Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians were looking forward to their annual Cherokee Indian Fair this year — 2024’s event was to be the 112th celebration. There were going to be Indigenous stickball tournaments, bubble gum-blowing contests, and a longest-hair competition.
But the tribe, located in the western part of North Carolina, was slammed by Hurricane Helene less than a week before the fair, with floods, destruction, and a death toll of more than 200 across the state. Some members thought maybe canceling would be for the best.
But Principal Chief Michell Hicks said the fair should go on as scheduled.
To Hicks, the gathering was more important now than ever, as a way to collect donations for those in need and to “honor our traditions while supporting those who need it most.”
Big country musical acts who were playing the fair, like the headliner, Midland, urged attendees to bring nonperishable food items and bottled water for those affecte... Read more
