Club brings diverse foods to Polson sports events

Before halftime at the Polson High School home football games, a new aroma fills the concession stand area.

That scent is fry bread, staying warm in the ovens.

Kylei Big Bow, 17, a senior at Polson High School, is a member of the Indigenous United Nations Youth Club.

Members were trying to brainstorm ideas to incorporate cultural foods at the games.

Club advisor Katrina Trotter said that this is the first year the group of students are heading the concessions.

Big Bow said that although fry bread is not necessarily a tribal food, it is typically associated with Native Americans.

“We decided to make fry bread, make it unique from the other concessions,” she said.

The idea has been a hit, with the delicacy selling out before halftime each week.

Big Bow said that various toppings are left out for their customers to choose, and those serving up the fry bread ask everyone if they would like honey butter.

Proceeds of the $3-treat are used for the club, Big Bow said.

Trotter confirmed that money raised by the concessions funds conference trips and other needs for the club, while the rest of the money goes back into the community.

To make sure fry bread should be added to the concessions menu, Big Bow started a poll on Facebook and majority of the responses were in favor of the treat.

“We (the club) talked it over and decided we’d sell it,” she said.

“When Kylei brought it up,” Trotter said she “kind of panicked” because she wasn’t sure the group would be able to serve many people while simultaneously making fry bread.

That’s when Big Bow told Trotter she would make the fry bread at home and bring it to the games.

“She was determined to bring a cultural aspect and let the people know that our club was doing these concessions,” Trotter said.

Big Bow’s parents, Merle and Nicole, help on Fridays mixing the dough-which is a family recipe-and frying them up.

Coolers are lined with paper towels and the fry bread is transported to Polson High School.

Big Bow said that usually, her family makes enough dough for 30-40 servings, which are weighed out to more than three ounces.

For this week’s homecoming game, Big Bow said that enough dough to make about 150 servings will be made.

Trotter said that their clientele “get very excited” at the home games, and if they don’t make it in time and the treat sells out, they are disappointed.

For the first home game, Big Bow said that the group had about 60 servings to sell, and sold out quickly.

“Again, our last home game, we did about 90 pieces and they all sold out before halftime,” she said.

Together, the team is trying to figure out how many pieces of fry bread they should offer each home game.

In addition to fry bread and the concession stand, Big Bow said that the club has ideas to bring bake sales and taco sales to the school.

“I really want to try to get our ethnic foods” offered, which would be a large part of the club, she added.

Recently, the group held a suicide prevention walk to show the community that “we are here, we care.”