CAMBRIDGE BAY - Weather tried its best to keep people away, but it eventually gave way to another record year at the 2007 Kitikmeot Trade Show.

The event, held Wednesday and Thursday at Cambridge Bay's high school, attracted about 175 exhibitors, delegates and invited guests, said Brenda Mercer, owner of Mercer Business Support Services.

That was more than last year's previous best of 155 people through the doors.

Blizzards kept people in eastern Kitikmeot communities from making it to the show until after the first day's festivities had all but ended.

Similar snags in the Baffin region threatened to keep people there away completely.

"Hal Timar from the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce quickly put together a charter flight and got nine exhibitors to the trade show before it began," Mercer said. "So in the end, it was the best year ever from a delegate standpoint."

Timar said he was glad his solution to all the cancelled flights earlier in the week worked out.

"We tried the same thing last year when it happened, but it didn't turn out as well," he said.

The crowds included several first-time exhibitors, such as the mother-daughter team of Gwen and Evelyn Kitigon of Panigit Mitqutautingit - and their beautiful sewing creations.

"We're nervous, but excited," said the younger Kitigon.

Gwen Kitigon has been sewing since she was a little girl living at the Perry River, which is about halfway to Gjoa Haven from their now long-time home of Cambridge.

"My parents moved us by dogsled when I was a teenager 50 years ago," she said.

"When I sew it is like any other art and I make whatever inspiration moves me to make."

The show also brought many familiar faces to the hamlet, some of whom hadn't been there in a while.

"It's been like old home week for me," said Nona German. "I was born and raised in the North so I went to high school with all these guys."

Now working in Edmonton as the Northern student services adviser for the public-private Northern Student Education Initiative, she spoke to youth about the support network available to them when they go south to learn.

She also encouraged them to use the trade show to explore potential career opportunities emerging through mining and other industries.

"She sounds very helpful," said Ryan Angohiatok, 14, after hearing German's presentation.

He was even moved to talk to the Kitikmeot Economic Development Commission about what funding might be available to start his own firm if he can first earn an engineering degree in the south.

Overall this year's trade show included far more content for youth with fun hands-on activities, like the Kitikmeot Corp.'s new truck driver training simulator.

Everywhere you turned kids were zipping around the show floor in packs talking with the exhibitors, shoulder-to-shoulder with the more mature delegates.

Among them, Donna Lyall, 12, Dana Evetalegak, 12, and Macheala Angohiatok, 11, said they had a lot of fun at the show.

"It's great seeing all the booths and meeting the people," said Lyall.

The two-day trade show is estimated to bring in $200,000 to the Cambridge Bay economy annually, not including airfares visitors pay.

Even carvers such as Noah Etkiliktak who was not directly participating in the show, were able to make some sales to the visiting delegates.

"This is an important week for me," he said.