LAC LA BICHE - Lac La Biche Pow Wow Days received the honour of being the Best Local Event, while Kikino Silver Birch Resort was named Best Campground in the this year’s Lakeland’s Best competition.
The Reader’s Choice awards are hosted by Lakeland This Week/LakelandTODAY.ca and features a long list of categories where people can vote for their favourite businesses, organizations, events, and locations across the Lakeland region.
According to Ian Cloutier, treasurer of the Lac La Biche Pow Wow Days and Fish Derby committee, members of the organization are very proud that Pow Wow Days has been named the best local event in the Lakeland region.
“The board is honoured to receive it, but I think it speaks to the legacy of what Pow Wow Days was and is,” Cloutier said.
The most recent edition of Lac La Biche Pow Wow Days, which ran from July 31 to Aug. 4, had a very strong turnout, with lots of folks taking in the variety of events on offer over the duration of the five-day festival.
“Right from the fish fry to the parade, and so on, there was so many people, like such a good turnout . . . way more than what we’ve seen for many years,” he said. “And I think this Lakeland’s Best Local Event is just confirmation of how excited the community and the surrounding communities are for Pow Wow Days to be back.”
Haying in the 30's, which takes place near Mallaig, placed second as the Lakeland's best event, and The Nutcracker, a Christmas production in St. Paul, placed third.
Being named as Best Local Event in 2025 is also significant because an all-new board was put together earlier this year – and that group had to start from scratch to rebuild the event.
“Just to have this at the first kick at it, this is our first year as this board working on this event, is so huge,” he said. The board has big plans for 2026, which will be built off what has been learned from this year.
Best Campground
According to Brad White, a member of the Kikino Métis Settlement administrative team, Kikino Silver Birch Resort getting top spot as the Best Campground is quite an honour.
“It feels great to know that the hard work and dedication of our team does not go unnoticed. The Kikino Silver Birch resort is a well-kept, clean, family friendly location with a great view of the Whitefish Lake,” White stated.
The campground at Kikino Silver Birch Resort offers many amenities to guests, including powered RV sites, overflow camping stalls, furnished cabin rentals, as well as a conference centre for events and meetings.
Other things on offer at the campground include a barn with commercial kitchen and screened in patio area for seating, outdoor stage area, lake front covered cooking area, children's playground, and a boat launch.
