Silver Lake Pow Wow This Weekend

Jeff Green | Aug 23, 2023

After a two-year hiatus followed by a gathering of about 100 people last year, the Silver Lake Pow Wow is back in full regalia for its 26th year this weekend.

“I put out a roll call and 480 people said they are planning to attend. Now, not all of them will, but a lot, a whole lot, of those people are dancers, so we could have a lot of dancers this year,” said Trudi Knapp, one of the key Pow Wow organisers.

Knapp also said that interest among vendors is very high as well, including some brand-new vendors, and an extra vendor row is being planned to accommodate all of them.

Clearwater Singers, from Kingston, will be the host drum this year, and Marg Taylor’s Pow Wow bus will be on hand with food.

All of these factors lead Knapp to think that the Pow Wow will back to the kind of atmosphere that was felt before the COVID pandemic put a halt to it in 2020.

In 2018, the Pow Wow had one of its largest dancer, and visitor, turnouts ever, and interest does not seem to have waned.

“Back then, there were a number of very young dancers, 8,9 and 10 year olds,” said Knapp. “I’m curious to see how many of those kids are still into it now that they are teenagers, and where they have gone with it. It’s pretty exciting to see the Pow Wow come back like this.

Danka Brewer is the MC this year, and Larry McDermott is the Pow Wow Elder.

Once again, this year, thanks to support from the Shabot Obaadjiwan, admission to the Pow Wow is by voluntary donation. There is a vehicle fee for day use of the park however, of $15.50 with tax, but the Park will waive that fee for indigenous people.

The Silver Lake Pow Wow opens at 11am on Saturday and Sunday, August 26 and 27. The grand entry is at noon each day, and it will rap up by about 5pm.