Annual Salmon Festival celebration of salmon and life this weekend

Annual Salmon Festival celebration of salmon and life this weekend

By MARY WESTON - Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/23/2008 12:10:47 AM PDT



OROVILLE -- The Salmon Festival becomes even more meaningful this year with salmon fishing banned on the Feather River this year because of low fish numbers.


Activities at the Feather River Fish Hatchery and at the Feather River Nature Center educate visitors about salmon conservation, from the perspective of state agencies and the local Maidu.
Anna Kasner of the fish hatchery said state agencies will sponsor many fun activities 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the hatchery to teach children and adults about the life cycle of the salmon and conservation.

Children activities include a play in the fish theater.
"Children can get into salmon costumes and act out the journey of the salmon, Kasner said.
Visitors can tour the hatchery and watch the spawning. Free buses shuttle visitors to activities.
The Maidu Salmon Ceremony starts about 10 a.m. Patsy Seek will bless the first salmon caught. The ceremony cleanses the fish before it's eaten and ensures the fish will return each year.
"We bless the first salmon because it's the life of the long journey up the river," Seek said.

After the ceremony, Maidu elders will be served the first salmon cooked over an open fire. Then a free salmon dinner will be served to the public.
Maidu activities include dancers, drummers, music, and booths selling crafts and food, including Indian tacos. The Oroville Downtown Business Association Street Fair will fill four blocks downtown with vendors offering art, crafts, beverages, food including salmon, live music and kids activities.

The State Theatre offers the Artists of River Town Art Show and Children's Art Contest. The Butte County of Office of Education will host a Family Fun Day in Bicentennial Park. The Friends of the Feather River Nature Center will have the yearly salmon and tri-tip barbecue on Friday.