12/16/2009 6:04:00 AM BLM plans anniversary fest for Agua Fria monument
The Bureau of Land Management and Friends of Agua Fria National Monument announce a 10-year anniversary celebration Jan. 9 for the treasured public lands north of Phoenix.
Arizona's Agua FriaNational Monument turns 10 in January with a high desert festival featuring activities that bring urban kids outdoors and celebrate the heritage of these lands.
Located just south of Prescott and Black Canyon City (north of Phoenix), the Agua Fria National Monument offers visitors a rare opportunity to experience life as it was in the prehistoric days of the Perry Mesa era.
Visitors can see the steep sloped mountains with flat table tops that the American Indians called Mesas, and look down into the deep canyons to the still-flowing desert river - the Agua Fria. Students and visitors will turn stone into arrowheads as they learn the ancient skills of flint knapping; they'll form bowls in the tradition of the Perry Mesa peoples and visit the pueblos where they lived.
Kids can test their aptitude at atlatl throwing - the method of hunting for food used from 1250-1450 A.D. by the people who lived along the Agua Fria River. View the ancient petroglyphs (rock art) and then make your own take-home version. Learn about the Agua Fria River and have fun with interactive water education activities.
The BLM is now calling for additional exhibitors, authentic craft and food vendors. Vendors will pay a $25 reservation fee; educational/civil spaces are free. The deadline for entry is this Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009. Go to www.CelebratingtheAguaFria.com to register with the Friends of the Agua Fria group, or, fax the form to: 623-580-5580.
Celebrating the Agua Fria 10th Anniversary offers student activities such as traditional American Indian dancing, American Indian drumming, traditional artists, and live-animal displays. Adults can enjoy the scientific lectures, live bands, food vendors, and visitor booths.
The anniversary event will take place at the scenic Horseshoe Ranch in the center of the Monument.
For more information call Rem Hawes, Manager, Agua Fria National Monument Hassayampa Field Office at 623-580-5532, or email rem_hawes@blm.gov.
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