November is Native American Heritage Month! Native American Heritage Day, a civil holiday, is Friday, November 29, this year. Standing Bear Council will observe this holiday with a feast of celebration on Saturday, November 30, at 11:00 a.m. at the Ivor Fowler Center, 710 Main Street, Montrose, Iowa. The public is invited to join this celebration. If you would like to attend, please bring a covered dish to share and arrive by 11:30 a.m. so that meal preparation and set up can be completed by noon, when the meal will begin.
On August 3, 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution declaring November as National American Indian Heritage Month. It has been proclaimed under variations in the name (“Native American Heritage Month;” “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) each year since 1994. Public Law 111-33 was approved by Congress in June 2009.
The Standing Bear Council will host its December membership meeting on Sunday, December 1, at 1:00 p.m. at the Hawkeye Restaurant, 105 N. Park Drive, Keokuk, Iowa. Those wishing to eat are encouraged to come at noon. Standing Bear Council meetings are open to all people – Native and non-Native. Please bring one canned or dry good for storage.
The Council will review recent programs and events, including the Holiday Arts and Crafts Show at the Oakley-Lindsay Center, programs at the Quincy Public Library and the Nauvoo Historical Society’s Annual Dinner Meeting, and the Native American Heritage Day celebration at the Ivor Fowler Center. (Quincy, Illinois)
The Council will also coordinate programs and events in the Tri-State area, including the Holiday Extravaganza Sale on Friday, December 6, from 4:30 – 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 7, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Heritage Center, 508 Main Street, Keokuk, Iowa. The Council looks forward to the program on Native American history and culture on Monday, January 13, at St. James School in Quincy, Illinois.
The World Bird Sanctuary from Valley Park, Missouri, will present this year’s featured programs on birds of prey and eagles during the Winter Gathering, scheduled for January 25-26 at the Oakley – Lindsay Center in Quincy, Illinois. One of the country’s largest wild-bird conservation facilities, the sanctuary provides refuge for over 270 non-releasable birds and emergency care for as many as 400 others each year.
The Council is a non-profit organization. For more information about the meeting and/or about Standing Bear Council’s educational programs, please call Larry Cooper at 319-795-6718, Dona Herr, at 319-520-5919, or Debbie Callaghan at 217-219-1188.