the traditional dancers who made the long trip here to offer their support. Additionally, we gratefully acknowledge the efforts of George Davis (Unkechaug) who made possible the addition of Aztec Dancers who did a wonderful presentation; as did the Thunder Bear Drum - all of you made this years' event one that had something for everyone. Niawenkowa to all of you for being there and joining us in once again, making it all possible in support of the mission of Kanatsiohareke. We want to also send our love and prayers to John Sardella (Gypsy Red) who along with Cherie have been an important part of Kanatsiohareke for many years. John suffered a sudden illness just before the 2011 festival and he & Cherie were greatly missed at this years Festival. It is our hope that he has a full & speedy recovery.
We would also like to acknowledge the many fine quality arts and crafts vendors who have participated in this event and making available such a wide variety of reasonably priced, handmade items in addition to their generous donations toward our Silent Auction.
Finally, we send our greetings, love and thankfulness to the people that donated many fine quality arts and crafts toward our Silent Auction. A special thanks goes out to Lesley Forrester & Flora Colao who came long distances, respectively, to assist with that part of the program. Niawenkowa to both of you for a job well done.
We look forward to working with all of you again.
Darryl Tonemah
Tom Porter & Aztec Dancers
L-R: Nick Martielli, US Congressman Paul Tonko, George Davis
Our 2010 Annual Strawberry Festival which took place in June was a great success this year and we have many, many people to thank for the wonderful assistance they so selflessly gave in a collective effort to support Kanatsiohareke. Niawenkowa to all of our volunteers who work so hard to put together an event that we all look forward to every year. Our sincerest gratitude also goes out to the quality vendors who come each year with beautiful handmade crafts as well as demonstrations. This year we were fortunate to have a sound system that was Solar Powered! We hope to have this environmentally friendly & cost saving concept in the coming years as well and we want to thank John & Cheri Sardella of Gypsy Red for introducing us to Crow; what a great system!
Finally, a HUGE Niawenkowa for the generosity and talent donated by this years performers, Tiokasin Ghosthorse & Matou which included Soni Moreno (Ulali), Gypsy Red, Akwesasne Women Singers, Nick Martinelli, Karen Capuder, Hennes Porter, Kenny Perkins, Crow, Kay Olan, Bear Fox, Lotus Music & Dance, Kindig Sindaw, Tami Mitchell. Some are pictured below and we hope to expand on this library as time goes on. We would also like to say a special thank you to Ken DeLong of Gloversville, NY, who provided most of the photos below. More in-depth information & photos will be published in our 2010 Kanatsiohareke Newsletter which will be posted upon completion. Please check our Calendar page for the dates of our 2011 annual festival as well as all upcoming events.
Thank you for your continued interest and support for Kanatsiohareke.
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Our heartfelt love and thanks to the following performing artists who donated their time and talent to our 16th Annual Summer Festival that took place on June 27 & 28th, 2009:
Roy "Poncho" Hurd, Eddie Lawrence & Kim, Gypsy Red, Darryl Tonemah, Lotus Music & Dance - Kindig Sindaw, the Akwesasne Women Singers, Tiokasin Ghosthorse and Matou, Matoaka Eagle, Traditional Storytelling with Kay Olan & Dennis Yerry, Kakaionsta Brisbois for her unique comedy routine, Donnie Brisbois for his exceptional guitar solo, Karen Capuder, Donna Olson.
Our thanks to Al George & all of the Traditional Singers & Dancers for making our festival a unique experience for everyone. Our thanks to Bob Vetter for sharing his knowledge of traditional games.
A special thanks to all of our dedicated volunteers who come each year to assist with everything from preparation to clean up. Without you, this major fundraiser would not be the success that it is each year. Niawenkowa to all. See you next year!
2008 Kanatsiohareke Festival
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Grace Nono & Tom Porter
Dear Tom, Greetings, elder brother. My fellowship with the Asian Cultural Council is finally coming to an end. In few days, I shall be returning to my land and people in the Philippines.* In the five-month journey that I had been traveling around the US, the short time I spent at Kanatsiohareke was one of the major highlights and inspirations, and for that, I am deeply thankful. I hope that one day, you can come and visit our shores so we can share our stories and insights about our lives and continuing work. You may also want to know that I also visited the Institute of American Indian Arts IAIA in Santa Fe where Iattended classes, talked to teachers and students. I also visited pueblos and sacred sites and attended the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque. That, too, was an amazing experience. Once again, I thank you, Tom, for your time and generosity of spirit. I wish you, your family and community, health, peace and continuing success in your work. May the Creator and guiding spirits walk with us always— Grace Nono gracenono.com * I was born and raised in Agusan del Sur, in northeastern Mindanao, southern Philippines. My mother's ancestral land is Camiguin island in northern Mindanao, and my father's is Nueva Ecija in Luzon. Colonization, which deeply divided our people made us believe that we are not indigenous (by virtue of religion? western education? etc.) In the process, we have also become alienated from our own traditions, and brothers and sisters. Now we are embarking on the journey of reclaiming our deepest identity and roots, and in the process, come into solidarity with our brothers and sisters from all the other islands.
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Our 14th Annual Festival took place from June 30-July 1, 2007, and it turned out to be a beautiful weekend. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. Many people joined us to share in the unique culture and spirit that is Kanatsiohareke, and we would like to take this opportunity to extend our greetings and our love to our many friends, supporters and volunteers that helped with the preparations for this major fundraising event - Niawenko:wa (Many Thanks)
Our 2007 event featured so many wonderful performers & artists and we would like to take this opportunity to extend our thanks and our love to Gypsy Red, Darryl Tonemah, Lotus Music & Dance, The Dirty Blues Project, , The Akwesasne Women Singers, all of the Traditional Singers & Dancers, and the volunteers who put so much of their time and effort to ensure a smooth operation for both days.
Niawenkowa to all of the wonderful people who come to support the Kanatsiohareke Annual Festival event each and every year.
This major event is held on the last weekend in June of each year. See you in 2008!
Onenkiwahe
We wish to take this opportunity to send our warmest regards to Syracuse University, and Candice Kranitz for her time, effort and dedication to the community of Kanatsiohareke in securing a grant for the 2007 Kanatsiohareke Annual Festival.
We also gratefully acknowledge the Rosamond Gifford Foundation for their support without which this important annual event may not have been realized ~ Niawenkowa, Ahkwekon
The 2007 Annual Festival was made possible in part by a grant from the Rosamond Gifford Foundation, Niawenkowa
Kanatsiohareke, Inc is a non-profit 501c 3 organization. Donations are always welcome and, are tax deductible as permitted by law. Niawenkowa for your interest and support.
