Wenatchee River Salmon Festival to celebrate culture, connection and conservation

WENATCHEE — The Wenatchee River Salmon Festival will return Sept. 20 with a day of cultural traditions, outdoor education and family activities at Rocky Reach Park and Discovery Center.

The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., is free to the public. This year’s theme, “Currents of Connection,” highlights the ways the Columbia River ties together communities, wildlife and habitats across the Northwest.

Organizers said the festival will feature Native American cultural experiences, hands-on exhibits and environmental education programs. Forty-five Native American educators and exhibitors representing 11 tribes and bands from the plateau region, Pacific Northwest and beyond are scheduled to participate.

For more than three decades, Tuck’ush Man, a medicine man from the Wasco band of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation, and his wife, Two Bears, have led the Salmon Dance. At age 92, Tuck’ush Man said he intends to pass on the tradition to the next generation. The ceremonial dance calls for the return of salmon to their spawning grounds and reaffirms the connection between Plateau people and the fish.

“The dance is about praying for the salmon and we want to carry it on,” said Two Bears. “It’s our love and devotion to the salmon and the people there that keep us coming back”.

The festival will also include an educational program for about 2,000 local third- and fourth-grade students on Sept. 18 and 19, offering outdoor science activities ahead of the public event.

The Wenatchee River Salmon Festival is hosted by Chelan PUD, Friends of Northwest Hatcheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Microsoft, Cascade Autocenter, Wenatchee Sportsmen’s Association, Chelan Douglas Retirees Association, Crunch Pak, Stemilt, Bio Oregon and the Leavenworth Outdoors Center.

More information is available at salmonfest.org and on the festival’s Facebook page.