by P.J. Harston
Northern News Services

NNSL (DEC 11/96) - Friends of fire victim Kate Tompkins gave moral and financial support to the long-time Yellowknife resident Friday at a benefit concert.

Organized by local musician Moira Cameron, the evening concert featured performances from a number of well-known local acts.

Ceilidh Friends hosted the entertainment portion of an evening that included performances from the Solstice Sisters and local story-teller and actress Adeena Sumter-Freitag, among others.

"Over all it was successful," said Cameron. "Kate was very touched by it"

Cameron explained that the evening was more than a fundraiser for the popular resident, who lost her Pickerel Lake home to a fire last month.

"It was also a show of support for Kate. And it was a lot of fun," said Cameron.

About 30 people in all took in the evening at the Northern United Place auditorium. In all, a few hundred dollars was raised for Tompkins, who is leaving the city for a while over Christmas.

Donations to the fund can still be made by contacting Cameron.

RCMP are investigating the fire that raised Tompkins' house and destroyed all her belongings. Damage was estimated at $200,000.

At the time, police said the fire was "suspicious" in nature.