HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS. WE WERE HONORED TO ATTEND THE NEW YEARS DAY CELEBRATIONS OCCURRING DURING THE ANNUAL MICCOSUKEE ART & CRAFT FESTIVAL IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
DRIVING WEST ON THE TAMIAMI TRAIL YOU ARE CONFRONTED WITH SEVERAL AIRBOAT RIDE & GATOR SAFARI STOPS FOR THOSE SEEKING THE GENERIC DISNEY LAND STYLE WHITE WASHED EXPERIENCE.
ARRIVING AT THE MICCOSUKEE VILLAGE YOU ARE GREETED WITH CHEHANTAMO, A WARM WELCOMING BEFORE ENTERING. THE MICCOSUKEE ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR COULD EASILY BE THE ARTS, CRAFTS & DANCE FAIR, CONSIDERING HOW AMAZING THE DANCE & PERFORMANCE PROGRAMMING ACROSS THE ENTIRE WEEKS EVENTS.
ARRIVING JUST BEFORE HIGH NOON, WE WERE HONORED TO PARTICIPATE IN A SPECIAL NEW YEARS DAY BLESSING, & RITUAL APACHE FIRE PURIFICATION DANCE. WE WATCHED IN AWE AS WE EXPERIENCED A REAL CULTURAL EVENT, A FAR CRY FROM THE TYPICAL NYE SOUTH BEACH DRUNKEN FIREWORKS DISPLAY. REALITY EXISTS ON ALL WAVELENGTHS AT ALL TIMES. THE MYOPIA OF MAIN STREAM CONTEMPORARY AMERICA WAS CLEARLY A UNIVERSE AWAY.
THE AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE IS A FLEETING THING. PEOPLE LIKE TO PRETEND THEY ARE SEEKING THE REAL THING, “AUTHENTICITY”, BUT IF YOU FOLLOW THE NEW TIMES, YOU WOULD BE LEAD TO BELIEVE THE ONLY THING TO DO IN TOWN WOULD BE GO TO A NYE SKRILLEX RAVE? EVEN THOUGH THE MICCOSUKEE PAID FOR ADVERTISING FOR THEIR FESTIVAL, THE MYOPIA OF THE SOBE MAINSTREAM WILL ALWAYS DROWN OUT THE COMPETITION. AN AMAZING WEEK OF CELEBRATION WITH NO OUTSIDE COVERAGE. JUST 924COLLECTIVE!