Dryden opened arms to Northern Bands tournament

With files from Bryan Phelan
The City of Dryden is looking back fondly at the Northern Bands hockey tournament, and promising that the town’s involvement next year’s tournaments will be even better.
Andi Kidd, Dryden’s community events coordinator, said having hundreds of First Nations people from across the north in Dryden for the week was “wonderful.”
“The event really grew and blossomed, and it was so successful,” Kidd said.
Kidd added that the tournament in Dryden, along with the Little Bands tournament that was held in the city in February, was about more than hockey.
She said hosting the tournaments fits with the visions and values of Dryden’s new Community Relations committee, which has begun organizing over the past few months with the intention of bringing First Nations and non-Aboriginal people from Dryden and northern communities together.
For Kidd, one of the highlights of the Northern Bands tournament was the feast held on March 16. She said she learned a lot about how to invite First Nations people to the feast when at first the attendance was quite low. But once she was taught that she had to personally invite people to the feast, the event became a “wonderful experience.”
“We intend to hold a feast like that every year, and we’ll do it for Little Bands as well,” Kidd said. “It’s our way of thanking the (Northern Bands) committee for working with us, and extending that thank you to all the communities who came to Dryden for the tournament.”
Kidd noted that businesses in Dryden were glad to have people from the communities in town for the week, and were very impressed about how everything went during the tournament.
“I’ve heard from five hotels in Dryden who said they have never had such a positive experience with a hockey tournament before,” Kidd said.
Tournament organizers were also expressing their gratitude for the reception that players and their families received in Dryden.
Ken Goodwin Jr. of Sandy Lake, a member of the organizing committee, said the fact that Dryden’s mayor spent a lot of time at the arena watching games was appreciated.
“That was one thing we liked to see – he was here to help us out all the time,” Goodwin Jr. said. “And he’d even pay admission too.”
Sandy Lake councillor Harvey Kakegamic, another member of the organizing committee, said the sales and discounts that northern people received from the hotels and stores were also appreciated.
“They’re really into supporting this tournament, which was good to see,” Kakegamic said. “I guess they’re glad to have us over there, which was good.”
It has been estimated that the Northern Bands tournament would bring about $1 million into Dryden.