Quick Reads, June 21, 2006

Music festival, Indian market

The sixth annual free "Hozho Naashadoo" (In Beauty May I Walk) music festival & Indian market will be held 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday June 24 at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock.

Come sample traditional and contemporary artisans' jewelry, weaving, clothing, pottery, paintings, pottery, carvings and sculptures outside the museum. In addition there will be entertainment, traditional food, book signings, films and children's activities.

Museum exhibits include "Navajo Nation 1950: Traditional Life in Photographs," a photography exhibit by Jonathan Wittenberg; "Circle of the Spirit: Dine & Tibetan Wisdom for Living," produced by Fort Lewis College Center of Southwest Studies; and "Celebrate a Life in Balance: The Art of Conrad House," a retrospective of this Navajo/Oneida artist's work.

The museum is located at Arizona Highway 264 and Post Office Loop Road in Window rock (1/4 mile west of the Arizona /New Mexico border & 26 miles from Gallup, N.M.).

For more information, call 928-871-7941.

Register now for DinŽ College

Registration for the 2006 Fall Semester at DinŽ College is going on at all sites: Attend college close to home at Tsaile, Chinle, Window Rock, Ganado, Kayenta, Tuba City, Shiprock and Crownpoint. Classes begin Aug. 28. Whether a student wants to pursue an associate's degree, prepare to transfer to a four-year university or take courses to improve job skills, DinŽ College can provide the preparation needed for success. For more information, call 1-877-988-DINE (toll free), call or come by a local campus or center, or go on-line at www.dinecollege.edu.

Wildflower walks at Arboretum

On Saturday, June 24 from 9-11 a.m. Botanist Jan Busco will lead Arboretum visitors on a tour through woodlands, meadows and cultivated gardens. During the 2006 season, wildflower walks will take place on the last Saturday of each month in June, July, August and September on The Arboretum's 200 acres. Jan Busco is the author of "How to Get Started in Southwest Gardening" and is very knowledgeable about a wide variety of native plant species found in the Flagstaff area. The program is free with the regular price of admission which is $5 for adults, $2 for youth aged 6-17, children under 6 are free. The Arboretum is located four miles south of Route 66 on Woody Mountain Road in west Flagstaff.

Devil Pups try-outs on the Rez

Try-outs for the Navajo Nation Devil Pups Program will be held today (June 21) on Page High School football field in Page and Friday, June 23 on Monument Valley High School football field in Kayenta. Applicants must be male, between the ages of 14-17 years, pass a fitness test. They also must be Navajo or provide a Certificate of Indian Blood. Devil Pups is a demanding physical and academic citizenship program. The top three applicants from these tryouts will be selected to attend Devil Pup Camp July 19-29 at Camp Pendelton, Calif. For more information, contact the Department of Youth at 928-293-3021.

Go back to school in style

The Salvation Army is partnering up with Wal-Mart again this year to send 140 children back to school in style. Children will receive a gift certificate to purchase new school clothes at Wal-Mart, a hot breakfast and a backpack full of school supplies. This event will take place 7-9 a.m. Aug. 5 at Wal-Mart. Registration will take place at the Salvation Army, 507 N. Humphrey's, 8 a.m.-noon July 5 --28, Mondays through Thursdays, with evening registration 4:30-6:30 p.m. on July 10 and 17. Children attending Head Start through junior high are eligible. To register, provide a picture ID for the head if household, child's social security card or birth certificate, proof of income or hardship. The Salvation Army needs school supplies, new backpacks and chaperones. To donate or volunteer, call Captain Tracie Hartt at 774-1403.

Exhibit opens in Window Rock

An opening reception and book signing for the photographs of Jonathan Wittenberg depicting landscapes, portraits and cultural events he captured during the 1950s on the Navajo Reservation will be held 5-7 p.m. June 22 at the Navajo Nation Museum. The exhibit, "Navajo Nation 1950: Traditional Life in Photography," will be on display through Dec. 29. The museum, located at Arizona Highway 264 and Post Office Loop Road in Window rock (1/4 mile west of the Arizona /New Mexico border & 26 miles from Gallup, N.M.) is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday Trough Friday, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free.