Annual fair celebrates Choctaw culture

By Staff
RIDES Jacob Eubanks enjoys a ride at last year's Choctaw Indian Fair. The 55th annual fair opens Wednesday. FILE PHOTO
By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
July 9, 2004
The 55th Choctaw Indian Fair starts Wednesday.
The traditional celebration will last through July 17 and focus on Choctaw culture, arts, crafts and dances and World Championship Stickball.
The fair is rooted in the ancient celebration of Mississippi Choctaws who traditionally gathered at the ripening of the first corn of the season.
Although the fair is a time to allow Choctaws to honor their traditions and heritage, it also is an opportunity for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to welcome visitors to their reservation and share their way of life.
Stickball
Stickball has been part of Choctaw sporting life for hundreds of years.
Stickball teams use handcrafted sticks called kabocca and a woven leather ball. The teams try to advance the ball down the field to the other team's goal post using their sticks.
The earliest historical references to Choctaw stickball goes back to a priest's account of a game in 1729. Choctaw villages peacefully settled disputes between communities with the competitions.
At the fair, World Series Stickball Championship games will be held beginning at 10:15 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday.
Indian Princess
Each year at the Choctaw Indian Fair, a new Choctaw Indian Princess is crowned.
The Choctaw Indian Princess acts as the ambassador of the Choctaw nation and travels throughout the nation, many times with the tribal chief, to promote awareness of the tribe.
Each contestant competes in four categories: talent, traditional dress, speech and interview. The pageant will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the fairgrounds amphitheater.
Entertainment
Several country music artists and a Native American rock band will entertain fairgoers beginning Thursday when country music artist Jimmy Wayne will perform at 7 p.m. At 8:30 p.m., Aaron Tippin will take the stage.
On Friday, country music artist Joe Nichols is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m., followed by country music artist Trace Adkins at 8:30 p.m.
On Saturday, the Native American rock band, Thunderhand Joe &The Medicine Show, will play at 7 p.m., followed by the country music of John Michael Montgomery, scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m.
Other fair information
The fairgrounds will be open from 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday; and from 9 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
To get to the fair, turn off Highway 16 at the Choctaw Town Center onto Industrial Park Road and follow signs posted as you enter the reservation.
School busses will pick up fairgoers from the parking area and shuttle them to the fairground entrance.
Adult season tickets are $15, or $10 for a single day. Student season tickets are $10, or $5 for a single day. Ages 5 and under are admitted free.
For advanced tickets, contact the Choctaw Authentic Shoppe at (800) 557-0711. For more fair information, call (601) 650-7450.