What a Saturday April 2nd, 2016 was! We experienced alternating sunshine (for 2 minutes) followed by blizzard, and blustery wind and cold. Yet, we had wall to wall people for our Grand Opening at the new Midwest SOARRING Native American Cultural Center, located at the historic Lockport Train Station in Lockport, IL.
Mayor Streit Ribbon Cutting
It was a fantastic day and included a ribbon cutting ceremony, Native American dancing, Native American drumming, a photography exhibit on Chief Iron Tail, music, vendors, and food and the good company of many friends, members, and supporters.
We want to thank everyone who stopped by and all who supported us with dancing (Francisco family, Katie and Abigeal); those that sang (Mark Jourdan and the Space Goats, Rick Redhorse and Singers; George and Berni Richter of S.O.A.R. (Save Our American Raptors) who brought our longtime friend Deshka, the American Bald Eagle. Deshka holds a special place in our hearts as she has been an integral part of our events for the past fifteen years. We also thank Bill Buchholtz for playing Native flute, and Myles Goddard for sharing his teachings, as well as all of the SOARRING members who each helped in their special way.
We thank John’s Painting of Lockport, IL for the beautiful paint job he did on the interior of the cultural center, Kevin Ullrich for his handcrafted wooden shelves, Frank Jackowiak for the donation of frames and printing of photographs for the Iron Tail photo exhibit, Doug and Judy Meier for the use of the stunning painting and for all of your hard work, to all the vendors who showed up and lasted as long as they could through the extreme weather conditions and terrific wind, and to Janet Smith-Peterson and the Cantigny Museum for their donation of display cases.
Native American Drummer
We also thank all of those who helped clean and set up the rooms and displays. Much of this occurred two weeks before the opening. Everyone worked hard to make our Grand Opening a great success.
A thank you also to all of our friends, family, and supporters that always show up to support us in all we do.
And a special thank you to Sandy Vasko of the Will County Historical Society for recommending Midwest SOARRING Foundation to Mayor Streit and the City of Lockport, which has given us an opportunity to be a part of their welcoming community.
In Honor of Our Ancestors,
The Midwest SOARRING Foundation Board
