Though the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) has pulled its funding of the well-known Cherokee Heritage and Sandhill Crane Viewing Days Festival, local tourism officials are coming together this weekend to provide bird lovers and tourists with activities to celebrate their love of birds and Cherokee Heritage.

“Visitors don’t have to wait until January or February to view the birds; they normally start arriving in October and their numbers increase from then on,” says Shirley Lawrence, festival organizer. “And this year, we’re especially excited to welcome visitors to the new Cherokee Removal Memorial Park.”

In the past, TWRA has provided corn and other crops to the sandhill cranes to assure large numbers for the festival. In fact, some estimated 15,000 cranes have been seen at the refuge in recent past. But locals point out that sandhill cranes have been coming to this area for thousands of years. “This area is ideal for migrating birds,” says Lawrence. “Situated where the Hiwassee and Tennessee rivers come together, it’s a bird-lovers paradise with Bald and Golden Eagles, whooping cranes and other wildlife, too.”

The area is also home to the new Cherokee Removal Memorial Park, which is located on the bluff overlooking what remains of the Blythe Ferry Landing site in Birchwood, Tennessee. The site contains a new authentic-looking log cabin visitor center, an interpretive plaza and a wildlife viewing observation shelter. This site took on special significance in 1838 as it became the final point of departure from the Cherokee Nation for many of the emigrating detachments forced out of the area. Some nine to ten thousand people camped in the vicinity of the site as they waited for the opportunity to cross the river.

“We’ve waited a long time to share this place with the rest of the world,” says Lawrence. “We have a lot of people eager to tell the story of our Native American heritage.”

Activities at the new Cherokee Removal Memorial Park include:

-Mike Serna will demonstrate flute playing and stickball

-Tamara Hicks and Jimmy (Yellow Horse) Webster will have Native American crafts

-Alva and Nancy Crowe will present Native American crafts and Alva Crowe will play his flutes

-Cleta Townsend, from Audubon Acres, will speak on Cherokee history and have books for sale

-Jerry Villigas will set up an authentic Cherokee women’s campsite

-Rueben Teesatuskie and family from Cherokee, North Carolina, will present fried bread, beadwork and wood carving

-Doris and Lee Trevino will have beadwork and drums.

The Cherokee Removal Memorial Park Visitors Center will be open both days, Saturday and Sunday.

The Birchwood school will be open on Saturday only, with activities, displays, booths and food available from 9 – 4 p.m. Shuttles will run on Saturday from the school to the refuge and to the park. All events are free to the public.