PRESORTED
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PORTLAND, OR
PERMIT NO. 700
Community Fund
celebrates 20 years
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AUGUST 1, 2017
Grand Ronde prepares for totality on Monday, Aug. 21
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
I
t may be the most anticipated 101 seconds in
the modern history of the Grand Ronde area.
On Monday, Aug. 21, a total solar eclipse will
race across the United States, making landfall
in Lincoln City and ending its path over North
America in South Carolina.
Grand Ronde lies smack dab in the eclipse sweet
spot – totality – a 60-mile wide area in which the
moon will completely block the morning sunlight.
According to NASA’s Eclipse app, Grand Ronde
will experience 1 minute and 41 seconds of totality
beginning at 10:16:50 a.m. A partial solar eclipse
will start becoming visible over the area beginning
at 9:05 a.m.
In preparation for the event, which will attract
an estimated 1 million people to Oregon locations
along the swath of totality, Spirit Mountain Casino
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Eclipse graphic on page 11
and the Tribal government are preparing for an
influx of people.
“If you need prescriptions, if you need groceries,
it’s better to be prepared and not get caught off-
guard,” General Manager David Fullerton said. “It
could be very minimal impact, like a bad weekend
traffic, or it could be something extremely more
than that.
“From the government side, we are always go-
ing to recommend people prepare and do things
in advance. Prepare for the worst and hope for
the best.”
See ECLIPSE
continued on page 10
Spirit Mountain Casino is having a Solar Eclipse Viewing Party in the parking lot in front of PlayWorld on
Monday, Aug. 21. The eclipse viewing area will open at 7 a.m.
Contest Powwow
occurring in shadow
of total eclipse
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
A
noon grand entry at Contest
Powwow on Sunday, Aug.
20? Yes, that is not a typo
in the Smoke Signals ad.
Powwow Special Event Board
Chair Dana Ainam said the usual
1 p.m. grand entry on the third
day of Contest Powwow has been
moved up an hour to help travelers
get on the road as soon as possible
considering the next morning is
the total solar eclipse over Grand
Ronde and traffic on Highway 18
could be congested.
And that’s not the only change.
Adult dance categories have been
See POWWOW
continued on page 17
If you go
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Grand Ronde
Contest Powwow
When: Grand entries are at 7
p.m. Friday, Aug. 18; 1 and 7
p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19; and
noon Sunday, Aug. 20
Where: Uyxat Powwow
Grounds, 9600 Highway 22
(Hebo Road)
Parking: $1 a day or a
donation of canned food; $3
for a weekend pass
More information: 503-879-
2037
Tribal Cultural Adviser and ceremonial fisherman Bobby Mercier uses a dip net to fish at Willamette Falls
in Oregon City on Wednesday, July 19. This is the third time ceremonial fishing has taken place at the Falls:
once in June 2016 and twice this July. In 2016, 15 fish were caught, which was the first time Tribal members
had fished at the Falls in approximately 120 years, but this year was not as prosperous, with no fish being
caught because of low fish counts. Fish and Wildlife Program Manager Kelly Dirksen, right, and Tribal
Biologist Brandon Weems, back, accompanied Mercier on the slippery rocks to ensure his safety. The Tribe
regained the right to traditionally fish at Willamette Falls from the Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission in
April 2016 and the Tribe is allowed to take up to 15 fish per year for ceremonial purposes. Natural Resources
Department Manager Michael Wilson and Aquatic Biologist Torey Wakeland also scaled the rocks during the
effort and Wilson also fished since he is a ceremonial fisherman too. Tribal Council members Brenda Tuomi
and Jack Giffen Jr. witnessed the ceremonial fishing from a support boat downriver that was driven by
General Manager David Fullerton.