Native American Appreciation Day planners gear up for annual event

Bill Donovan
Staff writer

GALLUP — Everything is going smoothly for this year's Native American Appreciation Day, sponsors said last week.

Coordinators of the event held a press conference at the Gallup Chamber of Commerce last week to give an update on what is planned for this year's event, which will be held on June 4.

The big change is that all of the events will be held at the sports complex this year because of construction that is going on in the downtown area.

Sammy Chioda, one of the coordinators this year, said the construction which is cutting down on the parking would cause too many problems so the decision was made to hold the event at the sports complex.

All of the events associated with the all-day festival will be present, including woolly riding for the children and the grandma and grandpas contest for the elders. There will also be fireworks at night and entertainment including Vincent Craig during the day.

The city, which is the main sponsor, is putting up $25,000 for this year's event and Chioda said that local merchants have put up another $25,000.

"Every one of the business we asked to donate did so," said Chioda, which he said indicated that the merchants are getting into the spirit of the event and donating to show their appreciation for the Native American people in this area shopping in Gallup throughout the year.

"But if there is one thing we need to emphasize this year," said Herb Mosher, director of the Gallup Chamber of Commerce, "is that this day is for everyone in the city and we want everyone to come out."

This is the 15th year that the event is being held and the third year that the city is sponsoring it.

Although local Indian trader Ellis Tanner, who started the event, is not as involved as he was in the early years, he said recently that he felt the city was doing a good job after they took it over.

Tanner had been wanting someone to take over the event for years and the chamber did it one year. The following year it wasn't held, but then, because of the popularity of the event, the city did take it over.