RANKIN INLET - Hundreds of people turned out for a special barbecue in Rankin Inlet this past month.

Nunavut Development Corp. president Darrin Nichol serves tasty ribs to Joseph Oleekatalik Sr. during an outdoor barbecue at Kivalliq Arctic Foods in Rankin Inlet this past month. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

The event was a joint effort between Kivalliq Arctic Foods and the Nunavut Development Corp. (NDC) as a way of thanking the community for its support.

Arctic Foods manager Brian Schindel said he was pleased to see so many people attend the barbecue.

He said the event was run totally by members of the two sponsoring companies.

"We had wanted to have this barbecue for quite some time and we were finally able to get it off the ground," said Schindel.

"It was something we wanted to do to thank the community for its continued support over the years with the sale of our product.

"It's important for local companies to take the time, every now and then, to thank everyone for their support."

Mother Nature must have agreed with Schindel, as she provided a beautiful, sunny afternoon for the event.

NDC president Darrin Nichol spent the afternoon manning the grill.

He said the barbecue was a nice way to open up the plant, and treat everyone to a nice afternoon of great food as NDC and Kivalliq Arctic Foods' way of saying thanks.

"We haven't done a lot of community events like this in recent memory, so we thought it was important to have a day when we could offer up our gratitude in the form of a community barbecue," said Nichol.

"We'd estimate at least 350 to 400 people came out, so we went through a fair amount of grub during the afternoon.

"Hamburgers and hotdogs are usually offered at these types of events, but we decided we wanted to have something a little different, so that's why we offered up the ribs and sausage.

"A lot of the businesses in this community provide excellent service to our operation, so it was time for us to hook up and say thanks to everyone for supporting us on an ongoing basis."