Mary Therese and Kent Friel. Photo provided by The Friels
BY DEB AND TIM SMITH
It has been a busy summer for Victor’s Ganondagan State Historic Site’s beautiful Seneca Art and Culture Center and Mendon’s Mary Therese Friel Modeling Agency. And the best is yet to come. Please allow us to connect the dots on some of the exciting events that have already happened as well as what is coming up.
On Saturday, June 15th we were present at the Friels’ Fashion Fest Event which is an annual endeavor produced by Former Miss USA and Modeling Agency Owner Mary Therese Friel. “We are so excited to be raising funds for five amazing local charities,” said Friel. “Ganondagan provides a wonderful backdrop to showcase the giving spirit of our group.”
At this event, fifty models ranging in age from 1 to 66 displayed fashions from Von Maur. Proceeds from the event benefitted Lollypop Farm, Cracker Box Palace, Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program, Pittsford Food Cupboard and Friends of Ganondagan.
Guests were treated to all the amenities comprising the Ganondagan experience. These included a multi-media exhibit gallery, the orientation theater featuring the Iroquois Creation Story Film, a fullsize Seneca Bark Longhouse, gift shop, and self-guided tours of the grounds.
This show brings things full-circle for the Friels, since 1996 when they produced a fashion show to raise funds to help support the construction of the Seneca Bark Longhouse at Ganondagan. That wonderful structure was completed in 1998 and sits proudly on the hill behind the new Seneca Art and Culture Center.
At the event, Kent and Mary Therese Friel announced a transitioning of the direction which their agency will be following. The Friels stated that, “We have been producing fashion shows that benefit non-profits since the company opened in 1987. We have done hundreds of them over the years and feel that we have made a tremendous impact on the community with all of them, helping to raise millions of dollars.”
“At this point we are stepping back from producing this particular event. We will still be involved in some fashion shows, but only on the level of collaborators, without the responsibility of producing the entire event. This will keep our energy and resources focused on activities that create more opportunities and bookings for our talent pool.”
Now moving along from what has already happened, to what is coming up this weekend, Ganondagan’s annual Indigenous Music & Arts Festival will be taking place this Saturday and Sunday, July 27 & 28, from 10:00 am–5:00 pm at the Ganondagan State Historic Site on Boughton Hill Road in Victor. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged.
The festival is made possible in part by NYSCA, Wegmans and NTID. It showcases Haudenosaunee and Indigenous cultures through dance, music, storytelling, traditional craft demonstrations, an Indigenous Arts Market, children’s activities, Indigenous food, and more.
This year the event is deeply honored to be welcoming Māori artists and performers. The event will feature artist demonstrations, dance performances and collaborative opportunities with Haudenosaunee artists, performers, and culture bearers.
This year’s festival features Native folk and blues rocker, Keith Secola (Anishinabe) & his Wild Band of Indians, hoop dance champions and performers, the Sinquah Family Dance Troupe (Hopi/Tewa/Choctaw), Bill Crouse (Seneca) and Haudenosaunee social dancers, Allegany River Indian Dancers, and storytellers Ronnie Reitter (Seneca, Wolf Clan) & Perry Ground (Onondaga, Turtle Clan).
ASL Interpretation provided at the main stage, throughout performances, is sponsored by The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), a college of Rochester Institute of Technology.
For details please visit: https://www.ganondagan.org/indigenous-music-arts-festival.
