Organizers of the second annual Bluff Founders Day and Frybread Festival plan a full plate of family entertainment, cultural celebrations and a parade for the weekend.
The event, which begins Friday in Bluff, Utah, commemorates the arrival of Mormon pioneers on April 6, 1880, but also will celebrate the area’s Native American heritage, featuring representatives from the Navajo and White Mesa Ute tribes.
Founders Day activities begin on Friday at Bluff Fort. Descendants of the 16 pioneer families will make Bluff Fort their home base for a reunion and will give out ribbons coded by color to represent the diversity among the Mormon families.
A “Taste of Dutch Oven Cooking” takes place in the afternoon, along with demonstrations on blacksmithing and rag rug weaving. Storytellers, led by local historian Robert S. McPherson, will talk about archaeology, the pioneers and the frontier lore, and Bluff Fort will host square dancing on Friday night.
Events on Saturday kick off with a parade at 10 a.m. that is expected to include costumed marchers, family and tribal floats, Native American princesses, horses and musical groups.
It will be followed by a Ute Bear Dance, including dance lessons, at Twin Rocks Trading Post at noon. The Blue Mountain Navajo Unity Program will provide entertainment and education at the Bluff Community Center.
Throughout Saturday, volunteers will conduct free horse-drawn hayride tours of historic Bluff, and docents around town will give brief descriptions of landmarks along the way. A student art show and sale of work from the San Juan County School District will be held at the fort, and tours of nearby St. Christopher Mission will be offered.
In the afternoon, many activities will shift to Twin Rocks, where Navajo artists will conduct demonstrations of basket weaving in the Trading Post. The Frybread Festival will feature an outdoor frybread bar serving Navajo tacos or deserts.
For more information, call Bluff Fort at (435) 672-9995.
