Flash player is required to view weather conditions. Download

site web  

The annual Salute to the Pioneers will be held at the historic Indian Creek Church and Burial Ground at 2:30 p.m. May 18. It will feature nationally known American Indian storyteller Neeake, whose English name is Fred A. Shaw.

His topic will be "Life Gives to Life: Stories of the Shawnee." The stories represent an oral tradition that spans centuries and provide a powerful way to share insights of the circle that is life with both children and adults, said Shaw, senior pastor of the Oxford United Methodist Church.

Shaw was one of the 10 American Indian storytellers invited to participate in the first National Native American Indian storytelling festival. He is a frequent speaker at schools, universities, wildlife conservation groups, churches and synagogues, as well as historical societies, museums and foundations.

The Old Time Music Group will sing at the Salute, followed by a social hour with punch and cookies.

The Indian Creek Church was built in 1829 of handmade bricks fired on the site and is one of the oldest church structures still standing in Ohio. The burial ground dates to 1810.

The church and adjoining cemetery badly needed restoration when deeded to the then Butler County Park District in 1960. The Indian Creek Committee, in cooperation with the park district, launched a grassroots effort to restore the site.

The committee continues to be support the site, which is part of MetroParks of Butler County.

The event is free. For information or directions to the church on Indian Creek Road in Reily Twp., call MetroParks at (513) 867-5835.

Vote for this story!