The 5k Walk/Run, Parade, and Fishing Pond were some of the activities that took place at the Nespelem Mill Pond Days on Saturday, June 18
ARE YOU IN FIRST PLACE OR LAST PLACE—Victor Camarena crosses the Nespelem Creek and he just ran away from the competition to take 1st place in the 5K Walk/Run. He just graduated from Lake Roosevelt High School this year, and he competed for the school in cross county in the fall and he was also on the track team.
TOP THREE—(L to R) In the 5K Walk/Run Victor Camarena took 1st place, Chance Epperson took 3rd place, and Brandon Covington took 2nd.
NOTHING TO IT—Shala Scott placed 6th overall in the 5K Run, and she was also the 1st Overall Female runner in the 9-11 age group.
COLOR GUARD—Members of the Color Guard for the Mill Pond Days Parade were: (Front/L to R) Marine Cpl. (E4) John Pope, former Marine Julie Hewit, Michelle McDonald, and Vaughn Yellowwolf. Just in back of Julie is Bill Ives from Omak, WA.
VETERAN ROYALTY—(R to L) Jr. Miss Poppy Barbara DuBois (Granddaughter of Auxiliary Vice-Chairperson, Barbara F. Aripa) waves to the crowd and next to her is Darlene Wilder.
GRAND MARSHAL—The High School Grand Marshall for the Mill Pond Days was Tiffany Louie.
SHE RETIRED—Julie Anthony retired after teaching for 31 years at the Nespelem School, and she was the “Adult Grand Marshal” for the Mill Pond Days Parade.
NESPELEM SCHOOL ROYALTY—“Ms. Nespelem School Spirit” this year was Amandaree Fox.
NO. 1—Waving to the crowd is Dewayne “Yogi” McClung who was this year’s “Adult Grand Marshal” for the Mill Pond Days parade.
CAN I CATCH ANOTHER ONE??—Monica Jackson was one of many young kids who tried their luck at the “Fishing Pond”.
PARADE’s NO. 1 DRILL TEAM—Members of the “Go Granny Go Drill Team” are: (L to R) Jackie Tynan, Lucy Stanczak, Carol Clark, Wendy Clark, and Myra Clark.
ALMOST DONE—From the starting point of the Mill Pond Days parade to the finish line...people lined the streets to view the different Participants in the Mill Pond Days Parade.
Ceremonial Art Project
Smoker Marchand and Gary McClung were commissioned to complete a larger than life size Horse and Warrior for the Saddle Lake First Nations of Alberta. The Completed Steel art piece was dedicated June 24, 2005, during their pipe ceremony. George the EDO, Darrel the Tourism Director and Clifford their technician from Saddle Lake drove 14 hours down to the states to pick up the art piece. Their Reserve is located just above Edmonton Alberta. Their logo was added to the shield and they’re going to build a 6 foot Rock formation as the stand to set the piece on to welcome visitors to their Reserve. Smoker and Gary received an Eagle Feather as a gift from their tribe in appreciation.
The Man abandoned on a Ledge
TALE ABOUT TWO BROTHERS—During July and August 1930...Cecile Brooks, who was about 58-years old and who was born at the time of the great earthquake (1872?), told an interviewer about her version of the Tale (Legend) entitled “The Man abandoned on a Ledge”. The event took place on this mountain located just Northeast of Omak Lake. When people read about a Tale or hear someone describe what took place..there may be one or more person who will say: “Your version of that Tale is different than what was told to me”. There are a number of reasons there may be different versions of a Tale: a person forgets some of the things he was told...he may have misunderstood what a person said...etc. Below is Cecile Brooks’ version of what took place between two brothers on that cliff:
There were two brothers. The older had a wife. They lived between the lake and the bluff called xotia-mist. The older told his brother, “We’ll go up there and get the young eagles on the bluff”. (That was before they would be able to fly.) They picked a lot of qo-lus and made a strong rope by braiding it. Then they went way up the bluff and tied the rope to a tree. The older brother took the other end and went down the bluff holding on to it. When he was about half way down he stopped at a narrow ledge and said to his brother, “When I pull on the rope you’ll know I’m standing on something and am safe”. The younger brother thought, I’m going to cut the rope so I can take his wife”. He cut the rope.
It was in the morning when this happened. The rope was tied about the man’s chest, and when it was cut it nearly pulled him off the ledge. The younger brother went back to the camp. He told his sister-in-law, “The rope broke and your husband is dead now. Well, I’ll take you and take care of you myself. It’s too late to do anything to save your husband now”. So they packed all their belongings, and moved away from the rock towards Kartaro. There is a place there called snktse-xknasn, “burnt down house”, and there they pitched camp.
The older brother stayed there on the ledge. It was high above the ground. He stayed there until just about dark. Then he took two of the eagles and tied their feet with the bark. Just about morning the mother eagle came back. He saw all kinds of bones there: deer and all kinds. He seized the mother eagle and tied her up too. Later the father eagle came, but he was afraid of the man and would not come there. Finally the man got him tied up. So he had four tied together. Then he though to himself, “If I stay here I’ll die anyway and if I go down I might die too”. So he tied a bird to each ankle and each wrist. When he went down he lost consciousness but the birds flew to a nice place where it was not so rough and there they landed.
He came to his senses about sundown. When he woke, he looked at the eagles and their mouths were wide open, they were so hungry. He took them to the water and took a feather from each. He said, “I am not going to kill you, because you save my life. I am just going to take a feather from each of you”.
By now three days had passed. When he went back to the camp, he found that his brother and wife were gone. He followed their tracks and saw their camp at the little spring. He jumped back into the brush and hid. He got close to the house and heard them laughing and having a good time. First he killed his brother. His wife pleaded with him, saying, “I didn’t want your brother: I want you”. But he killed her too.
He laid them both down. Then he took all their mats and other things, and laid these on them, and just set fire to it all. That is why they named the place “House burned down”. And I left them there and I came back.
