SUQUAMISH — Drums accompanied a song with the feeling of acceptance, community and happiness as canoes were welcomed to the shores of Old Man House Park. The songs seemed to call the pullers and canoes to the neighbors waiting to share the feast prepared in the park.

The Suquamish Olalla Neighbors group welcomed one and all to its annual potluck with food and fanfare, marking the first formal event at Old Man House Park since it was returned to tribal ownership last summer.

As people poured down the slope to the gathering, the call went up that a canoe had been sighted.

Drummers and singers lined the beach to welcome its pullers, who were embraced into the party as soon as they set foot on the shore.

“It gives me shivers,” said SON co-chair Frances Malone after the canoes landed. “It always does. It brings tears to my eyes. The drummers are young and holding onto their traditions that just a few years ago were almost lost.”

“I’m always in awe when I see them,” SON co-founder Sarah van Gelder said of the canoes. “It’s a combination of ancient and new.”

In his welcoming address, Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman thanked everyone for attending and supporting the tribe and Suquamish Olalla Neighbors.

Before everyone dug in, Jim Pratt, the great, great-grandson of Chief Sealth, gave a blessing in Lushootseed — the Suquamish Tribe’s native tongue. Though not everyone at the gathering understood the words, their meaning came through perfectly clear.

“Tribal heritage has so much to offer and teach us if we would just listen,” Malone said.

Before honoring groups in the community, the Tree Frog Choir performed selected songs, while the neighbors ate their way through the copious amount of food.

“We are a community choir,” said Carol Estes, the choir leader. “We like to take part in events that contribute to the community.”

Estes, who lives in Suquamish, said while the group decided to perform at the potluck on short notice, they knew that it would be a wonderful event at which to perform.

“I love living here,” Estes said. “It’s a mixed community, and gives me a chance to know all different kinds of people.”

Helping add to the mix are Bob and Kari Rowden.

The two have helped strengthen the community through their restaurant, Bella Luna Pizzeria, which was honored at the potluck for providing a friendly place for neighbors to meet.

“We’re surprised,” Rowden said. “We live and run our business by one word: respect. Everybody deserves and has respect.”

This idea of respect has caused Bella Luna to become a strong pillar of the community.

The Suquamish Canoe Families Song and Dance group was also honored for their continuing effort to bring fading traditions back to the forefront of the Suquamish tribal community.

“I’m not really shocked,” said John Jones, one of the group’s lead singers. “The honor should really go the Suquamish Olalla Neighbors.”

He added that SON has worked hard to make things right in Suquamish, joining up with the tribe to help create new and healthy relationships between the communities.

“It’s really amazing to be honored by a group like that,” he added.

“It’s a real honor for us to be recognized,” Forsman said. “People feel good. The group works hard, and we do it for our own spirit, family and the tribe as a whole.”

Among the planned honorees were two surprise honors. One was presented by the tribe to Mary Ann Dow, the secretary for SON.

“She’s worked with the group since the beginning,” said co-chair David McMullen. “It was funny, while they were honoring her, the tribe was talking about this amazing individual, and she had no idea it was her. She was completely clueless.”

The tribe, following its traditional way of honoring by calling witnesses, presented Dow with a shawl and necklace. The Suquamish Olalla Neighbors also presented Dow with a plaque, thanking her for her work.

The second surprise honoree was the Suquamish Olalla Neighbors. Rich Demain, a well-known carver, carved a one-foot long canoe with paddles and presented it to SON for the strength it has given the Suquamish community.

The event wrapped up around 8 p.m. with a cheery, full-bellied feeling.

“The spirit for the evening was so strong,” van Gelder said. “It was fabulous.”