Chesterfield Inlet (July 14/04) - Just how eager Kivalliq residents are for the arrival of summer after an abnormally cold winter was vividly illustrated in Chesterfield Inlet this past week.

When the mercury reached a balmy 17C in mid-week, a group of Chester youth headed for Police Lake and the first few days of swimming activities were underway.

Even the pockets of ice and snow still visible along the lake's shoreline couldn't dissuade the kids from having a great time.

Const. Allan Nickerson of the Chesterfield Inlet detachment of the RCMP said about 30 kids and 20 adults gathered at the lake each day for an afternoon of splashing about.

"There was really nothing planned," said Nickerson.

"It was a nice warm day, the kids got together at the lake, one thing led to another, and the next thing you know there was a whole bunch of kids in the water swimming and playing games."

From tags to kayaks

The lake game of choice in Chester is water tag, which the kids go at with unbridled enthusiasm.

Nickerson said the kids weren't about to let a little bit of ice ruin a perfectly good swimming day.

"It was still a little chilly near the ice and you could see one or two kids shivering here and there.

"But the vast majority of them loved it. In fact, some of them were jumping off the ice and into the water."

The kids started hitting the water on July 6 and will now be a common sight at the lake for the duration of the summer.

Excitement will also start to build in the community as summer winds down and what has become an annual race looms closer.

"Just after school starts, they hold an annual race across the lake with kayaks made out of cardboard, aluminum and duct tape.

"The event was started by teacher Glen Brocklebank and his students and it's really taken off in popularity."