The sun hurries across the sky a little faster lately.

It's a reminder that summer will make way for fall in the coming weeks. Like the start of school, a few events mark this transitionary period.

The United Tribes International Powwow and Parade of Champions is such an event. It's the weekend after Labor Day each year.

Grand Entry begins Sept. 4 at Lone Star Arena at United Tribes. The powwow attracts participants from across the country and also crowns Miss Indian Nations.

'There's all sorts of things going on," said Karen Paetz, powwow committee co-chair.

In addition to the dancing and drum groups in the evening, there are cultural activities, a youth day for area school children, an intertribal summit, sports events, the Miss Indian Nations pageant and the parade.

The powwow Starts Sept. 4 and concludes Sept. 7. The parade is Sept. 6. It draws 10,000 visitors and has attracted 800 participants. Entrance fees for the powwow are $15 for the entire event or $8 per day. The parade is $35 or $50 for a judged entry.

Staging for the "Parade of Champions" begins at 8 a.m. at the state Capitol grounds. Wheels roll at 10 a.m. along a route from Boulevard Avenue down Sixth Street to Avenue C, west one block to Fifth Street, and south on Fifth Street through downtown to Kirkwood Mall, where participants disperse in the mall parking lot.

During the Youth Day, a cultural group from northern Europe will perform. They are the Sami, who live in northern Norway, an area called Sapmi. They live culturally as a tribe, but are not a native tribe, Paetz said.

"They don't like to be called caucasian, and they're not," she said. They consider themselves an indigenous European tribe, she said.

During the powwow Sept. 6, recent medal of honor recipient Woodrow Keeble, who was given the medal posthumously for his action during the Korean War, will be recognized, along with other tribal veterans. It will be after the grand entry at 2 p.m.

Time, however, is relative. People should use the grand entry start times as a basis for when other events begin, Paetz said.

"In our culture, there is not a time. It happens when it is supposed to happen," Paetz said. "Look at grand entry times, get there around two-ish. Sometimes the grand entry takes longer than it says in the program."

Other performances by Sami are 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 5 and 6 and 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 in Lone Star Arena. The group also will appear in the powwow grand entries at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sept. 5 and Sept. 6.

For more information about the powwow events, contact Sandy Erickson at serickson@;uttc.edu or at 701-255-3285, ext. 1293, or visit www.uttc.edu.

Entry forms for the parade are available from parade coordinators Lorraine and Scott Davis at United Tribes Technical College, 701-255-3285, ext. 1260 or 1454, ldavis@;uttc.edu or sdavis@;uttc.edu.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@bismarcktribune.com.)