MOORE HAVEN — Tribal members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida came out March 1 to celebrate Moore Haven’s 77th annual Chalo Nitka festival.

The festival began in 1948 to celebrate the town’s newly paved Main Street but is also a testament to its long-standing relationship with the tribe. Chalo Nitka began with a parade through Moore Haven that included local elected officials, dignitaries including Brighton Councilman Larry Howard, Miss Florida Seminole CeCe Thomas, Jr. Miss Florida Seminole Violet Osceola, Miss EIRA Rodeo Queen Brienna Brockman and Jr. Miss EIRA Rodeo Queen Karma Koenes, floats, Chalo Nitka Royalty, Moore Haven Middle High School marching band, floats, swamp buggies, first responders with sirens blaring and plenty of cowboys on horseback.

Emma Urbina attended Moore Haven Middle High School, Class of 1988, and has been going to Chalo Nitka for as long as she can remember. She watched the parade with four of her grandchildren.

“I’ve been coming here all my life,” Urbina said. “I like the parade, the rodeo and seeing all my classmates.”

Chalo Nitka means “Big Bass” in Creek and the tribe’s culture has always played an important part in the festival. At the festival, tribal members manned the cooking chickee and served samples of traditional Seminole foods including pumpkin fry bread, sofkee and thick cut bacon cooked over the open fire.

The clothing contest showed off the colorful patchwork and style of the tribe as a panel of three judges determined the winners in each age group, from infants to seniors. During the contest, contestants waited patiently as judges examined details of their garments.