NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday September 19, 2007

Democrats celebrate Native American heritage

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano stops to visit with Democratic Party volunteers.	Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard waves to the parade crowds.

Amid cheering crowds at this month’s Navajo Nation Parade, a group of Arizona Democratic Party volunteers and staff greeted more than 125,000 on-lookers as they marked the 61st Annual Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock, Ariz.

The parade is the most anticipated event of the nearly weeklong celebration. Droves of fairgoers lined both sides of a 5-mile stretch of State Route 264 to cheer for friends, family, local organizations and well-known elected officials.

The group of Democratic volunteers and Arizona Democratic Party staff carried an Arizona State flag and tossed candy to children from the party float, which was decorated with photos of former Governors Raul Castro and Rose Mofford, and current Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.

After participating in the parade for more than three years, the Navajo Nation Fair is now a staple in the September schedule of Arizona Democratic Party events, where the day starts early with float-decorating and ends with grassroots voter registration inside the fairgrounds.

“This is just one of the many ways Democrats are supporting our Native American community,” said Maria Weeg, executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party. “We’ll keep strengthening existing relationships and building new ones in the future by participating in events just like this.”

Established in 1938 to invigorate livestock improvements and promote the preservation of Navajo heritage, the Navajo Nation Fair is now a world-renowned event showcasing Navajo music, agriculture, fine arts and crafts.