0 JUNE 1,2012
Smoke Signals
Rose Festival Court visits Spirit Mountain Casino
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signali editor
Fifteen Portland Rose Festival
princesses and their entourage
visited Spirit Mountain Casino
on Tuesday, May 22, to enjoy a
brunch-style lunch and thank the
casino and Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde for sponsoring the
upcoming Grand Floral Parade.
Spirit Mountain Casino is in its
second year as official sponsor of
the iconic Grand Floral Parade, this
year set for 10 a.m. Saturday, June
9, in downtown Portland.
This year's Rose Festival Court
includes Carter Wallace, Wilson
High School; Sade' Beasley, Benson
High; Amirose Mallet, St. Mary's
High; Meleah Cooper, David Doug
las High; Janae Brown, Jefferson
High; Katherine Sinnott, Central
Catholic High; Nyausha West,
Grant High; Cassidy Zusmas, Lin
coln High; Keely van Baggen, Madi
son High; Asia Greene, Roosevelt
High; Charlotte Taylor, Cleveland
High; Lydia Terjerson, METRO
West; Mehek Sethi, METRO East;
Alexis Phillips, Franklin High; and
Bre'Shay Barnes, Parkrose High.
Attired in Adidas pink rain jack
ets, the princesses were seated at
tables inside the casino's Kalapuya
conference room as Tribal Council
members and casino staff arrived
for the lunchtime event and meal.
Spirit Mountain Marketing Man
ager Greg Fritz, who also sits on the
Rose Festival Board of Directors,
introduced Rodney Ferguson, Spirit
Mountain chief executive officer, to
the Rose Festival Court.
"It is such a thrill each and every
time to see your lovely faces," Fer
guson said. "We are sure that your
parents and everyone else are so
proud of you and your years in high
school. You have made it to this
point in your life where your next
step will be even more exciting. We
are so happy to have you here."
Tribal Council member Steve
Bobb Sr. gave the invocation, but be
forehand he also welcomed the prin
cesses to the Tribe's homelands.
"As Native Americans and as in
most cultures, our young people are
our treasures," Bobb said. "They
are the vessels to the future. From
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Tribal Council mimbtr
Stava Bobb Sr., second
from loft talks with
Rosa Fastival Court
Princass Asia Graana,
right, aftar sha gava
him and Rodney
Farguson, Spirit
Mountain Casino chiaf
executive officer, a
handout with all of tha
princesses photos and
a pin as a thank you
during tha court's visit
to Spirit Mountain
Casino on Tuesday,
May 22. Greene
attends Roosevelt
High School.
the day that you enter our lives, you
are wrapped in a cocoon of hopes
and dreams by a generation that
knows you will accomplish things.
"On behalf of the Tribal Council
of the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde, all of our members and our
wonderful staff, we wish you the
best."
After Bobb's invocation, the prin
cesses were treated to a meal that
included prime rib, eggs Benedict,
baby shrimp, fruit, pastries and
hash browns. Princess Carter Wal
lace said the Rose Festival Court
had previously visited Pendleton,
Astoria, Cannon Beach, Tillamook,
McMinnville and Salem before
making a stop in Grand Ronde.
In Tillamook, the court visited
the Tillamook Cheese Factory; in
McMinnville, they toured Evergreen
Aviation Museum; and in Salem, they
met with Gov. John Kitzhaber.
Princess Maleah Cooper said her
favorite things about serving in the
Rose Festival Court were, in order,
the trip to Pendleton where they
rode horses and met the Pendleton
Roundup Court, the clothes that
have been donated to them and the
parades they have participated in.
Cooper said she had visited the
casino before. When she was young
er, her parents would stop at Spirit
Mountain for the buffet and she and
her brother would share from their
parents' plates.
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Elders' garage sale seeking donations I
I Tribal Elders are regularly seeking donations for fundraising ga- 1
rage sales. To donate an item or items, contact Tribal Elders Linda
Brandon at 971-267-0918 or Duane Wheeler at 541-992-3254. D
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IBaHDofts dye Jonnne 1 3
VOTE continued
from front page
In a 2010 non-binding survey,
Tribal members who responded
supported a primary election pro
cess 582-366, or 61.4 percent in
favor of the idea.
Recent Tribal Council elections
since 2008 have regularly seen 10
or more Tribal members nominat
ed. With so many candidates on the
ballot, those elected to three-year
Tribal Council terms customarily
receive less than 20 percent of the
total vote.
Tribal members had until May 9
to register with the BIA to vote in
the amendment election. Ballots
were sent to registered Tribal vot
ers on Friday, May 18, and must be
returned to the BIA by Wednesday,
June 13.
If approved by Tribal voters, a
primary election would start with
the 2013 Tribal Council election
cycle if more than 10 candidates
are nominated. B
v.
9
V
a
J 'si V I V"-' .yr-J - As
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Rose Festival Court Princass Katherine Sinnott, second from left, introduces
herself as other princesses look on during the court's visit to Spirit Mountain
Casino on Tuesday, May 22. Sinnott attends Central Catholic High School.
From Grand Ronde, the prin
cesses were scheduled to board a
bus and return to the Portland area
for an evening dinner.
Wallace added that she is appre
ciative of the "limitless opportuni
ties" being a Rose Festival princess
has offered her while Cooper said
she appreciates the "countless con
nections" she has made.
Wallace said she will be heading
to Western Washington University
in the fall to study either theater or
law enforcement while Cooper is
headed to the University of Oregon
to study product design and minor
in business.
In addition to Bobb, Tribal Council
members Chris Mercier and Toby
McClary and Public Affairs Director
Siobhan Taylor attended the event
and mingled with the court. B
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