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TAHLEQUAH, OK - A game simply called marbles has become an annual attraction of the Cherokee National Holiday held over Labor Day weekend.

Marbles captivate Cherokee children, teaching them game skills by the time they reach the age of two. However, the old pros elevate the game to an intense competition requiring honed skills and flawless strategies. For many marble players, the Cherokee National Holiday tournament becomes the pinnacle of competition for the year.

The marble tournament is the only holiday event held, in part, outside of Tahlequah. A tournament takes a week to complete. Ten to twelve teams of three players each will begin double-elimination play on Monday before the holiday weekend at Clouds Creek Marble Ground north of Little Kansas. Games begin nightly at 6:30 with the three surviving teams playing for the championship on Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Cherokee Heritage Center south of Tahlequah.

The Oklahoma Cherokee is the only cultural group in the world that plays this game and holds it as a social tradition. Several Delaware County Cherokees have re-introduced the game to the Eastern Cherokee of the Qualla Boundary in North Carolina through demonstration and education programs.

For more information about Cherokee Marbles, call Dennis Snell, event coordinator, phone: (918) 242-3351.

TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Cherokee National Holiday Softball tournaments--men's and women's fast-pitch and men's and women's slow-pitch--are scheduled September 1-3, as part of the 48th Annual Cherokee National Holiday.

The men's tournaments will be played at the Sequoyah High School softball fields south of the Cherokee Nation W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex on Hwy. 62. The women's tournaments will be played at Phoenix Park, off the Bertha Parker Bypass, near the National Guard Armory. Tournaments will begin at 5 p.m.

The tournaments will be all-Indian, which means players must have a Certificate Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) card and a picture identification at registration. There will be no exceptions.

Team trophies will be awarded to the top four teams in all divisions for both fast and slow-pitch tournaments. Players will receive quilted jackets for first place, hooded sweatshirts for second place, crew sweatshirts for third place and T-shirts for fourth place.

Most valuable player awards will be given in all tournaments. Entries are limited to 16 men's and women's fast-pitch teams and 16 men's and women's slow-pitch teams.

The first teams to pay their entry fees will be entered. Only teams paid in full by the deadline will be allowed to play and any team not paying the full amount by deadline will forfeit any money paid. For more information , contact George Roach, phone: (918) 453-2914 or Emily Raper, phone: 456-0671 (Ext.2287).