DOWAGIAC — The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians will be celebrating Harvest Day this weekend for its members and staff with a number of activities.

The Pokagon Band, has been hosting Harvest Day for its members since 2014. This year’s Harvest Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Dowagiac Middle School, 57072 Riverside Dr., Dowagiac.

The event, sponsored by early childhood education program through Pokagon Band and the Department of Social Services, is open to all Pokagon citizens and staff for a day of movies, crafts and pumpkins.

“We are welcoming our Pokagon citizens and staff for a day of family fun,” said Autumn Laraway, an early childhood education associate.

Also at the event, the domestic violence awareness team will offer education and awareness for participants. October is nationally recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and that is why it has traditionally been included in Harvest Day, Laraway said.

This year, Casey Kasper, who leads the domestic violence awareness team, will have posters presented at the event with Pokagon citizens on them along with a quote.

“This is just to remind us that anyone can be a victim,” Laraway said. “If any individuals are suffering in silence, there is help available, and [Kasper] is there to support you.”

The domestic violence awareness team offers a number of activities throughout the month, and Harvest Day is a piece of that.

Harvest Day is important to the community because it provides an opportunity for families to gather, Laraway said.

“We were trying to promote family strengthening and to just provide an opportunity for parents and their caregivers to engage in their child’s social preparedness,” she said.

Laraway said as she has planned the event for a few years now, it gets easier to organize things. This year, she started planning in May to obtain the space at the Dowagiac Middle School, where the event has been hosted every year since its inception.

“The very first year, we were going to have an outdoor venue,” Laraway said. “The day before, the venue let me know that it was not going to work due to the weather. Dowagiac Middle School stepped up on such short notice, we have just kept it there.”

A Halloween costume contest, will also be at the event, which contributes to the family atmosphere.

“I think it provides an opportunity for families to come together and there’s also that piece from the domestic violence awareness team,” she said. “It’s bringing awareness but also offering an opportunity for fun.”

In December, the early childhood education program through the Pokagon Band sponsors the Pokagon Band Holly Fair, which is open to the public.