Beaver Creek
Issue: 2019-09-11, PHOTO: Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé
A trip to town
It’s morning in Beaver Creek and fog has rolled in. Sid and I are packed and ready to head to Whitehorse. We meet outside the Visitor Information Centre. A crisp breeze hits the nape of our necks and we know winter is on its way. Read more
Issue: 2019-08-07, PHOTO: Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé
Vote Livesey
The smoke has begun to clear in Beaver Creek, but hot embers still smoulder along the highway. We haven’t had a fire like this one for many years, not this close to town. Sid has the morning off so we are heading down to Livesey’s near the Creek. Read more
Issue: 2019-07-24, PHOTO: Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé
Bon voyage
“Back in those days, ‘20s and ‘30s was known as the Golden Age of Tourism. It was a pretty busy time! I have lots of old maps from that era. Fold-out maps to show the layout of the boats,” Sid tells me on this very smoky day in Beaver Creek, Yukon. Read more
Issue-2019-07-10, PHOTO: Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé
Map to the gold fields
Sid’s days off consist of visiting with other locals at coffee time, doing several dump runs in a day and shuffling his classic cars around his yard. Read more
Issue: 2019-05-01, PHOTO: Pixabay
Mother’s Day running, biking and walking
Breast cancer is one of the top three diagnosed cancers in the Yukon. One out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives. These are the staggering realities of breast cancer... Read more
Issue: 2018-10-10, PHOTO: Teresa van der Meer-Chassé
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... Read more
Issue: 2018-10-03, PHOTO: Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé
Scavenging for Raven
Upper Tanana artist Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé has teamed up with Whitehorse-based artist Nicole Bauberger to create a scavenger hunt of installations and events this fall. The artists began collaborating a year ago around the idea that the... Read more
Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé
South to Alberta (a.k.a. Sid’s trip down memory lane)
“He had a bunch of old cars and I had a bunch of old cars.” That evening the long-time friends spoke about their recent projects and past finds. Van invited the guys—and me—to his garage, only to discover a treasure trove inside. Read more
Issue: 2018-08-01, PHOTO: Hugh Copland
The White River Ash, the mega eruption next door
The recent eruption of the Kilauea volcano, on the island of Hawaii, has consumed property and displaced people. The eruption at the Fuego volcano, in Guatemala, has killed dozens of people. Past volcanic eruptions in Alaska have resulted in... Read more
Issue: 2018-07-18, PHOTO: Steve Israel, Yukon Geological Survey
A whole lotta quakin’ goin’ on
On Monday May 1, 2017, at around 5:30 a.m., a magnitude 6.2 earthquake landed near the B.C.–Yukon border, followed by another slightly stronger one at around 7:30 a.m. The rare event got a lot more people talking about seismic activity in the... Read more
Issue: 2018-06-20, PHOTO: Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé
South to Alberta – Part I
Exploration, adventure and community are among the most important aspects of living in the North. For many Yukoners, it was the “want” to explore a fantasized part of the world and to seek adventure in discovering Canada’s North, but it was the... Read more
Issue: 2018-05-16, PHOTO: Teresa van der Meer-Chassé
Learning from Roy
“First thing I did when we got to Canada was buy a cowboy hat,” Sid says from his well-worn side of the couch. “When we first came to Canada in 1953 [from Friesland, Netherlands], we couldn’t read or write. I went down to the local bookstore and... Read more
Issue: 2017-11-01, PHOTO: Sid Vander Meer
’50s Diner!
The first snow has settled in the border town of Beaver Creek, Yukon. Sid is preparing his house and museum for a long cold winter. He drives his recently purchased Caddy into the garage and closes the door. Although his private home is not... Read more
Issue: 2017-09-20, PHOTO: Teresa van der Meer-Chassé
This beauty even has adjustable suspension
I was sitting comfortably amongst blankets and a beaver pelt on Sid’s living room couch, visiting with Jill. She pours us a warm cup of tea and we chat about their winter plans in Arizona. I take a moment to ask Sid what we should write about next... Read more
Issue: 2017-08-23, PHOTO: Dan Davidson
The Yukon is Great for Summer Travelling
Summer, with its long daylight hours, is a great time to travel around the Yukon. We started our travels the summer after we arrived, trading up from a VW Beetle to a Ford 150, and loading a second hand 8 ½ foot camper on the back. Over the next... Read more
Issue: 2017-08-16, PHOTO: Courtesy of Teresa van der Meer-Chassé
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. Read more
Issue: 2017-06-28, PHOTO: Teresa Vander Meer-Chasse
Horses of the Yukon
It is common knowledge that outfitting in the Yukon has been ongoing for over a hundred years and that outfitting horses roam feral, until needed. To this day you can spot the Dickson Outfitter horses roaming near the White River, among other places. Read more
Issue: 2017-06-14, PHOTO: Teresa Vander Meer-Chasse
The Yellow Jeep
There are thousands of antiques to ask Sid van der Meer about, however, his most recent addition has been the latest topic of discussion. The 1949 Jeep, that was once gold, has now faded to a stil de grain yellow as it basks in the dry sun. “The... Read more
Issue: 2016-08-04, PHOTO: Teresa van der Meer-Chassé
Stoking the Fire
Today, Sid and I are on the hunt for an unusual piece in his collection. As we sift through antiques after antiques, we come across a bellows. A bellows pumps air, and they are commonly known to be hand-held devices used to stoke small fires... Read more
Issue: 2016-07-21, PHOTO: Teresa van der Meer-Chassé
A Big Yellow Truck with a Past
“It’s a 1942 International,” Sid tells me as we are standing by a truck whose yellow paint is slowly chipping away with age. The truck’s original grey colour has been exposed underneath the bright yellow. Its large body and tires tell us it was a... Read more