Guidelines for SRPMIC Events

Welcome to Two Cents with CRO (Community Relations Office) Events, your insider pass to the Salt River Pima‑Maricopa Indian Community’s most memorable celebrations! Hosted by the SRPMIC Events team, this podcast pulls back the curtain on how your favorite gatherings come to life — from planning and preparation to the fun, surprises, and stories that make each event special.

In this episode, we’re covering everything you need to know before you go. We walk through the essential do’s and don’ts to help make every event safe, smooth, and enjoyable for the entire community. We also chat about exciting vendor opportunities for local artisans and food creators, plus give you an early look at what’s in store for the upcoming SRPMIC Day celebration.

Questions? Comments? Email [e-mail]

What is Two Cents With CRO Events?

Two Cents with CRO (Community Relations Office)Events, your ultimate insider guide to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community’s biggest celebrations! Hosted by the SRPMIC Events team, this podcast brings the community event world to life with fun, informative, behind-the-scenes looks at how your favorite gatherings come together.

Adrian: 00:14

To the very first episode of Two Cents with CRO Events. I'm Adrian Sixkiller, event specialist with the community relations office here at Salt River. Joining me today are two events team members. Go ahead and introduce yourselves.

Sommer: 00:27

Hi. I'm Sommer Lopez, an events assistant with the CRO events team.

Nalani: 00:31

And I am Nalani Lopez, also an events assistant.

Adrian: 00:35

Together, our events team plans and organizes some of the biggest community gatherings throughout the year, like fall festival, the community New Year's Eve celebration, and, of course, the upcoming fourth of July celebration. We spend a lot of time behind the scenes thinking about how to make these events run smoothly and how to make sure everyone who comes has a great overall experience. And over time, we've noticed there are a few things people are always curious about or things folks might not know until they get there. So we figured, why not make a podcast a simple go to resource, kind of like a quick guide before you go? That's really the purpose of Two Cents of CRO events, to fill you in on what's coming up, what to expect, and how you can be a part of everything we're planning.

Adrian: 01:15

Our goal is to share as much helpful information as we can about how our events work and what you can look forward to. We hope this becomes something you'll find useful before heading out to join us. So, welcome. Today, we're jumping into a handful of topics, event guidelines, promotional items, safety, vendors, and a look ahead at our summer events. I know it sounds like a lot, but I promise we're gonna move through it pretty quick.

Adrian: 01:41

With that, let's hop right into it.

Sommer: 01:49

One thing we've been noticing at events is that not everyone is familiar with the event guidelines, which is completely understandable, especially if it's your first time attending or if you haven't been to an event in a while. Things do change over time. So what are some guidelines and where can they be found? Typically, you'll see some guidelines at all of our events. We'll have it posted on some signage at the event.

Sommer: 02:11

Or you can ask us questions while we're there, or you can even email or call us to find out beforehand. And let's jump into our pet guideline. Basically, no pets are allowed. So you can't bring your dog. You can't bring your cat, even if it's in a stroller.

Sommer: 02:25

And this should go without saying, but not everyone knows this. And sometimes it does lead to a few unexpected moments.

Nalani: 02:32

Yeah. Like I think our last fall festival, we had someone dressed as, think he was a headless horseman. I don't know if that's what his costume was, but he had like a cloak on and he was on a horse and I think he had a prop that was like a weapon.

Sommer: 02:49

Yeah, you definitely cannot bring weapons, let alone a horse,

Nalani: 02:53

But cool costume, but wrong place. So we had to ask him to leave.

Adrian: 03:00

So, yeah, pets aren't allowed, but we are definitely going to allow service animals. If you have any service animals, those can be permitted. But, yeah, no personal pets.

Nalani: 03:10

Moving on from pets. Let's talk now about everyone's favorite topic, the food that we serve at our events.

Sommer: 03:17

Now I know the first thing you're always thinking before going to an event, is there going to be food there?

Nalani: 03:22

That's a good question because, you know, if it's been a long work day, you haven't ate anything, maybe you just want to come to our event and get your dinner there.

Sommer: 03:30

And that's totally fun. Another thing we see pretty often is people bringing coolers, grills, or outside food, which makes sense. You want to come prepared, especially if you're coming with your family or planning to stay a while. But most of our events, if not all, already have food available, either provided by the community or available through vendors. And it's usually a pretty good variety too.

Sommer: 03:50

Yeah. At one of our last events, I actually got a Fruity Pebbles matcha from one of the vendors,

Nalani: 03:56

and I thought that was super cool because I feel like that's something that you get at a cafe, but we had it right there on the field.

Adrian: 04:03

Yeah. And all of our food vendors, whether it's catered or they're selling, they're all permitted through HHS Environmental Services. So they are permitted. They have their food handler's card, and they are SRPMIC approved. If any of you guys are interested in becoming a food vendor and you guys are hesitant just due to the permit, there is a free option.

Adrian: 04:27

I don't know if you guys know. There's an annual permit, which is paid, but there's also a temporary permit that you can get through HHS. It is free just for the day. So if you are hesitant, you can go ahead and fill that out. You'll be permitted to sell at the event.

Adrian: 04:41

You'll be permitted to have your food on-site. It will just be for the day, but yeah, if that's holding you back, please don't let it. We encourage you to sign up.

Nalani: 04:49

Yeah. So if you want to be a food vendor, you can email us and we'll get that process started with HHS. But also, if you're a non food vendor, we do have arts and crafts vendors that you guys might have bought in a plushie from. I know there's someone who does crochet plushies or some beadwork from. You can just send us an email and we can also get you to be on our arts and crafts list.

Nalani: 05:14

And another thing about vendors, community member or not, we welcome anyone who wants to share their crafts with the community to apply to be an arts and crafts vendor.

Adrian: 05:24

Alright, Nalani, let's talk promotional items. These are the cool giveaways that we hand out at events sometimes. Could be a t shirt, could be a bag. Why don't you give us a quick rundown?

Nalani: 05:35

Sure. So for our promotional items, we're always looking for new, fun, and cool things to share with the community. I know some favorites are t shirts or mugs or beanies, but since people look forward to those at our events, they can run out pretty quickly. These items can be in high demand because every year we switch up our colors and you get the logo from the event on our promotional items. And people at the event want to get their hands on some of that CRO merch.

Nalani: 06:05

So if you want to get some, gotta be there.

Sommer: 06:09

So if I don't go to an event, I can't get like a

Sommer: 06:11

shirt or anything? Like I can't go to 2 Waters and pick one up?

Nalani: 06:14

No, we actually only give out our promotional items at the event. So if you really want that new fourth of July t shirt with the firework going all across the back, you're gonna have to be there in person at the event. So make sure you're there at our event so that you can come home and have a new shirt.

Adrian: 06:31

Some CRO event swag.

Nalani: 06:33

Yep. Everyone's gonna be asking you when you go to school on Monday and say, where'd you get that shirt? And you're gonna say, I got it at fourth of July.

Adrian: 06:40

I got it from CRO events.

Nalani: 06:42

You should have been there.

Sommer: 06:49

Looking ahead to summer, one of our key events is SRPMIC Day. This day can hold different meanings for different community members. But at its core, it's a time to reflect, honor our history, and recognize the strength of our people. It 's also a time to come together as a community. If you've come to our Salt River Days in the past, you'll know that we serve a meal for everyone who comes out.

Nalani: 07:11

There's a lot

Nalani: 07:11

of dancing going on, chicken scratch contests.

Sommer: 07:14

It's always a meaningful day to be a part of. But don't let the heat deter you from coming out to our events this summer. We have many different cooling stations to make sure that you're cooled off and are having a good time. Another major event is the fourth of July celebration.

Adrian: 07:29

Fourth of July, there's food, games, activities, contests, and of course everyone's favorite, the hot dog eating contest. And then we end the night with fireworks.

Nalani: 07:40

And you can't forget the dunk tank. That's been a fun new addition we've had these past few years. We have some special guests, and

Nalani: 07:47

you get to help them cool off by sending them in the water if you hit the target.

Sommer: 07:54

It's one of those events where there's something for everyone, and usually something happening the entire time. So make sure you come out, bring your families, bring your friends, and have a good Fourth of July together.

Adrian: 08:05

Another thing people have been asking about is the increase in security at events, and that's a fair question. The main reason is simply that we want to keep everyone safe. With everything going on in the world, we want to be proactive. So at larger events, you may see things like bag checks, metal detectors, or possibly clear bag policies.

Sommer: 08:23

So what if I have like a pocket knife or something small like that? Can I still bring that to an event?

Adrian: 08:28

So pocket knives will not be allowed. So pocket knives, any multi tools, multipurpose tools with a knife or anything will actually have you take it back to your car. Those are not allowed. So, yeah, no, no pocket knives.

Nalani: 08:42

I don't have a pocket knife, but I do have, like, a large tote bag. Is that something that I can bring in, or am I gonna have to leave that in the car?

Adrian: 08:49

Bags are welcome, but just know that it will be searched. We do have metal detectors now at the community events entrances. So whether you come in, just make sure you are prepared to get it checked because those are the guidelines now. If you have anything, we have metal detectors. So, yeah, just don't bring anything crazy.

Nalani: 09:10

And remember, guys, we just have these safety guidelines to keep everyone safe because we want everyone to have a good time at these events. And we often have a lot of families and young children here, so we just want to make sure everyone is safe.

Adrian: 09:24

So today we covered upcoming events, what we're seeing at events, safety expectations, and ways to get involved, and hopefully answered a few questions people might have before attending, or at least help people feel a little more prepared and maybe avoid bringing anything unexpected. Like your horse. Like your horse.

Nalani: 09:42

And your pocket knife.

Adrian: 09:45

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Two Cents with CRO Events. We're thrilled to keep you informed about everything happening in the Salt River Event world. Don't forget to catch our next episode on our social media platforms where we'll explore the exciting entertainment options and delicious food offerings at Salt River Events. There's something for everyone to enjoy. If you'd like to connect with us, feel free to call at [phone] or shoot us an email at eventssrpmic nsn dot gov.

Adrian: 10:16

And of course, special shout out to Salt River Pima Maricopa Union community for providing fantastic events and enjoyable entertainment throughout the year. We cannot wait to celebrate the summer events with you. Thank you for listening and we'll talk soon.