Another great weekend at Onion Lake Powwow is in the books. So, it’s time for another review. In this blog post, I will be looking at the aspects of the powwow that make or break it. These include the schedule, dancing, singing, vendors, bathrooms, food and more. Let’s get into it.
Dancing
Onion Lake is one of those powwows that always attracts a lot of amazing dancers. This year was no different. Dancers from all over Turtle Island travelled to Onion Lake to come and compete. This means that many categories had to be divided into two groups and even three groups. The arena director did this so that everyone had enough space out on the dance floor.
One of the nice things about the OLCN arbour is that it is fully covered. This means that dancers don’t have to worry too much about the weather. However, I heard many dancers complain about the dance floor. The texture of the floor didn’t have a lot of give, so for some dancers it really absorbed their bounce. However, it sure beats tons of gopher holes and heat stroke. With their covered arbour and level floor, Onion Lake remains one of the best places for dancers to compete.
Singing
This year, there were so many amazing drum groups. Dancers were truly spoiled. Blackstone was host drum, and they were singing rocking songs all weekend. Competing drums included groups like Southern Style, Whitefish Jrs, Black Lodge, Poundmaker and more. One notable thing about the singing this weekend was the change up songs. Drum groups were singing change up songs that you don’t always hear. For example, the women’s fancy and traditional got ruffles and double beats (which is always a nice break from crow hops and round dances).
The drum contest winning line up was as follows:
1st Black Lodge
2nd Whitefish Jrs
3rd Southern Style
4th Lazy Dog
5th Cree Spirit
6th Poundmaker
Schedule
On Friday, the powwow committee followed the schedule pretty closely. Every category got one song and all dancers were finished before midnight. However on Saturday, it ran quite a bit later. There were several specials that the committee took care of which meant that senior and junior adults did not dance until well after one in the morning. On Sunday, juniors and teens got one song and adults got two songs. On Sunday, adults didn’t dance until just about midnight and the announcers didn’t announce winners until almost one.
While the powwow schedule could have been a bit more efficient, Onion Lake had some awesome specials. There was a wicked old style women’s fancy special, two junior girls fancy specials, a 60 plus men’s all around, a grass special, and a women’s jingle special.
It’s nice when powwows have a lot of specials because they always draw in more dancers, but it’s also important to consider when adult categories are dancing. If it’s super late, then adults can’t give their best, many spectators go home and/or dancers are driving dangerously late to make commitments on Monday morning.
Food
Onion Lake had a lot of options when it came to food. While there were the classic powwow vendors like Ramsay’s, there was also vendors selling Chinese and Vietnamese food as well as some healthier options. The food featured below came from Yen’s Kitchen. While the spring rolls were a 9.5/10, the chicken, rice, and sauce was pretty mid (6.5/10). The Vietnamese food, however, was excellent. One meal, which included rice, salad, and pork, was a really good option for dancers who needed something on the lighter side that still had enough protein and substance.
Other options included the Smoke Shack with their barbeque pulled pork, and plenty of drink vendors like Kim’s Lemonade and Tim Hortons coffee.
Vendors
One of the things I look for when checking out powwow vendors is variety in the booths and the level of craftsmanship in peoples work. Vendors showed up for Onion Lake this year. There were artisans selling everything from T dresses and old school shawls to ribbon skirts, beadwork, and supplies. Also, at 9 am on Saturday, the powwow hosted an auction where vendors and individuals could bring up their goods. This is always a good opportunity for artists who may not have enough to purchase a whole booth but who still want to sell their art.
Bathrooms
The bathroom situation here was not great. There were some clean bathrooms lodged next to the showers, but it was mostly porta-potties (and the porta-potties were not clean). Although the clean bathrooms were an option, they were a bit of a walk away from the powwow. This was not always a viable option for dancers or singers who might need to sing or contest right away.
Looking forward to next year, I would like to see the porta-potties cleaned more frequently so that dancers, singers, and spectators feel comfortable and clean at the powwow.
Overall, Onion Lake was a really awesome powwow, filled with good vibes, laughter, and good visits. While the bathrooms and schedule need room for improvement, I would highly recommend coming back for Onion Lake’s awesome arbour, dancing, and singing.
