Dear Fellow Great-Plains Buddies,

My husband, David Seay, and I, will be hosting the 3rd Annual Pierre
Cruzatte Fiddling Contest next month. So, if you have any questions
about it, just e-mail me! We hope to see some of you there!

Sincerely,
Debby-in-the-Schoolhouse
http://www.mastercall.com/g-s/

The 3rd Annual Pierre Cruzatte Fiddling Contest will be held on
August 6, 2005 in West Market Square Park in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.
Registration begins at 1 PM. The contest begins at 2 PM, with the
Junior Division, followed by the Senior Division. The winners will
be announced at 4:45 PM.

The prizes for the Junior Division are $50.00 for 1st Place, $25.00
for 2nd Place, and $10.00 for 3rd Place. The prizes for the Senior
Division are $100.00 for 1st Place, $50.00 for 2nd Place, and $25.00
for 3rd Place.

Private Pierre Cruzatte was a member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
Being blind in one eye, Cruzatte would never be able to get into
today's Army, but the Co-Captains of the expedition recognized him
for his river navigation skills and translating abilities. He was
part French, part Omaha Indian. He had another skill. He could play
the fiddle! There are many references in the expedition journals of
Cruzatte getting out of his fiddle after a hard day's journey to
bring merriment to the group. From July 30 to August 3, 1804, the
Lewis and Clark expedition was camped at a site within one-third mile
due east of Fort Calhoun. It is quite possible Private Cruzatte
walked on the very ground where 201 years later we hold the 3rd
Annual Pierre Cruzatte Fiddling Contest. It was at this encampment
that Lewis and Clark held their first council with Native Americans.

The contest will be hosted by Greenblatt & Seay, who will also be
performing after the contest from 5 PM - 6 PM.

For more information, contact Greenblatt & Seay at g-s@..., or
call 402-275-3221, or write to them in The Old Schoolhouse, PO Box
671, Avoca, NE, 68307-0671.