Tom Gibbs doesn’t get as many hugs as he used to. As the president of the board of Special Olympics Yukon these past five years, he isn’t working with the athletes as much and he isn’t able to give out as many of those encouraging hugs.
There are meetings. There is paperwork. There are grants to apply for and cheques to sign. But, for Jessica Hall, being the president of the Yukon Film Society is all about… people. “The thing I really like about being on the board is my fellow board members and the staff,” she said. “They are all …
Sarah Crane will tell you that her Riverdale community is “a great place to live” with its close proximity to downtown and the diversity of its residents. And the trails.
But Crane knows there is one more element that needs to be pursued every day: a sense of community.
Everybody knows that the Humane Society of Yukon takes care of our beloved animals in distress at the society-run Mae Bachur Animal Shelter. But who takes care of the people who take care of the animals?
Philip Fitzgerald was embarrassed when he is asked about his greatest sense of accomplishment as the chair of the Yukon Hospital Foundation.
To begin to understand Mark Daniels, you must first discard the stereotypes of a snowmobile owner. Yes, the president of the Klondike Snowmobile Association (KSA) owns snowmobiles – and ATVs and dirtbikes and quads and boats – but these are mostly used to get to far-off wilderness areas so that he can hike and camp …
Dorothy Bradley leaves her vehicle at Eagle Bay Park, where Whistle Bend Way and Range Road meet, and walks to the bench overlooking McIntyre Creek. It is a 10-minute walk along a path that is dappled with bright yellow aspen leaves. To the left is a boreal forest of jack pine, to her right is …
Have you seen the gamers and sci-fi fans and people dressed up as action heroes from the comics and board games? Well, Paul Scholz is their president. To be more precise, he is the president of the Yukon Comic Culture Society, an all-volunteer board that creates events to unabashedly celebrate “geek and nerd culture.” That’s …
“The best place to view the ride is from up high,” says Inge Sumanik. “But, for me, it is standing next to the fence and feeling the ground shake.” “The ride” that she refers to is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride. Since 1876, the RCMP have displayed the riders’ abilities to control the …
To devote an entire issue of What’s Up Yukon to the celebration of the hot dog, one must completely understand exactly what a hot dog is … and isn’t. Immediately what scratches at the mind is the question: What is the difference between a sausage and a hot dog? I laugh, because I know exactly …
Oh what a wonderful time we live in. If you are in a strange, new city and need to know where the best coffee is served, there is an app for that. Just touch your smartphone. If you need to know if those noodles are gluten-free, well, the package has a barcode and you have …
Sylvie Binette probably has the easiest job at the Department of Natural Resources. As a wildlife viewing technician, it is her job to make the public aware of swan habitat and why it is important to preserve it. It’s an easy job because Swan Haven, on Marsh Lake’s M’Clintock Bay, offers a marvellous view of …
There are people out there who think they know everything they need to know about me just because: I’m a Scorpio. I’m a white male in his 40s. I drive an Explorer. Nobody likes to be pigeon holed … especially with seemingly arbitrary classification systems like these. At the very least take into account my …
Joe Sparling, the co-founder and president of Air North, says he hears many of these stories through the comment cards. “The one that catches my eye over and over is, ‘It feels like you are home before you get home.’” Sitting in his office, at a desk his father used before him, he says, “I …
“I used to stand at my son’s bedroom window, when he was two or three, and look northward to see stars,” says Forest Pearson, a resident of downtown Whitehorse. Pearson’s team gathered up the latest research and prepared a white paper to be presented to the City of Whitehorse, ATCO Electric Yukon, Yukon Energy Corporation …
Winterlong Brewing Co. is absolutely, positively, not a mass production brewery — in spite of market forces. The owners, Marko and Meghan Marjanovic, call market research “playing around.” They call complications “the fun part” and frustrations are “challenges.” And, when they have finished playing around and overcoming the frustrating fun parts, yet another beer is …
Kaori Torigai loves beer in much the same way others love baseball. Or World of Warcraft. Like baseball, there are a mind-boggling array of statistics to consider. And, like World of Warcraft, there is a huge cast of characters. And, as in both baseball and World of Warcraft, beer is social, it can be shared …
It is possible to come up with a million-dollar idea. But, from that eureka moment to seeing your bank balance tip over into seven figures, there is a lot of planning and cajoling and spending and risking. A lot. Getting a good start and staying on track is crucial. That is why the folks at …
In a second-floor office of Alkan Air, there is a bulletin board that holds photos of pilots with their aircraft. The pilots are smiling – and a few of them are wet. “This is the First Solo Wall,” says Dan Rosen, Alkan Air flight training unit officer. “We splash them with a cold bucket of …
“I thought no one cared.” This Yukon College student can be forgiven for being surprised. Just over 10 per cent of students at this institution are struggling, as he was, and are on probation. But then they were introduced to the Learning Assistance Centre’s latest initiative: Reboot. For those who have been academically dismissed or …
The best cup of coffee I’ve ever had was at the table of Philippe and Leandra Brient in the log-hewn home they built themselves. Outside the back window was a view of Atlin Mountain rising majestically from a valley of boreal forest. The Brients own and operate Atlin Mountain Coffee Roasters. They spent the morning …
The excitement of a pregnancy is fuelled by the unknown and profound changes that it brings to you and your family. Filling in that information to make it a little less “unknown” can be a daunting task as you navigate from government department to non-profit organization to experienced family members and friends./ But, there is …
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 …
Arts Underground celebrated 10 years with the launch of a show called ten. ten features art by the Yukon Arts Society Members.
Every seat in the Yukon Arts Centre costs the same. Yet the sound is not the same in each seat. That is why some people choose seats away from the speakers while others have figured out that there is “muddy sound” in the centre of the house. “Right now, there are four spots,” says Al …
“Tasting beer is a very similar process as tasting wine,” says Kaori Torigai, president of the Yukon Beer Festival Society.
We have a young, emerging artist in our midst who still has a fondness for that old-fashioned medium … of paper. Yeah, Heather Von Steinhagen has a website, too. This just makes her Many Late Nights Summertime ‘Zine easier to see and contribute to for her friends and peers across the country. But, paper, “is …
Nancy Oakley has a cool story about the likely origins of croquet. (As the executive director of the Yukon Historical Museums Association and convener of Saturday’s second annual Charity Croquet Tournament, of course she does.) It goes like this: “Some shepherds were hanging out, watching their flocks, and they needed something to do with their …
Wicked Wickets: YHMA pegs its hoop dreams on croquet Read More »
Some people like to “hit” the gym, to “pump” iron for those “ripped” abs. See a theme, there? Yoga, on the other hand, is all about movement and breath. Fair or not, yoga has a reputation, in some circles, as an exercise for women. Jessica Read acknowledges this thinking, and then goes back to her …
There is the story of an ice cream shack in Carcross that had no ice cream for the weekend. So, an employee of G-P Distributing put foam insulation in the back of her car and made the 90-minute round trip to stock up the freezer. That’s an amazing story to anyone but Kyle and Tyler …
I like blank, plain walls in the kitchen. Uncluttered and simple. If the paint is the same colour as every other wall in the house, even better. Crap! I am not even kidding myself, here. We have a very nice kitchen, but those walls are just a glaring bore. I guess I won’t be binge-watching …
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, …
It’s not really a truck with a paper shredder in the back; it’s more like a shredder-onwheels. And when you see the shredder-on-wheels parked outside a business on a Thursday with its lights flashing, paper isn’t shredded by page. No, no. These folks deal in 100-pound batches; 200-pound; and 300-pound. “It is the low-stress part …
Jake will be getting presents from Santa Claus, and his dog, Spencer, will too. What about the dogs & cats at the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter?
Those of you who took a cruise during the Spring Break raise your hands … not so fast, Hookey. But don’t feel sorry for me because I didn’t miss a thing. You all listened to gurgling rivers on those tropical islands and you marvelled at the beauty of salt-water fish … so did I. And …
He’s a promoter and an agent and a business consultant and an office manager and an investment broker. “Bag Man,” Mark Smith corrects that last one. “Really, I am just a Bag Man.” Smith’s business card actually labels him as the executive director of MusicYukon, an organization that helps recording artists with the business end …
Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre expecting to entertain 400 to 500 curlers and guests at the 53rd Annual International Bonspiel, 2014
It’s a film festival in a town that doesn’t have a theatre. It’s an international film festival in a town that doesn’t have an international airport. But the 6th Dawson City International Short Film Festival is still a hot ticket. Its producer, Lulu Keating, says she was impressed when she first attended as a guest. …
Kevin Caron measures the time to the Canada Games by the number of spins he can do in the air. The pre-novice figure skater figures he will have a triple jump nailed by the ti me the Canada Games comes to Whitehorse in 2007. The quad, the highest the men have been able to achieve, …
Residents of Inuvik love their muskrats so much, they named a jamboree after them. Muskrat Jamboree is a celebration of spring and one of its highlights is … muskrat skinning. “They trim them from the hind legs and open them up,” says Gerry Kisoun, vice chair of the organizing committee. “Our ladies can skin them …
INUVIK The newest vacation hot spot in the North could very well become Inuvik. On April 2, the Inuvik Family Centre will officially open its doors to the 7,000 area residents who are looking for a chance to frolic in the leisure/lifestyle pool with a swirl pool and lazy river. It looks a lot like …
Tropical paradise north of the Arctic Circle: Inuvik Family Centre to open April 2 Read More »
For the fourth year, the Polarettes Gymnastics Club is challenging anyone and everyone to see who is the fittest. On Feb. 13, at its facility attached to Vanier School, the gymnasts will defend their title from last year … a title they earned by beating 13 other teams. “Our gymnasts are looking forward to this …
Levi Commons, of the Yukon Amateur Boxing club, returned from the Alberta Bronze Gloves tournament with a gold medal. Edujardo Aragon and Micah Hoeschele, of Whitehorse, both earned silver medals. Eleven of 12 boxers, who attended last month’s tournament, were first timers. Dawson and Whitehorse pugilists drove to Red Deer for the Jan. 29 tournament. …
The Polarettes Gymnastic Club faced its first competition of the year and earned quite a few medals. The West Coast Gymnastics Invitational was held Jan. 29 and 30 in Coquitlam, B.C. Gina Sparling won the bronze medal on bars and placed sixth on the vault, ninth on the beam, fourth on the floor and ninth …
“I want to stop standing on the side of the stage and looking in … I want to stand in the center and look out.” You know Ivan Zenovitch. More importantly, you have heard him. He’s the one playing guitar for any one of a hundred performers. He is the Forrest Gump of Yukon music. …
Ivan Zenovitch takes centre stage: Now that you can see him … don’t take your eyes off Read More »
Emma Barr is helping people find more beauty in their lives. As a professional artist of mixed media, that has always been her goal. But there is so much more art out there and much of it go unappreciated because many people just do not know enough about it. Or, perhaps, they know they …
Finding beauty in all the right places: Artist teaches how to appreciate art Read More »
Although the number of sled dog teams is down this year to 21, and the reigning champion is not returning, Stephen Reynolds thinks these factors will add up to a very interesting Yukon Quest 1,000-Mile International Sled Dog Race. The manager of the Canadian half of the “toughest sled dog race in the world,” says …
AFFABLE SERVICE DESK GUY: Good morning, sir. How can I help you today? CUSTOMER: Well … I just got here last week, so I figured I better winterize my car. ASDG: Did you just come from Outside? CUSTOMER: No, I slept on your floor overnight … of course I just came from outside. ASDG: No …
“The road leading out of Takhini North has a sharp turn and it is icy. Instead of following the bend, my red Ranger truck kept going straight and into a snow bank at 8:15 p.m. on Feb. 2. A gentleman, with a moustache, stopped and had me turn my tires just so. Then a small …
Becki Brauen, literally, began her business, Lilli Pie Lotions, in a garage six years ago. Literally, she pounded pavement and knocked on doors; she set up a table at Qwanlin Mall. Just like many craftspeople in the Yukon, she saw her first blush of success at Spruce Bog. Today, Brauen is the BDC’s Young Entrepreneur …
THOSE WHO CHOOSE YOUTH SAY: Let’s face it: whomever you hire will likely be gone within five years. Workers are transient these days and that is not a situation that is unique to the young. However, a young person will not try to fool you into thinking they will spend a long time with you. …
Should I hire a young person or someone with experience? Read More »
THOSE WHO SAY YES, SAY: As computers become more and more sophisticated, they become more and more useful. And, the more useful they are, the more of a necessity they become. Some may wince at the word “necessity”, but they need to realize that computers can go to more websites than just YouTube and MySpace. …
Should employees be allowed to use work computers for personal use? Read More »
There is a commercial on television that implores people to “fire your boss” and become self employed. Catchy line. In many ways, it sums up the feelings of many. In Ammanda Partridge’s case, however, she didn’t so much “fire her boss” when she bought KB’s Esthetics from her own boss, Kathleen Burke, as she did …
The tennis season in the Yukon is too short … so it has moved indoors. To help get the word out, Tennis Yukon is holding the 40 Below Indoor Tennis Tournament at Yukon College March 1 and 2. Low compression balls will be used for the adults to compensate for the floor and the children …
The Mennonites are known for their love of singing. And that is exactly why the West Coast Mennonite Quartet will be performing at the Yukon Arts Centre March 1. This is not part of a tour and it is not a money-making venture … unless you count the CD sales, but all of that profit …
“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 …
“There is no political message as we are not a political group,” says Thomeki Dube, a singer with Black Umfolosi. Then he adds, “That way we stay out of trouble and stress.” From Zimbabwe, an African country that is ravaged by 80 per cent unemployment and an inflation rate of 1,700 per cent, a Yukon …
I remember the first time I climbed a tree … and it is not because I got my knee caught and my father had to use the chainsaw to get me out … and my mother took a home movie of it all. I remember it because it was the first time I did something …
For nine years, Burning Away the Winter Blues was a grassroots event that allowed Yukoners to come together at the Spring Equinox as a torch-wielding mob to, well, burn away the winter blues. This year, however, the entire world is invited to watch as Yukoners and guests bang on drums, chant and cheer as an …
On March 1, I saw a headline on the front page of the Globe and Mail that gladdened my heart. It was, “This Spring, Real Men Wear Pansies.” The accompanying photo showed a guy with pansies printed on his shirt. Wow! This is wonderful! You see, there was another headline on that page that read, …
Playing solo is something Robi Botos loves. The jazz piano player, born in Hungary but has called Toronto home these past 10 years, loves to play with his two brothers, too, but there is something special about playing solo. “It has a different vibe,” he says over the phone. “I love playing in a trio, …
I love Eggs Benedict. It is the ultimate comfort food for me … on weekend winter mornings that is. So, imagine my joy as I anticipated our visit to High Country Inn’s Bistro On Fourth. On Saturdays and Sundays, from 7 a.m. To 2 p.m., it has an Eggstravaganza that features the beloved Eggs Benedict. …
The closer you get to the Arctic Circle, the more you deserve a good blow out as the end of winter approaches. Instead of shaking a fist of good riddance to the snow and cold, the good people of Dawson City party with it. The annual Thaw Di Gras Spring Carnival kicks off Thursday, March …
In The Netherlands it is almost 2 a.m. and yet Amina Figarova is bursting with energy and she wants to talk. Even better: she wants to talk to someone from the Yukon. “How is it up there?” she asks, straining to offer silence to allow an answer. She apologizes, saying she just came from a …
“Paper or plastic?” has become a cliché for those no-win decisions we must make everyday: plastic is an oil-based product that chokes wildlife and is a blight on our streets while paper is a little piece of a living tree. Of course this question is often asked of me because, once again, I have forgotten …
The pianist just turned 33 and the clarinetist will be 84 next week. And yet it is the older gentleman who has been described as “fearless”. “The amazing thing about Phil,” says jazz pianist David Braid, “is he is in the autumn of his career and he is putting everything on the line.” Phil Nimmons, …
“Just words?” It is a rhetorical question Senator Barack Obama asked of Senator Hillary Clinton when she criticized his “flowery” speeches. The point was made that such words as “I have a dream” and “all men are created equal” have tangible power to affect the listener and cause a reaction. I would like to add …
“They are clean drinking songs,” says Barbara Chamberlin, half laughing and half pleading. “There is such a thing.” The conductor of the Whitehorse Community Choir was explaining the name of the spring concert, All Hands On Deck, and wanted to ensure audiences knew that this would be clean fun. Chamberlin, who collects songs throughout the …
As I behold my 18th spring in the Yukon, I have been spared the anxiety and frustration of previous disappointments that are collectively known as the plodding death of winter. It is not so much another year of maturity that has bestowed a calm upon my psyche, it is just the acceptance of things as …
Andrea Simpson-Fowler has a choice for audiences: if you want to see cute little kids and a mix of entertainment, come to the recreational show; if you want to see more professional, more polished pieces, then come to the repertory show. The owner and operator of Leaping Feats Creative Dancework is planning for its annual …
As I watched Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama duke it out in the United States, I found I was getting more and more jealous of our American neighbours. Their political campaigns are much more exciting than ours. Theirs is a campaign of ideas and passion; ours is of the great struggle for the middle where …
There’s a new folksinger passing through the Yukon … and he’s prepared. He may never have been North before, but Cort Delano’s “got my tin pan and gunny sack.” This Albertan roots musician, like many who make their first journey north, has a friend he grew up with, Darren Van Langen, a friend who has …
Simonne Chalifoux is well on her way to becoming an expert on the single scene in Whitehorse. As the founder/organizer/host/everything else of the Whitehorse Singles Group, she has seen what works, what doesn’t work, the failures and the successes in the single world. Well, being older and single, to be more precise: “People in their …
The sport of bouldering does not end with “conquering” a boulder but, rather, “understanding” it. The sport’s founder is a mathematician and accomplished gymnast, while its most successful participants do not necessarily possess great strength. The Ibex Valley Bouldering Festival (not “Competition” … but “Festival”) is a good chance to see this sport and to …
It is the one thing in my otherwise stress-free life that is causing me anxiety. It is a Post-it Note with today’s date on it and “10 a.m.” I remember being aware of it about five days ago and, in the hurly burly of playing editor, only occasionally wondered what it was for. You see, …
A long time ago, Deb Jutra was at the T&M Hotel when a visitor said to her, “This is amazing, I see seven different cultures here and they are all getting along.” “Oh, yeah,” said Jutra, not in a surprised way but, rather, in an “of course” kind of way. “In the Yukon, we are …
Soooo, notice anything different about today’s paper? We have found a new printer: Webco Leduc. It is a company that has come highly recommended and its people have bent over backwards to convince us they will do a good job for you, the readers. In particular, the outside four pages and centre four pages will …
It’s an oasis of quiet? Rebekah Bell lets slip a laugh and then struggles to compose herself. We are, after all, discussing the popularity of her band room at lunch time. But she allows that I am on the right track. Her band room at Porter Creek Secondary School is a room full of drums …
To get away from the rain here in Whitehorse, Daisy and I went to Vancouver for our vacation. I have used this line many times since I have returned. Every time, it is met with a wry and knowing laugh … then there is an awkward silence … and then a heavy pall of sadness. …
It isn’t easy to mount the Yukon’s own version of Lilith Fair. “It was a lot, a lot, a lot of work,” says President Erica Heyligers of the latest Yukon Women in Music project. “Yeah, a lot of work,” agrees her vice-president, Barbara Chamberlin. And even though the CD, Tether Hooks & Velcro, has been …
Buy your tickets early for Thursday night’s comedy show at the Yukon Arts Centre so that you can get a good seat in the back. You see, Roman Danylo is one of those comics who gets the audience involved. If you sit too close to the front, you may end up in a slow-motion shoot …
Jazz On The Wing has reached back to the early 1900s for its show Nov. 9 at the Yukon Arts Centre. New Orleans flair and Louis Armstrong arrangements will be presented by Bria’s Hot Five. The bandleader, Bria Skonberg, is not unusual because she is a woman – “There are a lot of good female musicians …
I am loving this controversy over arts funding cuts because it is one of the few times that smart, eloquent, passionate people stand up and declare their love for art and what art does for us as a society. However, I fear that the right wing of this country – represented by Stephen Harper and …
“We have ‘National’ in front of our name,” says Douglas Burden over the phone, explaining why the National Arts Centre Orchestra would pick its entire self up in Ottawa and travel to the Yukon. The bass trombonist, who has played with the orchestra since 1972, says the NAC’s music director has stressed outreach and education …
Irish dancing is known by its row of stiff upper bodies and crazy strong legs moving in quick union. But Andrew Vickers, lead male dancer of The Magic of Ireland, is a student of the dance and he sees much more: “It is the girls and their light dancing; it is almost like a ballet, …
Bruce Horak no longer needs the catharsis that his play, This is Cancer?, has been for him. But other people do and, so, he will continue accepting invitations to travel with the play he wrote and stars in. Indeed, having only just been here for one show this past winter for the Pivot Festival, Nakai …
Crystal Pite knows that audiences will watch her contemporary dance company, Kidd Pivot, with trepidation. “They feel they don’t have enough knowledge to get something out of it,” she says over the phone. “I would advise people to trust themselves to watch it the way it needs to be watched. “Trust your eyes, trust your …
Burlesque cabaret uses psychology in such a delicious way: it is a naughty place and we feel naughty being there. So we throw decorum to the wind, having forsaken the high moral ground, and give ourselves willingly to the sensations of dance, song and comedy being paraded in front of us. Entering the theatre at …
I push the potatoes around in my cup of Timber Rabbit Stew and find no timber rabbit meat. Oh, I get it. I’m supposed to ask where the meat is and will be told, “You’re as naïve as Ben Mueller!” Ben Mueller is the character in Timber Rabbits – A Northern Mystery of Men, Madness, …
When you think of plays, you think of The Guild and Nakai Theatre. More and more people are thinking of Music Arts and Drama at the Wood Street Centre as the high-schoolers in the experiential program put on beloved plays for the general public. However, not enough people are thinking of Moving Parts Theatre. This …
I met an old co-worker downtown the other day and, as luck would have it, I had a spare half-hour. Maybe we could grab a coffee and catch up? But I looked at him and I realized I didn’t really know that much about him and, more importantly, where he likes to drink coffee. In …
The first Yukoner I ever met was Rodger Thorlakson. It was 19 years ago and I was two days “Inside”. Sure, I met other people in that time, but between the hotel room and work it wasn’t a lot. Those I formed relationships with were just like me: recently transplanted. Rodger, however, had that hat …
Just as the movie Twilight surprised the film industry, the success of Catalyst Theatre’s Frankenstein is surprising theatre watchers. Both are a hit with teenagers. “Teenagers really respond to stories of the outsider,” says Jonathan Christenson, the play’s writer, director and composer. “It’s that fear of being a social pariah.” And Frankenstein’s monster is the …
Finally, you sinners have reached that one special moment of the year when I consider whether or not I will forgive you for making my life less than pleasant. Anyone and everyone stands a chance as I have already forgiven the following in this annual feature: Stephen Harper, Paris Hilton, the English language, people who …
“Go easy on the references to the Holocaust,” Jonathon Young says to me over the phone. “People will go into the theatre expecting it. “This play is much more about memory and how our actions affect our descendants.” The Invisible Life of Joseph Finch is, indeed, about re-creating one man’s life for the benefit of …
Skookum Jim Friendship Centre is doing something different this year with its 2009 Folklore Show on Saturday, Jan. 31: it will be A Night of Blues. Well, it is always a little different from year to year. This 36th edition’s theme emerged after Chris Nash, the producer, and the Folklore Committee saw which acts were …
Taylor Mac would like you to know that he doesn’t want to offend you. If his fantastical makeup and clothes surprise you, then that’s OK because if you are surprised, then you are being shaken up a little. And shaking things up is what this drag queen considers his job to be. If audiences are …
Adults of all ages will be thrilled to hear that Nakai Theatre is bringing Fred Penner to Whitehorse. Sadly, many children today haven’t had the thrill of waiting for that magical moment when Penner would crawl through the hollow log and into a clearing in the bush … an extension of their living rooms. Fred …
When David Skelton discusses the upcoming Pivot Festival, he keeps coming back to the example of Joseph Tisiga. The young Yukon First Nations artist is ready to burst out and Skelton likes to think his Nakai Theatre helped him along the way. That is, after all, the purpose behind Nakai Theatre. “We develop local artists,” …
“Et tu, Brute?” A famous line uttered by even those who don’t know it is Shakespeare. It is spoken when one friend betrays another. Does this make Marcus Junius Brutus a bad guy? Anton Solomon is not sure. He plays Brutus in Moving Parts Theatre’s Julius Caesar Feb. 18 to 21 and Feb. 24 at …
The bearded man shrugged on his Carhartt jacket and then levelled a gaze at Genesee Keevil. She was sitting by the window, wearing a cover-your-eyes bright-pink wig, and her slightly too-loud voice only added to the spectacle. “Where are you playing?” came the unexpected question. “Frostbite, next weekend,” was the cheery answer from Keevil. “I’m …
“I don’t want someone who can do 37 voices,” says director David Mackay. “I want 37 characters.” Therein lies the magic he hopes to capture with local actor Brian Fidler when they team up to present Fully Committed at the Guild Hall Feb. 5 to 21. Fidler needs to present 37 characters in this one-man …
Individually, the members of Duo Diorama are expert and greatly respected. Winston Choi, the pianist, was laureate of the 2003 Honens International Piano Competition and winner of France’s 2002 Concourse International de Piano 20e siècle d’Orléans. Minghuan Xu, with her violin, is a winner of the Beijing Young Artists Competition and has collaborated with the …
I was watching one of the Sunday-morning news shows and heard something that crystallized, in my mind, what is wrong with the financial sector. A Republican (you need to pronounce it like I do by first drawing out the “Reee” just a bit, and then spit out the “pub!” and then tack on the “lican” …
It is all original art and none of it existed before last December. So, the creative process took place during the darkest days of a Yukon winter. And that, says Tara McCarthy, is the whole idea behind Dark Days. It is a visual art/performance show taking place at the Old Fire Hall until Saturday, Feb. …
Early in January, I received a press release that excited me greatly. It was from Yukon Energy and it announced it received $125,000 in funding from the Yukon Cold Climate Innovation Centre to investigate the possibility of generating power with geothermal resources. Ultimately, this could lead to a clean and green generating plant that will …
It will be an unusual connection between the audience at the Yukon Arts Centre and the dancers of Montréal Danse when it presents On the Ice of Labrador on Saturday, Feb. 28. The seven dancers will each be presenting their own stories – stories of aviators, trombone players, blood-sugar cycles of a diabetic, Alzheimer’s disease …
A man who has helped Yukon musicians for years — as a key organizer of the Alsek Music Festival and as a music teacher at St. Elias Community School – is now being offered help. While Haines Junction’s Richard Godson is receiving treatment for cancer in Vancouver, a musical benefit will be held Saturday, Feb. …
Jazz Yukon had already told Brandi Disterheft what “On The Wing” means, and she is looking forward to it. “It is definitely one of my favourite types of venues,” says the stand-up bass player of her upcoming visit to the cozy stage of the Yukon Arts Centre Sunday, March 1. “You can really interact and …
There are four corners of a net that hockey players shoot for to score a goal. The ‘Five Hole’ is that other spot that could lead to a score: between the goaltender’s legs. That is where Five Hole: Tales of Erotica spends its time … and in the locker room and hotel rooms and bars …
Sienna Dahlen has that classical jazz sound in her voice. That is to say, it is what you think of when you think of small, smoky rooms and tight bands cooling up the place. But, just as jazz is forever evolving, Dahlen is now writing and performing a fusion of folk and pop. “I like …
there is something infinitely satisfying about being a part of a torch-carrying mob on its determined way to burn a false god
Yes, they know it is cold in the Yukon. The cast of Studies in Motion has been checking out the temperatures here daily. Yet they will all be nude sometime during the play when it shows at the Yukon Arts Centre March 24 to 27. “I was already nude on that stage a couple of …
(Part 2 of 2) Last week I began listing my favourite movies of all time. I only got to six of them and they all tended to be “guy movies”. There’s violence and there is male bonding and all of the things we stereotypical males enjoy. Yes, there are some excellent movies out there that …
(Part 1 of 2) My brother and I were on a road trip and, to pass the time away, we tried to list the Top 10 movies of all time. Three hours passed gloriously, even though we never did agree on the definitive list. Sharing a home for the first 18 years of our lives …
One guy’s opinion of the best movies: Part 1 of 2 Read More »
It was like walking onto the set of High School Musical … there are people milling about, laughing and joking around, spinning playfully in wheelchairs and then, boom, cohesion breaks out into a delightful musical number on a plywood stage. Then Brian Fidler, the director of Tell Me More…, says, “OK, now get up or …
Silly me. I thought the public wants intelligent discourse, all sides of a story and alternative, respectful arguments. So, I go to journalism school, I work for some of the best editors in the business and learn all that I can and I make mistakes (lots of them) and try to learn from each. But …
I remember back in the day when you could buy a great hamburger … a great hamburger as defined as a handful of meat, infused with Tabasco sauce — or a variety of secret family recipes — slapped into the shape of a patty and cooked over a flame. No two hamburgers were ever the …
After a career of 70 years playing jazz piano, on every continent in the world, Oliver Jones is finally coming to the Yukon. “I guess someone up there figured an old man should get up to Whitehorse at least once in his lifetime,” says Jones over the phone from his summer home in Florida. He …
The first question had him stumped. Justin Haynes didn’t know the combined number of CDs that he, Jean Martin and Ryan Driver have produced. “Oh boy, that’s a tough one,” says Haynes over the phone. “Jean has been running a record label so, him alone, it would be at least 20. “Me, the same; and …
Joanne Rice wants everyone to know that May 11 to 17 is Mining … and Geology … Week. “It’s because when people think of mining they think of dirty, mucky holes,” says the executive officer of the Yukon Chamber of Mines. “And when they think of geology, they think of science. “We teach the cycle …
I watched the city worker dump my garbage into that “trash compactor on wheels” and I found myself wondering: Does he get to work four days a week now? When he found out that this new automated system was coming our way, did he go home and tell his wife excitedly, “Hey, Hon, I can …
You have to be thrilled for Gordie Tentrees. The first time his ears perked up to enjoy a folk tune, it was at a Fred Eaglesmith picnic. The first 20 songs he learned to play on a guitar were Fred Eaglesmith songs. This week, Tentrees is hosting the Canadian music legend and will be opening …
Real entertainment from Fred Eaglesmith and Gordie Tentrees Read More »
Rob Millar is my hero. He writes our Barbe-Yukon column which means, of course, he is an expert barbecuer. Right there, that makes him more of a man than I. If he and I were dropped into the middle of the forest and surrounded by AK-47-toting terrorists, I would draw on my army reserve training …
In Italy, about 500 years ago, the lower classes liked to present plays that made fun of the higher classes. And the higher classes enjoyed them, too. Today, five members of Théâtre de la Pastèque (Watermelon Theatre) are borrowing this commedia dell’arte to entertain and, as four of the members of the cast are teachers, …
If you lived in the Yukon in the 90s, then you know the Peters Drury Trio. There was Caroline Drury with her crystal-clear voice; there was Graeme Peters, wildly talented on the drums and, well, just wild; and there was his brother, Jesse, the skilled tactician on piano. They were talented and fun and incredibly …
As far as this paper’s mandate reaches – arts, culture, entertainment and recreation – the biggest news of the week is the creation of the Society of Yukon Independent Dance Artists. It is big news because it addresses a major unfairness in the Yukon: the lack of resources and opportunities for local dancers. Sure, we …
The Yukon’s Gateway, Watson Lake, turns 25 years old this weekend. And, to celebrate, the town’s residents will be throwing a carnival in Wye Lake Park. Terry Colebrooke, the town’s recreation director, says on Saturday, June 13, the park will be filled with families enjoying carnival-themed food and activities. There will be a clown creating …
I’m going on vacation soon and I am very excited. Daisy and I are going to Ontario to visit my side of the family, courtesy of a pair of free tickets from my Mom (not sure if that is an expression of her love or an expression of her distaste for air travel … either …
“I have a lot of fun with Dot,” says Trish Barclay, her eyes squinting into a voice that sounds like it belongs to a pirate. That needs an explanation. Barclay says her character and that of “Bert”, played by Marc Desormeaux, in the upcoming presentation of Fiddle Rush at the Old Fire Hall, July 3 …
As every Yukoner should, I have been following the debate over the Peel Watershed Draft Land-Use Plan. It is a debate that will decide what kind of Yukon we want to live in; it will decide how the world will consider us. I have formed an opinion, but I will not divulge it here because …
It is probably one of the most-asked questions surrounding the visit of the “World Famous” Lipizzaner Stallions on Wednesday, July 22: “How do they get the horses up here?” “A state-of-the-art tractor-trailer,” says Troy Tinker, the show’s master of ceremonies, over the phone. A live camera feed allows them to be observed during transport and …
Lipizzaner Stallions take the leap to Whitehorse Read More »
“Last year there were lineups,” says Amy-Lynn Karchut, Dawson City Music Festival’s producer. “And that is against our mandate; we are not about lineups.” And so, St. Paul’s Anglican Church will be used by DCMF on a Saturday evening, for the first time, to help take the pressure off the Palace Grand Theatre. This is …
The intimate “anti-stadium” music festival, that is the Atlin Arts & Music Festival, has gotten even smaller this year, July 10 to 12. The performing arts director, Rick Newberry, says this is a good thing as organizers were responding to the wishes of performers and audiences. “They both said they want to spend more time …
If you fear for the future – the future of a world threatened by environmental, economic and moral collapse – then I know just the tonic for you. Attend a high school graduation ceremony. You may be able to smell success, but “potential” has a feel. And that is what will overwhelm you when you …
Firehall Films, like most ventures, had humble beginnings. It began in a tent at LePage Park, back in 2002-03, with a loaned big-screen television from Erik’s AudioTronic. “We had to lug a 200-pound TV each week and there was a lot of glare from the tent’s door and traffic would drown out the sound,” says …
TESLIN Many years ago, when another winter was survived and summer allowed for easier travel, the Inland and Coastal Tlingit people would gather. Members of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation would walk from the Atlin area to the shore of Teslin Lake and make camp, while a fire would be lit to alert those …
Since I know, almost as a fact, that Trevor will not be put down by the Bylaw Services Department, I can sit back and enjoy this story as it unfolds. I know that Trevor is safe because I’ve been here before. I was a reporter in northern Ontario in the early 80s when some whales …
With both the Nakai and Moving Parts theatres scaling back on productions for a season of development, Eric Epstein sees the role of the Guild Society as all that more important. “We are certainly the ones to look at classic repertoire and contemporary repertoire,” says the Guild’s artistic director. “We just want to get the …
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue Read More »
It is a cruel trick of time that has punched me in the stomach and now I cannot breathe. I could have sworn that it was just last month that we brought Wren home from the maternity ward. I remember, so clearly, holding her close as I tried to use scissors to remove her ankle …
This year, Nakai Theatre will not be producing any plays. David Skelton, Nakai’s artistic director, says the company will be concentrating, instead, on developing local scripts. This means that instead of spending money on a venue and staffing to produce a play, it will use some of that money to bring up DD Kugler, a …
I almost met Terry Fox once. I was working on the Napanee Beaver, in 1980, when the editor came into the newsroom and asked who wanted to cover a service group’s lunch that was organized on behalf “of a kid who is running across Canada on one leg”. Napanee is 200 kilometres east of Toronto …
Mike Daisey talks. He is a monologist; it’s what he does. In a day when we watch our videos in one- and two-minute clips and read messages from our friends in 140 characters or less, Mike Daisey will talk for two hours. No dancing. No music. No pyrotechnics. Just talk. And audiences are listening. That’s …
Yukon musicians will be entertaining Vancouverites this week, which is nice, but … “I see this as a huge marketing initiative,” says Debbie Peters of Magnum Opus Management, the event producer. “A lot of these performers see this as a launching pad.” And such a nice launching pad it is, too. The Railway Club is …
Each and every one of us at What’s Up Yukon finds local theatre to be a fantastic entertainment value. We like to think that covering theatre in our pages shows our support and we are happy to do it. But is there something more we can do? Yes, there is. We have a lot of …
Back in Grade 12 I decided that my previously ordained career of choice would not be in the military. I was in the Reserves and had already had my fun and, besides, I hated having cold showers at 7 a.m. after running in combat boots for an hour. So, suddenly left with a decision to …
Que será, será … (but the internet has a test for that) Read More »
There are two types of people who read play reviews: those who want to see if the reviewer agrees with them and those who want to decide if the play is worth seeing. Reviews are important. As the “Paper of Fun,” we want to encourage our readers to go forth and enjoy good recreation, good …
It is an occupational hazard of being an editor that you sometimes get paralysed over the meaning of one word. This week, the word was “power”. By definition, it means “the storing of energy”. The stored energy is a force that, when unleashed, gets things done. This leads to the secondary definition: “capability of producing …
Have you ever returned from a restaurant and just felt … satisfied? It would have been a night when the ambiance was comfortable, the service was unobtrusive and the food was definitely something you don’t often experience. Even if you shared your meal with the best of friends, it was the dining experience itself that …
This is a column for Cheechakos. Sourdough, you know this stuff. …February, March & April are your reward for November, December & January…
As a young boy, I was sophisticated enough that, when given the choice of a chocolate bar or MacIntosh Toffee, I would always go for the “Mack.” “Chocolate” is a loose term applied to the covering around the nougat or some such filling that, when packaged in the shape of a bar, was called a …
It is good to have friends … especially when you are a music teacher and the band needs to raise money for repairs and new instruments. As a Facebook friend of Brandon Isaak, and having played with him from time to time, Jon Heaton was able to line him up to play at Elijah Smith …
Geoff Berner is an accordion player. If you think this might make for a boring evening at the Old Fire Hall, Friday night, then you don’t know Geoff. With such songs as “Half German Girlfriend” and “We All Gotta Be A Prostitute Sometimes,” he has been described as “politically inflammatory”. But Berner would not take …
Kimberley Cooper retraced the rise and descent of North American jazz dance: It is primarily a folk dance mixed by African slaves and the Europeans who enslaved them. But it died out with the Second World War, bebop and the taxation of dance halls. “It was kind of lost in the world, and that’s sad,” …
As audience members at the Yukon Arts Centre allow the Christmas tradition of Nutcracker to wash over them – joined, for the first time, by an audience in Dawson City – it would be interesting to note that this is a production of the Northern Lights School of Dance. As a school, it has many …
The Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre and Les EssentiElles are taking steps to END Violence Against Women. The all-cap version of “end” is theirs, via a press release I have just read. After all, “reducing” violence against women is just not a worthy goal. On so many levels, I was glad to see the many great …
“It’s a meal.” “It’s a work of art.” I had never heard so much gushing over a sandwich. A sandwich. Its very creation began as a flirtation between meat and bread in the same meal until it was finally used as an edible plate. The Earl of Sandwich liked to play cribbage without getting his …
The Yukon was lucky to have been chosen as the location for the filming of Anash and the Legacy of the Sun-Rock. Yes, we have talented film people here in the Yukon – both in front and behind the camera – and, by all reports, the production was handled smoothly. But we have to admit …
Sitting at a table in the Gold Pan Saloon, enjoying a reception for the Santa Claus Parade volunteers, I met some incredible young people who were new to the Yukon. They came here, without knowing anyone, and sought a “community” to join. None of them played sports and they didn’t work in large offices that …
Finders, keepers. Right? Well, adults will likely respond with, “It depends.” OK. This is something that was obviously discarded … but it was seven meticulously cared-for photo albums of a family … but the person who found them put a lot of work into them to create a play … but the person who threw …
From my seat, I could see a toboggan hill, trees, mountains and blue sky. Not such a bad view for my lunch in the middle of a busy day. All the more incredible is that this place is just two minutes from downtown and two minutes from Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, et al. It is the …
Just as a reformed smoker is often the first person to complain about a hotel room that smells of tobacco, I shall now complain bitterly about today’s society misusing the word “cool.” “Cool”, as I understand and appreciate the word, originated from jazz music: the saxophone player doesn’t acknowledge the audience; he leans into his …
These iPads and Kindles gladden my heart as I see it as one more step toward re-establishing the written word as the king of communication. (You all know that I’m an editor, right?) I had worried when I saw the rise of television replace books, and the teleph one replace hand-written notes. I’m not that …
The Yukon’s cultural contribution to the Vancouver Winter Olympics is all coming together. On Tuesday, Feb. 16, at the Yukon Arts Centre, audiences will see what the world will see later that week from B.C. Place. One Word: The Yukon Experience, pulls together select performances from The Yukon Experience and What the Land Remembers. It …
The weight of Misty, our 20-year-old cat, curled up on my lap, has never been felt more. She loves the fact that I work from home and, other than being in front of the fireplace or sitting in one of three windows that is being gloried with the sun, my lap is her favou rite …
Art is for the people. But sometimes, the art is by the people. This is exactly what Daphne Mennell has in mind for her art installation outside of the Public Safety Building in Whitehorse. When completed, it will be a horse rearing up, its tail roiling with the rapids from which our capital city got …
I can explain why I find it so fascinating: I don’t play online games, I don’t watch sports and I don’t read fiction. Why would I need to, when this health care debate had it all – strategy, an interesting cast of characters, winners, losers, twists, turns, deception, plot twists – and it all happened …
If your exposure to children’s entertainment has only been Saturday morning television, you can be forgiven for thinking that it must be fast-clipped, obvious and pander to whatever is hot. The Sursaut Dance Company has found this does not have to be the case. Its fantastical presentation ofAt Nightfall has captivated audiences of all ages. …
He calls it, “The Lenny Moment.” “I found myself frozen as music played the way I’ve never heard it before,” says Pierre Brault, a veteran Canadian playwright and actor who has performed in operas and Shakespearean and contemporary plays. He is speaking of the first time he “experienced” the music of Lenny Breau. His taste …
I feel sorry for the screeners who work for airport security. And it’s not just because they are forever in a no-win situation, where every commonsense decision to save someone hassle increases the danger on board the aircraft – “If we don’t take knitting needles away from the little girl, does this mean we need …
It all started with one sink … It was a very nice sink for the bathroom that would have felt neglected, if a bat hroom had feelings at all, after heaps of praise were offered to our spa bathroom in “The Addition”. Daisy had been in Home Hardware when she saw the sink. With its …
I shall, from time to time, give to the readers of What’s Up Yukon information about the state of this arts and recreation paper. This lead paragraph was ripped off from Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution because I feel such an examination of the stories we bring to readers is just as noble …
I remember where I was when I first heard Frank Zappa. It was 1980 and I was at C.F.B. Borden; Joe’s Garage Act I was blasting out of a buddy’s tent. I drew near, sat down and listened right to the end. Nobody told me it was a rock opera (just as well). All I …
This is a story about the omnichord. It was manufactured by Suzuki as a toy version of an autoharp. It has a touch plate for major, minor and diminished chords. As the advertising tells us, “Anyone can learn to play it!” “Yeah, and it can be incredibly annoying, too,” says Jenny Mitchell (a.k.a. Jenny Omnichord). …
Seeing Melisa Devost perform at The Old Fire Hall Friday, April 16, or at Atlin’s Globe Theatre on the 19th, you will be contributing to her “success”. “I can ride on my skills to travel and see family,” she explains over the phone. And, while she has recently contemplated what she considers “success” for a …
Besides hearing jazz played as tight as only a quartet of professionals can, the Jazz Yukon audience Sunday night will enjoy a spectacle. Have you seen the Hammond B-3 organ at The Cellar? Well, you will see it played by jazz veteran Mike LeDonne … and it will be a spectacle. “The funny thing is …
I’ve never met Tytus Hardy, or Tess or Lymond Hardy. But I know for a fact that they are good people … smart, caring and adventurous. I know this, unequivocally, because I knew their Dad. I do know their sister, Janelle. She is an artist, dancer, writer and runs her own business. She has a …
A Sasquatch Prom Date concert is a party. People wear prom dresses and wigs and tuxedos and the dancing is of the contagious kind that is indulged willingly. The band offers the gift of fun, and it is reciprocated by the audience in an exhausting and endless loop. So, with its new CD, A Chilling …
Once again, the streets of Whitehorse will be bare as its citizens flock to the next big summer weekend event. On this weekend, July 29 to Aug. 1, the draw will be the Southeast Alaska S tate Fair in Haines, Alaska. The private, non-profit organization is once again filling its 42 acres of land with …
Daisy and I received a very nice gift last month: it’s a book on walking. Hmmm, you know, I’ve always felt that my Mom and Dad did a good job of teaching me how to walk. Seventeen years later, their lack of follow-up and obvious lax standards were efficiently cleaned up by Sergeant Hannah. Indeed, …
When these planes pass through an airfield, they gulp up 20,000 litres of aviation fuel. It takes a total of two hours to watch them fly overhead. When they are on the ground, wingtip to wingtip, that’s one kilometre of aircraft. Yup, 100 planes flying to one location is a big event … and it …
Running a restaurant in a hotel comes with one priority: good food to help guests start their day. And, remember, guests come from all over the world, so the food can’t be too “out there” and the staples need to be covered: eggs and burgers. But many hotel restaurants can’t survive on business from just …
With the Atlin Arts and Music Festival taking the summer off, to re-tool and re-tune and re-fresh, Atlin residents may have suspected the second weekend of July would be relatively boring. Instead, the streets will be filled with three- to five-year-olds looking for a good time on Friday, July 9. “Overrun with three- to five-year-olds?” …
These days, whenever I drive past Home Hardware, I throw my head back and laugh. You see, I am now a renter. Yup, most of my adult life, I have owned a home (well, the bank and I did) and, so, most of my adult life I have always needed to buy top soil or …
“The idea was Patrick’s,” says Bill Polonsky, the “media guy” for the upcoming Zenadu Music Festival. “He was saying there is this place he knows of – there were some raves out there and a winter concert – and they called it ‘Paradise’.” So, in an AAMF-less summer, they decided to throw a music festival …
Lily Gontard is learning to embrace the paradox that is the Internet. It’s a technical wonder that wasn’t even guessed at, back when Captain Kirk walked through sliding doors and talked on his “cell phone”, yet it has allowed the very organic expression of ideas that has found a home in her Arctica Magazine at …
I just read about a report by Dr. Ephrem Cheng that clearly proves that the longer we work, the sooner we die. Boeing Aerospace was wondering why its pension fund was “over funded”. So, Dr. Cheng looked into it and discovered that “late retirees” were dying too soon to fully reap the pensions that they …
I met an expectant mother the other day and I asked if they had picked out a name yet. When she said, no, they haven’t, I tried to be helpful by suggesting that a good name would be “Darrell”. She received this assistance in the worst way: she didn’t call me a jerk (that can …
Mommas, don’t let your babies grow up to be Darrell Read More »
It’s been four months since an earthquake ravaged the already-desperat e country, Haiti. The world responded swiftly and compassionately. But Yukon high school students know that assistance is still needed. Together, from the three high schools, they are called Yukon Friends of Haiti (YFH) and they want to raise money to help. “We need to …
As you are reading this, there is a different editor preparing the next issue of What’s Up Yukon, as I have stepped aside to allow some fresh blood to take this beloved paper to the next level. That editor is a friend of the paper, Elaine Corden, editor of North of Ordinary. She is filling …
June was a bad month to be a human. First, we all watched with horror as Armando Galarraga’s perfect game was stolen from him, at the 27th out, by … human error. Then we had the disallowed goal in a FIFA World Cup game that resulted in a tie between the U.S. and Slovenia. Both …
Point your toes! Point your toes!” I yelled at Sam Edney. He likely didn’t hear me because my mouth was full of Bacon Ranch Pringles Potato Chips at the time. Or, maybe it was the fact that he was racing down the luge track in Whistler while I was shouting at him through my television. …
The atmosphere contains sufficient quantities of oxygen, but very little moisture. It is amazing that anything can grow here. The vegetation is as fantastical as anything I have seen on any other planet, with spears protruding from many of the varieties. Comically strange creatures scurry from plant to plant, hugging the parched ground. Meanwhile, although …
My computer cheats at Backgammon. Let’s all ponder that for a moment. Pathetic, eh? But is it pathetic because I like to play Backgammon on my computer, whereas I could be conquering fantastical creatures in World of Warcraft? Or is it pathetic because I think my computer hates me so much that it would rob …
When foodies get restless, they debate “the $100 hamburger”. It’s an intellectual exercise that asks the question, “What would you have to do to justify charging $100 for a hamburger?” So, it was with great interest that I watched my Lovely Dinner Companion order a Bison Burger at Skky Hotel’s Volare Restaurant. It was only …
“Frostbite used to see bands play … and then you would see them play on the world stage,” says Patrick Singh, Frostbite Festival’s new producer and general manager. Then he lists them: Sarah McLachlan, k.d. Lang, Feist, Moxy Fruvous. They all appeared before they became big names. “We used to have that reputation.” Since then, Frostbite …
“No.” The answer came from Rebekah Bell and Bruce Johnston in the perfect unison you would expect from two band teachers – from Porter Creek and F.H. Collins Secondary School, respectively. The question was if they would add an extra Dessert & Dance this year since it is so popular and raises money for the All-City …
“On top of everything else, you are a photographer, too?” Didier Delahaye has a bemused look that I don’t quite understand. As the marketing director of the Yukon Arts Centre, I knew he was handy at graphic design as he creates much of the advertising. And I knew he is a songwriter, musician, singer and …
Performing about 60 shows Outside each year, we should not be surprised that the Yukon’s own Kim Barlow has a lot of friends in the music business. And when she asked five of them to join her in an ensemble to take on tour, it is interesting to see – and hear – what she …
It was 20 years ago when computer screens flashed green letters, computer paper had sprocket holes along the sides and dinosaurs roamed the Earth. I was the operational manager of a K-Mart in those days and my boss was telling me we were to be visited by technicians to set up the new computer. It …
It was a requirement of administration that required a lot more soul-searching than I thought possible. Our administrator, Monica Garcia, proposed a question to me: “If you die, what would happen?” “Well,” I thought to myself. “All the businesses in the Yukon would close until after my funeral and grief counsellors would be brought into …
Are you worried about the state of our youth today? I have a cure for you. It is something that works for me every time: I attend a MAD performance at Wood Street Centre. Music Arts Drama is an experiential program advocated for, and now run by, Mary Sloan and Jeff Nordlund. Two semesters a …
It is an impressive display of Ted Harrison’s Yukon. Wide swaths of bold colours of everyday life in a territory that is anything but “everyday”. “Except the ones with the whales,” says Rolf Hougen dryly. “There are no whales in the Yukon.” These are all posters that belong to he and his wife, Marg. Until …
This method of choosing a mayor from an odd number of councillors is already allowed for in the Municipal Act, requiring just a bylaw.
“Sleep?” Jessica Simon asks incredulously. “Hardly ever!” This is, after all, the Yukon Arctic Ultra, a race that follows the trail of the world’s toughest sled dog race … without benefit of a dog team. Running as much as 300 miles in five to eight days, these competitors will spend about three to six hours …
This toughest race in the world is not for the dogs Read More »
B-boying takes the discipline of a ballet dancer, speed of a figure skater, balance of a gymnast and devotion of a monk.
The sports world is losing a good friend: Curtis Prosko is leaving the Yukon in July. And curling, in particular, is losing one of its most loyal and passionate members. Even though he has only travelled to the Briaronce, as the fifth player, and never won in league play, Proskofound a second home at the …
