The first annual A Prairie Experience event took place on July 17, 2010 at Pigfoot Ranch, a remnant of the Central Texas tallgrass prairie in Mills County. Horse-drawn wagons ferried guests up the hill to the event site, where they were greeted with beverages and a delicious assortment of appetizers prepared by award-winning Executive Chef Richard Hetzler of the Smithsonian Institution that included:

As appetizers were passed around, guests mingled outdoors with other guests and project team members, wandered inside Pigsfoot Lodge to admire the vast array of beautifully-presented plates of food on display, and perused the live auction items. Guests then were seated at tables assembled under an expansive white tent where, following a welcome speech and chef’s remarks, they dined on a sumptuous three course meal of Native American foods that included:

First Course:

Entree:

Dessert:

Following the meal, auctioneer Layton Black, former Texas State Representative from District 54, led a spirited live auction where guests bid on such items as a guided rattlesnake hunt, a Navajo rug, a star party, and a campfire cookout and hayride under the prairie night sky. Guests then gathered for stargazing and storytelling until horse-drawn wagons took them back down the hill to their waiting cars.