Post by Okwes on Jan 26, 2006 14:29:10 GMT -5
L&C event focuses on involvement
By BECKY SHAY
Of The Gazette Staff
The countdown is on to this summer's Clark on the Yellowstone events.
About 50 people gathered for a luncheon Monday at the St. Vincent
Healthcare's Mansfield Health Education Center to hear about plans for
the four-day event, which is expected to draw attendees from around the
country from July 22-25, but with a strong focus on local participation.
For the community
"It's for you; it's for the people of this community," County
Commissioner Bill Kennedy said. "July is going to be spectacular. The
history is right here."
Clark's signature in the sandstone pillar east of Billings is the only
piece of physical evidence of the expedition.
"We have something unique in Yellowstone County that no one else can
boast about," Kennedy said. "It is a major part of our national history.
It's great to be from Yellowstone County and show off what we have."
National significance
Because Meriwether Lewis and Clark's three-year expedition has national
significance, the event is expected to bring people from around the
nation, Kennedy said. Local leaders hope that people who visit Clark on
the Yellowstone will be lured back for future visits.
"It will bring people to the region who are enticed by (Clark's)
signature and the beauty of the area," he said. "We hope they also come
back for years to come."
Kennedy half-joked that organizers would like to see "a little
congestion in and out of the pillar," along with full hotels and busy
streets and businesses in Billings.
Here is some information on the variety of events to be offered:
# Organizers think they will need about 500 volunteers to make Clark on
the Yellowstone a success. Specifics are still being ironed out, but
volunteers should be able to start signing up next month to share their
time and talents, co-coordinator Melody Dobson said. The commission is
opening a station in West Park Plaza in February so the community can
learn more, she said.
Dobson and co-coordinator Robbie Carpenter have an office in the Chamber
of Commerce building and may be contacted at 245-4111, ext. 101.
Information is also available online at www.clarkontheyellowstone.org.
# Technology has changed mightily since the expedition, and some of the
differences will be highlighted during Back to the Future with Lewis and
Clark, a May 7-9 event at the Montana State University-Billings College
of Technology.
Chairman John Pulasky said about 10 learning stations will compare how
the expedition was completed in the early 1800s to how it would be done
now. Some examples are measuring weather, medical care and Global
Positioning Systems.
The general public and families are invited on May 7 and seventh-graders
from School District 2 will be bused to the exhibits on May 8 and 9.
# Clark on the Yellowstone events begin with a community kickoff
downtown on July 21, with "Taste of the Trail" and a street dance with
musicians Rob Quist and Jack Gladstone.
The U.S. Department of Education is a national partner in the Lewis and
Clark commemorative events. Working with the state Office of Public
Instruction and MSU-Billings, the department plans to offer teachers
development workshops in conjunction with Clark on the Yellowstone. The
workshops will have a math and science focus and will provide Continuing
Education credits for teachers.
# Programs at Pompeys Pillar National Monument start July 22 with the
dedication of an interpretive center and opening ceremonies.
All Montana American Indian tribes have agreed to participate in the
events. They will host an encampment with tepees and twice-a-day singing
and dancing demonstrations. There will also be a Seven Lodges American
Indian Art Market, with traditional and contemporary fine arts, said
Dyani Bingham, coordinator of the Montana Tribal Tourism Alliance and
member of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission.
# An author's rendezvous, Set in Stone: The Legacy of William Clark,
will be held July 23. The two-hour symposium will be moderated by
Stephenie Ambrose Tubbs, whose father, Stephen Ambrose, wrote "Undaunted
Courage," a book about the journey.
The event will bring together for the first time Clark biographers James
Holmberg, William Foley, Landon Jones and Jay Buckley, said Susan
Lubbers, who is helping coordinate the symposium. The authors have
different perspectives about Clark and should have a lively exchange,
she said.
Working with Borders, the authors' books and others about the expedition
will be on sale at the events. The Pompeys Pillar Historical Association
will receive 20 percent of all sales, Lubbers said.
# Throughout Clark on the Yellowstone, people can take in dozens of
booths and demonstrations.
Among the events on July 24 is a symposium of American Indian speakers.
Hospitality tents will be open throughout the week. Water has been
donated for visitors, and concessions will be sold, Kennedy said.
# Crow Indian Tribe Chairman Carl Venne is honorary chairman of the
National Day of Honor on July 25.
Corky Old Horn, a cultural adviser for the tribe, said the Crow will set
up 20 tepees on July 20 and have interpreters available to talk about
the lodges throughout the events. On July 25, the tribe will be involved
in the honor parade, including having men, women and youth in their
traditional finery riding horses.
The tribe has donated 10 buffalo from its herd to be used by event
organizers. Plans are being made to possibly auction hunts for a
fundraiser, Kennedy said. The tribe also gave two buffalo that will be
used to provide a meal for people attending the honor day events.
The National Day of Honor is meant to acknowledge the clash of cultures
and conflicts that occurred as the West opened up after the expedition's
return. It will include representatives of several cultures and a pipe
ceremony by American Indians, the honor parade, drumming and dancing.
"It's a day of respect, a national day of peace," Kennedy said.
First Lady Laura Bush and Interior Secretary Gale Norton have been
invited to the events.
Contact Becky Shay at bshay@billingsgazette.com or 657-1231.
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
By BECKY SHAY
Of The Gazette Staff
The countdown is on to this summer's Clark on the Yellowstone events.
About 50 people gathered for a luncheon Monday at the St. Vincent
Healthcare's Mansfield Health Education Center to hear about plans for
the four-day event, which is expected to draw attendees from around the
country from July 22-25, but with a strong focus on local participation.
For the community
"It's for you; it's for the people of this community," County
Commissioner Bill Kennedy said. "July is going to be spectacular. The
history is right here."
Clark's signature in the sandstone pillar east of Billings is the only
piece of physical evidence of the expedition.
"We have something unique in Yellowstone County that no one else can
boast about," Kennedy said. "It is a major part of our national history.
It's great to be from Yellowstone County and show off what we have."
National significance
Because Meriwether Lewis and Clark's three-year expedition has national
significance, the event is expected to bring people from around the
nation, Kennedy said. Local leaders hope that people who visit Clark on
the Yellowstone will be lured back for future visits.
"It will bring people to the region who are enticed by (Clark's)
signature and the beauty of the area," he said. "We hope they also come
back for years to come."
Kennedy half-joked that organizers would like to see "a little
congestion in and out of the pillar," along with full hotels and busy
streets and businesses in Billings.
Here is some information on the variety of events to be offered:
# Organizers think they will need about 500 volunteers to make Clark on
the Yellowstone a success. Specifics are still being ironed out, but
volunteers should be able to start signing up next month to share their
time and talents, co-coordinator Melody Dobson said. The commission is
opening a station in West Park Plaza in February so the community can
learn more, she said.
Dobson and co-coordinator Robbie Carpenter have an office in the Chamber
of Commerce building and may be contacted at 245-4111, ext. 101.
Information is also available online at www.clarkontheyellowstone.org.
# Technology has changed mightily since the expedition, and some of the
differences will be highlighted during Back to the Future with Lewis and
Clark, a May 7-9 event at the Montana State University-Billings College
of Technology.
Chairman John Pulasky said about 10 learning stations will compare how
the expedition was completed in the early 1800s to how it would be done
now. Some examples are measuring weather, medical care and Global
Positioning Systems.
The general public and families are invited on May 7 and seventh-graders
from School District 2 will be bused to the exhibits on May 8 and 9.
# Clark on the Yellowstone events begin with a community kickoff
downtown on July 21, with "Taste of the Trail" and a street dance with
musicians Rob Quist and Jack Gladstone.
The U.S. Department of Education is a national partner in the Lewis and
Clark commemorative events. Working with the state Office of Public
Instruction and MSU-Billings, the department plans to offer teachers
development workshops in conjunction with Clark on the Yellowstone. The
workshops will have a math and science focus and will provide Continuing
Education credits for teachers.
# Programs at Pompeys Pillar National Monument start July 22 with the
dedication of an interpretive center and opening ceremonies.
All Montana American Indian tribes have agreed to participate in the
events. They will host an encampment with tepees and twice-a-day singing
and dancing demonstrations. There will also be a Seven Lodges American
Indian Art Market, with traditional and contemporary fine arts, said
Dyani Bingham, coordinator of the Montana Tribal Tourism Alliance and
member of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission.
# An author's rendezvous, Set in Stone: The Legacy of William Clark,
will be held July 23. The two-hour symposium will be moderated by
Stephenie Ambrose Tubbs, whose father, Stephen Ambrose, wrote "Undaunted
Courage," a book about the journey.
The event will bring together for the first time Clark biographers James
Holmberg, William Foley, Landon Jones and Jay Buckley, said Susan
Lubbers, who is helping coordinate the symposium. The authors have
different perspectives about Clark and should have a lively exchange,
she said.
Working with Borders, the authors' books and others about the expedition
will be on sale at the events. The Pompeys Pillar Historical Association
will receive 20 percent of all sales, Lubbers said.
# Throughout Clark on the Yellowstone, people can take in dozens of
booths and demonstrations.
Among the events on July 24 is a symposium of American Indian speakers.
Hospitality tents will be open throughout the week. Water has been
donated for visitors, and concessions will be sold, Kennedy said.
# Crow Indian Tribe Chairman Carl Venne is honorary chairman of the
National Day of Honor on July 25.
Corky Old Horn, a cultural adviser for the tribe, said the Crow will set
up 20 tepees on July 20 and have interpreters available to talk about
the lodges throughout the events. On July 25, the tribe will be involved
in the honor parade, including having men, women and youth in their
traditional finery riding horses.
The tribe has donated 10 buffalo from its herd to be used by event
organizers. Plans are being made to possibly auction hunts for a
fundraiser, Kennedy said. The tribe also gave two buffalo that will be
used to provide a meal for people attending the honor day events.
The National Day of Honor is meant to acknowledge the clash of cultures
and conflicts that occurred as the West opened up after the expedition's
return. It will include representatives of several cultures and a pipe
ceremony by American Indians, the honor parade, drumming and dancing.
"It's a day of respect, a national day of peace," Kennedy said.
First Lady Laura Bush and Interior Secretary Gale Norton have been
invited to the events.
Contact Becky Shay at bshay@billingsgazette.com or 657-1231.
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.