Smoke Signal

Nov 2013
Inside this issue:
Calendar Federation Chief Papoose Chief Princess Chief Guides Chief Trail Chief Holiday Parade Turkey Target 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Upcoming Events
* See complete calendar on page 2 *

Sort cans for Thanksgiving dinner for those that are less fortunate and support our canned food drive!

Saturday, November 9, 8am-12pm Mission Arlington ALL Nations are welcome! Cost: Can Donations

Community Day

Recruitment... Recruit new members for this season and get a recruitment patch for every new participant! Remember, this program thrives by all of us sharing our enjoyment with friends.

Get the highest score in your nation shooting the target with a BB gun and win a turkey for Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 16, 9am - 1pm Dalworthington Gardens, Pappy Elkins Park ALL Nations are welcome! Cost: FREE

Turkey Shoot

Arlington Parade of Lights

December 7, 6 pm Downtown Arlington Cost: Free

Come help us build and ride on our float!!

http://www.holidaylightsparade.com/

Elder:

Chris Elkins 817-999-3311

Elder: Jeff Godbold 817-919-5509 Elder: Bill Darroch 214.274.8253 Elder: Brian Tecklenburg

Elder:

Open

Elder: David Adams 214-244-4729 Elder: Jeff Cloud 817-360-0611

Bold names are new elders this year.

Federation Chief: Mike Ginani 469.767.3051

Asst. Federation Chief: Tim Ackermann 214.477.9098

Program Manager: Kevin Cartwright 817-819-1256 [email protected] Papoose Chief: Jason Slackney Princess Chief: Brian Bolton Guides Chief: Steve Hartung Trail Chief: Richard Perez

Federation Meshenewa: Jeff Cloud 817-360-0611

Program Calendar

More details on all the events are in this Smoke Signal and on our web site: http://www.Blackland-Prairie.org
** The latest calendar will always be online at this address: http://www.blackland-prairie.org/calendar_embed.html **

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Smoke Signal November 2013 A Publication of the YMCA of Arlington, TX Father/Child Program

YA TA HEY BLACKLAND PRAIRIE FEDERATION!

The Father/Child season is in full swing. We just finished our Haunted Trail and it was a big success. It was great to see so many dads working hard to put it on. The weather held off just long enough for us make sure the kids had a great time. I have spoken to many dads who were involved and it seems to be unanimous; it was a great event! Its an exciting time with the holidays coming up fast. Many opportunities lie ahead to spend quality time with our children. This is a very good time to get back to the basics. Unfortunately, weve had a few events that have been a little frustrating for our program. Lets remember that it is up to each and everyone of us personally to make sure the program is a success. The best place to start is to strengthen the bond between ourselves and our children. Here are a few best practices to remember:

Wear your vest and tribal shirt to all events Have monthly meetings with your tribe. If your chief is not organizing this, take it upon yourself to schedule a meeting Work on the deeds to earn patches Attend all events Volunteer to help with events Invite friends to join

Some great events are coming up: Federation Community Day The morning of November 9th at 9am at Mission Arlington. Bring cans to donate and help organize. This is a great opportunity to give back. Turkey Shoot November 16th in Dalworthington Gardens in Elkins Park at 9am. BB gun target shooting and archery. Should be a great time and you could win a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Ride on the Parade of Lights Float and help build it Parade of Lights is on December 7th. We will likely be building it the weekend before and the week of. We need all the help we can get. Lots of fun! Remember, lets get back to basics. See everyone at Federation Community Day!

Sincerely, Teaching Bear (Mike Ginani) Dancing Daisy (Madison) Running Bear (Andrew)

Smoke Signal November 2013 A Publication of the YMCA of Arlington, TX Father/Child Program

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Ya Ta Hey Mighty Papoose Nation!

I would like to welcome everyone to the Father Child program and the Papoose Nation! Thank you to our Dads who decided to take an active role in their childrens lives. I hope this year will be a rewarding one for you and your child. Our program year got off to a bumpy start, with our Induction Ceremony getting rained out, but we have a great year ahead of us. The first weekend in October the Papoose Nation had our Fall Campout; and we headed to Ray Roberts State Park, Johnson Creek Branch. We withstood an extreme weather change, and several inches of rain, but in the end we had a great time. Our tribes decorated their camp sites and we had a pumpkin carving contest. To the left is the Bear Tribe working hard on their pumpkins! It was great to have the chance to meet many of our new members at the campout. We had two events at the end of October; Papoose Train Ride and Haunted Trail. Both of these events occurred on Saturday October 26th. For the Train Ride, the Papoose Nation headed to the Forest Park Miniature Railroad, this iconic miniature train ride was a blast for the kids and invited guests. That evening we had the Federation Haunted Trail at the YMCA off South Cooper. The weather held off just long enough for about 600 parents and kids to enjoy it. Next our Federation Community Day event is scheduled for November 9th. I encourage all of you to bring can goods, and to take this opportunity to introduce your children to community service. Its wonderful to see the type of positive affect we all can have when we work together. Lastly is the Turkey Shoot scheduled for November 16th. What can be better than shooting BB guns at paper turkey targets? Highest score in the Papoose nation wins a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Its now time to renew your membership in the program. Consider all those individuals you would like to invite to join the program, now is the time to make the effort to contact them & encourage them to attend the Turkey Shoot. Lets make every effort to grow the Papoose Nation. Until we meet again Eagle Eye (Jason Slackney) Papoose Nation Chief Lion Heart (Alexander Slackney) Big Lightning (Grant Slackney)

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Smoke Signal November 2013 A Publication of the YMCA of Arlington, TX Father/Child Program

Ya-ta-hey Mighty Princess Nation!

We have just recently returned from our Fall Campout Even at Cedar Hill State Park. What a weekend! Traditionally, Fall Campout has been an unusual weather weekend; instead of tornadic wind gusts, hail-producing storms, and monsoon-like flash flooding, Mother Nature blasted us with the last bastion of summer heat and high humidity (making the ice cream social a welcomed activity). ZUNI was awarded the Spirit Coup Stick at Bonfire for its enchanting Carly Rae Jepsoninspired Tribal Song, and KARANKAWA retained the Overall Spirit Award. Kudos to CROW for its 100% tribe participation at Fall Campout. We had a great turnout, and had a weekend full of activities to keep our Princesses busy. After Halloween, we have several events to look forward to: mark your calendars for November 9th and for November 16th, for Community Day and for the Turkey Shoot (respectively). Please make an effort to attend COMMUNITY DAY at Mission Arlington. Your Tribe Chief will be sending out reminders about canned good donations, and how you can contribute to this patch Event. For the new folks, or for those whom have missed out previously, the kids get a small life lesson in how one small action can be something meaningful to someone else, and how valuable even a small contribution can be in making someones day special. TURKEY SHOOT, the following weekend, is a come-and-go patch Event at Pappy Elkins Park in Dalworthington Gardens. The YMCA provides all of the weapons, so leave your laser-sighted, high-powered BB gun with the banana clip at home. Your kids can color a turkey target (found online, at the Blackland Prairie website), or color the target on-site. After receiving a weapons safety crash course, the Princesses will be directed to the rifle range. The scores will be tallied, and I will award a frozen turkey to the Princess Nations highest scorer at the November Longhouse meeting. Start Practicing in your back yard. Maybe one of your girls has the skill to take the prize from the snipers residing in the Bolton or Cloud households. The ARLINGTON PARADE OF LIGHTS is just after Thanksgiving, on December 7. The girls LOVE putting on Christmas garb, adorning themselves with Christmas lights, and riding on the Federation Float. KARANKAWA is war-chiefing this Event for us; youll receive some information soon about float construction prior to the parade date. Dads, thank you for your continued dedication to your girls and to the Program as a whole. We, as a Princess Nation, are only as successful we choose to be, collectively. Theres more to this Program than campouts take the time to work through the bead deeds and youll find some real quality time with your Princess! We have gained some new members to the Princess Nation; if you see someone you dont know at an event, introduce yourself and your Princess. Your little girl may discover a new BFF, and youll make them feel welcome! Im looking forward to seeing you at the next Event.

BLACK OWL, Princess Nation Chief (Brian Bolton) DANCING RAINBOW (Grace Bolton) SMILING TURTLE (Madeleine Bolton)

Smoke Signal November 2013 A Publication of the YMCA of Arlington, TX Father/Child Program

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YaTaHey Mighty Guides Nation!

What a great month we just had in the Guides Nation! A few weeks back we had our Fall Campout at Lake Whitney State Park, and last weekend was the Festival and Haunted Trail at the Cooper Street YMCA. Our Fall Campout had some surprising events for us: The weather fantastic as we enjoyed some mild afternoons and a bit nippier mornings (A vast improvement over recent years!). The park lifted its fire ban about two weeks before we arrived, allowing the Mighty Bon Fire to return to life. The Little Braves did an excellent job carving pumpkins and decorating their campsites, preparing us for the trickery of the upcoming Halloween Night! The winner of this years Fall Spirit Award went to Blackfoot with their spooky graveyard scene. A special thanks to Bob Tillson of the Navajo Tribe for war-chiefing a great event! The following weekend, several Guide Tribes assisted the Great Trail Nation with the Haunted Trail, providing much character and flavor to the Trail. Fortunately, the Great Spirit staved off the winds and rain until the very end, which allowed many to partake in the nights festivities! November promises to be just as special as October. To start off, we have Community Day at Mission Arlington from 9AM until noon this Saturday (November 9th). Your chiefs have already emailed out all the details: location, what Mission Arlington is in need of etc... I hope to see every Little Brave at this event! For those that are new, this is an excellent event that 1) helps convey to our Little Braves the sheer magnitude of need that is required just for our own community to help feed those that are less fortunate this holiday season 2) Our Little Braves enjoy spending hours helping to separate all the food & 3) Many a Little Brave have slept well following past Community Day events for not only do our Little Braves feel a great sense of worth as they help out, but they burn a lot of energy doing so! The following Saturday (November 16th), we have the coveted Turkey Shoot at DWGs Pappy Elkins Park. At this event, our boys learn proper gun safety and practice their 1st person shooter skills on a turkey target that they color. Targets will be available at the event, but it doesnt hurt to bring a target already decorated, with your name, tribes name and age on the back! I will personally award a turkey at the November Longhouse (November 19th) to the Little Brave with the highest score. The YMCA provides all the equipment (guns, bbs, bow & arrows). Please do not bring your personal weapons, sights, ammunition or other fine hunting equipment to this event! Your tribal chief has more information about the event! If not busy enough, we can use your help in both decorating the Federation float for the Arlington Parade of Lights and marching in the parade itself! This years parade is December 7th. In the weeks to come, your tribal chief will be emailing more information about float construction dates & times, guidelines for being in the parade and other great information! Three Kudo's until next we meet!

Innaihtsi'iyi (Peace) Soaring Eagle, Guides Nation Chief Snowy Rabbit & Sleeping Bear, Chiefs Little Braves
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YaTaHey Mighty Trail Nation!

October was a busy time for the all Federation Nations as we are finishing up our campouts and getting ready for the Haunted Trail! Haunted Trail @ South Arlington YMCA, Three big Kudos to everyone who helped and participated in the annual Haunted Trail on October 26th!!. Like last year the event took place in the back woods of the South Cooper YMCA. All Nations collaborated to put together a great haunted trail. We had a bit of rain towards the end but that didnt dampen the spirits of those who participated including the Trail, Mohawk, Karankawa; Zuni and the Blackfoot Tribes. Nov. 9th Federation Community Day is at Mission Arlington. This day is one that really shows how much we care about our community and our ability to help those who are not as fortunate as we are. Come out that morning and Bring as many cans of food as possible and stay to help sort and organize them. This day is a good opportunity for us to instill a sense of community service with our children. For the small donation of time and hopefully many cans of food, it is a time to give back to the people of Arlington. Nov. 16th The Turkey Shoot This event is right around the corner, and will be held at Dalworthington Gardens City Park. The kids love shooting BB guns and testing their archery skills, so dont miss this fun event. If your child has the high score, they could win a frozen turkey for your family, so just think how happy mom will not have to buy the bird this year! You can download a turkey target from the Blackland Prairie Federation website. http:// www.blackland-prairie.org. Spending time with your child at these events builds a memory for life and one that they will never forget. Thanks, heres to a Great Year! Richard Perez (Longbow) Trail Nation Chief - 817-691-5220 Erika (Tigerlilly) Trail Mate John (Brave Tomahawk) Guides

Smoke Signal November 2013 A Publication of the YMCA of Arlington, TX Father/Child Program

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Join the pageantry and come enjoy an Arlington holiday tradition !

Share your holiday spirit with the community and march in the parade. Bring your family and friends to Downtown Arlington to enjoy the parade!

Everyone needs to be there by 5:30 PM. Please ask everyone to wear their vest, Christmas hats and colors. Anyone walking or riding a bike must have lights on them. Due to safety concerns, the parade committee suggests that children under 8 years of age not walk in the parade, but they may ride on floats, vehicles or bikes under adult supervision. All other information is on the website at www.holidaylightsparade.com .
Parade route Parade staging area

Smoke Signal November 2013 A Publication of the YMCA of Arlington, TX Father/Child Program

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Smoke Signal November 2013 A Publication of the YMCA of Arlington, TX Father/Child Program

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Community Day
Saturday, November 9, 8am-12pm Mission Arlington

Turkey Shoot
Saturday November 16, 9am - 1pm Dalworthington Gardens, Pappy Elkins Park

Arlington Parade of Lights

December 7, 6 pm Downtown Arlington

Papoose Xmas Party

December 15, 1-4 pm Arlington Central YMCA

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID

7120 S. Cooper St. Arlington, TX 76001

Permit No. 48 ARLINGTON, TX

For Youth Development For Healthy Living

Program Registration & Event registration is available at www.ymca-arlington.org