Hall Beach (Mar 01/04) - The hamlet of Hall Beach had a great party last week.

For the first time, the community held a celebration to welcome back the sun on Feb. 12.

To make the event even more memorable, special guests took part in many activities. Engineers from the Canadian Armed Forces were in the community for the event. Organizers planned to showcase Inuit culture for the soldiers.

The recreation committee is now hoping to make the celebration an annual event.

The celebration was made possible thanks to help from two recreation consultants in Hall Beach: Leigh Reid and Densil Simmons.

"The recreation committee felt this was a good way to bring the community together and show Inuit games," said Reid.

"I think it was a huge success. Everyone had a great time and we got a lot of feedback from the community."

The event was kicked off with the traditional lighting of the qulliq.

Some activities included a traditional clothing fashion show, a community feast and demonstrations of traditional games.

The soldiers even participated in the games, competing against residents. Reid said the results were very one-sided.

"The soldiers tried, but the locals won most of the events," she said.

For Reid, this was the first time participating in a traditional event. She said the experience was one she will remember for a long time.

"It was great. We feel very privileged to be a part of this celebration," she said.

From the community support the recreation committee received, Reid is confident the event will continue next year.

"Everyone was great.," she said. "We had many volunteers to help with events."