The 15th annual Giving Thanks and Honoring Veterans Feast at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College will be held Thursday, Nov. 20. The event is sponsored by student life organizations on campus and begins at 4 p.m. in the amphitheater with a traditional opening ceremony and presentation of colors by the Fond du Lac Reservation Veterans' Honor Guard.
Bryan Jon Maciewski, a faculty member and veteran, will be the featured speaker, with welcome addresses from Fond du Lac Reservation Chairwoman Karen Diver and Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College President Larry Anderson at 5 p.m.
Dinner will be served from 5:30 p.m. until around 7 p.m., and the evening will conclude with a traveling song by the college drum group. The feast is open to the public and is free to everyone.
The Giving Thanks Feast started 15 years ago as an effort to create greater awareness of the American Indian tradition of giving thanks for a productive harvest. The popular event at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College draws several hundred people each year. The evening feast will have a traditional menu consisting of turkey, wild rice, vegetable, mashed potatoes, fry bread, cranberries, dessert and beverages. The festivities will feature traditional music by the college drum group. Additional Giving Thanks and Honoring Veterans Feast activities this year will be a 7 a.m. sunrise ceremony at the Jack's Path Memorial on campus, and a noon celebration with comments from student leaders, the Oskhii Giizhik Singers women's hand drum group at 12:45 p.m., and guest speaker Jodi Kiminski, Veterans' Education Coordinator, at 1:15 p.m. in the amphitheater.
People interested in the Giving Thanks Feast are invited to come for any portion of the event. No registration or admission fees are required. For more information, call Joan Johnson at 218-879-0890 or the campus at 218-879-0800.
