After last year’s celebration was cancelled due to safety precautions, this year’s Mul-Chu-Tha Fair and Rodeo took place in Sacaton over the March 13 weekend and featured singers, dancers, rodeo ropers and more from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

3 Takeaways:

• The 61st annual Mul-Chu-Tha Fair and Rodeo returned to Sacaton this year.
• Adilynn Thomas, 5-year-old daughter of Arnold Thomas, participated in mutton busting. 
• AntoineX, Nataanii Means and One Way Sky headlined the fair’s weekend concert series. 

To the delight of many, the Mul-Chu-Tha Fair and Rodeo returned to Sacaton this year over the March 13 weekend for several days of culture, cuisine and community. 

Down on Seed Farm and Bluebird roads, the rodeo and fairgrounds were packed with folks from Indian Country as well as out-of-town visitors looking to enjoy some weekend festivities. 

When you look at it one way, the number of people attending proved that this year’s celebration offered much-needed relief from a world and a country experiencing uncertain times. 

This year’s theme was “Celebrating Traditional Artistry Across Generations.” The festivities included a bird singing and dancing competition on Saturday, a shoñgivu’l tournament and gins/komai, as well as a car show on Sunday. 

Another fan favorite, Saturday morning’s Mul-Chu-Tha parade, saw many from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community participate. Community royalty, Council members, and department directors, staff and more made their way to Sacaton for this year’s event. 

Thanks to an idea from SRPMIC Events Department Coordinator Nalani Lopez, the SRPMIC Community Relations Office participated in Saturday morning’s parade and brought a piece of the Community with them, a 7-foot-tall inflatable balloon rendering of the SRPMIC water tower. 

In the months and weeks leading up to the fair, Lopez had to reach out to several businesses to bring her idea across the finish line in time. Thankfully, with the help of her events department, she was able to complete the project and showcase the customized inflatable during the parade. 

Additionally, Arnold Thomas’ 5-year-old daughter, Adilynn Thomas, participated in the mutton-busting competition. 

Thomas’ other daughter was originally scheduled to participate as well, but, according to her dad, she decided to participate in next year’s Mul-Chu-Tha instead.  

AntoineX, Nataani Means, One Way Sky and more rounded out the fair’s weekend concert series. Saturday also saw a performance by Women in the Waila World featuring Gertie Lopez, the world-famous musician from the Tohono O’odham Nation. 

Continuing the two-day celebration of culture, an all-day pow-wow was held on both weekend days. Joe Cooper served as the head gourd dancer; the colors were presented by the Pee-Posh Veterans; and Kenny Cozad (Kiowa/Comanche) was the master of ceremonies for both days. 

After Gila River canceled last year’s event due to safety precautions, this year’s Mul-Chu-Tha Fair and Rodeo proved that the annual celebration of community and culture remains an important and even crucial highlight for many.