Rocky Boy to celebrate Native American Week

Correction: This article originally listed the wrong phone number for Tony Woods.

A meeting was held at the Rocky Boy tribal chambers to plan the upcoming festivities for Native American Week.

Various members of the community and organizations attended the meeting to plan the activities that will be held at Rocky Boy for Native American week.

Tony Woods spoke to the crowd to ask for ideas on what to do for the festivities to be held Sept. 23 to Sept. 27.

The plans for the parade were definite, though the route it will follow is not set in stone yet. It was generally agreed upon that the parade would follow the same path it did last year; starting out at the Rocky Boy schools and ending at the wellness center and will start Friday, Sept. 27, at 10 a.m.

There will be various categories for floats in the parade, such as youth, traditional, community and most humorous. Prizes will be given to the floats the three judges deem the best from each category.

Woods confirmed that the National Guard will have a truck at Rocky Boy during the festivities and he was attempting to get the Border Patrol to fly helicopters over the reservation, as well as give presentations.

Many, if not most, of the events will be collecting non-perishable food donations that will be given to the Rocky Boy food bank. many of the events will offer discounted tickets if a food item is donated.

Members of another group at the meeting said they will be hosting mixed-martial arts boxing fights at the Rocky Boy Wellness Center. Tickets will be $15 a person or $10 for those who donate a food item.

A basketball tournament will be held the whole week; entry fee is a food donation.

There will be a Native American film festival held at Stone Child College for the whole week.

A “Jail a Friend” event will be held Wednesday. People can pay $5 to have a friend hauled to jail, and then the friend has to pay or come up with $5 to get out.

Other activities planned are: a horseshoe contest, a frybread contest, a basket auction, barbecues, a kids’ rodeo to be held at Box Elder, Wednesday at 5 p.m. and others.

The Rocky Boy Courts, starting Monday and ending Thursday, Sept. 26, will be taking $5 off anyone’s outstanding balance for traffic fines if they bring in a food donation.

The schedule of events should be out Friday online at http://www.chippewacree.org.

Woods said if any groups in the Havre and Rocky Boy area are interested in participating in the Native American Week at Rocky Boy, they can contact him at [email protected] or call him at (406) 395-5439.