In conjunction with this year’s Eagle Butte Hometown Days celebration, the Cheyenne River Youth Project® will host an array of special events that include a teen basketball tournament, a carnival in the park, a bicycle obstacle course and an Ultimate Farmers Market. The events are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, July 19-20.
Every Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., CRYP hosts its all-new, community-based Leading Lady Farmers Market at its East Lincoln Street campus. For this special weekend, that will be expanded into an Ultimate Farmers Market due to the youth project’s participation in the City Wide Rummage Sale. Vendors are invited to take advantage of Leading Lady market space on that day.
The public will enjoy the opportunity to purchase naturally grown, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables; homemade preserves, salsas and dried foods; hand-crafted jewelry and artwork. All proceeds from CRYP products will benefit youth programming and services; proceeds from community vendors who are renting market booths will benefit those community members.
That night, CRYP will host its Hometown 5-on-5 Teen Basketball Shootout for ages 13 to 18 at the Cokata Wiconi teen center. While the event is technically part of the 25-year-old, not-for-profit organization’s popular Midnight Basketball summer season, it’s going to be on an even larger scale in honor of the citywide celebration.
The shootout will start at 7 p.m. and run until 1 a.m. There is no entry fee to participate in the tournament, and ages 13-18 are welcome. CRYP staff is planning to have hoodies and T-shirts available for shootout participants, which are designed and screen-printed at the youth project.
On Saturday, CRYP will be hosting its Carnival in the Park, which begins at 2 p.m. in Eagle Butte’s city park and will run until 6 p.m. Staff and volunteers will engage carnival-goers in such festival mainstays as tug-o-war, potato-sack races, three-legged races, face painting, “fishing,” a cookie walk and a water balloon toss.
In addition, the youth project will host exciting youth obstacle-course races for those who take part in a small diabetes prevention activity. CRYP will have special prizes on hand for those who win awards for Best Effort, Leadership, Teamwork, Positivism, and first, second and third places for age divisions 4-8, 9-12 and 13-18.
This year’s Eagle Butte Hometown Days will run from Thursday, July 18 to Sunday, July 21. A variety of special activities and events will allow residents and visitors alike to celebrate the rich, diverse heritage of this 103-year-old South Dakota community.
To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visit www.lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
The Cheyenne River Youth Project, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.