Origins Of Monterey To Be Honored Saturday With Standing Stone Day

Monterey remembers the famous Standing Stone Saturday, blown up to build the railroad in 1892.

Standing Stone Day celebrates the origins of Monterey with an all-day festival. Monterey decided earlier this year to run the event, according to Cultural Administrator Rafferty Cleary.

“Past couple of years, it’s been in decline,” Cleary said. “I don’t think that’s a secret to anyone, especially the locals up here on the mountain, but we have high hopes for this year. The town of Monterey has taken over most of the festivities.”

The festival will include craft vendors, local food, indigenous heritage celebrations, a parade, and a full slate of live music. Cleary said live music is set to perform at Whitaker Park consisting of several bluegrass fusion bands and Cherokee Upton. The event begins at 8am.

“We’ve had more vendors sign up than we’ve had in the past couple of years so that’s a plus,” Cleary said. “We always gauge excitement by how many vendors are willing to take part.”

Cleary said both the parade and Indigenous Ceremony are also looking like they’re going to be bigger than the past couple of years.

“The ceremony around the Standing Stone Monument there at Monument Park, which is technically right across the street from Whitaker Park, I think that’s what folks look forward to the most each and every year,” Cleary said.

Cleary said the festival’s previous organizer, the Standing Stone Historical Society, have focused their efforts on educating kids in school on the event’s history.