The smell of BBQ, Diesel fuel, and smoke from the fire as well as the sound of skidoo's racing around mixed with people laughing makes me keep going back to the Muskrat Festival!

I had to take a day off of the festivities on Sunday to actually get some sleep. Working nights and wanting to get out to the majority of the festival has my sleep time all messed up. I have been planning sleep around events I wanted to take in at the river! AKA.. not much sleep for Laura. And it was Easter dinner Newfie style at Diane's Sunday at 5:00pm, couldn't miss that!

Monday I got off night shift, straight to bed, and then up to go to the river once again for the final day of the Muskrat Jamboree 2007. The wind is blowing and the temperature is a cold -10 overcast day. Feels a whole lot colder than that. First stop the Hot Chocolate tent.. hot chocolate in hand, I hung out watching the games planned for the day. Egg Toss- heck first prize $40. the Three Legged Race, Crazy Obstacle Relay $80 first prize.

My favourite of the day, and I think everyone else's was the Laha Tea Boiling Contest, for both Men and Women. The object to build a fire from sticks and boil a pot of tea in the fastest time. Then share it with everyone who wants to get warm. The men went first.



1, 2, 3 GO.. the 5 men, ran to the pile of sticks, got what they needed, busted back to an area to start the fire. Carefully placing the sticks down, lit the match and hoped to hell the fire would start up. And everyone did. I believe the sticks were very dry willow branches.


The crowd was great for this event. Many people gathered around the 5 men working hard at boiling up their tea. Each game has a meaning to the lives of the elders and back in the day, these games were more like reality of everyday people. Now they play them for fun, and remember the old times.

Look at that tea boil! 1st place...