Echoes is again celebrating both Canadian Thanksgiving and Indigenous People's Day (specifically Coast Salish People's Day in this region) with a potluck and educational time. We will enjoy a Thanksgiving meal (thanks to the Canadians who celebrate this day much earlier than Americans!), and honor the first peoples of this region, the Coast Salish.

This year we are thrilled to have Dr Natalie JK Baloy with us for a conversation about the culture of the Salish Sea. Natalie will invite us to reflect on our responsibilities as settlers on Coast Salish territories and lands governed by the Treaty of Point Elliot. She completed her Masters and PhD in cultural anthropology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and is committed to facilitating place-based learning and connecting across borders and boundaries.

Since the Thanksgiving food fare is nearly identical to that of the U.S., people are signing up to bring their favorite Thanksgiving foods. We will have enough food for anyone who wants to come, but if you'd like to bring a dish feel free to choose something that isn't on this list. We are hoping that salmon will again be present, in recognition of this sacred and life-sustaining fish of Coast Salish peoples.

We are fortunate that this region (specifically Whatcom County) has officially recognized the importance of celebrating Indigenous People's Day. This is a redirection away from Columbus Day, and reorienting toward the peoples who were thriving here long, long before European settlers arrived. Tonight we honor those who sustainably inhabited this land for thousands of years before settlers arrived. 

Please join us for this festive occasion. 

Because we needed a bit more space for the meal, we are changing our location to 4915 Samish Way, which is near the intersection of Samish and Yew, across from Lake Padden. Follow the signs to the clubhouse. 

You do not need to bring a dish as we will have plenty! Food that is being brought: salmon, turkey casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, glazed carrots, squash or sweet potatoes, guac & chips, apple cider, pumpkin pie, and the show-stopper jello dessert.