For one November weekend, the museum on the bluffs above Hempstead Harbor trades its display cases for fire-bows, spear throwers and a working campfire. The Native American Fall Festival returns to Garvies Point Museum and Preserve at 50 Barry Drive in Glen Cove on Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15, running 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days with activities going all day.

Garvies Point is Nassau County's center for research on Long Island geology and the Island's Native American archaeology, and the festival is the weekend each year when the collection comes off the shelf and into visitors' hands.

Clay on the wheel of history

Every half hour from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., visitors can work natural clay and make pottery the way Long Island's first residents did. The museum notes the natural clay pieces cannot go home with you, which is the trade for working with the real material.

Chief Redfeather of the Montaukett Tribe tells stories and history at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. each day. The Montauketts are among Long Island's original peoples, and the storytelling sessions are the festival's anchor events.

Hands-on, all day

The ongoing activities run the length of the day: starting fire with a fire-bow, grinding corn, pump-drilling, dugout canoe making and spear throwing. Special displays cover wood and stone working tools, clothing and adornments, dried native foods with popcorn sampling, and medicinal and wild edible plants. There are campfire cooking demonstrations throughout.

Inside, the museum's exhibits stay open with admission, including the Art of the Zuni Fetish showcase, a seashell design exhibit, the Native American galleries and the geology and mineral halls. The preserve's nature trails wind out to the shoreline, and there is a picnic area near the museum. Dogs are not allowed, and nothing can be collected on the preserve.

Tickets and times

Festival admission is $15 for adults, $8 for children 5 to 12, $10 for seniors 62 and over, and free for children under 5 with a parent. The festival runs Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Garvies Point Museum and Preserve, 50 Barry Drive, Glen Cove. Parking is free. Outside festival weekend, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with general admission of $5 for adults and $3 for children 5 to 12.

Sources