ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

Named after the Kiowa chief known as the “Orator of the Plains” and one of the signers of the Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867 agreeing to settlement on reservation lands for the tribe, Satanta clearly has its roots in the Native American culture.

On the second Saturday of May, the community celebrates this history with Satanta Day, and Satanta Chamber of Commerce President Renee Massey said visitors to the Haskell County community are again in for much fun this year.

“We begin the day with a fun run,” she said. “We have a parade. We have a chief and a princess. We install the new chief and princess. The high school kids interview. We did that on the 16th of April, and we chose two new chief and princesses.”

As part of Satanta Day, Massey said there will be the time-honored transfer of power similar to how the Kiowa tribe performed the ceremony. Following the parade, the day’s fun continues.

“We have turtle races, barbecue in the park,” she said. “We have games. The Rec Commission has games for the kids to do like throwing balls through hoops, digging for coins.”

Massey said coins for the dig are silver and half dollars provided by a bank in Satanta, and children can win free slushies. This year’s celebration will also feature a car show, food trucks and a cornhole tournament.

“There will be an amateur division and a professional division, and there’s $500 added to the pot,” she said.

The parade itself will run from 8 to 10 a.m. next Saturday, and two bands will play in the friends lounge as well. Massey estimated about 800 people will enjoy hamburgers in the park too.

Massey said local efforts are constantly being made to keep the celebration going, but some parts of the event have been lost over the years.

“We had a band in our carnival about three years ago,” she said. “Those carnivals have gone to bigger and better things. We’re too small of a town. They don’t make enough money. We don’t have a carnival anymore. We’ll never get it back. They want $10,000 for a carnival.”

Along with those businesses, the town is also home to Satanta District Hospital, which has a long-term care unit, and assisted living can also be found in the community.

As for chamber membership, Massey said this ebbs and flows throughout time.

“We don’t have a lot of people on there right now, but we’re hoping to get some more people on there,” she said. “We’re hoping it peaks some interest to get some more people on there. It’s hard to get people to commit to stuff.”

For more information on Satanta Day and to sign up for the parade, vendors, craft fairs or craft shows, visit the Satanta Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.

Massey said she is looking forward to May 9 in Satanta.

“It’s going to be a good turnout,” she said. “We’re going to have a nice Satanta Day. I’m excited for it to come, but there’s a lot of work behind the scenes nobody knows about.”