Ben Calf Robe powwow a hit

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They came in by the hundreds, flooding the Edmonton Agricom to participate in one of Alberta's early powwows.

The Ben Calf Robe 16th Annual Powwow attracted 27 arts and crafts booths, more than 200 registered dancers and eight or nine drum groups. Nakota Lodge acted as host drum. The one-day event got off on a good note with Wilson Okeymaw serving as emcee and Brian Lee as arena director.

The early May date of the powwow provided a welcome venue and enabled participants to renew their dancing form and provided an opportunity all for participates to renew acquaintances or to make new ones.

This is the second consecutive year that this powwow has been held in the Agricom. This location can accommodate more people, but in moving the event from the Ben Calf Robe School, organizers had to make some sacrifices.

The Agricom does not allow any outside foods or beverages, so that meant no bannock, no tea, no stew or chili. For annual powwows such as this, it just didn't seem the same without such foods which have become a standard at these functions.

Nonetheless, the powwow went well with dance competitions running late into the night and the Ben Calf Robe 1997 Princess, Crystal Gladue, ever so radiant in her new fancy dance regalia.