INDIAN EVENT PONDERED AS PART OF SCENIC DRIVE

An Indian Pow-Wow would be a natural for the Trails of Tears State Park and the area, says a park official and a history professor at Southeast Missouri State University.

"Some type of Indian activities dancing, crafts, food could be of benefit to everyone involved," said Hershel Price, Trails of Tears superintendent. "I think it would be an enjoyable situation and would complement our park."

Frank Nickell agrees.

"It would be a great addition to our annual Mississippi River Valley Scenic Drive," said Nickell, of the Southeast Missouri State University Center for Regional History. The center coordinates the two-day, 131-mile self-conducted tour.

Nickell became interested in exploring possibilities for an area Pow-Wow when he attended the an Indian Trade Days Fair at Trade, Tenn.

"This year was the fourth year for the Tennessee Indian Fair," said Nickell. "I didn't really know what to expect. But, it was interesting."

Nickell said the Tennessee show was divided into two areas of activities.

"One of the segments of the fair featured the usual `fair' activities," he said. "There was entertainment, special shows, food stands and all the rest."

It was the other segment of the event that interested Nickell.

"About 600 yards up the road, Indian activities were going on," said Nickell. "Indian crafts, Indian food and Indian dancing were interesting, colorful and appealing."

Indian dancers from a number of states competed for cash prizes, said Nickell. "A large crowd of people were on hand to watch the dancers despite an attendance fee of $5 for adults and $2 for children."

Nickell had an opportunity to talk with Roger Clinch, an Indian storyteller who assists in the Tennessee Fair/Festival, and other representatives of the Tennessee Commission on Indian affairs.

They were especially eager to talk about a Trade Fair/Pow-Wow at Trail of Tears Park in Cape Girardeau, noted Nickell.

"This is the fourth year for the Tennessee event, and it has grown to big proportions," said Nickell. "The Tennessee crowd this year was estimated at about 40,000 each day. The estimates may be a bit high, but the event certainly attracted a large crowd."

Nickell said he would like to see some sort of Pow-Wow event as a special activity for the 1993 April driving tour.

"If such an event was started, and it got too big to include on the annual driving tour, it would break off to itself," added Nickell."

Nickell's thoughts would be to have crafts, demonstrations, food and beverage along the river at Trail of Tears Park during the day on Friday and Saturday, with the Indian dancers to perform in competition at Show Me Center on Saturday evening.

Nickell will discuss the possibilities further when he appears before the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) meeting in August.

"I think it would be a great addition to the Mississippi Valley Scenic Drive," said Laurel Adkisson of the CVB. "This would be something new for the drive in our immediate area."

More than a dozen villages and towns cooperate each year to showcase the region's beauty and heritage during the two-day drive, which takes visitors to Cape Girardeau, Pocahontas, Altenburg, Wittenberg, Frohna, Biehle, Patton, Sedgewickville, Marble Hill, Burfordville and Jackson. Many side trips are included on the drive, including Pinecrest Azalea Farm, the Black Forest German villages and Rocky Holler, USA.