SUMMIT STATION - The Schuylkill County Fairgrounds was filled with singing, dancing and the beat of drums Sunday during the 15th annual Two Moons Memorial Powwow.
While this was the 15th annual event, it was actually the second year that it was held at the fairgrounds.
The powwow continues through today, opening at 10 a.m. Admission is $7 for adults and $4 for children 6 to 12. For children 5 and younger, there is no fee.
Jack Walter, Fredericksburg, Md., a member of the Iroquis federation and Seneca tribe and who was with the Otter Creek Singers, said the event outgrew the previous location at Shartlesville Park, Berks County.
"I love it," he said. "This has always been a good powwow. We were outgrowing the last location. The camping area looked like a tent city."
Walter also said that compared to many other powwows, this one is small.
The dancing started about 12:30 p.m. Sunday with the grand entry. Walter said that at large powwows, like the Gathering Of Nations powwow, that can take about three hours.
Barry Lee, master of ceremonies for the event and lead singer with Spirit Wing, said Cliff Two Moons, an Ojibwy American who died in 2002, was the founder of the event.
The powwow now honors him and others who have passed.
"We have pictures on the tree of lost family members," Lee said.
Lee said that with people coming to this event from all over the U.S., visitors are able to also see dancing from all over the country.
"The people realize this is a great way for us to get together and meet," he said.
Another one of the first dances was the Veterans Dance that not only honored the military, but also police, firefighters, EMS and others.
According to newspaper archives, Amy Salas, Pottsville, a member of the Ojibwy tribe, said that in all, up to 500 Native Americans were expected to attend, including the Sioux, Mohawk, Cherokee, Lenape and Micmac tribes.
Visitors to the powwow can meet members of the tribes and buy items from vendors, such as T-shirts, walking canes, pottery and food.
There are also a variety of food at the powwow, such as srybread, which is "almost a combination with a fasnacht and a funnel cake," Salas said previously, and a dessert called wojohapi, a mixture of seven berries made into a pudding.