Background on This Year's Theme and Logo

Painted Raven’s Annette Abbondanza introduces this year’s theme and logo..

Index

Acknowledging Our Sponsors

It is only through the generosity of our sponsors (corporations and small businesses, individuals, and local and state governments) that we can provide our high quality festival with award winning performers, top flight vendors, and educational exhibitors and workshops, free to the public. In this video, we express our appreciation and acknowledge our sponsors for our 2025 festival.

2025 Native Rhythms Festival Promotional Videos

For a few years, we had been fortunate to receive grants from various state and county agencies to enable us to advertise outside Brevard County and attract tourists to our festival, thereby filling hotel and motel beds. For 2025, those funds were mostly cut off and we had to find other, less costly, means to promote this year’s festival. What we settled on was a series of videos, produced by our video team and featuring some of our headline performers and workshop leaders, shared by our committee members through their friends and family on Facebook, YouTube, and other social media. Our appreciation goes out to all who have assisted in getting the word out. 

Shelley Morningsong & Fabian Fontenelle
Headline Performers

Mark McGourley
Headline Performer

Painted Raven
Headline Performers

Randy McGinnis
Headline Performer

Joyce Bugaiski
Flat Reed Weaving Workshop

Joyce Bugaiski
Prayer Ties/Tobacco Ties Workshop

Dr. Patricia Bay
Overcoming Performance Anxiety Workshop

Johnny Kee
What You Didn’t Know About the Cherokee Trail of Tears Workshop

Joyce Bugaiski & John Ellis
Native Rhythms Festival Competitions
— The Flute Players Competition —

John Ellis
Turtle Mound Flutes Flute Maker
Native Rhythms Silent Auction/Raffle Tent

Martha Pessaro & Linda Resnikoff
Interview by WFIT Radio’s Terri Wright

The Day Before
The Native Rhythms Festival
Came to Town

Getting the Word Out

City of Palm Bay Proclamation

October 16, 2025

Brevard County Proclamation

October 28, 2025

City of Melbourne Proclamation

October 28, 2025

City of West Melbourne Proclamation

November 4, 2025

Thursday Evening "Meet & Greet" Social (& Open Mic)

Sponsored by the Candlewood Suites

Samples of the “Open Mic” fun at the Thursday Evening “Meet & Greet”

Some of the team responsible for the 2025 Native Rhythms Festival present on Thursday evening.

Photos below provided by the Native Rhythms Festival official 2025 photographer, Lou Seiler.

Contact Lou directly at lseilerjr@outlook.com for permission to republish.

Tribute to Dock Silverhawk Green

On March 4, 2025, our dear and long-time friend. and Native Rhythms Festival family member, Dock Silverhawk Green, passed on. Our association with Dock long predates his being a part of Native Rhythms these last 17 years. Festival-goers will instantly recognize him for his special “4-Directions Ceremony” from our stage every morning. As part of our noontime Saturday ceremonies this year, we took a few minutes to pay tribute to Dock with video memories and performance of a song written and performed by Dock’s long time friend, Mark McGourley. We share these highlights of our tribute with you here, now. You will be missed but long remembered, Dock.

The photos and recordings of Dock’s playing were provided for this video by Joyce Bugaiski to our video engineer, Annette Abbondanza, who created this beautiful tribute video that was played at the Saturday tribute ceremony.

When Dock Silverhawk passed, his long-time friend Mark McGourley was inspired to express his feelings in a song that immediately came to him. Mark contributed to our tribute by playing that song at our Saturday Native Rhythms tribute to Dock.

Photos From Around the Festival Grounds

Opening Ceremonies

Presentation of Colors & The National Anthem

The Brevard County Sherriff’s Department Honor Guard & Johnny Kee leading singing of the national anthem

Reading of the County Proclamation

Rob Feltner, County Commissioner representing District 4 (which includes Wickham Park, our festival grounds) reads the proclamation that was presented by him to the Native Rhythms Festival at the October 28, 2025 meeting of the Brevard County Commission. A video of that presentation appears above.

Recognition of 2025 Diamond and Platinum Level Sponsors

2025 has been a financially challenging year with the loss of many of the government and corporate grants that sustained us in previous years. We are extremely grateful to our many sponsors, and especially those at the two highest levels, our Diamond and Platinum sponsors, whose generosity has made this year’s festival possible. We recognize those at the top levels with a special plaque, presented here by the Native Rhythms Festival chair, Martha Pessaro. If you haven’t already done so, please check out the video at the top of this page acknowledging all of our sponsors.

The Performers

Shelley Morningsong & Fabian Fontenelle

Lowery Begay

Painted Raven

Billy Whitefox

Randy McGinnis

Timothy JP Gomez

Mark McGourley

Ed WindDancer

Otter Oliver and CreeAtive Native

Christina Noordover

Winner of the 2024 Paula Ellis Memorial Flute Players' Competition

Vendors & Exhibitors

Flute Maker Vendors

4 Wind Flutes
Brad Young

Flight Feather Family Flutes
Carolyn Wilson

Full Moon Flutes
Kent Tyler

Little Fast Elk Flutes
Michael Frerchs

Medicine Wind Flutes
George Tortorelli

Red Wind Flutes
Allen Hollingshead

Spiral Flutes
Dave Graves

Turtle Mound Flutes
John Ellis

Willow Creek Woodcraft
Peter Churcher

Yanko Enterprises
Allan Yanko

Arts & Crafts Vendors

Alex Jalapa & T Rose

American Hide & Fur

Anne’s Beadwork
Anne Fay

Apache Chief Embroidery & Designs
NTG Windwalker

ArteBorikua Artesanias
Vidal Tores

Backwoods
Susie Gingras

C&C Trading Post
Charlene Childers

DeLuna Arts
Pablo DeLuna

Green Leppard Sales
Cindy Green

Inti Arts
Johnny Lema

Native Andes
Jaime Chavez

Northwest Traders
Paul Mueller

Overrocker Novelty
Betty Overrocker

Pine Away Baskets
Carol Crotts & Rhonda Hasner

River. Tree. Spirit

Sicanni
Sicanni Purizaca

Tracking Natives
Luis Cuervo

Trailwalker Crafts
Dean & Tanya Morrison

Turquoise Showcase
Randal Estrada

The Wickiup
Yvonne Long

Wild Sage Native American Jewelry
Paul & Natalie Mitchell

Performer Vendors

American Indian Creation
Billy Whitefox

Lowery Begay

Shelley Morningsong & Fabian Fontenelle

Timothy J.P. Gomez

Painted Raven
Annette Abbondanza, Kimberly Kridler,
&  Holly Red Feather

Sponsor Vendors

Renewal by Andersen

Sol Essence

Wire3

Exhibitors

Brevard County EEL Program
Barrier Island Center

Brevard County EEL Program
Enchanted Forest

Field Manor

Green Gables

Brevard County EEL Program
Sam’s House

Brevard County Solid Waste Management

Space Coast Regional Friends Group of the
Florida Master Naturalist Program

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Crisis Line

Viera Women’s Club

Cultural Exhibitions

Jim Sawgrass - East Meets West

Katrina Bigmountain - Plains Tipi Encampment

Competitions

Artists' Competition

2025 Native Rhythms Festival Artists’ Competition Winners

1st Place - Kent Tyler

2nd Place - Rhonda Hasner

3rd Place - Carol Landau

Special Award - Abigail Wilson

Additional Entries

Flute Makers' Competition

2025 Native Rhythms Festival Flute Makers’ Competition Winners

1st Place - Brad Young

2nd Place - Alan Hollingshead

3rd Place - Michael Frerichs

Paula Ellis Memorial Flute Players' Competition

2025 Native Rhythms Festival Paula Ellis Memorial Flute Players’ Competition Winners

2025 Paula Ellis Memorial Flute Players’ Competition Entrants

2025 Paula Ellis Memorial Flute Players’ Competition Judges

1st Place - Sandi Horton

2nd Place - Alan Southerland

3rd Place - Regina Coleman-Schmid

David Reeves

Lisa Coleman-Schmid

Rian Krull

Workshops

Anne Fay – Beadwork: Introduction to Brick Stitch

Carolyn Wilson – Lakota Dreamcatcher Legend Storytelling and Craft

Dr. Frankie Rinaldi – The Art of Storytelling

Dr. Patricia Bay – Overcoming Performance Anxiety

Johnny Kee – What You Didn’t Know About the Cherokee Trail of Tears

Joyce Bugaiski – Prayer Ties/Tobacco Ties

Joyce Bugaiski – Flat Reed Weaving

Lowery Begay – Understanding Pow Wow Drumming

Mark Marquette – Stars and Skylore of Native Americans

Mark McGourley – Playing Guitar with Native American Flutes

Holly Red Feather of Painted Raven – Rhythmic Connections: Drumming & Fluting Together

Randy McGinnis – Recording Your Music

Timothy J.P. Gomez – ENGAGE! Exploring Melody and Rhythm with Our Flutes

Ed WindDancer – Catching WindDancer

Tom Ransom – Our Workshop Tent Audio/Video Engineer

Silent Auction & Raffle

This is a representative sampling of the items that were available in the 2025 Native Rhythms Festival Silent Auction & Raffle tent.