Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jul 29/98) - Former Yellowknife businesswoman Tamara Knott has had tons of fun since she and her husband Bruce left the city a few months ago.

The couple, Tamara, founder of Borealis Bannock -- Bannock in A Bag -- and Bruce, an accountant with Avery Cooper Consulting, have opened a Ton of Fun family play house in Edmonton.

"We're friends with Jessie and Gordon (Oystrek) in Yellowknife and we know about it because of them and that's how it all got started. We got more information and decided that this is what we wanted to do," said Tamara.

"They gave us all kinds of tips and pointers and lots of encouragement. They were thrilled to know that we were getting involved and that we were going to work on something sort of together. It's kind of nice to know that whenever we go for training, trade shows or conferences that friends in Yellowknife will be joining."

The Yellowknife Ton of Fun located on Old Airport Road opened in February. It has a huge play station for climbing and sliding, and is designed to fit under a nine-metre ceiling.

The new Edmonton Ton of Fun, which opened July 10, is a little more than twice the size of Yellowknife's play house. Ton of Fun has a lot of similar features to the one in Yellowknife. They have a larger play structure and five party rooms. Because they draw from a larger population, they have something called Ton of Fun To Go which allows them to do all kinds of home parties and company picnics.

Edmonton is Tamara's home town. She lived in Yellowknife for a little more than two years. In 1995 she managed Ivalu, a craft and clothing-making shop in Rankin Inlet.

The Knotts have other business interests, and lots of friends, in Yellowknife. They encourage everybody from Yellowknife to bring the kids in to Ton of Fun when they are visiting Edmonton.