You know there’s a seasonal change coming around here when several things begin to happen. One is when football stadium lights come up, cheering crowds can be heard and uniformed players start tossing around the old pigskin. Another is when members of the Coharie Tribe begin to polish up their best Native American finery, pull out the drums and begin preparing for the annual Pow-Wow. And yet another, more recent hint, is when you begin to see a logo of a big-mouthed hollerin’ start appearing in posters around Sampson, alerting everyone that it’s just about time for the Hollerin’ Heritage Festival.

Football, now in its third official week, has kicked into high gear. The other two are about, too, giving residents an assortment of fun and entertaining things to do over the course of the next few weeks.

The time is now to log it into your smart phone calendar, pencil it in on the wall version, setting aside time for family and fun, all while becoming a part of Sampson’s rich heritage and supporting some of its best organizations.

The Pow Wow, now in its 46th year, is scheduled for Sept. 11-12 at the Coharie Tribal Center on US Hwy. 421. Grand entry is set to begin at 7:25 p.m. on Sept. 11, kicking off a weekend full of colorful pageantry and history that brings hundreds upon hundreds of people into our county every year.

The Pow Wow is the most important event of the year for the Coharie and other tribes across the state, a time to celebrate the history of their ancestors and reflect on the struggles to open the doors of opportunity for future generations of Native American Indians. It’s also a time to teach younger generations about the heritage they are being asked to continue.

For visitors to the Pow Wow, it’s a time to learn more about the culture of our friends and neighbors and the past they cherish.

While sacred dances will be conducted at the Tribal Center, just down the road, on Saturday, Sept. 12, the grounds of the Spivey’s Corner Fire Department will be transformed into another historic arena, where heritage will once again be on display.

Accentuated by the 46th annual National Hollerin’ Contest, which will be carried out in the late afternoon, the Heritage Festival will feature live music, antique farm equipment displays, demonstrations and live history exhibits, along with food, cars and events for the kids.

In both instances, heritage will be the focal point, but fun will be the exclamation point.

We hope residents from Ivanhoe to Plain View, Autryville to Turkey and everywhere in between will join us at the 46th annual Pow Wow either on Sept. 11 or Sept. 12, or both, and at the Spivey’s Corner Fire Department, 8200 Newton Grove Hwy. on Saturday, Sept. 12, showing your support for important aspects of life in Sampson County.

Being a part of such wonderful traditions will do wonders for organizers who put their hearts and souls into making these events special for all who attend, but it will do even more for attendees who will be surprised by how much they learn and how much fun they can truly have.