National Aboriginal Day plans for Williams Lake are busy.
Friday, June 21 will kick off with a parade and end with a dance at Sugar Cane.
“National Aboriginal Day is a day to share with everyone and welcome them into the First Nations cultures in our area,” said Marg Casey, community services co-ordinator at Northern Shuswap Tribal Council.
She is organizing the parade and said there are many entries.
The parade starts at 10 a.m. in the parking lot at the Elks Hall on First Avenue South and ends in Boitanio Park.
Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m there will be entertainment on the outdoor stage, a bouncy castle, information booths and bannock.
Xatsull Chief Bev Sellars will be selling and signing copies of her new book, They Call Me Number One, about experiences in residential schools.
Casey said she hopes the day is sunny. It was last year and that meant a good number of people participated.
For those wanting to participate in a sporty way, the Carrier Chilcotin Tribal Council is hosting a nine-hole golf tournament at Coyote Rock Golf Course from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Receptionist Beverly Evans said people wanting to play need to arrive 15 minutes ahead of their tee time.
And if they are wanting to use a golf cart they should call ahead to book one.
“There will be prizes at every hole including longest drive, K-P hole, closest 50 marker, longest putt, K-P second shot and closest to the green.”
The golf day will culminate with a barbecue at 5:30 p.m. for participants who are welcome to bring a guest, Evans said.
People can contact Ed at 250-392-7033 or Roxanne at 250-303-4653 for more information.
Recently elders at Sugar Cane were talking about the fact that normally National Aboriginal Day activities are done during the day and people who work cannot participate so they decided to host a barbecue and dance in the evening at the Elizabeth Grouse Gym at Sugar Cane.
“With the theme of cowboy up, they are asking people to dress up in their best cowboy style and have fun,” said Williams Lake Indian Band social development worker Carol Archie.
It will be a fundraiser for the elders as well, because many of them are planning to attend the 37th annual Elders Gathering being held in Prince George July 9-11.
Aside from the need to fundraise, the elders all love dancing and thought they’d share that joy.
Eagle Spirit Band from Xeni Gwet’in (Nemiah Valley) is going to play for the dance, Archie confirmed.
A barbecue of hamburgers, a vegetable platter, fruit salad and a drink, runs from 6 to 8 p.m. The dance, which is billed as a family event, will start at 8 p.m. and go until midnight.
The Williams Lake Library will also be screening We Were Children and videos filmed during the recent St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School Commemoration Project in the Gibraltar Room at 6:30 p.m. Free admission.