Rendezvous with Soir de Semaine
Celebrate Rendezvous with the francophone band Soir de Semaine and Anneky & Malorie. Tickets online or at the door.
Search Results for: Rendezvous
Rendezvous Weekend Barn Dance
The Fiddleheads & dance caller, plus a prime spot out the back door on the Warf to watch the Fireworks! Everyone welcome, no dance experience necessary and family friendly!
Rendezvous Breakfast
Its back! Rendezvous breakfast! Get comfy with us, eat some awesome breakfast! Menu on site!
Rendezvous Braggin Rights Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament
Sign up in person at the Legion from Feb 6-23rd, everyone welcome, no entrance fee, absolutely no money gambling, medals for the top 3!
Yukon Rendezvous – Character Snowpad
You will want to check out this battle as Rendezvous characters battle it out with their snowpad skills!
Yukon Rendezvous – Flour Packing Contest
A traditional Rendezvous favourite is back – flour packing competitors carry hundreds of pounds on their back and steadily make their way towards the finish line! This event is open to competitors aged 19+.
Yukon Rendezvous – Open Snowpad (Axe Throw, Chainsaw Chuck, & Log Toss)
If you have always wanted to try your luck at Throwing an Axe, Chucking a Chainsaw, or Tossing a Log, then this is where you want to be! This year, it’s FREE to participate with each turn giving you 3 throws, chucks, or tosses.
Yukon Rendezvous – A Klondike Dance Hall (19+)
Dance your way back in time! Enjoy the music stylings of The Lucky Ones and the Midnight Sons while partying the night away with your favourite Rendezvous characters. Tickets online.
Yukon Rendezvous Pyro Musical
Witness a spectacular display of pyrotechnic art put on by the internationally award-winning Midnight Sun Fireworks crew! Watch the sky over Whitehorse (across the river beyond the KDCC) and tune in to CKRW The Rush – 96.1 FM for the music broadcast.
Yukon Rendezvous – Rendezvous Parade
Featuring Rendezvous character floats with highlights from the past! Register your community float and join us as we wrap-up the 2023 Yukon Rendezvous Festival.
Yukon Rendezvous – CFTC Sam Can Dance & Sam Knighting (19+)
Wanna know if your favourite Sam Can Dance? They will be showing their moves in the final Call For The Cup event right before the 2023 Sourdough Sam gets knighted! Cover Charge at the door.
Yukon Rendezvous – CFTC Queen Of The Creeks (19+)
You have seen them lip sync and show their talent – now watch as they bring out their true inner Queen!! Cover Charge at the door.
Yukon Rendezvous – Snow Sculpture Exhibit
Open All Day – Come by and enjoy the incredible snow sculptures produced by six teams of local Yukon artists!
Yukon Rendezvous – Performance Stage
Enjoy free entertainment from local artists and Rendezvous favourites! Streamed online or join us in person.
Yukon Rendezvous – Ultimate Karaoke Party (19+)
Dress up and belt out your favourite karaoke tunes as we journey through the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s! Tickets online.
Yukon Rendezvous – Strength & Style Challenge (19+)
Come on out and show off your awesome ink, fabulous beards, stupendous ‘staches and remarkable body hair or compete in three Yukon-curated events to become the champion of Yukon Strength. Cover Charge at the door.
Yukon Rendezvous – CFTC Talent-No Talent (19+)
Watch as the 2023 Sourdough Sam contestants show off their hidden talents… or lack thereof! Cover Charge at the door.
Yukon Rendezvous – KIDSFEST Outdoor Zone
An exciting weekend-long event full of entertainment and activities designed for children and youth to participate FREE of charge!
Yukon Rendezvous – KIDSFEST Sunday Funday Kids’ Concert & Activities
Join the Yukon Circus Society as they host the Sunday Funday Kids’ Concert & Activities at the KDCC Longhouse or enjoy the concert online!
Yukon Rendezvous Roots High Tea
Dress up in your favourite Rendezvous attire and celebrate as we go “Back To Our Roots” in time for high tea. Prizes will be awarded for Best Dressed and Best Hat. Tickets online.
Yukon Rendezvous Fiddle Show
Featuring dual headliners Calvin Vollrath and Mark Sullivan with special guests The Fiddleheads! This will be an incredible show filled with music, spirit, and Rendezvous Characters. Tickets online.
Yukon Rendezvous – Public Snow Carving
You’ll have the inspiration of professional snow carvings and a mentor to help you! Get your team together to carve your vision out of snow.
Yukon Rendezvous – CFTC Lip Sync Sam (19+)
Watch as the Sourdough Sam contestants compete in an all-out lip sync battle at the first 2023 Call For The Cup event! Cover Charge at the door.
Yukon Rendezvous – Pet Parade & Dog Howling
“Back To Our Roots”, dress up your dogs as Can Can Dancers, Mad(am) Trappers, Snowshoe Shufflers and more as you put your own spin on your favourite Rendezvous characters and events. Lots of best – prizes to be won!
2023 Yukon Rendezvous
After two years of the pandemic, Rendezvous will be back to form and celebrating its 59th festival this February.
Yukon Rendezvous – Cultural Craft Fair
Browse some of the best crafts the Yukon has to offer all weekend long!
2023 Yukon Rendezvous Kickoff
Come out and get a taste of what Rendezvous 2023 holds at the official kick off of the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Festival! Great chance to meet all your favourite characters in one room!
2023 Yukon Rendezvous Festival
Yukoner’s come together at the darkest, coldest and loneliest time of the winter, to celebrate our heritage and culture in fun games and events.
We Will Rendezvous
Rendezvous weekend takes place Feb. 26 to Feb. 28, with a mix of in-person and outdoor action.
Volunteerism, a true Rendezvous tradition
Without volunteers the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Festival (YSR) would have never started, let alone gotten to its 56th year.
Rendezvous struts its stuff
The theme of this year’s Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous is local, community participation. With a theme like that, it makes sense that when designing the festival’s first-ever stand-alone fashion show, the organizers would look to the local design community to bring the event to life. The event will feature the work of Sportees, the Fashion Art Design …
Rendezvous a major event for military
The Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous has been around since 1945 and a defining part of the winter festival has always been the Military.
Champion fiddler makes his Yukon debut this Rendezvous
Having won over judges at competitions around Canada and the United States with his uniquely Canadian style, Ontario born fiddle player Shane Cook is coming to Whitehorse this Rendezvous for his first gig north of 60.
Volunteers make Rendezvous!
It is no secret that without volunteers, there would be no Rendezvous. Each year hundreds of Yukon residents step up to continue a tradition that started over 55 years ago. It is these volunteers who contribute to the success of the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous festival and make it such a memorable event and experience. Rendezvous …
Spring rendezvous in the midnight sun
On June 7, the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous (YSR) will host their first spring auction, a must-add for everyone’s calendar.
A Dog Day Rendezvous
Brooke Rudolph with her howling buddy Timber, 2nd place finisher in 2016 The Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous and the unique relationship between a Yukoner and their beloved canine companion are two of the most enduring images of life in the North. So, it should come as no surprise that man and woman’s best friend features prominently …
What’s on at Rendezvous
It’s that time of year again, when it’s totally normal to see girls walking around in period costume, when men compete in beauty pageants, when that guy with the really long beard who comes into the restaurant you work at starts talking about the medal he hopes to win. And this year is no …
A farewell from the 2015 Rendezvous Queen
As the year 2015 is coming to an end, so does my reign as the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Queen 2015. This article will be my last article in the Queen’s Corner. Last February I was interviewed for the CBC about the reasons why I signed up for the Rendezvous Queen Competition. Honestly, I did not …
A Different Type of Rendezvous
You can keep your fishnets and feathers stored for this Rendez-vous. But you don’t have to. If you can’t help but whip them out for an encore, who is to judge? Les Rendez-Vous de la Francophonie is a two-week celebration of the French language in Canada. “Everyone is encouraged to take part, Francophones and Anglophones,” …
Rendezvous In the Old Days
Rendezvous – it’s always been our mid-winter break. A chance to unwind. It’s competition, and horseplay, and fun.
The Evolution of Rendezvous
It’s the biggest party in the territory, and this year Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous celebrates its 50th anniversary. For a lot of Yukoners the festival represents the nearing of the end of winter, but for others it’s a chance to compete for coveted titles, from Sourdough Sam, to Best Frozen Hair, to Furthest Log Toss. Sibell …
Something old, new, borrowed for Rendezvous
“Forty-four and so much more” is more than just a slogan around the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous offices as it prepares its 44th winter carnival. Executive director Harold Sher says strategic planning sessions last fall turned into a “walk down memory lane” as they looked at its historical roots, talked to old-timers – and new timers …
Rendezvous 101
Canuck Chuck Lands Difficult “Job” Wrangling a bevy of beautiful can-can dancers and introducing them to the world is a tough job, but Canuck Chuck, aka Charles Frisbee Tiberius Mackenzie, handles his duties with style and grace. The Rendezvous can-can MC originally hails the small coastal town of Inverness, Nova Scotia. At a young age …
Rendezvous’ Mr. and Mrs. Yukon Fit the Bill
Mayo resident Hilda Tuck was surprised to hear that she and husband Wilf had been offered the title of Mr. and Mrs. Yukon for the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous 2013. “I thought Wilf was just pulling my leg when he phoned,” Hilda says. The news has now sunk in and Hilda says it’s an honour to …
Nostalgia for Rendezvous Past
The Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous began in 1945. The prime feature of the festival was the colourful dog races made up of working dogs owned by trappers, the village priest or the RCMP. Held on the Yukon River (yes, kiddies, the river froze) against the background of the picturesque sternwheelers, it was a scene of pure …
Capturing Rendezvous
The Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous is about to bless us with its annual appearance – a great opportunity for you to capture all the activities and events as digital images. Are you up to the task? Is your equipment ready to meet the challenge? You’ll need quick reflexes and an ability to anticipate the best moment …
From Rendezvous to Recording
There are three ways to get a CD made. The traditional way is to pay your dues, playing live and building up your experience and renown, and applying for grants to cover some of the costs. For those who can afford it, you can build your own studio and record yourself. But the way that everyone dreams of …
Sam McGee Connects The Yukon to B.C.
“Memorizing poetry is my daily training and therapy,” B.C. storyteller Andre Sutherland Begin said, adding he will be coming to the Yukon…
Sourdough Soiree
An amazing night of music by AlpenFlow, RedEye and The Babooshkas. Dress up and get down on the dancefloor. Cover charge at the door.
Snowshoe Shufflers, Whistling Pygmies and Yukon Jack
See the classic iconic Rendezvous Snowshoe Shufflers, and listen to local country band Yukon Jack!
Karaoke Tournament
Sign up in person at the Legion, Sing your heart out one weekend – selected top 5 to move onto the Finals Rendezvous Weekend. Cash prizes and bragging rights to be won!
Reimagining Valentine’s Day
Whether you feel that Valentine’s Day is overrated, highly commercialized or cheesy (or it’s your favourite holiday of the year)….
Firstmate Babe Southwick Memorial Race
A race in honor of Babe Southwick, who passed away in 1965 during the The Rendezvous Dog races. Awards ceremony at the end of Day 2 at the tracks. $10,000 guaranteed purse. Register online.
Celebrate the great outdoors!
Yukon Rendezvous Festival has planned four possible versions of the festival this year, to quickly adapt to changing health regulations.
The show must go on
The All-City Band’s March concerts take place the evenings of March 30 and 31. They will be presented through the Yukon Arts Centre.
Seven tips for bringing home a new pup
You’re excited for the arrival of your new pup. You have all the necessary, and maybe some unnecessary, gear. Here are seven tips to help your pup settle in for the first three days.
Happy birthday, Charlie Bear!
Clearly, Charlie Bear is family and was from the moment Morgan met her. Along with Lambert, the family of three shared some very special years together. *When Lambert took ill, and then died in 2018, Charlie Bear took on an even more meaningful role.
It’s a drag
Standing outside in a parka in -35 isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time, never mind standing outside in a sequined bodysuit. That’s why, this year, when Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous (YSR) hosts For the Love of Drag, it’s going to be a little more temperate for both the audience and the performers.
Yukon’s got talent!
The 2020 Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous (YSR) Festival promises to be more inclusive than ever. The much-loved Superstar competition will be replaced by Hunt for a Headliner, open to all, including comedians, dancers, singers and anybody else with an entertaining skill!
The Chainsaw Chuck is just the beginning
The Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre is the place to be this February. That’s where the majority of events are taking place for the 2020 Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous (YSR).
Like a rhinestone Sam
The Boys and Girls Club of Yukon (BGCY) partners with Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous and hosts entertaining skits, from the Sourdough Sams to live auction more expansive and exciting date packages.
Festivals
Discover Yukon’s Festivals and Fairs.
The fun experts at What’s Up Yukon can help you plan your time to hit all the best events.
Check-ups for stuffed noses (and arms, legs and bellies)
This year’s Teddy Bear Clinic will feature some new experiences for children and families. Karen Forward, Yukon Hospital Foundation president, said she and the staff at Whitehorse General Hospital (WGH) are looking forward to the event, which enables children to visit the hospital and have a positive experience. “Kids are much happier there than a …
Check-ups for stuffed noses (and arms, legs and bellies) Read More »
Celebrate Canada your way
This Canada Day, Yukoners will celebrate in communities across the territory with traditional activities. In Mayo, the day’s festivities coincide with the Mayo Arts Festival where local artists, craftspeople and musicians share their talents and creations with others. In Watson Lake, they’ll celebrate Canada Day with festivities at the Lucky Lake Park and water slide, …
Fifty years of Rotary in Whitehorse
The Rotary Club of Whitehorse has been serving the city for 50 years and it is time to celebrate and acknowledge its history and accomplishments. As a service organization, Rotary is well-known in Whitehorse, what with the annual Rotary Music and Dance Festival and Rotary Peace Park. It may be helpful, though, to understand the Rotary …
Through the thought process
What journey do we take to arrive at an idea? Artists Michel Gignac and Gorellaume chose to explore that pathway in their new in-situ work, Through the Thought Process, installed at Northlight Innovation Centre. “We were really inspired by the space and all of the idea generation that goes on in the building,” said Gignac. “We …
Nobody gets put in the corner
Some ladies show up in high heels and lipstick; others roll into the dance studio right after having rolled off the couch. There’s no right way to come to class, said Kate Fitzgerald over the phone in late February. Her voice was low and sultry—the result of a cold rather than any concentrated effort to …
Croon your way to confidence
If you love to sing, but you’ve never stepped onstage in front of a crowd of people to do it, maybe you’ve just never had the proper motivation. How does $1,500 sound?
Let loose your inner kid
In the midst of Sourdough Sams, tattoo competitions, and beard and leg hair-growing contests, Yukon kids need a place to call their own during Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous.
Using their indoor voices
Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous mainstage is indoors this year. “(Being inside) is definitely a change and I hope that people embrace it,”
Do the sourdough sync
When it comes to the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous lip sync competition, you might have to bring more of an A-game than you’d have to bring to a contest where you actually sing.
It’s a mad, mad world
At the time, Mad(am) Trapper didn’t exist as a contest (in fact, it was the first year for Mad Trapper), but any women wanting to compete were welcome to compete against each other. It’s just that none of the women had placed that well before.
Main squeeze
It’s been years since the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous (YSR) was held on Main Street and still, once a month, someone asks – why isn’t Rendezvous held on Main Street anymore? Is it moving back there from Shipyards Park? When? Why not?
The usual suspects
Rendezvous made Marj Eschak move to the Yukon. It was 1977. She’d only come up for the weekend, but was so impressed, she decided to stay.
Strength and style
Hairy legs, bushy beards, interesting and colourful tattoos—that’s just some of what you can expect to see at this year’s Strength and Style Competition during the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous.
Bigger and better than ever
The countdown is almost over, with only days left until the official Rendezvous Kick Off, presented by the Hougen Group of Companies.
A favourite tradition with a fresh face
After eight years, the traditional Bachelor Auction is getting a makeover! The title sponsor, Beauty Bar Hair & Esthetics Lounge is proud to introduce the first Sourdough Sam Date-off & Auction.
Get your lips ready!
What is one to expect when one decides to go to a 2018 Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous event in November?The Ultimate Lip Sync Battle!
Yukon customers: feel appreciated
Main Street Society folded into the Chamber. The agreement included making sure there was a Main St. presence.
Turn up the amp …
For a two-night gig this past July in Beaver Creek, Larry Berrio and his band shut the town down! Berrio, from Sudbury, Ontario, travelled 5,000 kilometres with his bandmates to the most westerly community in Canada. With open arms, the town of Beaver Creek welcomed the band.
Superbirds (a.k.a. ornithology, a.k.a. birdlore)
This quiet, reserved and thoughtful corner of the year-round Yukon has gone to the birds this week, namely Arctic terns, the all-time migratory champions, not only of the bird kingdom but also the entire non-human animal world, including bugs and butterflies. You won’t believe what you are about to read but, first, you have to …
Superbirds (a.k.a. ornithology, a.k.a. birdlore) Read More »
The Follies ‘Reborn’!
The Klondike Follies Cabaret shows will take place three times each week, beginning on June 26, 28 and 30.
A Kenai kickoff to a new series – Part 1 of 6
Homer, on the west side of the Kenai Peninsula, is the farthest south you can drive and became my favourite place to RV camp in Alaska because of this surprise: it felt like California.
Nothing says spring more than the sounds of birds
The Yukon Bird Club’s new president is Shyloh van Delft (shown here leading a field trip at Tagish). The club has launched a new season of free field trips and special events. PHOTO: Jenny Trapnell The North is a nursery for millions of migratory birds returning from winters in places as far south as South …
Nothing says spring more than the sounds of birds Read More »
Yukon Pomp
There’s a furry addition to Team Yukon’s uniforms as they march into the opening ceremony of the Arctic Winter Games in the Northwest Territories on March 18. Athletes will sport fur pom-poms made from wolf pelts harvested in the Haines Junction area and sewn onto their hats by members of the community.
Mixing it up at the Mad(am) Trapper Contest
The multi-event Mad(am) Trapper competition, slated for Feb. 23 through 25, usually attracts dozens of women and men vying for the title of Mad Trapper or Madam Trapper.
Snow sculptures are snow cool…
Mount Sima’s snow guns, ready for action at Shipyards Park Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous has partnered with Air North, the City of Whitehorse, Days Inn, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre and Shaw Direct to keep a favourite Rendezvous event. Fourteen years ago Whitehorse artist Don Watts, an internationally-renowned snow carver, started the International Snow Sculpting Challenge and …
Paint your friends red, green or blue
The preparation for the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Colour Wars can get pretty messy, but the end result has turned into one of the most anticipated events of the Rendezvous weekend. It is the final event scheduled for Shipyards Park on Sunday and definitely leaves a mark on landscape. The free-for-all event leaves no participant uncoloured. …
A weekend of kid fun
With the advertised Burlesque Workshops and the Pub Crawl, at first glance the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous may seem like an event geared towards adults. But there are a lot of activities for kids too. Just like Yukon’s expanding birth-rate, KidsFest at Rendezvous is also expanding in 2018. Last year KidsFest had one tent with activities …
Yukon’s got strength and a whole lot of style
The Strength and Style competition is a popular event and whether you’re new or old to the Yukon, it brings people together.
The sounds of the next generation
The annual BYTE Battle of the Bands, which will feature up to 10 groups, has been taking place for over a decade and has teamed up for the second year with Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous as an affiliated event at Shipyards Park.
Dining with future queens
Enjoy two high-class afternoons with the Quest for the Crown Rendezvous Queen candidates The Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Quest for the Crown competition features opportunities for us to dress in gold rush era finery and spend a civilized afternoon visiting with the women hoping to be Queen: the Queen’s Tea and Social and the Queen’s …
A royally good time
The Rendezvous event called Her Majesty’s Royal Feast is an elegant evening with a 5-course meal on Feb. 13 at the KDCC In its second year, Her Majesty’s Royal Feast was created to give the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Queen candidates a high class venue to deliver one of the most important components of the competition: …
Sweet and singing
No tradition is sweeter than the All-City Band’s annual fundraising Dessert & Dance. Now in its 18th year, the event is held every February on the Saturday before Valentine’s Day to raise money for band trips out of the territory. The All-City Band Society is a not-for-profit organization that offers “big-city” music development opportunities for …
Ready, set, paint your windows!
Brenda Buren (left) and Lindsay Agar (right) present staff from BMO ribbons for Best Bank and Best Overall in the 2017 Business Decor Competition Yukon businesses have been celebrating Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous with window painting and decorating for decades. The festive atmosphere builds anticipation for the event and helps cultivate the Klondike Gold Rush-era feel …
Meet the 2018 cancan line
The 2018 Eldorado Line: Steal Your Fella Ella (left), Last Call Liz, Razzle Dazzle Rachel, Lollipop Ginger Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous season begins in February, but for some people it is a year round commitment. The women of the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Cancan Line are arguably the most in-demand group during Rendezvous, and their appearance bookings …
Christmas cheer and improving health care
The 15th annual Northwestel Festival of Trees will kick off on Thursday, Nov. 23 with the Business After Hours (BAH) Humbug event at the Yukon government Main Administration Building foyer. The annual fundraising event for Yukon health care concludes on Dec. 2 with the Alkan Air Grand Ball, a formal seated dinner that is already …
Local songwriter releases debut album
Last year Lara Lewis took some time off rocks to focus on rock. Now the Whitehorse-based geologist/songwriter is gearing up to release her first full-length album, Lov Lavatic, on Thursday, Oct. 19 at The Old Fire Hall. “It conflicts with winefest,” Lewis laughs. Her release party takes place on the same night as the Rendezvous …
Wines With a Cause
Wine-lovers will descend on the High Country Convention Centre on Thursday, October 19, for the 26th edition of the Rendezvous Rotary Wine Festival. These grape connoisseurs will have over 200 wines available for sampling and tasting. Those lucky enough to hold one of the 100 priority tasting tickets secured one of the hottest tickets in …
Giving That Room Props for Its Good Vibe
When the Westmark Hotel in Beaver Creek closed its doors in 2013, it brought an end to the dinner and show extravaganza called Beaver Creek Rendezvous, a tradition that had taken place every year for 22 years. The closure of the Westmark was prompted by Holland-America tours’ decision to cease travel to Beaver Creek. Westmark …
Stay for the Conversation
“Prepare to be moved, disturbed, engaged. Come for the film. Stay for the conversation,” says Canadian author and media critic Geoff Pevere. Pevere is director of programs for Rendezvous with Madness, a Toronto based film festival focused on movies that delve into the world of mental health and addiction. The festival is travelling across Canada …
The 17th Annual Riverside Arts Festival
The Yukon Riverside Arts Festival takes place in the most idyllic of settings – right alongside the Yukon River in Dawson City.
The Heart of a Queen
When Telek Rogan decided to run for Rendezvous Queen in the 2017 Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous competition, she did so as a celebration of who she had become. Talking with me about it, Rogan has no problem articulating the changes that have shaped her. “I’ve done a lot of transitioning in my life. I became a …
Lobsters for Literacy (And More)
Whitehorse might be the site of the northernmost East Coast kitchen party in Canada this summer. On Friday, May 26, the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre will serve as the venue for a Rotary Club dinner featuring fresh Prince Edward Island lobster and Celtic tunes, courtesy of Keitha Clark and the Sláinte North band. The event …
From Library to Learning Commons
Built in 1987, the Yukon College Library opened in 1988. It’s a place of constant change and with a budget for renovations in the area of $2.27 million, the College has chosen a new path for the Library: it will become a multipurpose learning space with a northern Indigenous focus. “We have to evolve and …
The Last Ski Race of the Year
Volunteers are gearing up for the Buckwheat Ski Classic. The cross country ski race is on March 25, but starting in early March volunteers were driving up to Log Cabin, B.C. from Skagway, Alaska two times a week to set tracks for the course. The last two years the race was rough – the weather …
Battle of the Bands
This Rendezvous, The Battle of the Bands is going down, bringing together youth bands from across the territory to battle for top dog honors of the Yukon Music scene. BOTB is presented each year by Bringing Youth Toward Equality (BYTE), and this year for the first time, in conjunction with Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous. “They are …
The Secret Life of a Can Can Dancer
What does it Take to be a Can Can Dancer? Six months of determination, of going straight to practice after work, of trying that spin and skirt flip over and over again until you get it just right. It means that when you hit the stage at Can Can Kickoff and the schedule shifts into …
Take a Midwinter Break
“Her Majesty’s Royal Feast is a brand new and exciting event,” says Dave Blottner, executive director of Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous. This event will feature a five course meal catered by six local restaurants, with a speech by the Rendezvous Queen and a string quartet. The event will take place at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre …
Braided rugs, just like Grandma used to make
There I was at the end of August looking through Salvation Army for wool coats. August. What was I thinking? I know it’s the Yukon, but we still had beautiful summer weather and I was looking for a wool winter coat. I had to laugh at myself, maybe making rugs was an addiction. It all …
Don’t Panic!
My dog, Herman, once stepped between myself and a charging two-thousand-pound black Angus bull. He turned the animal back by sheer virtue of his own ferocity and unwillingness to be moved. On another occasion, he chased off a young male grizzly bear that was stalking myself and my girlfriend as we picked morels in northern …
The Steampunk Ball starts here
If you were on a committee to provide decorations for a dance, your shopping list will likely include balloons, streamers and crepe… lots of crepe. But not if you were decorating the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre for the Steampunk Ball 2.0 Tesla Boogaloo. Instead, you will need polished brass, iron, wood and leather for the …
A New Theatre Company in Town
As winter carries on, theatre lovers will have the opportunity to warm their cold bodies with laughter in a brand new black box theatre when long time Yukon Arts mainstay Katherine McCallum unveils her new production company Larrikin Entertainment with the black comedy Often I find Myself Naked by Australian playwright Fiona Sprott. McCallum, a …
Get your kit and skoot up that hill
Haines’ third annual Kat to Koot winter alpine adventure race begins at the Southeast Alaska State Fairgrounds and ends around six mile Lutak Road by way of Mt. Ripinski summit of 1097 metres. Lindsay Johnson and members of the Haines Alpine Touring Society (HATS) started the race in 2017 as a way to build human-powered …
A Northern Cabaret
Craving a dose of good old fashioned Vaudeville fun? Yukoners looking for something new and adult to do this holiday season have the opportunity to find it at Furlesque: A Northern Cabaret. The variety show will feature, among other things, belly dancing, old-style song and dance numbers, burlesque, gymnastics, actors, musicians and comedians. Each evening …
A goldmine of history
I have an idea that would really put the Yukon on the world map: let’s build a True North Queen School. Tourists and Yukon students could spend few weeks at the Queen School, named after the wealth of history Rendezvous Queens study in order to be ambassadors to the Yukon. If we built a True …
The future is now
The Yukon Rendezvous Society is throwing a Halloween dance party again this year, and the theme is Back to the Future Part II. The trippy concept is that in 1989, when Back to the Future Part II came out, our man Marty (Michael J. Fox) time-travelled to the future and landed in 2015. And now …
Queen School In The North
The Yukon Rendezvous Sourdough (YSR) Queen School runs from November until the following February, when the next queen is chosen. Queen candidates, (QC’s) meet weekly for two hours with a break over Christmas time. It’s a compact, well tailored and well organized syllabus. Every Yukon woman who will be at least 19 years of age …
History is being re-written
Over the last few months, I have been sharing how I became involved in this queen title and what I have been doing. And while doing more research to better educate myself on the Yukon and its history, I have found some great information that I hope will also interest and educate you! During my …
You are a Winner
One of the many remarks I got when I was selling queen raffle tickets during Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous (YSR) events was, “I have never won a prize”. My usual reply was, “You are already a winner by purchasing the raffle tickets, because you have made a contribution to the community”. My dear friends, by purchasing …
Taking Pride
Stephanie Hammond won’t be dancing on the truck leading the annual Pride parade in downtown Whitehorse this weekend, as she has in previous years. Instead, she quips, she’ll be busy co-ordinating “dozens and dozens of floats” that are expected to take part in the third annual version of Yukon’s colourful celebration of diversity. “We have …
Dreams and Hopes
The great Klondike Gold Rush brought people to the Yukon in the pursuit of their dreams and hopes. To this day, many individuals continue to come to the Yukon like their predecessors over a hundred years ago. I’m the same; I am here to pursue my dream job and hope for a thriving community. It …
The Game Is On
Spring is here and summer is coming. Everybody has put away talk of events that happened in the cold winter months. The 2016 Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous is moons away. However, my crown as Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous (YSR) Queen is only good for one year, and there are so many things I want to do. So …
How to Sam
Early in 2008 my mother saw me on the cover of the Whitehorse Star wearing nothing but a straw skirt and a bottle of our local beer. That is how she found out I was running for Sourdough Sam. I don’t think she was shocked to see me in women’s wear, though — she knew …
The fiddle remembers
Harold Routledge did not remember that he had built this fiddle with his own hands; but the tunes, and the skill to play it, were memories that had not yet been robbed by Alzheimer’s. “There is something about music that it is so deeply ingrained to memories from a long time ago,” says Keitha Clark, …
The Many Faces of Claire Ness
I’m in the ‘98 drinking water (sober January) and waiting for Claire Ness to arrive. “London Calling” by The Clash is playing, which, for some reason, doesn’t feel out of place here. Once Claire arrives, the first topic we land on is her upcoming adventure with her Frenchman: they are looking for the sweet chassis …
Behind the Man Who’s Behind the Camera
It’s Christmas Eve and Vince Fedoroff and I are drinking happy hour beers at the Gold Rush. The place is packed. We chat for a bit before we begin the interview. Crystal Ball by Styx plays on the satellite radio and I admit to Vince that Styx is one of my favourite bands. He cites …
Making of a Queen
If you thought royalty was something found only in Europe, check again. In the Yukon, February ushers in a new breed of Queens for the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous festival. However, becoming a queen is no easy task — because there is much to learn and prepare for. One aspiring candidate is Whitehorse resident Brittany Mai. Originally …
A Christmas Tale Retold
Manufacturing, transportation — even writing styles — have all changed since Clement Moore’s famous ditty, A Visit from St. Nicholas, first appeared anonymously in the Troy, N.Y. Sentinel on December 23, 1823. As a public service, What’s Up Yukon is pleased to present a more contemporary version of this oft-told tale: Yo, Nick. Is that …
A Sourdough Scrapbook
How much do Yukoners look forward to Rendezvous? A quick glance at the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous website gives you a hint: they have a clock counting down to the start of the 2015 festival — and it’s accurate to the second. Whether your preferred event is flour packing, the one dog pull, or just a good …
One Foot in a Moccasin, and One in a Sneaker
Culture has been described as the immune system of a people, and in a world where so many distractions are coming at us on a regular basis, Yukoners can take comfort in knowing that we are home to a beautiful and thriving culture. Last year, Yukon First Nations celebrated the 40-year anniversary of the document, …
Dawson Gets Ready for Spring with Thaw di Gras
Thaw Di Gras, Dawson’s annual spring carnival weekend, kicks off on March 14. The mostly family oriented weekend event is a lot of fun for locals – and draws in visitors, too. It includes a lip sync event for youth and another for adults, cat and dog shows, snowshoe baseball, road hockey, a dog sled …
It’s Not Just the Feathers and Fancy Dresses
For Elizabeth Nemeth, the tiara sparkled in her eyes since she placed third in the McDonalds’ Junior Princess competition – she was 12 years old. Last year, when sponsored by her employer, the Jarvis Street Saloon, she was crowned 2013’s First Princess and Miss Congeniality in the Rendezvous Queen pageant. She loved the role, and …
Some New Wines to Look For and Try
Since September there have been some good additions to the Yukon Liquor Corp. (YLC) shelves. October and November seem to be emerging as the wine tasting season in the Yukon. In the span of five weeks, I participated in, or organized, three events: the October Rotary festival in Whitehorse, the second annual tasting held by …
Hunt or be Hunted
Zombies. Would you be ready to fend for yourself if the undead filled the streets? If you haven’t thought about it yet, you’re already behind. But that’s okay, because Whitehorse resident Christi Mathews is throwing a party that will have you zombified. After putting on a successful Halloween party last October, Christi Mathews and six …
Selling ‘cool’ … one bottle at a time
Let’s talk about beer. OK, not specifically about beer. Rather about the significant contribution a brewery like the Yukon Brewing Company can make to promote the destination it was born in. Mark Beese, the brewery’s enthusiastic sales manager who could talk beer any day any time (and does), put it this way, “Beer is what …
Up North: Up-and-coming, award-winning outfitter is just a nice guy
I’ve known Mark Stenzig, owner of Up North Adventures, for a few years. But my most memorable meeting with him was during Christmas 2003. My brother, visiting from Calgary, and I had decided to try out a new pair of snowshoes that he and my sister had given me. A cold but beautiful day, we …
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Season of Being Pulled Around by Dogs Ramps Up
DPSAY started with the goal of promoting dog powered sports and providing a regular race series for mushers, skijorers and those with dogs.
Artrepreneur: Sundog Carvers Sink Teeth into Snow
Young artists from the Sundog carving program have turned from wood to snow. Until Feb. 23, you can see them carving six eight-foot square blocks of snow at Shipyards Park. They will not be carving alone. Eight professional snow carving teams from across Canada and the United States started carving at midnight on Feb. 20 …
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Have Fun Learning At Wine and Fine Food Festival
Sharing wines is a wonderful experience. Coming on Oct. 23, here in Whitehorse, is an opportunity to gather with friends, try many new wines and make a contribution to the local community … all at the same time. The Rendezvous Rotary Club is holding its 17th Annual Wine and Fine Food Festival at the High …
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The Two Sides of Rebecca Reynolds: Nutcracker, Woodcutter
BY AISLINN CORNETT Not only is choreographer and artistic director Rebecca Reynolds influencing this year’s Nutcracker production, she is also involved in the upcoming Varietease show and 2009 Rendezvous Can-Can performances as well. It’s a good thing she’s sporting her hot pink “woodcutting gloves” because this ambitious dance instructor has got her hands full. Reynolds …
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The Return of Scotch
Talk to any Yukon musician playing Outside and you’ll get all sorts of small-world stories. Take Declan O’Donovan, lead vocals, piano and acoustic guitar for the group, Scotch. Playing a solo set in a bar in Montréal a few weeks ago, he got a shoulder massage from another Yukoner (coincidentally, my brother). “It was hilarious. …
Cosmic Invaders and Leo the Lion
The constellation of Leo the Lion definitely seems to be where all the Yukon Night Sky action is. Starting with Ceres, the smallest dwarf planet (formerly called the largest asteroid), will be making a close pass to Earth, a mere 250 million kilometres. This is as close as this little dwarf planet will be for …
Arts Underground goes to the ‘dogs’
It is that particular configuration of the Hougen Heritage Gallery at Arts Underground that really astounds you about this latest show. From the name, Man’s Best Friend: Mutts, Malamutes and Huskies in Yukon History, you know there will be a lot of dog photos (because, you know, if Yukoners are nuts about dogs today, it …
Indoor and Outdoor Art
by Tamara Neely There are two opportunities coming up to socialize and pick up some art at bargain prices. Both are fundraisers, both are in Whitehorse and both feature art with heart. The first is the Yukon Artists @ Work’s silent auction on April 5 and 6. The second is the Rendezvous Rotary Club’s Experienced …
Everything Old is New Again (or, ‘Pump It Up’)
Brace yourself, Yukon. There are strange things coming to the North this summer, and I am not just speaking of the various transients descending shortly. I guess it is not a for sure, but if Toronto and Montréal (the so-called meccas of Canadian fashion) are any indication, the Klondike will soon be under the same …
It’s a Living, Breathing, Social-Networking Thing
As we speak (’cause “read together” sounds kinda weird), I have Facebook open on another window. I’m trying hard not to check it. Indeed, I am one of “those” – one of those people who actually waste their time stalking friends, vague acquaintances and various exes on the extremely popular and widely vilified website known …
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Fired Up About A Snake Effigy
Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes and Alanna Warner, a Whitehorse artist, recently found hers in a toy snake. After discovering the toy, which was made from a wooden dowel and designed to replicate the movements of snake, it became the perfect symbol for Burning Away the Winter Blues event, which takes place on …
Eat a Hamburger, Help a Barber
How many of you remember sitting in Murd Nicholson’s barber chair when you were three years old and scared of that first haircut? How many of you watched your own children thrill to having a “conversation” with Mr. Clippers who spoke in what sounded like a buzz to everyone else? Unfortunately, Nicholson recently had a …
An Evening of Wine Tasting
Over the past several weeks, a number of my friends have been asking me when this year’s Rendezvous Rotary Club’s Wine and Fine Food event will take place. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a member of the Rendezvous Rotary Club and love working on the event each year.) This year, the event …
Fond Memories of Those Dog-Mushing Days
I have fond memories of our dogs competing in the races during the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous, and of socializing with our fellow mushers once the dogs were in off the trail, fed and bedded down for the night, resting for the next day of competition. We spent several months, in advance, training the dogs and …
Shady Ladies and Bright Golden Nuggets
The dance hall girls – those shady ladies that added colour to the Klondike Gold Rush – have become legends. Like the miners they so gleefully “mined”, they came from all over the world, but mainly from the United States and Canada. Mostly young and pretty, they hiked up their skirts or put on men’s …
Play Makers: Our Community is Changing
As I was driving throughout Whitehorse’s downtown core recently I began to realize that things in this fine northern city are starting to change dramatically. What changes do I reference? Not the abundance of red and silver metal-sided condominiums erected in recent years, although I find the juxtaposition between the new-age condos and the crooked-cabinesque …
Can Can Becky
You’ve seen her image emblazoned on the Frantic Follies billboard outside the Westmark Whitehorse. You’ve seen her photo in countless tourist brochures and flyers as the saucy cancan dancer. You know her as a dance teacher, but Rebecca (Becky) Reynolds has a life behind the scenes, too, as choreographer for the Sourdough Rendezvous Cancan Dancers. …
The Queen of Whitewater Wednesdays
New venues, new jammers. Since Whitewater Wednesday moved to the Gold Pan Saloon in the Gold Rush Inn, we’ve been impressed by both the veteran jammers who’ve followed the show to its new stage, and with the new ones just finding it. Among the most impressive newcomers is Angi Fraser, both in the strength of …
The Blahs Get a Good Exorcise
Man, could I ever have used a Rendezvous this year. The past month was a particularly dark sinkhole of a time for yours truly, and unfortunately these flatlanders in the town they call “Toon”, only seem to get together and celebrate when the Riders are on the field. I’m not sure exactly how February got …
Offering Shelter
Kip Veale is right at home among the throngs of people who are participating in Rendezvous at Shipyard’s Park. As Yukoners celebrate the coming of spring and the longer hours of daylight, Veale stands outside a large camping tent. She engages passersby with a bright smile and an infectious sense of enthusiasm. But there’s something …
World of Words: Locals review great Canadian crime fiction
May is National Crime Writing Month, and in celebration, Yukoners have reviewed work by finalists in three categories. A Nominee for Best Crime Novel: Arctic Blue Death, by R. J. Harlick (RendezVous Crime) This is a murder story that has a bit of a twist. Meg Harris has an intriguing past, some of which is …
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Crystal’s Story
Crystal was a strong, elegant, and spirited Arabian mare, foaled in 1977 on the family ranch near Vernon, BC. At birth, she was chestnut like her sire, NaMaram. Soon she shed her baby coat and became grey. The grey lightened gradually as she matured and aged. For the last 15 years of her life she …
Books for Babes
Imagine a new book mailed to every child, every month, until they are five years old. That’s what Dolly Parton did. Now imagine literacy in every Yukon family. That’s what the Rendezvous Rotary Club did. The result is the Yukon Dolly Parton Imagination Library, central to a family literacy program, for 430 Yukon children. It …
Yukon: No Star-Whackers Here
Has my gast ever been flabbered! Trolling through Randy Quaid’s IMDB (Internet Movie Database) listing, I was shocked to discover that someone already had the incredible foresight to green light “Christmas Vacation 2.” And I had had high hopes we were going to make that sequel here in Canada. For those of you who have …
A Special Trip, with Talent Included
The air crackles with energy as members of the Ynklude Art Troupe rehearse for their next stage outing. Laughter and chatter abound as producer Julie Robinson explains changes in the lineup, adding a few more saxophone solos by Hayley Hulushka as bookends at the show’s beginning and end. There’s just a week left before the …
The legacy of legends
There are legends – those men and women who left their mark on the Klondike – and that is the theme of this year’s Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous: Legends of the Klondike. Tiffany Duncan, executive director of the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Society, is organizing for her first time, yet her enthusiasm is contagious as she describes …
Skis and Sleds Hit the Road
Mid-distance dog races are back, with the Road Runner 100. “Mushers and skijorers have been asking for this type of race for years now,”
What’s Your Method?
By the time you read this Rendezvous will be over and the Frostbite Music Festival will be but a memory. But March is here, and with it more sunlight, longer days, and that urge to shake it up. The roaster is on, the coffee is hot and I am having a great time at work …
100 Ways to Celebrate 100 Years
“I find women in the Yukon, and Dawson in particular, an incredibly strong group,” says Penny Soderlund, a member of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Dawson Regional Women’s Committee. “There probably isn’t any other place where the majority of women own their own chainsaws.” Living in the Yukon surrounded by female cabin-builders, dog …
Middle Row, Centre: Improbably Entertaining
If you’ve ever wanted to take extreme measures against your employer, then Horrible Bosses might just be your cup of tea. Not that the exploits of the bumbling trio who star in this comedy would actually be of any help. Jason Bateman, whose work in Juno and the TV series Arrested Development renders him the …
Hibernate? Not Us.
Everyone knows the Yukon is a laid-back, sleepy little place – especially come November, when we gorge ourselves on seal blubber before bedding down with a tiger torch or an oversized husky until spring breaks through the igloo sometime in mid-April. Right? Wrong. Anyone who believes that obviously hasn’t been to the Yukon in February. …
14 Questions for Yukon Blonde
After a recording session in the studio at the Hive in Vancouver this March, Yukon Blonde tours North America with gigs at Los Angeles and the Utah Hotel Saloon in San Francisco before heading to the Dawson City Music Festival. It will be their first time meeting their geographic namesake, and maybe even a few …
New Crew
An energetic new dance group will make its debut this weekend in an unusual locale. Instead of a formal stage or a black-box theatre, the Tough Love Dance Crew will give its first official performance in a Whitehorse cocktail lounge. “I always felt like entertainment in Whitehorse was lacking a little bit,” explains Tough Love’s …
Didee & Didoo – Poem “Cabin Fever”
All winter trappers trap beaver But then they catch cabin fever. They quit trappin’ for mink an’ squirrels ‘cause they want to see the can can girls. Sourdough rendezvous is about to happen so the trappers forget about trappin’. During the long winter they trap for lynx Now they go to the 98 Bar for …
A Festive Summer
The cultural branch of l’Association franco-yukonnaise (AFY) presents a double St-Jean-Baptiste festival this year. The calendar is so generous that it made the two days of the St-Jean-Baptiste happening a Friday and a Saturday. The event will take place June 24 for Dawson City and June 25 for Whitehorse, this year at Marsh Lake. The …
Play Makers: Slo-pitch on Ice
Dust off the Easton’s and grease up the mitts: the 2011 Yukon slo-pitch season is officially underway. Believe it or not, the inaugural game took place on a Sunday afternoon last month in one of the territory’s most northerly communities. In Dawson City, smack dab in the middle of the Yukon River. The “River Ball …
An Evening of Fine Pairings
For at least 4,000 years, wine drinkers have chosen food to accompany certain wines and vise versa. When I imagine trying a good wine, it is always in a setting around a table or gathered with friends, and food is always a part of the picture. I worry that the North American wine industry has …
Tots Telling Tales
The First Nations tradition of passing stories down from generation to generation is alive and well at Grey Mountain Primary School. This week, the school will host its sixth annual Thai’ May Dhäl (Southern Tuchone for “Grey Mountain”) Storytelling Festival. The 70 students from kindergarten to Grade 3 will repeat the performance for the general …
Doing It for Dad
When we talk about dying of embarrassment, it is meant to be a figure of speech. Dying of embarrassment is sheer hyperbole. Except when it isn’t. When something is too embarrassing, or too damaging to our pride, we often don’t talk about it. Sometimes these things are harmless. Sometimes they can kill. Prostate cancer falls …
Eye on the Prize
Christina Macdonald is a woman on a mission. During her time in the Yukon she has seen the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous axe-throwing competition dominated by a small cohort of tough and strong Yukon women. This year she is aiming to join them and – if she has her way – come out with the top prize. …
Confessions of a Newbie Kicker
For anyone under the impression that Rendezvous week makes cancan dancers magically appear as if from thin air like so many green fairies to light up the stages of venues across the city – I’m here to tell you you’re mistaken. Being a cancan dancer is hard work. Really hard work. Four-hour-reheasals hard work that takes …
January’s Cosmic Jewels
Here comes another year with plenty of amazing sights for the cosmic tourist in this great northern land of ice and snow. Now if the weather would cooperate, we would be rocking! January appears to be an action-packed month of viewing, including some old familiar sights. For example, Venus is making a comeback and can …
Carving Their Niche
For nine years Don Watt and fellow artists Mike Lane and Gisli Balzer have attracted like-minded snow carvers to Whitehorse
“That Fish is Beautiful”
I had been nervous all day. This was to be the first “Hooked on Yukon Fishing” event of many this summer. Susan and I had planned a public event at Hidden Lakes where we were going to release 20,000 Rainbow Trout fry. Usually Susan, the Fisheries Management biologist for Department of Environment, and members of …
Becoming Rock Stars Before Our Eyes
The highlight of my Rendezvous was the Friday night, in the tent at Shipyards Park. It was here that I was lucky enough to watch the band, Plaid, and dance crazily amongst their screaming fans. “We got paid, so technically we’re professional musicians now,” says Bram Komaromi, one of Plaid’s guitarists. He laughs. Although this …