Crow Village was proud to host the Crow Village Skirt Party in the summer of 2005. Primary purpose of the party was to entice a sufficient work force to better winterize the "big house" by wrapping the exposed bottom with a skirt barrier. The planning committee utilized the tried and true method of enticement—the lure of a happening social event combined with ample opportunity for salmon and game harvesting along with other rustic adventures.
The skirting plan was revised after a discovery that some advanced joist sealing techniques would provide a much higher return on investment, and the weatherizing was finished in short order. This left time for the start of a secondary project, initial construction of the Crow Village Shop. Great progress was made on the shop before participants departed.
Salmon fishing was outstanding this go around as the entire state of Alaska was experiencing a banner year for salmon runs. On several occasions, the subsistence fishing had to be curtailed due to insufficient capacity for all the fish. A camping trip was taken up the Aniak River, and the sports fishing results there were great with some nice size kings and chums caught.
There was an unusually high amount of beaver activity noted in the Crow Village Slough, so a contingent was sent out to mitigate that exposure. Eventually a prize target was retrieved via excellent marksmanship at the hands of Joe and Dakota. The pelt was salvaged, and Joe thoughtfully brought the trophy home to his mom both as a gift and as proof of his accomplishment.
The signature event of course was the 4th of July party which included the world famous cool tricks contest. Bill's mom lit up the Crow Village piano, and Wanda belted out some tunes as the whole village was a rockin'. Raven won the winning act alongside Bill and Wanda's daughter with a hilarious demonstration of tooth brushing and eating techniques.