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…
Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous
2023 Yukon Rendezvous
After two years of the pandemic, Rendezvous will be back to form and celebrating its 59th festival this February.
Celebrate the great outdoors!
Yukon Rendezvous Festival has planned four possible versions of the festival this year, to quickly adapt to changing health regulations.
We Will Rendezvous
Rendezvous weekend takes place Feb. 26 to Feb. 28, with a mix of in-person and outdoor action.
Honoured to participate
The Canadian Armed Forces have a long history in the North (harking back to the Yukon Field Force in 1898), and JTFN is honoured to take part in YSR and celebrate Yukon Heritage Day events.
Who’s behind the mask?
The Masquerade Ball serves as YSR’s big Saturday event. Major Funk and the Employment will provide entertainment for the evening, and there will be dancing and a prize for the best dressed.
Representing Kluane
Each year, the Yukon Order of Pioneers (YOOP) selects Mr. and Mrs. Yukon in recognition of two longtime Yukoners who have made lasting contributions to their communities. This year they have named Valerie Drummond (born Wakefield) and Dan Drummond of Haines Junction as the worthy representatives.
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.
Volunteerism, a true Rendezvous tradition
Without volunteers the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Festival (YSR) would have never started, let alone gotten to its 56th year.
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 next level
Growing a beard that contends for the winning length in the “Old Growth” category of the Strength and Style competition takes years of preparation, literally.
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).
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 …
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.
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?
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.
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.
Get to know your sourdoughs
Every year we hear about these Sourdough Sams, this “Call for the Cup,” and that the search for the “primo Yukon male” is on again, but what does any of that really mean?
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.
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 …
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!
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.
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 …
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 …
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: …
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 …
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 …
Yukon Tough
A graduate of the Porter Creek Secondary School in the Class of 2009, Nicole Grove, 26, has always been physically strong. Back in 2003, in the days of Hidden Valley Elementary School, Nicole was a gold medalist in the Annual Yukon Wrestling Tournament. In training, she competed with the boys and in a game of …
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 …
Have Some Francais Fun
Often mistaken for the French version of the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Festival, Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie (RVF), from March 3rd to 23rd, is a national initiative lead by the Canadian Foundation for Cross-Cultural Dialogue. The RVF is an event surrounding the Journée Internationale de la Francophonie (March 20), which is organized every year around …
Joyful Performance
Donnell Leahy remembers exactly how he felt when he made his stage debut as a fiddler at the age of four. “Mom and Dad had a band when we were growing up as kids. They played locally at round dances and square dances and weddings and things,” he says. “One night they took me up …
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 …
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 …
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 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 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 …
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 …
School spirit and teamwork
Before working on my school’s float, I didn’t think school spirit mattered or even truly existed. I thought it was a thing that teachers loved talking about. But working with my fellow 2015 F.H. Collins grads on our school’s float made me realize how it important it truly is. Waking up early on a Sunday …
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,” …
February Seedlings
Anything can happen in February, weather-wise. It can be -30°C one day and 5°C a few days later. The sun can be very warm and the spring starts diminishing the snow and icing up the roads. January is a month of hibernation and rest. But February is a month of cabin fever; hence Rendezvous. February, the …
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 …
Fun Fair tips by Nash and Thayer
What are those? “Whiffle balls.” What are they for? “Tic-Tac-Toe.” Five-year-old Nash Battersby is about to school me in the art of winning prizes at the Fun Fair at Whitehorse Elementary School, this Friday and Saturday. The whiffle balls are thrown into the nine-hole grid and, well, everyone knows what needs to be done. Nash …
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 Dedicated Volunteers of the Yukon Quest
Judy Beaumont talks about the early days volunteering in the Yukon Quest office. The cramped space was shared with the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous in the (former) Regina hotel. “The office was in behind the bar, this little crappy office in the back,” she says. “We had to go through the kitchen and a plumbing room …
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 …
King of the Castle
“When I moved to Whitehorse I started building with snow in my yard,” says Tyler Waddell, owner of Rockhard Construction, and man behind the new snow castle at Mt. Sima. “Stuff like snow-slides with Christmas lights, ice rinks. The plan here was to build it big.” Waddell began building his snow castle before Christmas, just …
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 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 …
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 …
Salt of the Yukon
Dwayne and Nellie Backstrom might never be listed in the pages of The Colourful Five Percent; I don’t think they would care to be. But 2014’s Sourdough Rendezvous’ Mr. And Mrs. Yukon have a more meaningful legacy. In their own quiet way, they are quintessential Yukoners — understated, hard working, and full of love for …
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 …
Yukon Idol looks for the best!
Here is the chance for the Yukon to prove how much pop musical talent is up here. Yukon Idol is a competition that will find our best and shower them with prizes and put them in front of an audience in a Sourdough Rendezvous tent event. It was a fund-raising idea that was nearly de-railed when …
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 …
Northern Romance, February 14, 2013
Q: What should I do if I don’t have a date on Valentine’s Day? –Dateless on Donjek Charlie Says: Count your blessings Dateless. Valentine’s Day can be an expensive Hallmark holiday full of pressures, expectations and annoying restaurant line-ups. With the time you would have otherwise spent aggravating your hay fever at a flower shop, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
