Community members, artists and authors are invited to gather together Sunday morning to celebrate the Wakarusa Wetlands, an area deeply tied to Indigenous history in Lawrence and home to a variety of animal species and nature.
The celebration will begin at 9 and conclude at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 10. It will start at the Medicine Wheel Earthwork, which is land artwork created by artist Stan Herd, located south of Haskell Indian Nations University’s campus buildings.
Dr. Daniel Wildcat, a Yuchi Member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, professor and scholar, will first lead a special land and people recognition.
Artists and authors will then share their creative work and personal connections to the wetlands, “enhancing our connections to nature” and giving “a sense of place and community,” according to the Facebook event page.
Featured artists and authors include Wildcat, author; Ron Brave (Lakota), singer; Mona Cliff (Aaniiih/Nakota Nations Gros Ventre Tribe), artist; Jimmy Beason (Osage Nation), author; Dr. Julia Good Fox (Pawnee), Haskell president and author; David Titterington, adjunct art instructor at Haskell; Trevor Guinn (Cherokee), artist; Huascar Medina, Kansas Poet Laureate; Ronda Miller, poet; Dave Loewenstein, artist and author; Jill Mickel, artist; and Ken Lassman, naturalist, author and Kaw Valley Almanac creator.
Lawrence Public Library has partnered with Haskell and Raven Book Store to host this celebration. Since the event is outside, organizers encourage attendees to bring a lawn chair or blanket as well as a reusable water bottle to minimize plastic use.
Organizers also suggest attendees plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early to ensure time to travel from the side of Perimeter Road, where people are asked to park, to the meeting area. If needed, a land rover will be available for travel assistance over the gravel road, according to the Lawrence Public Library event page.
Haskell is located at 155 E. Indian Ave. in Lawrence. Visit this link for detailed directions on how to get to the Medicine Wheel Earthwork and where to park. A general map of the campus can be accessed using this link.
If inclement weather occurs, the event will be postponed to a later date, according to the Lawrence Public Library event page.
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