The Big Berry Moon Festival with Sonny Billie

March 24 & 25, 2001

"The festival is an opportunity for the Museum to have some additional features we usually don’t have," says David Blackard, Director of the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum. This includes traditional food and storytelling and above all it is an opportunity for people to meet Sonny Billie, the Seminole/Miccosukee religious leader.

Sonny will be leading a troop of dancers in traditional Seminole dancing. It’s unusual for outside people to see Seminole dancing, but this will give the greater public an opportunity to experience Seminole heritage.

Also, we will have a Seminole costume competition led by Brian Zepeda, Operations Manager for the museum. Carol Cypress, the Executive Director’s wife, will lead Storytelling. The traditional food and the craft demonstrators will be on a continuous basis throughout the day.

The festival is called the Big Berry Moon Festival because back in the old days their (the Seminole) calendar instead of being divided into months was divided into moons. This particular month in March is the Big Berry Moon. So we just named this particular festival after the month that we are holding it in. Sonny came up with the name.

All activities are free with admission to the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, which costs $6 adults, $4 seniors and students. Children under 6 are free. The festival hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is located west of Fort Lauderdale on the Big Cypress Reservation. Directions to the museum are as follows: Take I-75 (Alligatoralley) to Exit 14, then north for 17 miles.

For further information call (863) 902-1113 or (954) 792-0745.