This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
American Indian culture and Mormon pioneer heritage come together on Saturday, April 8, during a one-day town festival that celebrates the goodness of deep-fried dough.
The Founders Day and Frybread Festival, in the southern Utah town of Bluff, will "recognize contributions made by the earliest residents of the area and embrace the Navajo, Ute and Mormon pioneer cultures," organizers wrote in a news release announcing the free one-day event.
A hearty helping of frybread — sometimes called Utah scones — will be part of the fun, with a speed-eating contest, cook-off and frybread fling planned. The deep-fried festivities begin at 4 p.m. at the Twin Rocks Trading Post and Café.
Guests will want to arrive earlier in the day, as Bluff's daylong celebration kicks off at 10 a.m. with a parade. Food, an art exhibit, pioneer activities and wagon tours of the town run until 6 p.m. at Bluff Fort and Bluff Elementary.
A traditional Bear Dance will be performed by members of the White Mesa Ute community, at noon at the Trading Post. Navajo song-and-dance and storytelling sessions follow.
St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission also will hold an open house and tours from 1 to 4 p.m.
The day culminates at 7 p.m., in the Community Center, when business owners preview the satirical film "More than Frybread," a mockumentary about a fictional national frybread fest.