Charles Clark
DURANT – The Choctaw Cultural Center will celebrate history, culture and traditions at its annual Heritage Festival. The event is scheduled for Nov. 6 – 8 in Durant.
The festival will include activities such as an art market, singing Choctaw hymns, social dance demonstrations, traditional games, storytelling, exhibit tours with a curator talk, and a Choctaw language class.
The three-day celebration will also feature a weeklong fundraiser for the center’s Competition Stickball Field.
Held at the Choctaw Cultural Center, 1919 Hina Hanta Way, doors open at 10 a.m. each day.
A special screening of the documentary film “Powwow People” will be shown on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Traditional native foods will be served all day in the center’s Champuli Café, and the Hvshi Gift Store will be open.
Regular cultural center admission prices allow attendees all festival activities inside the cultural center, with complimentary entry for Choctaw tribal members and cultural center members.
A day of stickball, including exhibitions and a tournament, is planned for Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on the cultural center stickball field. Admission to the games is free.
The Heritage Festival Silent Auction is underway and offers bidding on a variety of unique items. Bidding closes at 5 p.m. on Nov. 7. Auction items are on display at the Choctaw Cultural Center throughout the week, giving guests the chance to browse the items before placing bids online. Winners may collect their items on Nov. 8 or arrange a later pickup time. Shipping is also available for an additional fee. Funds raised from the auction will support the cultural center’s Competition Stickball Field. Visit https://bit.ly/heritage-festival-silent-auction or text “ChoctawCC” to 76278 to participate.