This year's Jim Thorpe's Birthday Weekend was the first event to occur since a federal court action ruled the body can stay in the town of its namesake.

In attendance at the celebration, held Saturday and Sunday, was John Thorpe, a grandson to the proclaimed "World's Greatest Athlete."John, whose mother was Charlotte, a daughter of Jim Thorpe and his first wife, said he is relieved the local town will be retaining Jim Thorpe's body."The town is at rest," he said, and so is my grandfather.He spoke at the Native American ceremony held at the mausoleum and said, "This whole thing of moving my grandfather from Jim Thorpe to another state is all behind us."The Jim Thorpe's Birthday Weekend was sponsored by the Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency. The celebration was held despite periodic light rain both days.The Native American ceremony was kicked off with the placement of a bouquet of flowers at the mausoleum by AnnMarie Fitzpatrick, co-coordinator of the event with Ray Brader.Native American musicians played ceremonial instruments. Don "Wild Eagle" Wuebber of Brodheadsville, of Pima-Maricopa ancestry, did a traditional dance and spoke. He said Native Americans praise the earth, because "No matter where we go or where we stand, we're always home to the Earth Mother."Despite the rain, Wild Eagle urged that we give thanks because rain is a vital part to the earth's existence.Mayor Michael Sofranko said bringing the body of the athlete Jim Thorpe to the community was a good thing because "it brought a borough together.""A long time ago someone told me if anything is true or anything is right, no matter what challenges, if it makes it through the test of time, then it is right," he said.He praised the late Joseph L. Boyle, a newspaper publisher who was at the forefront of the efforts of the town to give a final resting place to Jim Thorpe.Sofranko introduced Boyle's son, Joseph Boyle, who attends the birthday celebration faithfully every year."It's a great event," said Boyle.Some of the Native American musicians who participated were Sam Jacob Bowers, a mohawk, of Carlisle; Jeff Stevens, of the Seneca tribe, from Upper Black Eddy; Shawn Haddaway, a Cherokee and Lumbee; and Rob Boyd, of the Ojibwa tribe.Wild Eagle's son, Joachim "Star Cloud" Wuebber, performed a "Circle of Life" dance using about a dozen hoops.An Olympic Torch was then lit and carried by Ben Saxon, a Jim Thorpe Area High School cross-country runner. He led members of the school's cross-country and track team on a run down North Street (Route 903) and to the Josiah White Park where a program was held presenting special awards to the two sports team.Also recognized at the awards program was Jim Thorpe Area High School student Kevan Gentile, gold medal winner at the state PIAA wrestling championships.State Rep. Doyle Heffley read a proclamation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.The rest of the weekend included entertainment was featured in downtown Jim Thorpe.Fitzpatrick said the rain kept attendance lower than it had been in most previous years but it was still a "very good turnout."She said the celebration was special to her because of the federal court victory."Now (Jim Thorpe) is here to stay and they're going to leave him alone," she said. "We so honor this man. He deserves everything we can give him."