Rankin Inlet (May 17/06) - The 2006 edition of Pakalak Tyme in Rankin Inlet overcame a crowded schedule to be one of the community's more successful celebrations of the past few years.

Hamlet recreation co-ordinator Jackson Lindell said there weren't as many volunteers as he would have liked this year.

Rankin Inlet recreation co-ordinator Jackson Lindell measures the winning cod submitted by Brenda (Aupilardjuk) Suwaksiork during Pakalak Tyme celebrations earlier this month. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

He said those who did help out, however, did an incredible job keeping the events running smoothly.

"I also had a group of teenage students come out and help with a lot of the children's activities," Lindell said.

"The students did a fantastic job and I can't thank them enough for their hard work."

Lindell said this year's Pakalak Tyme was a bit different than events of the past because the majority of prizes handed out were from local businesses instead of cash.

He said that approach appealed to many people, especially the younger crowd.

"We only gave out cash prizes during our 2005 Christmas Games and there were some people expecting that again.

"I had a few people ask why they didn't win cash, but, for the most part, everybody seemed happy with the prizes. We were given good deals from our local merchants when we purchased the various prizes and we really appreciated that."

Lindell said singer-songwriter Ted Schinbein was brought in during Pakalak Tyme to perform songs from his Memories of Rankin CD.

He said although the hamlet was bursting at the seams with activity during the event, having the Ski-Doo and dog races going on at the same time did keep numbers lower than usual at some games.

"The Ski-Doo races usually go the week after Pakalak Tyme, but they had extra classes this year with the womens, juniors and Bravo, so that's probably why they held them earlier.

"I could have done a bit more planning, I suppose, but the kids really enjoyed this year's event and, the way I look at it, they should be the focus of Pakalak Tyme.

"As long as the kids had a good time, I can live with a few complaints from adults in the community."