Standing Rock events this weekend

SANDPOINT — Events are being held locally this weekend to show support for protesters of the Standing Rock pipeline project in North Dakota.

On Saturday, tar sands valve turners Leonard Higgins and Ken Ward will be the featured hosts at a public forum and fundraiser at Eichardt’s Pub on Cedar Street. It lasts from 12-2 p.m. People of all ages are welcome to attend and there is a $10 suggested donation.

Higgins, 64, locked down to a tar sands megaload in Umatilla in December 2013, halted the flow of Spectra Energy’s Express pipeline at Coal Banks Landing near Great Falls, Mont. Ward, 59, a Climate Disobedience Center and #ShutItDown co-founder, stopped Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline in Anacortes, Wash.

On Sunday, a Standing Rock Ally Community event will take place at the Gardenia Center on Church Street. It starts at 2 p.m.

The event is being held to raise public awareness of the controversial pipeline proposal, salute more than 200 veterans who have deployed to North Dakota. All veterans, law enforcement and emergency responders are encouraged to dress in uniform and attend.