5th Annual Archeology Fair

Special demonstrations and activities are planned for the 5th Annual Val Verde County Archeology Fair, cosponsored by the National Park Service (Amistad National Recreation Area), SHUMLA School, and the Whitehead Memorial Museum. Archeology is the way we learn about past cultures by studying what they left behind. Texas’ rich cultural diversity is represented by hundreds of thousands of archeological and historic sites. Texas Archeology Month, celebrated annually in October, is a time for Texans to become aware of our rich heritage and the need for its preservation.
This year, the Archeology Fair will again be expanded to two days – Friday, October 14 will be open to school groups only (by reservation) and Saturday, October 15 will be open to the public. The Archeology Fair will be held form 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Whitehead Memorial Museum, 1308 S. Main Street, and will include activities for all ages. On Saturday, October 15th, admission will be $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for children and covers both the Archeology Fair and the museum exhibits.
The Archeology Fair will include exhibits, demonstrations, and hands-on and interactive activities. The chuckwagon demonstration from Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park as well as demonstrations of soap-making, weaving, and basket-making will be part of the Fair. The Queton family, members of the Kiowa tribe, will also be at the fair to share their culture in the form of traditional clothing, dances, and songs.
You are invited to watch a blacksmith working with metal, paint your own pictographs (rock art) and painted pebbles, and throw a spear using an atlatl (a prehistoric spear-throwing device). Listen to stories and learn how to make wooden flutes, practice grinding corn with a stone metate and mano, and make an adobe brick. You can try your hand at making pinch and coil pottery, learn about frontier life, and watch as flintknappers demonstrate how to make stone tools.
We invite the local communities, adults, and children to come celebrate Texas Archeology month and learn about the rich history of southwest Texas. For more information, call Lisa Evans at (830) 775-7491 ext. 223.