JANUARY 9, 2013
Native American Art and Culture to be celebrated at 2nd Annual Carefree Indian Market and Cultural Festival
CAREFREE – The town of Carefree will be treated to award-winning Native American art, music and dance as Magic Bird Festivals presents the Carefree Indian Market and Cultural Festival.
The three-day Indian cultural festival takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday – Sunday, Jan. 25-27, 2013, at Carefree Desert Gardens, 101 Easy Street in downtown Carefree. There will be live music, dance performances and other cultural entertainment that will begin at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., daily.
World champion hoop dancers Brian Hammill and Moontee Sinquah (l) are scheduled to perform in the lineup that also includes fancy dancers Allen Roy Paquin and flute player Alex Maldonado accompanied by his son Nick on drums, and daughter Melissa Maldonado as they perform on their own hand-crafted instruments. The events and entertainment will be made possible with the support of Sanderson Lincoln.
Set amid the Carefree’s four-acre cactus-filled botanical gardens, adjacent to the town’s world-famous Carefree Sundial, the second annual cultural festival will feature live hoop dancing, fancy dancing and musical performances, along with Native American arts and crafts made by tribal member artisans from throughout the country.
All Exhibitors at the Carefree Indian Market & Cultural Festival are recognized under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 to ensure authenticity, quality and collectability. All artists are members of federally or officially state-recognized tribes or are certified as Indian artisans by the governing body of an Indian tribe as non-member Indian Artisans.
Admission to the event is free to the public. A specialty food market will provide Native American and festival favorites such as Indian-made fry bread with the full variety of toppings, Indian home-baked delicacies, plus a full offering of typical fair and festival treats.
Tribes from throughout the country will be represented at the juried exhibit and sale which features arts and crafts including jewelry, pottery, baskets, carved stone fetishes, woven rugs, paintings, sculpture, bead work, Kachina dolls, clothing, drums, flutes and more.
Artists and performers include:
• Alex and Nick Maldonado – Pasqua Yaqui
• Moontee, Scott and Samson Sinquah – Hope Tewa
• Allen Roy Paquin – Jicarilla Apache and Zuni
• Brian Hammill – Ho Chunk Nation
For more information about the festival, please visit magicbirdfestivals.com.
Photo by Jerry Williamson
