Two annual parades will join forces this year to tie cultural events together and make room for Folkfest street vendors.

The United Tribes' Parade of Champions and the Bismarck Folkfest parade, traditionally held about a week apart, will combine for the first time this Sept. 11.

Kelvin Hullet, president of the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce, and Karen Paetz, United Tribes Technical College spokeswoman, announced the combination Thursday morning at the campus.

Since both events have to do with culture - Northern European and American Indian - Hullet said it made sense to put them together.

"This came to light as the one thing that would really (expand) both our events," he said. The Parade of Champions is part of the United Tribes' annual powwow. The combined parade won't alter the usual powwow schedule, with events taking place after the parade's completion.

A street fair, typically the same day as the Folkfest parade, will now be held Sept. 17-18 so vendors can have more room. East Broadway between Third and Sixth streets and North Fourth and Fifth streets between Main and Thayer avenues will be closed to accommodate the fair. Other Folkfest events will take place the week after Sept. 11.

Cody Strothman, executive director of the Downtown Business Association, said vendors wanted to move booths to the street to have more room and possibly add more vendors to the roster.

"The parade coming through the street fair has been an inconvenience for several years," Strothman said.

This year the street fair has a little more breathing room, and Strothman said that combining the Folkfest parade and Parade of Champions might encourage more people to spend time at the powwow.

Paetz said the combination was an opportunity to share culture and get different crowds involved with each event. The parade will follow its normal route from the state Capitol down Fifth street, and powwow events will go on as usual after the parade's conclusion. Powwow competitors usually have to participate in the parade to earn points in the contest, and Paetz said this year will be no different.

The Folkfest parade is usually televised, so the new, combined parade will be the first time the powwow parade gets televised coverage.

Ona Welder, Folkfest committee chairwoman, said the parade change might initially throw some people off.

"There are some people that don't like change," she said. "I'm sure there's going to be a little bit of confusion."

But the committee planned to start promoting the Folkfest activities earlier this year to alert people to the changes, and Welder said the Folkfest would benefit from the connection to the United Tribes powwow.

"This seemed like a natural fit," she said.

(Reach Laura Schreier at 701-355-8809 or lschreier@ndonline.com.)