Woodland Indians Forum

Celebrate Spring’s Arrival in Cherokee

March 5, 2010
By Scott

Two Savory Mountain Delicacies, a Parade and Ceremony to Honor Vietnam Veterans and the Opening of Trout Season

SUBMITTED By JENNIFER McLUCAS

THE GOSS AGENCY


Mountain trout and wild ramps take center stage as the annual Ramp It Up! Festival on Saturday, March 27 at 10:00 a.m. at the Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds, and you’re invited to a truly local feast. Hosted by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the public is invited to celebrate a time-honored Cherokee tradition that rejoices in spring’s arrival and with it, the season’s first green – the ramp. A unique cultural and culinary experience, the one-day festival serves up a delicious feast of succulent smoked trout, fried potatoes, corn bread and of course ramps!

Locals and visitors to Cherokee have one of the best vantage points at the fairgrounds from where to watch the Second Annual Vietnam Veterans Parade & Ceremony 2010, also on March 27. The parade rolls out of the Cherokee Bear Zoo at the traffic light at 9:30 a.m. and will wind its way through the town of Cherokee along Hwy. 441N, Tsa-La-Gi Road where it ends at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. A very special celebration of Vietnam Veterans will take place at 1 p.m. after the Ramp It Up! Festival at the Fair Grounds.

Recognized by the Southeast Tourism Society as a Top 20 event in 2009, Ramp It Up! features the 7th Annual Chief’s Horseshoe Tournament and Honor the Elders Day as older members of the Eastern Band are recognized. The festival coincides with the opening of trout season in North Carolina and is exclusive to the Cherokee Enterprise Waters that boast more than 30 miles of clear, stocked streams and three easily accessed ponds. Elsewhere in North Carolina, trout season begins April 1.

Go ahead, eat a ramp! Ramps are also known as wild leeks and have a lovely onion garlic-like aroma. Native to the Appalachian region, ramps grow in patches in rich, moist, deciduous forests as far north as Canada, west to Missouri and Minnesota, and south to North Carolina and Tennessee. As one of the first plants to emerge in the spring, ramps were traditionally consumed as the year’s first “greens.”

Traditionally ramps were considered a tonic because they provided necessary vitamins and minerals following long winter months without access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Most often prepared with sliced potatoes or scrambled eggs, ramps are also used in soup and hamburgers. They can also be pickled or dried for use later in the year.


Ramp It Up! Festival Schedule of Events

Free Admission

* Gates open at 10 a.m.
* $10 meal includes trout, ramps, cornbread, fried potatoes, dessert & drink
* Vietnam Veterans Ceremony starts at 1 p.m. at the fairgrounds


7th Annual Chief’s Horseshoe Tournament Schedule & Prizes

Friday, March 26

Registration:    12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Team Check-In:                              9:30 – 9:45 a.m.

Brackets Made:                               9:45 – 10:00 a.m.

Tournament Begins:                        10:00 a.m.

Official Lunch Break:                       12:00 – 1:00 p.m.


Prize List

The Men’s and Women’s divisions will payout as follows:

                1st Place – $1,000                               5th Place – $150

                2nd Place – $700                                 6th Place – $100

                3rd Place – $500                                  7th Place – $50

                4th Place – $300


For more information about the Ramp It Up! Festival and the 7th Annual Chief’s Horseshoe Tournament, contact the Cherokee Welcome Center at (800) 438-1601 or Janice Wildcatt at (828) 497-8122.

http://www.nc-cherokee.com/onefeather/2 … -cherokee/