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INUVIK
A volunteer appreciation night was held Nov. 10 as a way to say thank you for the countless hours and efforts of Inuvik's volunteers.

Maia Lepage and Natasha Kulikowski duke it out as sumo wrestlers at the Nov. 10 volunteer appreciation night. - Danielle Sachs/NNSL photo

The community hall at the Midnight Sun Complex was transformed into a different country for a few hours on a Saturday evening.

Featuring trivia, karaoke, plinko and prizes, the themed event was put on by the Town of Inuvik with prize donations from local businesses. There were even padded sumo wrestling suits for people to climb into and let off steam by pummelling each other inside the ring and try to knock each other over.

This was the 15th year the event has been held to show appreciation for a group who take on extra work outside their jobs and homes.

"It's always a fun time," said Tony Devlin, the town's director of community services.

"You get tickets for doing things, anything really."

The tickets were used to bid on the prizes that lined both sides of the hall. Everything from remote car starters to residential driveway clearing were up for grabs.

Mike Orbell, a member of the Inuvik Volunteer Fire Department, tried out one of the sumo suits.

"They're harder than you think to get around in," he said.

"They're also kind of sweaty."

While it's nice to be appreciated, most volunteers don't do it for the glory, said town councillor Alana Mero.

"But you get a lot out of it," she said.

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