Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services

Chesterfield Inlet (Sep 12/01) - Everyone loves an opportunity to get together. Perhaps that's why people in the North have so many get-togethers.

Whether it's an annual community jamboree, a skills competition, or a big festival like Jammin' on the Bay, life sometimes seems like a big family reunion that bounces from community to community.

And while everyone's attention was focused last week on the party in Rankin, the logistics of bringing people into other communities are sometimes even more amazing.

Think about it for a second. Arviat, Chesterfield Inlet and Repulse Bay have all held events. That means putting up visitors, making sure they're adequately fed and watered and making sure they have fun.

It's no small task, and don't forget scheduling your events. Sometimes guests are so busy renewing old acquaintances that the carefully crafted schedule might go flying out the window.

Gregg Tanuyak, Chesterfield Inlet's recreation co-ordinator, had to scramble to find billets when 30 athletes descended on the community last July for the Kivalliq region's annual Traditional Games.

To make matters even more difficult, the games were to be his baptism.

"It was my first time working with the games," said Tanuyak, sounding a little frazzled at the memory.

Fortunately, the community turned out in droves to make the games a success. He also got "a lot of help" from other recreation co-ordinators in the Kivalliq.

Tanuyak said making sure there were accommodations for everyone in attendance was far and away the biggest challenge that faced him during the games.

"Billeting was quite hard. Lucky for me the locals were able to take them in," he said.