Latest news, weather and high school sports for Albany and Southwest Georgia

ALBANY, GA --
Local businesses are gearing up for the Native American Cultural Festival at Chehaw this weekend and are displaying their support.

Some hotels, motels and inns around Albany have added tepees to the landscape of their business this week for the Native American Cultural Festival to show its support for this annual Chehaw festival. Historically tepees are known for providing shelter to traveling Native Americans of the Great Plains. Fittingly so, a tepee in front of an Albany business shows the public lodging is being provided there for demonstrators, artists and vendors who are traveling to Chehaw for next weekend’s Native American Cultural Festival.

“The Native American Cultural Festival is an excellent family event with the goal ultimately set on educating the public on this important culture,” said Doug Porter, executive director of Chehaw.

The 2012 Native American Cultural Festival is open to the public Friday, April, 15 through Sunday April, 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the evening. Admission to the festival is included in the admission price to the Wild Animal Park.