Thorntown Heritage Museum and Sugar Creek Historical Society are pleased to announce Native Americans will be dancing and playing the drum at the museum during the Festival of the Turning Leaves for the first time since 1998. The Festival of the Turning Leaves is September 26, 27 and 28 in 2025.
In 1973, the Society for the Preservation of our Indian Heritage started the Festival of the Turning Leaves as a way to celebrate Thorntown’s first settlers, the Eel River Miami Tribe. In the late 90s the festival changed and the Native presence was gone. The organization, now called Sugar Creek Historical Society has been working to bring this back to the festival for several years. Now, thanks to a new partnership with American Indian Council INC of Lebanon, there will be an interactive program at Thorntown Heritage Museum at 124 W Main St in Thorntown. American Indian Council INC is responsible for the annual Powwow at Boone County Fairgrounds every August.
The American Indian Council INC will be performing Saturday, September 27th following the festival’s parade on the museum’s back lawn. This program will be free, but any donations made during the program will be shared between the two organizations.
In addition to the Native American program, Sugar Creek Historical Society has invited Native Foods Buffalo Burgers to Tom Johnson Memorial Park Friday, September 26 as part of the festival’s Friday night fun. A portion of the proceeds from the food vendor will be donated to the museum. The museum will be open for free tours from 11-4 on Friday and Saturday and 12-4 on Sunday during the festival. There will be vendors on the lawn both days. Dave’s Blue Train will be offering free train rides from 2-4 on Saturday, sponsored by Sugar Creek Historical Society. The museum will close for the 2025 season at the conclusion of the Festival of the Turning Leaves on Sunday, September 28.
To learn more about the Thorntown Heritage Museum or the Sugar Creek Historical Society’s mission please contact Kirsten Wamsley at 765-436-7348 ext. 202, kwamsley@thorntownpl.org or https://www.thorntownpl.org/about/heritagemuseum/.
