Harvest Festival slated for Red Rock Canyon

     By Judy DeLoretta
     View staff writer
      Artists and park rangers are brushing up on their crafts and storytelling skills in preparation for this year's Harvest Festival on Nov. 13 at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
      Park ranger Kate Sorom, who began the Harvest Festival five years ago, said she gets more excited each year.
      "Every year, we have more artists and storytellers, more people who attend and more crafts," Sorom said.
      The fifth Harvest Festival will include fire awareness workshops with the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service; the Herpetologist Society and non-venomous reptiles; Native American dancing; Native American storytelling; Nevada history storytelling; venomous reptiles; an Adopt-a-Tortoise program; Red Rock Canyon volunteer recruitment; poster signing by artist John Mobray; appearances Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl; and a workshop on killer bees.
      Even though the program has increased in popularity, if Sorom and other park rangers have it their way, it will never become a carnival.
      "We want to keep this an educational and fun program that has everything to do with the area's history and culture," Sorom said.
      The concept began while she worked at Valley of Fire State Park. The festival started as a one-night Halloween ghost storytelling program, usually the weekend before Halloween.
      Sorom brought the program to Red Rock when she began working for the Interpretive Association, a group of national park employees who run the book store, offer environmental education and help with hikes.
      "It started even at Red Rock as a storytelling session for rangers, teachers and whoever wanted to come out and share," Sorom said. "Our first year, we had 100 people show up for the event, which was basically a campfire out on the back patio of the Visitor's Center."
      There were about five different crafts tables, live native reptiles and a bit of cultural history.
      The program was revamped from an evening of scary stories in the dark to a daytime event taking place the second weekend of each November.
      It has grown into a one-day event during which volunteers teach crafts ranging from gourd decorating and basketry to making petroglyphs and binoculars from toilet paper rolls.
      There will also be Native American sketching and classes on making bracelets out of yucca fibers; a demonstration on Navajo weaving techniques; and local artist John Mowbray will be displaying, signing and selling his popular Comet Over Red Rock poster.
      "In the past we focused on nature," Sorom said. "Now we are making it more of a cultural event. My ultimate goal is an all-day program filled with events and education on Nevada."
      Nature hikes also are on the agenda at Red Rock Canyon, including "Plant Communities: Succession," Oct. 30, designed for anyone 12 and older. Participants can learn about the natural progression of the types of plants growing in the desert. Those attending are asked to bring water and a snack for the 4-mile, moderately strenuous hike.
      The festival runs from noon to 4 p.m. and is free with the required $5 park entrance fee. Those interested may call 363-1922.