Queerlesque Comes To Town
Come what Mae and Chérie Coquette Cabaret present Queerlesque Convoy: A Transportation-Themed Cabaret and Peepshow November 19
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Cliff Swallows
When travelling the Yukon highways this summer, did you notice a swarm of small birds as you crossed a bridge over a river?
Whitehorse Photo Club’s Amazing Q3 Submissions
What’s Up Yukon and The Whitehorse Photo Club is pleased to showcase local photographers’ incredible work with these Q3 submissions.
Helping Hands: Local mom’s Facebook group brings families together from all across the Yukon
Andrea Simpson, mom of two young sons, began Yukon 2020/2021 Babies group on Facebook, in 2020, as a means of connecting with other parents.
Discovering Romance While Escaping Danger
The Lost City: great film if you are looking for comic relief. The script is original, and the cinematography of the island is very beautiful
Inked! The Indelible Art of Tattooing
Chat with artists at Yukon tattoo shops. They’re the most kind & community-minded folks & you might walk out wondering why you don’t have ink.
Didee Didoo: Behind Closed Doors
Didee Didoo: Behind Closed Doors. We can kiss. We can talk sweet. We can wear our birthday suit. We can smile. We can touch.
A tall glass of Christmas treat: Gingerbread protein smoothie
Christmas is coming and with it, all the gingerbread-flavoured things! Try this delicious gingerbread protein smoothie recipe.
Living With Wildlife: Steve Wilson
There are a lot of eagles at the Whitehorse Landfill. I photographed an adult and juvenile perched near the entrance. Camera: Nikon D7200
Seasonal Recipes: Rice with chinese sausage, corn, and eggs
This super simple steamed preparation can be served as a fast dinner alongside some pickles or sauteed green or a hearty breakfast
Year of the… Grease?
“We were going to push the boundaries of what a house concert on a private property could accomplish,” says Pick.
Dog Culture – Milo
A Yukon Mutt!In a lake, in the grass or lounging by campfires, Milo loves it all. You can submit pet pics to What’s Up Yukon too.
Climate
Why is it important to declare a climate emergency or crisis? So often today we see governments and businesses declaring a climate emergency. But why? What is important about taking this action or making this statement? Let’s take a step back and identify what a climate emergency is first, then we can discuss the reasons …
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October 7, 2020 Site: Issuu
Stage Performances
Theatre, dance, comedy, there is seldom a good excuse to be a Yukon couch potato.
Kids Home & Family
Winning Entries: Under Age 6 Category Winner of an ONE YEAR FAMILY Membership to Yukon Wildlife Preserve Evey Moore Age 6 **** Age 7 & Older Category Winner of an IPOD Neil Mikkelsen Age 11 **** CLASS PRIZE Tony’s PIZZA LUNCH Mrs. Reeves Grade Three Class at École Whitehorse Elementary School
Witnessing the Results of an Intense Creative Process: Playwrights present their 24-hour creations
The audience in the Yukon Inn’s Fireside Room this weekend will have the opportunity to witness the results of 24-hours of intense, high-pressure, creative labour. Creation begins with inspiration – it’s inspiration that sets ideas in motion. From there, determination takes over. When challenges arise, and they will, the creator must push on — through …
The Story of the Château Jomini
Château is the French word for castle, a word that evokes images of tall stone towers, wooden drawbridges, the European countryside, and maybe even brave knights on white horses. If you visit the town of Faro however, that word will evoke something different. The Château Jomini stands proudly overlooking the valley on Kitza Avenue, just …
Tudo Bem: It’s All Good
There is this Portuguese pastry I would kill or die for, whichever comes first: pastel de nata. The sound of it alone makes me want to catch a plane and leave for Portugal. Natas are small tarts of fluffy pastry filled with a soft-melting pudding made of eggs, sugar and cream, topped off with a …
Artrepreneur: Stones with Rare Integrity
The Black Muse guards the entrance to James Kirby’s solo Yukon Arts Centre show, Psyche: A Journey to the Source. The owl carved of Yukon serpentine looks black from a distance. A piece of unpolished stone supports the spread-winged bird that seems about to land upon, or perhaps skim, a spoon-shaped piece of granite, about …
Tony and the Caribou
BY MARGARET DONNELLY, Whitehorse Setsko and I followed Barb and Dave over the rolling countryside below Sugarloaf on the Montana Mountain Massif. It was a blustery, but warm, August day. Periodically, Barb and Dave stopped to scan the bushes below with their binoculars. They were on a mission to find caribou. Setsko had never seen …
Keep the Wildlife on the Wild Side
There be coyotes in them thar woods! We are very lucky in the Yukon to have so much wilderness right outside our doors. But sometimes the inhabitants of said wilderness decide that they like our neighbourhoods as much as we do. Bears, wolves, coyotes and foxes most frequently come to mind. Not so commonly thought …
Out Come the Claws
With winter in full swing, cats are now confining themselves to the indoors. But along with them come their habits and needs, not to mention their claws. Cats use their claws for a variety of purposes. Aside from hunting and climbing, they also need them for stretching out their spines, which usually goes hand in …
New Discoveries In Pet Food Ingredients
I recently started searching for a new brand of food for my family pets. And even after almost 12 years in the pet food industry, there is still more to learn. I have gone through several companies’ websites looking at ingredients and comparing. One that I have found quite useful is www.EVOpet.com. Under its Tools …
Play Makers: What’s On Your Head?
Toque: [tohk] of Celtic origin; A kind of cap worn in the 16th century, and copied in modern fashions; — called also toquet. Believe it or not, the toque is one of the most important purchases the Yukoner can make. Not only because of the warmth and comfort it provides to help get you through …
Play Makers: Timber Rabbits On Stage At Last
BY GEORGE MARATOS Joseph Graham was volunteering on an archaeological dig near Beaver Creek in 2003 when he first heard the story, Timber Rabbits – A Northern Mystery of Men, Madness, and Mutilation. As was customary at the end of the day, staff working at the Little John site would gather around the campfire for …
REVIEW: THE ELEPHANT MAN The Drama of Humanity
BY TARA McCARTHY Tackling Bernard Pomerance’s play, The Elephant Man, is a huge undertaking. From the rich script filled with emotion and tender subject matter, to the seemingly abbreviated scenes that connect to tell the true tale. And Moving Parts Theatre’s production fairs well on certain aspects, but lacks an all-encompassing sense of despair and …
Play Makers: Hello Stranger, Can You Look After My Home?
When I first came to the Yukon in the summer of 2002, I lived for free for six weeks. It was a refreshing and liberating time for me as it marked the first period in my life I was living on my own and not paying rent. Sure, I’d lived rent-free before, but that was …
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The Airplane Ride
Second Prize PSAC Whitehorse Regional Pride Committee Short Story Contest BY SUSIE ROSS Being gay didn’t mean I couldn’t tell a hot woman when I saw one. Big brown eyes, short blonde bob with a stylish flair. Makeup perfect, pressed designer jeans hiding thin, strong legs. She looked expensive. She looked smart. She looked kind. …
The Elephant Man: An Actor’s Study in Humanity
BY TARA McCARTHY A group of actors gather at the Wood Street Centre, pulling costumes off a large rack and holding them up to their chins, evaluating whether it works for their character. Before long, the stage in the adjacent gymnasium will house Moving Parts Theatre’s production of the 1979 play, The Elephant Man. Resurrecting …
Play Makers: What? No Hangover?
OK, be warned … in this article I will be talking about drinking. Please don’t judge me and, if offended, simply turn the page. It’s just I felt the need to not applaud but shine light on the select group of Yukoners that seem to be invincible to the hangover. While many, myself included, find …
Play Makers: Life after Cycle to Walk
BY GEORGE MARATOS “Whenever I saw an exploded piece of tire on the road, it reminded me of the 10 to 20 million polio survivors that are currently living around the world and are relying on these pieces of tire to pad their knees while they crawl around.” Four years ago, Ramesh Ferris sat on …
The Fine Art of Old School Femmes
As the last few hours of sunlight pour in through the windows at Baked Café, Lea-Ann McNally sits solo with a large mug clasped in her hands. After I profusely apologize for being tardy, she glances at me and admits she’s a bit nervous. It’s not surprising. By the end of the week, the walls …
There’s No Place Like Home For A Barbecue
The Wild Ox of the Celebes has long had an attractive, exotic sound. If you close your eyes and concentrate, you can almost smell the actual wild ox cooking on a spit. When you are successful hunting, always remember it is very important to field dress the meat cleanly and not get too many wild …
REVIEW: A Farce Of Sex And Insanity
BY TARA McCARTHY As quoted in the show program, playwright Joe Orton was “widely recognized as the bad boy of British theatre.” And only minutes into What The Butler Saw, it’s rather obvious why. The Guild’s production of the 1969 sexual farce opens with a peculiar job interview, which introduces Dr. Prentice – finely cast …
Play Makers: Patience Is A Virtue
Did you ever hear the one about the guy from Toronto who would complain about the tedious 15-minute commute to work he would have to put up with on a daily basis? No? Me neither … When I was in college, every weekday morning I was faced with a 40-minute drive to school. The routine …
Play Makers: The Yukon is So Stereotypical
I’ll admit it. When I was preparing to move to the Yukon I was very naïve about what exactly Whitehorse was all about. I knew a little about the Gold Rush history, the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race and the long frigid winters, but for the most part I was very unfamiliar about this part …
Who Will Be The Last Comic Standing?
BY TARA McCARTHY It’s only Wednesday, but the tables at Coasters are packed as a constant flow of local comedians take the stage. And while comedy nights at the downtown bar are nothing new, this time it’s a battle of the funniest. For a number of weeks it’s been elimination after elimination in the Yukon’s …
Play Makers: My First Day as a Yukoner … I Remember It Well
June 14, 2002. That is the day I first arrived in Whitehorse. To be exact, it was the evening, 20 minutes before midnight, just me and a crammed ’88 Pathfinder. I had recently finished school and was coming North to visit relatives for the summer and work for the feds for a few months … …
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Pet Photos with Santa
It is that time of year again, decorations are out and Christmas is getting closer every day. This also means that it is once again time for the Yukon Humane Society’s annual Christmas fund raiser: Pet pictures with Santa Claus. This event will once again be held at The Feed Store on Quartz Road on …
The Excitement of The Nutcracker
BY AISLINN CORNETT The Northern Lights School of Dance studio is packed, but the hush in the room doesn’t seem to match the 60-plus young dancers filling the space. All are focused ahead on artistic director Deborah Lemaire who, with clipboard in hand, goes over individual and group comments for the upcoming The Nutcracker production. …
Pigeon Tales
Although I was once a Sesame Street aficionado, I lost touch with the show right about the time my younger brother started kindergarten. It’s a shame really because that’s when Mo Willems started script writing and animating for the popular television show. Honestly, since I have read Willems’ work, I am tempted to go back …
Curling Sweeps the Yukon
Curling doesn’t require expensive equipment. A pair of indoor shoes, a “slider” for the bottom of one shoe and a special broom.
Play Makers: Winterval is Santa Parade with Spice
Winterval, “It’s the new Santa Parade,” explains McFarlane “I remember … thinking, ‘This is the saddest parade I have ever seen’.”
The Two Sides of Rebecca Reynolds: Nutcracker, Woodcutter
BY AISLINN CORNETT Not only is choreographer and artistic director Rebecca Reynolds influencing this year’s Nutcracker production, she is also involved in the upcoming Varietease show and 2009 Rendezvous Can-Can performances as well. It’s a good thing she’s sporting her hot pink “woodcutting gloves” because this ambitious dance instructor has got her hands full. Reynolds …
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Success From an Early Age: Just Read It
Most Yukoners know me as the gal who makes a lot of noise dropping heavy stuff in the gym. Only a handful of people know that one of my other passions is early childhood literacy. Before kids even say their first word, they are developing the skills necessary to speak and read. That’s why it …
Play Makers: The Shock and Awe That is ‘Timber Rabbits’
BY GEORGE MARATOS It is being described as Jack London meets Stephen King, an original northern mystery of man, murder, mutilation and mayhem. It begins innocently enough with the lights dimming and Old Knut, an elderly man close to 90, appearing on stage, spit can in hand. He moves slowly with an obvious shake, speaking …
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Play Makers: Art for AIDS Keeps the Flame Burning
BY GEORGE MARATOS On Dec. 1, art lovers are being encouraged to come to the Yukon Artists @ Work studio, 15 minutes south of Whitehorse, in the McCrae Industrial Area. It is there that an estimated 20 pieces of original artwork will be up for grabs via silent auction. It is part of the second …
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The Best Music To Dance To
A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY PROVING PUNK IS BEST … AS EXPLAINED BY A TEENAGER BY HAILEY LLOYD There are a thousand different styles of dance in the world. The type of dancing you like depends on the type of person you are. This in turn also decides on a group placement for you, in the musical …
Play Makers: Puppets, Ragtime and Blood Take On Shakespeare
BY GEORGE MARATOS Eric Bass takes a long pause when asked how he first got his start in theatre. “High school theatre,” he eventually says, speaking at The Old Fire Hall in downtown Whitehorse. Bass is in Whitehorse to workshop a script with Sour Brides Theatre and perform his original piece, Richard 3.5. Bass’ love …
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Olive, The Other Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas classic TV special and one of the most played tunes during the festive season. If you are reading this article now, I am assuming you are no longer wet behind the ears and that you have been exposed to several songs with lyrics that sound like one thing …
Wines to Serve With Christmas Dinner
I was pondering what to write about in this article, when I was approached by a co-worker of mine who is heading out to family in Nova Scotia for Christmas. He was thinking about his family Christmas dinner and he wanted to pick my brain (what little there is of it) for some suggestions on …
The Cold, Beautiful Game
“Did you win or lose?” Trudging up the slope to the parking area, the girl with her skates slung over one shoulder stopped to ponder the question, twirling her hockey stick in both hands. “I’m not sure. We lost track of the score.” She smiled widely. “But it sure was a lot of fun!” The …
Play Makers: Puppet Workshop Leads to World Domination
BY GEORGE MARATOS As a high school student in Victoria, BC, Moira Sauer dreamt of rowing for Canada’s Olympic team. So, each day she would train at Elk Lake, rowing as the sun rose, lifting weights and eating healthy. Then it all changed. “I was asked to make a penis puppet and the rest is …
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Play Makers: Yukoners of No Fixed Address
You know that feeling you get when you go through your old yearbook or look back at school photos from the high school glory days? I believe the scientific term is … “What Was I Thinking Phase-itus”. It usually involves big hair, big glasses and neon and results in an array of emotions from embarrassment …
Seeing the World Through ‘Ethnic Colours’
BY MARJOLÈNE GAUTHIER For the next two months, the AFY is proud to present the works of Karen Éloquin-Arseneau. Born on Madeleine Island, Quebec, Éloquin-Arseneau moved to Whitehorse a year and a half ago, with her boyfriend, to try something new. “We were curious and wanted new adventures!” She originally came just for a visit, …
Multicultural Miscommunication
Cher Yukon, Comment ca va? Today I am not recounting a funny or touching incident. Instead I would like to share just one of the many stories of misunderstanding that can take place in the multilingual, multicultural city of Montréal. OK, it is right after Christmas and I have some pictures I want to give …
The Real Cover Story
Gallery intern Jessica Vellenga stands in the youth grotto at the Yukon Arts Centre, flipping through a handmade accordion-style book. “She’s talking about Vancouver and the smell of the sea, so we put in sea salt,” she says as she flips to a page with a small cutout revealing a handful of off-white sea salts …
The ‘Up’ Side of the Slippery Slope
Once you let yourself go, it’s a pretty-quick downhill slide It’s a slippery slope. Time flies and, before you know it, you’ve hit bottom. You know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about tobogganing. If you can’t remember the last time you abandoned your fate to a magic carpet, it’s time to hit the slopes. …
Portraits of a Corner Store
BY TARA McCARTHY Grocery stores are not terribly interesting, especially in an age where most are cookie-cutter versions of each other. That is, if you’ve never waltzed the aisles of Riverside Grocery in Whitehorse. With its incredibly vast selection of spices, snacks, as well as strange and staple kitchen items, it seems like an understatement …
Musician/Singer
I think I would probably want to become a musician, and a singer. I play guitar and piano. I learned how to play piano by ear, so I taught myself how to play “Amazing Grace.” I think it would be so much fun to perform in front of an audience, and they would come just …
Linguist
I want to learn a lot of languages. So I asked my brother, “If I want to learn a lot of languages, what should my career be?” He told me I should be a linguist. I loved the idea because I love reading books and words. So now I know what I should focus on …
The Trippy Path Towards a Career in Art
All two-year-olds have the ability to impress a crowd with their drawings. Easy. The real trick is to impress a crowd as we progress into the age of inhibitions, self-censorship, self-doubt and the pressure-to-earn-a-good-living. F.H. Collins Secondary School graduate Dustin Sheldon got his start in art at age two and has continued developing his ability …
Women’s Groups Unite
Fired up after a meeting in Montréal, where a day of de-centralized action for women was called, Whitehorse attendees decided on Sunday, March 8 … International Women’s Day. “That’s perfect for us,” says Jodi Proctor, communications agent with Les EssentiElles, “because we always do something that day.” “As do we,” says Julianna Scramstad, program co-ordinator …
Pass the Peanut Sauce, But Please … No Spiders
When taking a ride on an elephant seems like a good idea, you have either had too much southeast-Asian sun, drank too many cactus colas or, possibly, in some extreme cases, both. It is a long way to the ground from the back of the beast. Thank god they are friendly. In Cambodia, the locals …
The Joy of Friperies …
Comment ca va? There is a word the French in Québec have come up with to describe a type of store. That word is friperie. A friperie is a type of store where one can find a real bargain, help save the environment and reduce overhead costs. It is another name for “consignment store, second-hand …
They Want to Raise Their Children in The Yukon
What are your names? Rosa Zuniga and Augusto Nonez [originally from Costa Rica]. How many children do you have? Four – one born in the Yukon: three girls, one boy, all living in Whitehorse. And how long have you lived in the Yukon? Four and a half years. We came to Canada in 2004. What …
What Goes Unnoticed
By Tara MAcCarthy Local artist Kirsty Wells was noticeably filled with anticipation last week. As friends scurried around The Old Fire Hall caring for finishing touches, Wells’ latest encaustic and ink works stood out from the white gallery walls stretched throughout the venue. The show’s title was lifted from a common phrase: Two Steps Back. …
Play Makers: Naive Gullibility = Comedy Gold
Being a comic from the Yukon, currently living in the “Big Smoke” in a bunk bed (the sacrifices of fame), I’ve been getting an amazing perspective on how much Toronto folk know about the Yukon. The truth is many know very little about our marvellous territory. This, although somewhat sad, is the equivalent to gold …
‘Subway to Nowhere’, Is Nowhere To Be Seen
Janice Cliff is in shock. A piece of Dawson City’s art heritage has been sold, torn up and trucked out. Cliff is not alone; many residents can’t believe their community has lost the work of an internationally renowned artist. Dawson City used to have a subway entrance, a stairway down to a gate with nothing …
Steppin’ Out, ‘Doggie-Style’
Tundra’s green neckerchief was at the perfect angle: avant-garde. Maddison (‘Maddie’) flounced the skirt of her Valentine’s Day dress. The jewelled buckle on the big red bow glinted. They were ready to hit the hallways. But where was everyone else? Where were Jupiter and Jed? And Summit had planned on wearing the printed pink-and-blue scarf. …
Making Strings Sing
BY AISLINN CORNETT String Ensemble conductor Fumi Torigai bounces and sways before a semicircle of bow-brandished musicians at the front of Hellaby Hall. He dives his hands in and out of the air as if weaving music from mid-air. In front of him, six musicians command their instruments with swift saw-like motions, their eyes engaged …
Practically a ‘Religion on Ice’
Cher Yukon, Comment ça va? Despite the fact that Québec cities and towns are adorned with churches and cathedrals, Québec is known to be one of the least religious of all of Canada’s provinces. Montréal itself has many churches that are no longer active or are now being converted to community centres or places for …
Play Makers: Are Torontonians Cold?
“Watch out, them Toronto people are cold.” Time and time again, that is what people would tell me when I informed them I was heading to Toronto for the winter to study improv and comedy. It didn’t matter who I told, either. Friends, relatives, strangers … they all had the same warning. Many would shake …
The Season’s Unsuspecting Victims of Seasoning
Cher Yukon, Comment ca va? I think I have just discovered why there are so many shoe stores, boutiques, discount boot outlets and cordonneries in this large city centre. Everyone knows that Montréal women love fashion and go to great lengths to look their best at all times. UGG boots are everywhere, Mat & Nat …
Indoor and Outdoor Art
by Tamara Neely There are two opportunities coming up to socialize and pick up some art at bargain prices. Both are fundraisers, both are in Whitehorse and both feature art with heart. The first is the Yukon Artists @ Work’s silent auction on April 5 and 6. The second is the Rendezvous Rotary Club’s Experienced …
The Reality of Digging for Gold in Dawson
“Yukon Gold” is a new reality show filmed around Dawson City during last year’s mining season. The series, which follows four mining crews in their search for pay dirt, premiered earlier this month. In that first episode, Al McGregor, or ‘Big Al’ as he’s known in the show, battles equipment failure with his excavator, Bernie …
Working Through Grief with Art
Hospice Yukon is hosting a Quiet Day Retreat, a day of remembering loved ones through writing, painting, collage or simple reflection. On Sunday, April 7 participants are provided with space to reflect in their own way and at their own pace, says co-facilitator Brandon Murdoch, a volunteer with Hospice Yukon in Whitehorse. Murdoch, who has …
Play Makers: Stories That Are All About Collaboration
BY GEORGE MARATOS Prepare for madness and mystery from some of the Yukon’s youngest and finest performers. So says the news release regarding True Stories, the latest production involving students from the MAD (music, arts and drama) program in Whitehorse. This time, youth are collaborating with musicians from the Longest Night Ensemble, dancers from Northern …
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Ron McFadyen Puts Down the Mic
BY PAM BUCKWAY After more than 50 years on the air, Ron McFadyen is retiring. April 30 is his last day at CKRW. McFadyen was interested in electronics and radio from childhood. His start as a broadcaster was at 15, at CKEK in Cranbrook. “I was a kid in high school and I hung around …
Interpretations of History
Back in 2005, artist Catherine Beaudette was in search of history. Having traversed Europe, on numerous occasions, she felt the desire to explore her home and native land, which led her to explore what was left behind during the Gold Rush era in Dawson City. As artist-in-residence at the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture, …
Strike Up the Band
By Pam Buckway The band adjudicator in this year’s Yukon Rotary Music Festival is Dr. Wayne Jeffrey, Director of Ensembles at Kwantlen University College on BC’s Lower Mainland. Dr. Jeffrey gives his view of the role: “When I’m adjudicating, I always remember that music is an aural art form that exists to communicate with people. …
Music in All of Her Life
BY PAM BUCKWAY Junior-piano and voice students and choirs are in for a treat at this year’s Rotary Music Festival. Their adjudicator will be Louise Rose. The Pennsylvania native, who has lived in Victoria, BC, since the 1970s, has had a close relationship with music all her life. Her grandmother said she “came out of …
Journalists should examine themselves
Guest Column by Tammy Beese I agree with some of the points made by Darrell Hookey in his column last week, “It’s worth the paper it’s written on,” on the troubling state of journalism today. Media business owners and the public do need to take some responsibility. But wouldn’t you say the journalist must also …
Tell Winter to Go “Soak Its Head”
Imagine a bunch of friends sitting around having a pre-spring gathering … You know, those early April days when, if you sit in a sheltered spot in the direct sun, your thermometer can reach some surprisingly high readings. People were wearing sunglasses and T-shirts and talking about what needed to be done to be ready …
Tickling the Ivories and Inspiring Students
BY PAM BUCKWAY Edmonton pianist Sylvia Shadick-Taylor is adjudicator for senior piano at the upcoming Rotary Music Festival in Whitehorse. Known for her diverse talents, she excels as a soloist, yet is equally comfortable as a chamber musician, accompanist and teacher. As a soloist, Shadick-Taylor has a strong interest in contemporary music. Premiering many Canadian …
The Plight of the Roma
Last October Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that the Roma, more popularly known as gypsies, would no longer find safe haven as refugees in Canada. Until recently, I had little knowledge of these people who transcend national borders and trace their history to the Dom tribe of 11th century India. On my recent backpacking …
Inspirational Stories of Everyday Life
How many times have you felt like you’re in the midst your own particular difficult situation, and then when you hear an inspirational story you think, “Wow, my crappy problem doesn’t seem so bad anymore.” That’s the power of an inspirational story. And on April 4, two Whitehorse residents are going to share their stories …
Klondike Korner: We Struck Gold with the KVA
Before there was ever a Yukon Department of Tourism and Culture (including whatever earlier names it may have had) there was the Klondike Visitors Association (KVA). Tourists came to Dawson as early as the Gold Rush, the most famous being Mary Hitchcock and Edith Van Buren, who arrived with an entourage and all the comforts …
They really exist… and they are smarter than us
I grew up in a big city in Germany. We were lucky: we had a back yard with strawberries, red currant bushes, a huge chestnut tree and a small patch of green grass to play on. The properties next to our little paradise were concrete parking lots. Even the fence was grey — a tall …
Play Makers: The Transients are Coming! The Transients are Coming!
Can you feel it in the air? They are coming. Not the dust, the puddles and the late-spring flurries – no – they have already been here for quite some time. What I am speaking of are the new people, the fresh faces, the Cheechakos, the individuals simply known as “the transients”. They come from …
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Sculpting Natural Sensibilities
There is something undeniably natural about the wide range of textures and tones Marlene Collins demonstrates in her latest showing of work titled, Seed. “I think pretty much any theme I could have gone with, my work would still really focus on the textural surfaces and the earth tones,” Collins explains. “I can go back …
Music Is Healing and Everyone Needs Healing…
We all have potential and vision. Fear usually gets in the way from taking a vision to reality. For many years I had a vision for a music competition that would bring together closet musicians that have so much talent they should be on a stage. That vision came from my experience with two talented …
Pretty, Dreamy Songs in the Sci-Fi Section
They say that plants thrive when played classical music. And humans do pretty well, too. A Whitehorse musician is finding that her twin babies are enraptured with the pretty, dreamy classical songs she has been playing them. Kim Barlow, who is five-and-a-half months pregnant, is performing every second Friday through March and April with Micah …
Making a Scene
From April 25 to May 4 artists from across Northern Canada will take over the nation’s capital in a celebration of our finest emerging and established artistic talent. Northern Scene will feature more than 250 artists in 50 events at 26 venues over 10 days. Selected participants will come from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, …
Klondike Korner: Snow-Carving Contest
March 15 will see the beginning of our annual “spring” carnival, an event we call Thaw Di Gras. One of the traditional events during this celebration is a snow-carving contest. Some years it’s too cold for people to put in the time necessary to make a snow sculpture. Some years there isn’t enough snow. That won’t …
Learning New Tricks from Older Ladies
Some of the women in the Arctic Blonde Strippers have been practicing their skills for 60 years, maybe more. And some learned the art from their mothers. But these days it’s not as common for moms to teach their daughters how to quilt. Quilting slipped into one of the endangered arts somewhere in the 1980s …
This Ghost Story Does A Decent Job of Being Creepy
Jessica Chastain graces local screens for the second time this month, but on this occasion, the redheaded Oscar nominee is scarcely recognizable. Decked out in a jet-black wig and sporting a tattoo, she plays Annabel, a punk-band guitarist, in first-time director Andreas Muschietti’s new horror film Mama. Taking its original inspiration from a three-minute short, …
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Springtime Rituals
The trees are rustling back to the woken world this week. They shift their weight of white, and wait, dreaming of green. Spring is trickling in at last, sliding aside the snowbanks in its own sweet time. All in good time. Soon enough we are sloshing through slush, mucking through mud, ankles to eyeballs in …
Play Makers: Must Be Summer … I Feel Lazy
I consider myself to be pretty athletic. I try to stay active, whether it be playing soccer or softball or the odd game of squash, but every year at this time I can’t help but feel a little out of shape. I’m not sure exactly what triggers it. Perhaps it’s the spandex-clad individual roller-skiing – …
Intimate and Artistic Interpretations
For visual artist Cécile Girard, living in the Yukon has been a catalyst for personal and artistic growth. “When I first came here, I lived in a wall tent, listened to the ravens in the morning and played the guitar,” she recalls with a smile. Initially she billed herself as a freelance artist, working on …
Play Makers: Hobbit Homes and Garage Dwellers Aplenty
I want to begin by saying that I don’t think Whitehorsians are hobbits. I feel obliged to clarify that. I will tell you, though, that the downtown core of this fine city is littered with what can be aptly described as “hobbit homes”. You know … the ones made famous in The Lord of the …
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Play Makers: Fourteen Shops and Services???
The Whitehorse shopping experience is one of a kind. So much so that it really is hard to know where to even begin the dissection. Perhaps we could look at the fact that we have no IKEA, yet there are two “adult” shops within a two-block radius and within that same two-block space is an …
Play Makers: Wal-Mart Barbecuers … I Miss You
I’ve seen lots of strange things in my seven years of living up here in the Yukon, but one of my fondest is still the time I saw that jolly group of Americans having a barbecue outside their RV. I know what you’re thinking … “Well, that doesn’t seem too strange, you silly Greek!” The …
One Couple’s Journey from India to the Yukon
(Gagan Raj and Varinderjit K. Chhina) What is your wife’s name? Varinderjit K. Chhina. Her nickname is Gurleen. When did you come to Canada? Gagan: I came to Canada in September 2005. Why did you come? Gagan: Because the owner of the hotel, Mrs. Dhillon, wanted to start an Indian restaurant, so she hired me …
Not One, but Many Places …
BY DAVID THOMPSON For almost 50 years, I have travelled and worked throughout the Yukon, but I cannot say, “I have a favourite place.” I wouldn’t want to detract from the overall aura to select one corner and say it is my favourite. It would be like arguing which ocean is greater, the Pacific or …
Washed Up, But Not Washed Out
“Does everyone realize that in this car we’ll be telling jokes – all kinds of jokes?” If there’s one of those in every crowd, this trip was bound to be a lot of fun. In fact, the entire idea for the excursion was an inspiration and a perfect example of “when the world hands you …
Rookies Race Alongside Pros During Rendezvous
Among the many events taking place during the Sourdough Rendezvous weekend is a dog-powered race that mid-distance rookies are welcome to join. The Dog Powered Sports Association (DPSAY) is hosting the annual mid-distance race from Whitehorse, northwest to the Mendenhall Subdivision and back, called the River Runner 120. This year the race takes place on …
Klondike Korner: Let it Snow, Let it Snow
There’s been something like a metre (or more) since Christmas and it’s been coming in big deposits that run over a period of two days.
SALMON-RUN CHILD
BY GOOSE EYES running along a river the Salmon Child looks to the right sees the rushing water crashing over the boulders salmon holding their heads above the crests foam rushing to hug them the salmon jumping swimming against the stream chasing their dreams slamming against the wall gashing their bodies only to re-ascend the …
The Place That Strikes a Chord with My Soul
BY LINDA DZIADYK Being born and raised in Saskatchewan, I loved the Prairies and really couldn’t see myself living anywhere else. Though I had done a bit of travelling and living in other places, it seemed I always found my way back to Saskatchewan. For many years, I was a stay-at-home Mom with my six …
Uncovering a New Artistic Direction
Through her latest exhibit, titled Colour Transfusion, local artist Heidi Hehn figured out a lot about herself. “People asked me, ‘Why Colour Transfusion?’ And I’d say, Well, people need a colour transfusion after the long winter. “I was just working in whatever I felt like and the only commonality was the colours, not the themes. …
It’s Time to Start Horsing Around!
The window boxes of the Bales of Fun Horse Camp were short a few flowers. The nasturtiums and petunias had been hurriedly clipped for a beauty show for the horses. Looking closely, you can see how the stems of summer blooms are woven into the braids and then firmly attached with small, tightly wound elastic …
‘Last one to leave the country, turn the lights out.’
New Zealanders are outnumbered by sheep by about 15 to 1. They also love to travel, hence the “lights out” line. Rotorua, on the north island of New Zealand, is not only the home of the “boiling mud”, but also an unparalleled sheep demonstration. In the demonstration, the host of the show stands on a …
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Play Makers: Hallucinating to the Midnight Sun
BY GEORGE MARATOS Jean-Francois Latour has seen his fair share of strange things while participating in the Yukon River Quest. From an oversized can of Campbell’s soup, floating in the woods, to a giant moose just standing right smack in the middle of the river. (As it turns out there was no can of soup …
Unearthing a Culture’s Past
Gillian Farnell is spending her summer collecting 2,000-year-old “trash”. As an archeology assistant through STEP (Student Training and Employment Program), she’s seen countless arrowheads, projectile points and micro-blades. These hunting tools and knick-knacks, thrown away by the Yukon’s First Peoples, are essential links to the territory’s past. “I couldn’t believe that these things had been …
Miles Canyon: Tranquil and Cool
BY SHAUNA LOEWEN The sun shines brightest there. Well, at least it does in my opinion. And, of course, it’s prettiest on a sunny day. The water glimmers emerald. There’s a white suspension bridge swaying high above the green sea of glitter. Brown, grey, black and white rocks. Some cut into the water, while others …
Play Makers: 220 Games To Be Played During Dustball
BY GEORGE MARATOS George Arcand stands just beyond the pitcher’s diamond on the Takhini’s No. 5 ball field, on a sunny Monday afternoon, late last month. He is surrounded by torn-up dirt as he surveys the large trucks working vigorously behind him. It was just over a year ago that Arcand, executive director for Softball …
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Making ‘The $10,000 Sandwich’
As the old saying goes, “It is not about the size of your lure, it is all in the presentation.” The reason I was thinking along these lines is that summertime is the season for my buddy Steve to spend upwards of $5,OOO US per pound of fresh lake trout. This year, however, my buddy …
Pieces of an Indigenous Puzzle Come Together
Upon entering the Yukon Arts Centre Public Gallery, a full-sized taxidermy polar bear stands stoic with its jaw wide open. Peering out from the bear’s white limbs sits a somewhat-to-scale cut-out of Joseph Tisiga, outfitted in his familiar Grey Owl getup. Over the speakers in the gallery, voices rhyme off slogans: “Indian Brand Corporation is …
‘Twas the Night of the Twenty-fourth of July
T’was the Night of the Twenty-Fourth of July BY MAUREEN NOWOSAD T’was the night of the twenty-fourth of July And the sun was gleaming down from the midnight sky The children were all sleeping safely on the back seat of the truck As The Wife and I stared out the window, completely dumbstruck A grizzly …
Play Makers: Frostbite turns 35…
The Yukon music festival first funded by Mel Orecklin’s credit card in 1979 is set to celebrate its 35th annual event later this month and in true Frostbite Music Festival fashion the weekend promises to be as unique and eclectic as ever. “This is unlike any festival I’ve ever been to,” explains first year producer …
Paintings to Make People Happy
The paintings are harmonious, beautiful and warm Barr says. “They’re not trying to challenge” Modlinski mentored a traditional European style.
The Recognizable and the Rare
For those who have never ventured above the 60th parallel, the Yukon can encompass a sense of mystery and awe. A territory where the sun either rarely sets or rarely rises, where history is rooted in gold and where vivid colours dance upon the evening sky. And, for some, these instances are thus represented through …
Play Makers: Slamfest Bigger and Better
BY GEORGE MARATOS “You don’t need to be wearing spandex and tons of armor to come out.” Those are the sentiments of Marsha Cameron when describing Sima Slamfest, the Yukon’s premier mountain bike event she is helping co-direct. Fresh off the success of the inaugural Sima Slamfest in 2008, the Yukon’s largest mountain bike festival …
Paddling Home …
As the motorboat rounded a slight bend in the Yukon River, suddenly a white-arched shelter can be seen on the not-so-distant shoreline. Once the lifejackets are shed, everyone climbs out and onto a tiny makeshift dock. A few people gather around a softly smoking fire, but the focal point of this campsite is the makings …
We Came, We Sawed, We ‘Tasted’
“It’s this big stupid bead thing,” I frowned. Everyone around me laughed. “Would you like me to put it on the drawstring for you?” offered Linda Talbot, co-host of today’s workshop. Our small group sat gathered around a large table on the front deck. Sewing needles flashed in the sunlight as busy fingers used strong …
Play Makers: Plenty of Art to Discover
BY GEORGE MARATOS In August of 1896, three sourdoughs – George Carmack, Dawson Charlie and Skookum Jim – discovered gold in what is now called Bonanza Creek. Soon after came one of the world’s greatest gold-rush stampedes with nearly 100,000 people travelling north to strike it rich in the Klondike gold fields. Today, that famous …
Look Way Back or Look Ahead
It’s nothing new to hear that the Yukon is filled with both loyal, long-time residents and transient citizens. And whether from near, local or far, the turnover and mass exodus of community members comes and goes just like the seasons. Dawson City’s population swells each summer, and then those that stay bid adieu to those …
Land of Endless Possibilities
BY ALISSA SAMPSON I moved to the Yukon this year. The only other time I had been to the territory was during a summer vacation when I was three. For my parents, the vacation was the trip they dreamed about, travelling the Alaska Highway and experiencing the Great White North, the trip of a lifetime. …
When First People’s Perform …
When Gary Sidney Johnson bows low beneath head feathers, beads and delicately embroidered black-and-red regalia, the Dakhkahwaan (First Peoples Performance) dancer doesn’t quite feel like himself. “There’s a sense of power when dancing in regalia,” says 26-year-old Whitehorse-born Johnson, “like my ancestors are dancing with me.” The traditional Tlingit-wear, Johnson dons, is far more than …
Salad Isn’t the Only Thing Tossed
Very few people have ever heard of the “halibut toss”, which can only be described as riveting if you happen to be fortunate enough to catch a rare live performance. My friend Karen has put on a top-rung show, herself, entertaining us for an evening, although she had, at the time, substituted moose burgers for …
The sense of a hunter
It was a small, clicking kind of sound, only barely discernible above the very faint hiss of my own blood circulating. To say it was a still evening would not do justice to the quietness that lay over the woods like a thick down comforter. I was breathing through my mouth, as shallowly and silently …
Play Makers: Whitehorse Is A Truck Town
Yukoners, be warned before you sell that truck and go hybrid: keep in mind that Whitehorse is a truck town. I learned that my first week here, several years ago. Everywhere I looked … big truck, little truck, medium-sized truck. Trucks with mud flaps, trucks with big wheels, trucks with roof racks, gun racks … …
Will It Go Round In Circles?
Yes, it will. It most definitely will. It also performs a slick, possibly even patented move called “The Hockey Stop”. It’s possible that some of the tourists standing along the shores of the Yukon River, last night, wondered if there is an action movie being filmed in town. Richard Bradford-Andrew, of Wild Wonders, peered over …
Testing Yukon Gold
Four Whitehorse comedians are putting their stand-up routines to a rigourous test this month. They’re aiming for laughs, and if they get silence, or coughs, they’ll know they’ve got to continue tweaking their show. “It’s good to have audiences, because you know instantly if the joke works,” George Maratos says. He’s one quarter of the …
Warm Memories of Fruit Trees
As the temperature on my outside gauge hovers perilously close to the -30°C mark and my heating bill hovers perilously close to the ridiculous mark, it is time to stop, close my eyes, breathe deeply and remember the warmth of Croatia. Please don’t get me wrong. I love the north. I love the incredibly long …
Please, don’t make me pick just one …
BY J. WOOD My favourite place in the Yukon. Hmm … how to pick? Living, working and playing in the Yukon, for over 30 years now, allows for a number of options. Is it possible to pick just one spot? I feel particularly drawn to the area just north of Carmacks, for some reason. I …
Play Makers: The Season of Goodbyes
I still remember it clearly. February 2003 and there I found myself at the airport restaurant, picking away at my hash browns as I prepared to say goodbye to some very close friends – the close acquaintances that I had shared so many great times with since first moving north to Whitehorse. Choking on decrepit …
Songs That Hit Close To Home
BY TARA McCARTHY Amongst the early-afternoon rush, at a local coffee shop, Barbara Chamberlin stands out as she pushes through the door clad in a long, bright-red coat. She glances around the café, feverishly, then spots me and promptly beelines to the table. She admits that the past number of weeks have been a whirlwind. …
KIMCHEE ALERT: You have been warned.
Testing the temperature of the barbecue grill using your nose is not a good idea. You can ask my buddy Kelly Kirby, yourself, why he prefers this innovative method. When I first witnessed the application of the nose-check method, it was employed during a raft trip. We had built a large raft and were floating …
The Law of the Tooth
A Winner of the Authors on 8th Writing Competition BY DAVID THOMPSON Buford had only one front tooth in his upper jaw. He hadn’t taken care of his teeth and now, at 50 years of age, was paying for it. Maybe it would have been wise to have worn a mouthguard playing hockey and prowling …
Settling In
BY ROLLY A. CHABOT Preparations had been going on since mid-August to prepare for yet another winter in the Yukon. As famous as they were reported to be in the south, they were a way of life for those who were willing to call the Yukon home. He had heard all the stories before he …
Music that Captures the Soul of the North
The Moonshine Brigade is just as the title describes: it is a collection of poetry, political commentary and a depiction of one’s intoxication with our Northern moonlight and social contradictions. This CD is by Dana Sipos and, while she is not a Yukoner, she recorded this album at Old Crow Studios, just south of Whitehorse. …
Play Makers: The Oh-So-Mysterious 36
BY GEORGE MARATOS Glancing at the more than century-old black-and-white photos that adorn the walls of the Arts Underground Gallery, in downtown Whitehorse, the subjects look all the part of your usual Klondike stampeder: rough, with thick moustaches, long beards and icy, fearless stares. True to their nickname, however, the Mysterious 36 are anything but …
Play Makers: I Dream of Produce
When I was a kid, one of my dream holidays was a trip to Disneyland, specifically to ride the Matterhorn, buy an oversized lollipop and get some pictures snapped with Goofy, Mickey Mouse and Snow White. And sure enough, at the age of 12, my dream came true. That dream did not include being crammed …
Wolf Creek Became a Home
BY ROLLY A. CHABOT He had finally arrived with his questionable collection of what he had thought of as valuables. They were spread throughout the cabin that was to become home for the next while. His dog “Tannis” was lost among the boxes, tail in the air, sniffing every square foot of space that was …
Music Man on a Mission
Am I in a club, or at a rave? Am I at a funky clothing boutique down in Vancouver or Toronto? The CD, Melodic Trance Mission (the first in a series of 10 albums), by Robert Vallée, gives me that audio-sense memory. This CD has similarities to the Techno pop music of the 80s and …
The Royce
BY ROLLY A. CHABOT She had once been a ’79 Ford Van, but she sat that day and was dubbed “Rolly’s Royce”. I smile as I think of the events of the day. We had just finished insulating and replacing all the panelling. It was about 30 Celsius when I started to cover the inside …
Play Makers: Remember when …
We have all heard the stories from our parents and grandparents – the glory days of yesteryear, the good ol’ days, the “remember when” times. I have only been calling Whitehorse “home” for a little over seven years, and already I can put together quite a list of “Remember When’s”, myself. Remember when we had …
What Once Was ‘Lost’
Kevin Barr’s first solo album, Lost and Found, may have taken only eight days to complete, but it has been years in the making. “It’s called Lost and Found because it really is: there are a lot of tunes that may have been lost to many people, but I have found that when I play …
Snowshoeing: the Cold-Weather Alternative
We have some very hardy skiers in Whitehorse who think nothing of skiing in the minus 30s and will even venture out at minus 40 or colder. But, generally, cross-country skiers lose interest when it’s below minus 20. The two biggest problems that I find with skiing in extreme cold are the lack of glide …
When Metal and Music Collide
The Kung Fu Aliens (KFAs) are neither sifus or from outer space; they’re simply five guys who like to have their metal and punk worlds collide. After one musician switch, the band is now made up of bassist Mckenzie Grant, lead “screamer” Mephistall, drummer Fletcher DeGraff and guitarists Chris Ermatinger and Derek Wyatt. They’re currently …
‘Jill’ of the Dance
What makes dance such a passion for some that, despite the journeys of life and the different roads taken, it remains in the heart of the dancer? Jill Babala shares with us her life and love of dance and where it has taken her, so far. From the age of seven to the age of …
Round 3 for Varietease
For those who think there aren’t enough events in the world encouraging attendees to participate and get (un)dressed and wear (in)appropriate clothing, there’s Varietease: A Burlesque Carnival. The first show, Varietease: A Burlesque Cabaret, was held last year with the second show happening shortly afterwards, Varietease: The Remount. This time around, it’s a burlesque carnival …
Shady Ladies and Bright Golden Nuggets
The dance hall girls – those shady ladies that added colour to the Klondike Gold Rush – have become legends. Like the miners they so gleefully “mined”, they came from all over the world, but mainly from the United States and Canada. Mostly young and pretty, they hiked up their skirts or put on men’s …
Ladies of the Canyon Rock the Junction on New Year’s Eve
What better way to ring in the New Year than a rockin’ dance party in beautiful Haines Junction? Especially this year, when Junction Arts and Music (JAM) is delighted to present Ladies of the Canyon, from Montréal, Quebec. The music scene in Montréal is bursting with fantastic musicians and great acts and the Ladies are …
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The Lore is ready for Emergence, Are You?
Lauren Tuck was inspired to seriously make music after a previous bad relationship, which has now bought hope for the future. In 2008, some friends introduced her to Kelvin Smoler. They both shared the same goal and decided they would collaborate. The result is The Lore, who are having a CD release concert for their …
Recipe: Santa’s Whiskers
Thank you to Mayo resident Cheryl Klippert for this recipe. She says she makes these cookies every year, “My children liked them and I am sure my grandchild will enjoy them as well when he gets a little older!” Santa’s Whiskers This cookie is a slight variation from the traditional shortbread. 1 cup butter 1 …
New Show of Portraits Mixes Softness of Beauty with Edge of Reality
There’s a feeling of gentleness and raw humanity to Whitehorse artist Suzanne Paleczny’s portraits, which is an amazing thing considering they are, at their base level, “blobs of colour” on a flat surface. Paleczny’s show of new portraits, on exhibit at the Rah Rah Gallery in Whitehorse until Jan. 2, are oils on canvas — …
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Singapore guilty of stealing beaches!!!
The humanity. Singapore is certainly deserving of this year’s coveted “Most Unique Thing to Steal Award”. While most mild-mannered Canadians on holiday are satisfied just to lay, sit or walk on a beach, getting sand in our swimming costume is as close to stealing a beach as most of us might come in this lifetime. …
Lloyd Ryder’s Little Helper
By husband, Lloyd, was born in Whitehorse, Yukon in 1922 and lived his entire life here except for a brief stint overseas with the Canadian Army in 1944 and 1945. As a young boy, he worked hard helping his Dad deliver wood and water to Whitehorse residents. His main job was caring for, and feeding …
One-Track Mind
Obsession? What obsession? I’ve got literally hundreds of compelling reasons to visit Europe. And none of them involve cuisine or scenery. As much as I like bratwurst and beer, I think I want to see the beginnings of history as I know it: the Einspur and the Hildebrand & Wolfmuller — complete with rubber bands. …
Play Makers: The Joy of Transport
I am back in Toronto and a recurring thought during my near two weeks here is how good we got it in Whitehorse when it comes to getting around the city. It is one of those things we all take for granted. How often has a “Porter Creeker” been told by a “Riverdal-ite” that they …
News on the screen and news online
Wlthough many of APTN’s programs have loyal followings and place high on the popularity scale, our research has shown that a consistent segment of the network’s viewing audience regularly tunes in to APTN’s News and Current Affairs programming. This doesn’t seem surprising, until you find out why. According to our viewers, they prefer APTN’s newscasts …
Play Makers: Gearing Up for the Cross Country Ski Season
If the recent ski swap at the Mount McIntyre Centre is any indication the 2010/11 Whitehorse cross country ski season should be one of the most popular yet. Terms such as “flying elbows,” “aggressive mothers” and “super intense” were used by swap-goers to describe the annual event. The ski swap has taken place every October …
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Play Makers: Our Community is Changing
As I was driving throughout Whitehorse’s downtown core recently I began to realize that things in this fine northern city are starting to change dramatically. What changes do I reference? Not the abundance of red and silver metal-sided condominiums erected in recent years, although I find the juxtaposition between the new-age condos and the crooked-cabinesque …
Seeing Double Agents in Berlin
I have decided to mess with the gods of chronology and end my travel reports with the beginning. First, a bit of background. I was the lucky and grateful winner of the Foreign Correspondent contest put on by What’s Up Yukon and Condor Airlines this summer, which included a return flight from Whitehorse to Frankfurt, …
Winter Runners Refuse Off-season
When Nancy Thomson talks about winter running, I want to grab my sneakers and start moving. Thomson, Athletic Yukon’s Director of Trail Running, is describing her enthusiasm for winter running to me just before she dashes out for an evening run in the cool fall air. Thomson runs throughout the spring, summer and fall. Athletics …
The Passion of Bavaria
When Condor Airlines lands in Munich, Germany, it touches down in the capital city of Bavaria, a free state of Germany. I knew nothing of Bavaria until recently and, what little I do know, has certainly piqued my interest. When I asked folks around Whitehorse what they knew of Bavaria, I got very similar responses: …
Is there a ‘Barbecue God’?
Possibly the most important question facing the cooking community as a whole today: “Is there a ‘Barbecue God’?” I have recently been impressed by the Indian Elephant God, Ganesha. Ganesha is often seen portrayed riding a mouse, and is the Hindu god of success and remover of all obstacles. The current insurmountable obstacles for me …
Can Can Becky
You’ve seen her image emblazoned on the Frantic Follies billboard outside the Westmark Whitehorse. You’ve seen her photo in countless tourist brochures and flyers as the saucy cancan dancer. You know her as a dance teacher, but Rebecca (Becky) Reynolds has a life behind the scenes, too, as choreographer for the Sourdough Rendezvous Cancan Dancers. …
Valdy Sings for the Yukon Quest
Folk icon, Valdy, has released 18 recordings, even more singles, and has been nominated for seven Juno awards (snagging two), but the 64-year-old musician shows no real interest in slowing down. Indeed, he has 14 tracks he plans to lay down for his next project. Of the 200 shows he performs each year, one of …
Remy Rodden Gets ‘Involved’ in Music
It’s been 17 years since musician Remy Rodden recorded his debut “not for kids only” album, Think About the Planet, and he couldn’t be happier to be back in the Seaweed Studios in Porter Creek. Rodden received a sound recording grant from the Yukon Film and Sound Commission and, so far, the working title is …
One Piano, Five Woodwinds
Whitehorse Concerts brings Lynne and Julian Greenwood — and the music from 2002’s comedy-drama, Catch Me If You Can — to Whitehorse on Jan. 23. While Lynne’s talents include performing all five woodwinds, her passion is the saxophone, which she has been playing for “many more years than I care to admit. “Let’s just say …
A Northern City That Works
Sunday, January 10, I was sitting in front of our propane fireplace, watching Meet The Press, while my fiancée was surfing the Net on her laptop for kitchen renovation ideas. Outside, I could see the most miserable weather: it was a constant snowfall that was being whipped into every exposed face at a furious rate. But not …
Play Makers: You like me! Go on, admit it!
When I first moved to the Yukon, like many, I thought it would be temporary — a fling if you will — not a steady relationship. Sure there was a need to visit relatives and the inkling to see the real North, but I would never have guessed then that almost eight years later I …
The Food is the Thing
It’s spring. I can tell by the traces of green on the hills around our farm, by our latest crop of goat kids harassing their mothers in the barnyard … and by the visitors from Europe appearing on our doorstep. These energetic, resourceful people are WWOOFers, volunteers who come to learn about farming Yukon style, …
Remember This Before You Wrestle a Pig
If you think pig wrestling is difficult, you have probably never tried cheese rolling. Last year, 19 SPECTATORS were injured at the Cooper’s Hill cheese rolling contest, apparently injured due to overcrowding. This gripping event has held visitors to Gloucestershire, England spellbound since 1826, and consists of a gaggle of earnest competitors that pursue rolling …
Tis The Seasons
Do you have a story to share about your first year here in the Yukon? Do you have a poem, a song or a silent memory? How is your life different now that you have become a Yukon Sourdough? Four local choreographers are creating a multidisciplinary performance piece and are seeking input in the form …
This Way and That Way, Europe is Magical
Do they serve frankfurters onboard Condor Airlines to Frankfurt? Maybe not, but Condor’s fast-track to Germany takes you to one of Europe’s most infinitely varied countries and a fascinating gateway city from which to explore the rest of Europe. Rent a car and drive southeast over the river and through the Alps to Rome, cradle …
Play Makers: Summer Memories
Something terrible is happening to me. I’m not sure why, but it is, and it’s scaring me. I think it must have to do with the change of season, the end of summer, the goodbye to the midnight sun. It happens every year around this time. The mid-August to late-September funk, I guess. Call it …
Dear Mister Ed
You know how they say if you dont like it hot then stay outta the kitchen. Thats what I been doin’ the past few days. Seems like Eva and Maisy has turned the place into part of the assembley line fer Maw Smuckers Jamworks. This bein’ my first summer hereabouts, I never realized how frantick …
Wolf’s Den Applauds Public Service
To the editor, As you know from the story in the Yukon News on Wednesday, we here at Wolf’s Den had an e.coli scare last spring. The story appeared to be mostly about paperwork problems at the Department of Health, but may I just say that this is really a “good news story”. A government …
Statue Goes To Pot
In 1981, when we purchased our property that overlooks the Yukon River, I spent days working on building our cabin, and evenings meandering around the property. On one such meander, I came across this blue-enameled pot, down by the river. While I have no idea how it came to be there, I imagined many a …
Roxanne Contributes, Too
When we moved to McCrae, we were overwhelmed with the size of the space to fill to make a warehouse a home. As time passed, the kids and I continued to collect things that we found instead of bought, to fill up corners and deaden the sound of too much empty space. We had a …
Play Makers: North America’s Top Female Fast Pitch Players Set to Invade Whitehorse
Two of the world’s best women’s fast pitch teams are in Whitehorse this week to play what promises to be two highly competitive exhibition games. Team Canada and Team USA are scheduled to do battle tonight, and last night, at the Pepsi Softball Centre in Takhini in a teaser to the 2012 World Championships. High-calibre …
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The Call of the Wild Still Calls!
By the time you read this, Dr. Dirk Rohrbach, from Munich, Germany, should be wrestling with the strong winds on the Yukon River system in his hand-made birch bark canoe. Rohrbach met with churchgoers in Skagway’s Presbyterian Fellowship Hall on Sunday, June 13, before departing on his solo three-month hike and paddle to reach the …
Play Makers: CBC’s The Debaters Finds a Northern Following
“It’s a boxing match for people who can’t fight but like to joke!” That is how comedian Steve Patterson describes The Debaters, the hugely successful CBC Radio comedy show now in its third season. “Think of it as a political debate that’s actually worth listening to,” says the show’s host and debate mediator. It seems …
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Made It to the Bering Sea
The first time we met Dirk Rohrbach was after church in Fellowship Hall on Sunday, June 13. What first struck me about Dr. Rohrbach was his mild, confident manner. Here was this handsome athletic German quietly telling us that he had built his own traditional birch bark canoe and, after hiking the Chilkoot Trail, he …
Middle Row, Centre: This Movie is a Dream Come True
I saw an item on TV the other day, showing how there are a number of oil wells and derricks operating in the Los Angeles area, disguised inside actual office buildings. It’s a good graphic illustration that reality isn’t always all it seems. Nowhere does this apply more significantly than in the world of dreams. …
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Middle Row, Centre: Knight and Day is Just Fun … OK?
I have a theory about Tom Cruise. I think that ever since his episode of jumping on Oprah’s couch some five years ago, and going prime-time with his Scientology allegiance, the mainstream media knives have been out for him. No matter how good the movies he makes are, he can look for disappointing box office …
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Youth Empowered Through Dance
ith an eye to creating a national community of breakdancers and urban artists, Sami Elkout is in Whitehorse to organize Cypher for Change. “It’s like a summer camp for B-Boys,” says Elkout, a member of the Ottawa-based Bread Crumbs Crew. “There are about 50 youth from across Canada coming up here. They are travelling from …
Klondike Korner: When Life Influences Art and Vice-Versa
There are times when life influences art, and times when art influences life. At the Jack London Interpretive Museum in Dawson you can experience both in one package. There are three buildings on the site: the big one is the interpretive centre, and it contains the Jack London memorabilia collection that Dick North spent a …
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Middle Row, Centre: It’s Not Interesting, It Just Looks That Way
Last week, I heard a fellow named Edward Luttwak talking on CBC Radio, on a program about war. Luttwak knows whereof he speaks — he’s a military strategist and historian who’s been a consultant to the US defence department and has served in the Israeli Army. In an ironic twist on John Lennon’s famous dictum, …
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Middle Row, Centre: Big Budget and Big Names Cannot Save Robin Hood
I feel somewhat the victim of misrepresentation after recently watching Robin Hood. Maybe if the film had been billed as Robin Hood: The Prequel, I’d feel better about the whole thing, or maybe in the final analysis, it really doesn’t matter. But anyone expecting to see a retelling of the traditional story of Friar Tuck, …
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The Stuff of a Good Canoe
Once again, we are discussing all of the things that need to be considered before purchasing a canoe. Last week, we talked about the various questions you need to ask to find the shape of a canoe that fits your needs. You can read that column at old.whatsupyukon.com in the Archives. Meanwhile, let’s move on …
Students Put It All On the Stage
It is difficult to pin this lady down. She is always so busy scurrying from one engagement to another. Whether it is a dance class, a meeting or a rehearsal, she always seems to be on the run. I am lucky, however, and manage to squeeze in a quick interview with Andrea Simpson-Fowler, artistic director …
Silly Kids Poem
How come eggs, don’t have legs? My poodles, eat noodles. Are those horns, or thorns? Lots of butter, makes me stutter. There’s a spider, in my cider. Do worms, have germs? Did the owl, growl? My goats, eat oats. Do loche, ever wash. The dragon, is in the wagon. The gorilla, has my umbrella. Are …
Middle Row, Centre: Just an Old-Fashioned Love Story
There are no car chases in Charlie St. Cloud. No explosions. No endless battle scenes. No vampires. Just a good old-fashioned love story, set in a graveyard. Charlie St. Cloud stars Zac Efron, who breaks away here from his usual teen flicks like Seventeen Again and High School Musical, and Amanda Crew, a 24-year-old from …
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Play Makers: The Yukon’s Gone to the Dogs
First off, let me express sincere apologies to any cats reading this article. In no way am I meaning to disrespect to you. Walk away from the hamster cage and just pretend you never read this. I know Whitehorse has an abundance of cat lovers and with that, no doubt, a healthy dose of cat …
Locals Uncover Old Trails in Dawson City
“It’s kind of hard to tell sometimes from photographs,” Jim Taggart says as he points to an aerial map. “This old cut line was almost completely overgrown by two to three feet of moss, so it wasn’t really suitable for walking on.” Taggart and his partner Kath Selkirk, both outdoors enthusiasts, spent much of September …
Play Makers: Yukon Broomballers Set to Take the World
Late Saturday afternoon, Canada Games Centre. About 20 people of various ages, sizes and genders tumble over the boards at the Olympic-size ice oval and embark on a strange series of exercises and shooting drills. What are they up to? “It’s hockey for people who can’t skate,” says Shayne Fairman, a masters broomball player, quoting …
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Supporting the Girls
Breast health. It’s a phrase that might sound as boring as the ingredients from the side of a good-for-you bran cereal box. That is, unless Patti Flather has something to say about it. And the Whitehorse playwright was recently hired to say a whole lot about it. This spring, Flather saw an intriguing play about …
These Walks are Paved with Gold
”There’s gold on them thar hills!” That’s not a typo — the gold isn’t only in the hills these days, and you can also discover copper, ruby and a bit of emerald in full view. Summer has signed off with a beautiful autumn this year. Poplars and aspens are glowing gold. Fireweed, wild rose and …
Play Makers: Ambassador Tentrees Prepares for Northern Tour
Yukon musician Gordie Tentrees has come a long way from his first music gig. It was 2002, and the venue was Steve’s Music Store in Whitehorse. “We just wanted to have some fun,” recalls Tentrees, when speaking about his inaugural show at the tiny music shop. Steve’s Music Store has since closed; however, Tentrees’ passion …
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Love To Love You, Baby
If there was one song I thought might sum up my life most succinctly right now, it is the 1968 Led Zeppelin classic Babe I’m Going to Leave You. No, I’m not thinking of abandoning a person or leaving the Yukon in the wake of impending cold weather, but rather, when Robert Plant howls the …
Middle Row, Centre: The Arts Come to Qwanlin Cinema
For moviegoers, disillusioned by the dismal crop of films this summer, there’s hope ahead. The Arts Film Series will soon return to the Qwanlin Cinema for its fall season. A staple feature at selected Landmark cinemas for a number of years now, the series highlights short runs of independent and foreign films on Sundays and …
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Something Serious, Something Fun
Summer might soon be over, but the real fun is just beginning. Get ready to laugh until your sides hurt as APTN premieres some of the craziest, quirkiest and just flat-out hysterical offerings by some of the funniest people in the country this fall. The much-anticipated sketch comedy, Bionic Bannock Boys, kicks off the season …
Middle Row, Centre: Iron Man 2: Too Much Iron, Not Enough Man
Robert Downey Jr.’s performance is the best thing to come out of Iron Man 2, the second in what looks to be a succession of comic book-based films we can expect to grace cinema screens this summer. Downey stars as Tony Stark, a flamboyant multi-billionaire playboy type who is testifying before a US Senate hearing …
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Purchasing a Canoe
So it has come time to consummate your Canadian Heritage and purchase a canoe. Every Canadian should have a canoe or two in their backyard. In this day and age, canoes come in a very wide range of sizes, materials and features. I have canoes ranging from eight to 25 feet long that serve very …
Finally, the Slipper Fits
Has it been a year already? It seems like only a few weeks ago the dancers at Northern Lights School of Dance (NLSD) were filling the hallway of their studio, bringing with them dance bags, parents and piles of outdoor shoes. The scenario is the same and the air is vibrating with the hum of …
Open Mic Nights Reveal Local Hidden Gems
No concerts in town, you say, and since when do shows happen on weeknights? Consider checking out an open mic night.
Middle Row, Centre: Local Filmmaker Uses Family History to Investigate the Nature of Forgiveness
Inner questioning about how meaningful apologies can be took Whitehorse filmmaker Mitch Miyagawa on an emotional journey that culminated in his documentary A Sorry State, showing this weekend at the Yukon Arts Centre. “[The film] starts with an incident with my kids fighting and making them apologize to one another and realizing that apologies can …
Klondike Korner: Poetry Corner
This frame once served as a sales pitch to the world. Now, stripped of its painted enticements and weathered to a natural grey, it offers a another kind of frame, a way of picturing the world, a means of focusing attention on the interplay of light and shadow, blue, white, green and brown, the image …
Play Makers: Whitehorse Winter Weight
Yukoners, it seems, sure do like to blame a lot on the cold, wintery weather. Don’t get me wrong. In many cases it is fair to fill Mother Nature’s suggestion box come this time of year. I for one do not enjoy waking up to minus 40 temperatures and then, after spending 45 minutes getting …
Subarctic Sessions
The subconscious is so much smarter than we give it credit for. I’m not anti-technology. I can’t be, since technology is what’s allowing me to take on this awesome job as co-editor of What’s Up Yukon, and to continue living in Dawson City, the wild northern town I’ve grown to love. But so often it’s …
Teammates For a Weekend
“All players need to bring a black and a white jersey.” “Door prizes at the party.” “Goalies play for free.” With these website-based tidbits of information about the 2nd Annual International Whitehorse Women’s Hockey Jamboree swirling in my mind, I met organizer Lily Gontard over lunch and asked her just what will be happening this …
Winter’s Here. Volunteer!
”It’s just a gorgeous day out there.” “Let’s enjoy it. We know what’s coming next.” Terry and I were sitting in a local eatery, stirring our coffees and looking out the window. We sort of sighed over the thought of summers past as a gusty wind pushed the fallen leaves along the sidewalk. “But Halloween …
Under a Venetian Spell
Venice has enchanted me. Maybe it’s the gondolas, the canals snaking under the stone bridges, the decaying buildings and flooded steps, the shiny carnival masks on display or the gondoliers who blow kisses. Or maybe it’s the gelato shops on every corner. Whatever it is, Venice feels good. I arrived by train Friday evening and …
Middle Row, Centre: Winter’s Bone Bleak, But Worth Watching
The Arts Film Series continues through the month of October at the Qwanlin Cinema, with three more films in what proves to be one of the best lineups for this series in a long time. The only trouble with the series is that it’s only offered on Sundays and Mondays, so moviegoers have to be …
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Old Joanna Hits Her Stride
I must be losing my grip, all fingers and thumbs from the nights of white rum. But the ivory keys draw me in, rounded at the edges, smoothed, rancid butter-coloured enamel like the horse-toothed bar-buttresses I serenade tonight. I yellow in sallow rhythm-light to accompany the décor. Smoking Compulsory Here. Thank heaven for the black …
Mr Ed
Dont know how you been spendin’ yer weekends, Darrol. If I did I wud’nt say. I had a diffrent one from normal this past long weekend. It so happens that Qween Vicktorias birthday was the very day Unkle Walt turned 85. Eva and Maisy come up with a noshun that we shud do somethink Walt …
Dear Mister Ed
If yer like most folks Darrol, you probly spent the past while or two glued to yer TV waitin’ to see how much hardwear gets strung round the necks of Canadian athaleets in Vancoover. Now I aint normily much of a one fer the sports, but when the best of our young’uns are out there …
Dear Mister Ed
The Olympicks finely got under way with all the hoop-law and hullaballoons, and Evas been vibratin’ like a joy buzzer fer days. This past Sunday she packed up and headed fer Vancoover. Of coarse she don’t eckspect to see the Games, since there ain’t but a few folks lucky enuff or rich enuff to do …
When I Married Miss Wright
In retrospect, I was quite fortunate Miss Wright accepted my humble hand in marriage. At the time I met her I was gleefully stumbling along through the valley of the shadow of death, fearing – with the outside exception of wedlock – no evil. Genghis Khan himself would have been proud of me, even though …
Subarctic Sessions: In Praise of Winter Baking
December is a perfect time to indulge my love of baking. Not only will people eat more – they’re in a festive spirit – but the cold kitchen floor, impossible to warm when it’s minus 40 out, becomes more bearable if the oven’s on all afternoon. As the sun shows itself less each day, I’ve …
Some Art Is for Eating
The Yukon School of Visual Arts is abuzz with students and staff alike wrapping up their projects in time for the Mid-Year Student Exhibition & Open House. The event is a chance for curious members of the community to see what goes on behind the doors of SOVA. Guests will be able to visit the …
Middle Row, Centre: Probing the Mystery of Whitehorse 911
Whitehorse, September 11, 2001. While a city was transfixed to TV screens that revealed the horror in New York City, its population could take consolation that the events were unfolding far away from them. All that suddenly changed when local radio broke the news that a Korean Air Boeing 747 was being diverted from Alaska …
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Things Float Up Magical
Rosemary Scanlon made a digital garden once. And working in Photoshop for hours a day drove her to pick up paintbrush and watercolour again. Through the Looking Glass shows the results at Baked Cafe on Main Street in Whitehorse, along with new images she completed this fall. Scanlon is interested in story-telling images of all …
Soul Call
Wilson Williams is not your typical touring musician. A Motown-style soul singer, he makes one thing clear about his Yukon tour: “I won’t chase the girls, but I will chase the moose.” A self-described country guy who likes “small towns and small town folks,” Williams anticipates being right at home in the Yukon, though he …
Snow Shovels and Art
If you ski along the dike pathway from downtown Dawson to the bridge over the Klondike River, you pass the landing pad for the local helicopter companies. It looks like a large, oval parking lot. I skied this path out of town on a recent Sunday afternoon. On my way back, I saw a friend …
Play Makers: Better Than the Beach
The following is a recap of a recent excursion to Boston. While no suntans were had, it is a trip that ranks as one of my best yet. Living in the Yukon, one doesn’t often find oneself fantasizing about a trip to the eastern United States in mid-November. Enduring an average of six months of …
Playing For Change
One of the best ways to catch people’s attention is to bring the heart into the equation. That’s exactly what two local women’s organizations hope to do as they present a night of music, poetry, art and film during the 12 Days of Action to End Violence Against Women campaign. The Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre …
Rethinking Privacy and Paranoia on the World Wide Web
My my estimation, the World Wide Web owes me exactly £25 sterling—the exact amount I’ve forfeited since my dear-hearted Scottish grandma stopped sending me cat-adorned birthday cards enclosed with £5 notes for my birthday, instead opting for a 24-point font e-mail wishing me happiness and love on my special day. Absent that, and maybe the …
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Take it to the River The Smart Way to Hone Your Skills on the Water
The Yukon is the land of river canoeing—with our great stretches of remote waterways, you can paddle miles and days without seeing a soul While last week we discussed the many great lakes to paddle on in the territory, this week we will talk about some local rivers that are great for learning and practicing …
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Sound Check: Picking the Winners at Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival
Friday June 11th to Sunday June 13th, the 8th annual Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival will be held in Haines Junction. The festival will be held in multiple locations around the Junction this year, and will feature events and performances for people of all ages. Ticketed events takesplace in two different locations—the Grand Hall in the …
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Visiting Youth Offer A Taste of Mozambican Food and Culture
When nine Mozambican youth arrived at the Whitehorse airport last month, we were basking in temperatures barely below zero. But for the group of Africans leaving their plus 30°C homeland, they were stepping onto frozen ground, they had never seen snow, never seen their breath freeze in the air, never worn a parka… Now armed …
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Briefly Speaking
Outdoor enthusiasts with passports can party this weekend in the White Pass-Skagway area at the 3rd annual Backcountry Bash and Ball. “Springtime in this part of the world is really exceptional. This is a chance for the folks in the North to get together and do what they do best, and that’s play together,” says …
Play Makers: Earning That Northern Allowance
Is the SS Klondike gone?” It’s when I find myself asking such questions that I know we are definitely earning every cent of our northern living allowance. When the ice fog is so thick you can’t even see that historic paddle wheeler and, for a moment, ponder if it may have actually vanished, you know …
Middle Row, Centre: Bucking Mountie Stereotypes
Asense of loneliness pervades the atmosphere of The Mountie. Filmed on location in the Wheaton Valley two years ago, with a sizeable contingent of Yukon cast and crew, it portrays life in a small Yukon community in 1894. Into a tiny northern village – really, a conglomeration of tents and a makeshift church – wanders …
Sage Wisdom
Late June and through July is pretty much the height of our wild vegetable and herb season. Strawberries are finishing up, raspberries are starting to get ripe, with blueberries and cranberries to follow. In the nettle patch, where most of the plants have gone to seed, we will soon see a new crop growing on …
Play Makers: Bored? Try Weeding
Boredom can be a terrible thing. No one likes being bored. Who wakes up and says, “Today I hope I have nothing to do. Today I want my day to be empty, my schedule completely bare and my life dull”? But the fact is, it does happen from time to time. It’s how we cope …
Touched by Type
New Delhi 2006. February, not too hot but dry and warm enough for dust to mix with exhaust as my India-experienced friend and I walk the last few blocks toward Old Delhi, on a mission for pink peppercorns from the spice market. The dust mixes with a familiar smell of ink but it’s the sound …
Work In Progress
I initially developed the concept of the show in response to representations and assumptions about Dawson. My first job here was as a housekeeper, and guests at the inn often asked, ‘But what do you do in the winter?’ “As a newcomer, it’s hard to imagine life going on at minus 40, but the answer …
Middle Row, Centre: Wedding Day Meltdown
When I went to see Bridesmaids recently, I couldn’t help making the inevitable comparisons to Sex And The City 2, which showed locally about six months ago. Although Bridesmaids didn’t portray its protagonists as a crew of bimbos and airheads the way the former did, it came close, and ultimately was saved by a couple …
Portable Weatherproof Husks
AYukoner goes south and falls into both pleasure and lament. Oh, Vancouver. I come to visit you and what do you do? Rain, rain, rain and then some rain. A fraction of the showers are botanical – the cherry blossoms in their final days falling in pink damp halos around the trunks of trees – …
Serious Near-Spring Fun
With two championship titles to her name, Heidi Bliedung is well within her rights to offer advice on one of the toughest, most unusual annual competitions in Dawson City. Her success at mastering the physical and mental prowess necessary to win the Alfie Winton Tricycle Race, one of the many events in the upcoming Thaw di …
Ice Meets Erotica
Lord knows we could all use a little erotic melting this time of year. But for me, what Melting Ice: The Erotic Thawing of the Winter Blues, the group show presented at Gallery 22, has to offer is much more than the thrill of eroticism. Specifically, what Melting Ice has to offer is an exciting …
Play Makers: Footie Fetish
With a flourishing co-ed league in place, an over-35 men’s league growing by the season and a competitive men’s league established, adding another adult soccer league in Whitehorse would seem to be an idea destined to fail. Not so. In fact the newly-formed competitive co-ed league has quickly become one of Whitehorse’s most popular. Even …
Middle Row, Centre: Not for the Squeamish
Aron Ralston is a 35 year-old mechanical engineer and mountaineer who was exploring eastern Utah’s Blue John Canyon in Canyonlands National Park in the spring of 2003. That’s where the agonizing events described in his 2004 book Between A Rock And A Hard Place took place. James Franco plays Ralston in the Oscar-nominated film, 127 …
??Women’s Day in Art, Music & Word
A colourful moment catches my eye as I stand in line at the deli this week. Two hands meet across the top of the cheese display case: one with long artificial fingernails painted in delicate pink swirls on a deep blue background, and one with short nails, weathered skin and a cut on the thumb …
Build Me Up, Mentor
is the result of 10-month-long learning relationships between master artists and mentees
My Korean Belly
Preserving and storing your summer harvest is a skill that every good cook, whether home or professional, should have. As much as I love to have my homemade condiments in the pantry at my disposal, I find sometimes you have to find creative ways to use them so you don’t get bored with them. Trading …
Roaming the Roads
A young woman from the typing pools at City Hall finds herself sitting in the mayor’s mint green Ford Galaxie 500, surrounded by colourful tissue paper flowers during a sunny parade. A man who struggles to communicate with his wife whiles away the hours at the curling club once again, drinking beers and eating popcorn …
Working to Become Dispensable
It has a dynamic wine list, tempting tapas, a popular brunch, cool music, and funky black walls. It’s Burnt Toast Café, a fun new Whitehorse restaurant by Yukoners Katya Schmidt and Christine Kent. These young women are so vibrant and energetic that I came out of our interview pumped and inspired. Schmidt and Kent speak …
Middle Row, Centre: Who Did Kill that Car?
As a new year dawns, it looks as if the electric car may finally be coming into its own. Japan’s Nissan Motors is ready to debut with its new Leaf hybrid vehicle, and General Motors is mass-producing its much-ballyhooed Chevrolet Volt at its Detroit-area Hamtramck plant, preparing for a spring 2011 rollout. GM’s enthusiasm for …
Who Cut The Mustard?
Although it may seem out of reach, making your own custom mustards at home is actually quite easy and very rewarding. Once I figured out proper proportions and technique, I’ve never bought grainy mustard from the store again. There many different types of mustards out there, from the ballpark version we smear on boiled franks, …
Snapshot Memories of Spain, 1978
Click My bobbing, six-year-old head suddenly wakens to the humid aliveness of a Mediterranean evening after a forever flight and full day’s drive through Almeria province, southern Spain. Much of the road is little more than a daring, one lane gravel path rounding parched, precipitous hillsides. The drive affords majestic views under a colossal sky, …
Middle Row, Centre: Reprise of the Stooges
So it’s come to this, and so early in the post-Oscar film season. Not quite the onset of the summer blockbuster season, the most popular film playing locally at this writing is The Hunger Games. Its competition is American Reunion, the fourth in a series of replays of a crude comedy that first appeared in …
Klondike Korner: Gold Show Turns 25
Gold Show Ready to Go” (Whitehorse Star, May 26, 1986). My headline had to be in the Star, because the Klondike Sun would not exist for another three years at that point. In the fall of 1985 Bill Bowie brought the seed of an idea back from a trip to Inuvik, where he had attended …
Perseverance pays off
Yukon students went above and beyond expectations for the 2012 Terry Fox Run, and together raised over $31,000. Becky Reams, a staff member at Johnson Elementary School in Watson Lake, was one of the organizers of the run in her community. “We fundraised for two weeks after our launch assembly on September 13,” she said. …
On Fire at 5 AM
Book-lovers of all kinds and all ages are about to enter an exciting week as two literary festivals come to the Yukon. Five writers will appear at both the Live Words Yukon Writers Week (April 27-May 3) and the Young Authors Association Conference (April 28-29). Brian Brett brings luscious poetry; Claire Eamer combines humour and …
Middle Row, Centre: The King’s Speech
Recently opening in Whitehorse and fully deserving of its twelve Oscar nominations is The King’s Speech. The film features British actor Colin Firth as King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II, and Brisbane native Geoffrey Rush as the Australian speech therapist who helped the king conquer an acute stammering problem. History tells us …
Valentine’s Day Special: Five Ways to Fall in Love
Romantic love is often a catalyst for incredible personal change. And Valentine’s Day – with its pointed focus on emotional sentiment – seems a fine occasion to discuss a few movies which illustrate this fact. Not necessarily romances by genre, the following films are recent (and generally satisfying) cinematic additions, available on DVD, which graphically …
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Play Makers: Stanley Brings Out the Kid
A few weeks ago, in a small cabin south of Whitehorse, just after 10 pm, I hugged a grown man in an emotionally charged way normally reserved only for funerals and weddings. I then danced a jig, repeatedly fist-pumped and made a sound one friend described as the noise his three-year-old son makes when he …
Tasty Bluegrass Jams
Learning bluegrass? Want to? For people in love with mandolin, banjo, fiddle, bass, guitar and all that bluegrass can bend into those strings, the 7th Annual Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Camp might be your dream come true. Instructors from Yukon (Deb Bergman, mandolin) to New York State (Eric Gibson, banjo) offer intensive lessons at beginner or …
Arts Forum
Yukon voters will have an opportunity next week to hear the positions of the four local candidates in the May 2 federal election on arts-related issues. An all-candidates’ forum on arts, culture and heritage, sponsored by ArtsNet, is scheduled for Tuesday, April 19 at the Old Fire Hall, beginning at 7 pm. A similar forum …
Middle Row, Centre: Humans and Other Species
A feature voted by film writers in 1984 as the best Canadian film ever and a trio of movies with themes of human and animal interaction highlight the Yukon Film Society’s last Available Light Cinema offering of 2011. Mon Oncle Antoine, the 1971 Canadian classic from Quebec director Claude Jutra, leads off the day’s films. …
Table Tennis Convergence
Whether you trained in a strict three-month clinic in China, or take your games in casual doses at a community centre, this weekend’s Yukon Table Tennis Open Championships is a chance to bring your ping pong game out into the spring. The two-day event is a mixture of fun and focus. For some long-time Table …
Pulling Out the Stops for Hockey Day
Ranj Pillai hadn’t spoken to his university buddy Sean Majumder in years. Still, the Whitehorse councillor didn’t hesitate to phone the now-famous Canadian comedian. He was hoping Majumder would MC some of the Whitehorse events as part of Hockey Day in Canada (HDIC). “He was really into it,” smiles Pillai. “But because of his schedule …
Middle Row, Centre: Plot Upon Plot as the Ball Descends
I wasn’t expecting to like New Year’s Eve, not being a particular fan of the artificially-imposed gaiety that can characterize that particular holiday. But after sitting through Clint Eastwood’s creaky and static J. Edgar before it, I found the movement and upbeat pacing of this ensemble piece to be a lot more uplifting, and this …
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New Hope for Damaged Limbs
Freedom Trails Therapeutic Riding Association is a half-hour jaunt north of Whitehorse. Long enough to relax, unwind and appreciate a raven making an upward climb through Rabbit’s Foot Canyon along the Alaska Highway. The small ranch is home to fewer than a dozen horses, one of which is a brand-new mechanical one named Ronald. “Watch …
Middle Row, Centre: Getting in the Loop
In the writing game, plans frequently go awry (or, as Robbie Burns would have it, they gang aft agley). When I embarked on this particular piece, my intention was to write a lighted-hearted screed about the joys of people-watching on public transit. Alas, somewhere around Draft 17, things started to go sideways. So my whimsical …
Lighting the Night
Erin Corbett’s voice reverberates over the phone line. She’s in the bathroom of the Old Fire Hall where, aside from the echoed cadences from her voice, the occasional yelps from performers can be heard. “I have to whisper. I’m getting yelled at,” Corbett says, voice fading into a whisper. It’s obvious that Corbett keeps busy. …
Middle Row, Centre: Prisoner in the Penthouse
Ben Stiller manages to portray a hyper, driven sort of guy in most of the films he’s featured in. Tower Heist, his most current outing, is no exception. Here he plays Josh Kovacs, the manager of The Tower, an ultra-swank luxury hotel in New York’s Central Park. As he rushes around, looking after a large …
Wild and Woolly Art
Shiela Alexandrovich makes her art about and from the animals and the land in which she lives. The raising of animals, the growing of a garden, the gathering of wild and tame materials and the making of fine handcrafts are interwoven to create a balance that is her existence. Living off the land in Yukon’s …
Middle Row, Centre: Fire That Sparked a Flame
In the middle of downtown New York, crowds watch aghast as people leap from upper-storey windows to their deaths, and the building they’ve tried to escape from is rapidly consumed by overwhelming fire. No, the scene isn’t the Twin Towers on 9/11, ten years ago. The date is March 25, 1911, and this year marks …
Weaving Between the Lines
Blurred black-and-white words fill the walls and part of the floor of the ODD Gallery this month, as Caitlin Erskine-Smith’s text-inspired weavings inhabit the Dawson City art space. Three of the four different works in Missives present layers of words that are mostly or entirely unreadable. They are blends of texts, recalling the way thoughts …
Never Not Working
Walking into Sacred Circle Wellness and Massage is an immediately relaxing experience. The walls of the one-room massage studio are painted a soft blue, the ambient music plays low, and the air is perfumed with essential oils. As soon as you walk through the door you are greeted by owner/operator Belinda Stick at the reception …
No Implants for the Soul
After playing 70 shows in the last six months touring across Canada, Vancouver-based singer/songwriter Dave Hadgkiss will playing his tour finale in a concert at the Whitehorse United Church. Hadgkiss, who goes by the stage name Folk Thief, will also attend the Western Canada Music Awards (WCMA) in Whitehorse as a nominee for Best Album …
The Pig Out
I had the house to myself this evening, so I thought I would indulge in a little smoked pork. I don’t normally get that excited about loins, but in this case, the pig was young and insanely tender. The whole loin was only 2.5 pounds! When you cook a whole loin, wrapped in the fat …
Standing on His Soapbox
“2122 hrs… I got in about four hours ago from Perth, Australia. I forgot how long that flight is. Eleven hours. Not many people on the plane, so it was not bad,” writes Henry Rollins on his website on May 13 from his hotel room in Johannesburg, South Africa. He’s still got a long way …
Into the Man Cave
The first thing that came to mind when I reached the second floor of Waterstone Products was, “Is that a pool table made of marble?” The second thought (which I’m not that proud of) was, “How many firstborn sons do I need to trade for that?” I don’t know what that says about me, but …
Herschel — Island in Time
The Einstein-described version of our universe has four dimensions: the three planes of movement possible in three-dimensional space, plus the fourth dimension, time. Herschel Island is not a spectacular example of space. There are 510,072,000 km2 of it on Earth’s surface, some 4,400,000 times as much space as Herschel’s 116 km2. But Herschel Island doesn’t exist …
The Burnished Soul of an Old World
La belle vie. La dolce vita. Das angenehme Leben. What is it about Europe that conjures up sights, sounds, smells and images unavailable in Canada? When I think of Paris, I am transposed from my tiny office way North of 60 to a tiny brasserie tucked into a leafy corner in the 9th arrondissement. Not …
Rollin’ with the Wagons
The first signs of spring find some people in their gardens, others on their roofs shovelling away the remnants of winter. For Fred Eaglesmith and his Travelling Steam Show, it is time to “pack up the wagons” and hit the road. “We don’t get excited. We just get really busy!” Eaglesmith tells me over the …
Middle Row, Centre: Argo Marks an Excellent Start to Oscar Season
With the summer blockbuster season now safely and mercifully behind us, it’s time for the major studios to start releasing the films that they’ll be pinning their Oscar hopes on come February. One of the first efforts out of the gate, Argo, already looks like a strong contender for best picture of the 2012-13 season. …
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Technology Comes Alive at the ODD Gallery
Somewhere around the time that baby-boomers ditched the Age of Aquarius and reached the age of acquire-ius, the phenomenon of wide-scale post-consumer anxiety emerged. It seems whatever satisfaction is wrought from having everything— and so much of it— is undercut by a collective awareness of the adverse effects of over-consumption. Not being particularly inclined to …
Middle Row, Centre: Charming, But Violent
Landmark Cinemas’ Filmtastic Films series reaches its halfway point October 9 with Water For Elephants, a charming period piece about circus life in Depression-era America. It stars Reese Witherspoon (Sweet Home Alabama, Walk the Line), Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) and Robert Pattinson (the Twilight saga series). The year is 1931. Cornell veterinary medicine student Jacob …
Shrooming in Telluride
This summer, my friend Chris Withers and I were able to find two mushrooms we hadn’t located in Yukon or in Alaska: chanterelles and the yummy (smelly) shrimp rusulla. We were in Colorado, fulfilling a promise we made to ourselves years ago. Chris and I have been collecting mushrooms at a hobbyist and “lovers of …
Women in Pigment and Time
Shelley Hakonson, like many Yukon visual artists, connects with audiences outside the territory by showing work across the continent. Last year the Dawson City mixed media artist exhibited in New York City’s Agora Gallery. This week, Hakonson’s solo show The Women in my Life opens at Galerie 240 in Ottawa and runs until November 23. …
Internet Jukebox
People who enjoy sharing music files with friends don’t need to change their habits, says guitarist and songwriter Bill Henderson in a lead-up interview to his talk at the BreakOut West conference in Whitehorse this Friday. Henderson will present a talk on behalf of the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC) that addresses the need not …
Middle Row, Centre: Impersonating Evil
The Filmtastic Films series at the Qwanlin Cinema winds up this week with The Devil’s Double, a thoroughly violent and often horrifying film that will turn many viewers off, but which features a performance by British actor Dominic Cooper that is truly riveting. Cooper plays Uday Hussein, the son of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who …
Shifting Prairie Spaces
Imagine a dark, slender, vertical shape leaning into the distance. If there’s nothing else in view that indicates scale, it can be hard to tell if it’s a twig fairly nearby or a human far off against the horizon. Anyone who’s spent time on tundra, prairie or sweeping shoreline will know this experience. In a …
Kerosene Lights a Path
Jamella Hagen likes to play with fire – at least in her poetry. “There is something very attractive but also troubling about fuels,” Hagen says of the concept behind the inflammable title of her new book, published by Nightwood Editions. “They have tremendous energy but also, of course, very high costs over the long run.” …
Middle Row, Centre: Kimani’s Determined Quest
Landmark Cinemas’ Filmtastic Films series (formerly the Arts Films series) continues October 2 and 3 with The First Grader, a feature filmed in Kenya and based on a true series of events. It stars a former ’70s Kenyan TV anchorman, Oliver Litondo, as an 84-year-old illiterate farmer and Kikuyu tribesman, Kimani N’gan’ga Maruge. Maruge shows …
Let’s Talk Tubers
One of the first things I did when I moved to the Yukon in April 2009 was take a gardening course with legendary Klondike gardener Dawne Mitchell. Most of my previous veggie-growing experience was on the West Coast, where you can practically throw seeds in the ground and return in a couple of months to …
Safe in Their Final Years
Rolling hills, green valleys and half a dozen wineries surround the Duchess Sanctuary, nestled in the beautiful Willamette Valley in southern Oregon. The 1,120 acres of pasture were turned into a permanent retirement home for almost 200 horses in 2008 with assistance from the Humane Society of the United States. Draft horses, mustangs and a …
Papermaking with Seaweed
The salty mist in the air feels good on my skin as I walk daily along the windy, sandy shore to the papermaking studio of Caithness artist, Joanne B. Kaar. I am one of several hand papermaking artists from all over the world who have come responding to Joanne’s invitation to share, create and explore …
Walk on the River Side
Looking for a sample of the vibrant range of media, forms and hues that contemporary Yukon artists are using? At the 11th Yukon Riverside Arts Festival this Friday to Sunday, you can experience everything from building and flying a “creature” kite, to sewing a button on a Yukon-made button blanket, to playing a computer pinball …
Middle Row, Centre: They Came for the Gold
As its title suggests, Cowboys and Aliens is a mélange of western and science-fiction genres. Unfortunately, it is another example of a good idea gone wrong. As the film opens, we see a lone figure stranded in the middle of a New Mexico desert setting, circa 1875. He has a mysterious wound in his side, …
Reflecting Irrational Economies
For the upcoming edition of The Natural and the Manufactured exhibition, art projects by Bill Burns, Deborah Stratman and Steve Badgett hold the lens up to the marketplace. The Natural and the Manufactured (N&M) series started in 2005 as a joint project of the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture (KIAC) and the ODD Gallery …
Middle Row, Centre: A Superhero Simply Drawn
For a summer blockbuster, Captain America: The First Avenger stands up remarkably well. Perhaps it’s the film’s faithful attention to detail as it portrays ’40s America, or because it chronicles a simpler era, when the lines were clearly drawn in what can be considered as the last “just war”. Drawn from the Marvel Comics pantheon …
Summer Fortitude
Supplies!” A brightly painted sign at the far end of the Confluence Gallery in Dawson City sits in front of a 15-foot deep collection of styrofoam, scrap wood, bubble-wrap, unrelated paint cans, and more. The “surprise” of the “supplies” in the pun-filled sculpture exhibition is not that these items were scavenged from the local landfill. …
Never Say Die
Silence. Except for the wind whooshing through the open windows, the tires treads padding on the pavement, and the hum of acceleration, like a bicycle picking up speed, it is quiet. This is what an electric vehicle sounds like. Gliding down the road at about 80 km/hour, but for the stones and holes in the …
What Seniors Say
Editor’s Note: What’s Up Yukon asked a number of Whitehorse and Dawson residents in their 60s, 70s and 80s what advice they would give younger people about how to get the most out of their Golden Years. Here are some of their responses: “Just open that front door and get out. Don’t spend your time …
Middle Row, Centre: The Price of Rebellion
It’s almost as if the summer blockbuster season has started early, with the much-heralded opening of The Hunger Games. Based on a best-selling trilogy by former children’s author Suzanne Collins, the film seems destined to follow in the footsteps of Harry Potter and the Twilight Saga in its appeal to young audiences, already grossing some …
One, Two, Three, Jump!
As I watched footage of Paul Litherland’s “near miss” during his first BASE jump in a squirrel suit, I thought to myself, “that’s enough to stop anyone from BASE jumping”. Then, the very next clip showed him ready to make the jump again. It is hard for me to believe that Litherland, a photographer and …
Wild Games
In the Yukon, we have wild meat. In Vietnam and Cambodia, they also make the most of wild game. I wandered into a pharmacy in Saigonand saw snake and cobra venom remedies (venom cobratoxan). I’m not sure about what the cobra stuff is used for, but from what I’ve read, the snake venom is an …
Names Changed (To Protect the Innocent)
Subject: We have a houseguest. Sarah, Glad to hear your travels are going well. Our guest’s name is Theo. He is a Norwegian high altitude climber and currently, he is sitting on our deck in his long underwear, chain-smoking. Wemedevaced him off of Mount McKinley and his symptoms resolved by the time he got to …
Middle Row, Centre: Polanski’s Carnage
The second-last movie in Landmark Cinemas’ FilmtasticFilms series at theQwanlin Cinema this week isCarnage, a black comedy with an all-star cast. Academy Award winners Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and Jodie Foster, and Oscar nominee John C. Reilly are featured as two New York City couples whose children are involved in a playground altercation. Waltz and …
Return of the Worms
Looks like The Arrogant Worms are happily wriggling their way back to the Yukon after a seven-year hiatus. In 2005 they performed at Nakai’s Comedy Festival to a theatre packed with appreciative connoisseurs of satire and wit. Their new “best of” album called Hindsight 20/20 is being promoted with a Canada-wide tour, hence their show …
Middle Row, Centre: Not for Puritans
Now that the Oscars buzz has subsided, with the winners all declared, it’s gratifying to see that at least one Academy Award nominee has currently made it to local screens. Although George Clooney was deemed a strong contender for best actor, he was overtaken by French actor Jean Dujardin from The Artist, but it’s well …
Middle Row, Centre: Loving Like Crazy
Landmark Cinemas’ Filmtastic Films series (formerly called the Arts Films series) reaches its halfway-point this week with Like Crazy. A shoestring-budget independent feature that won the Grand Jury award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, it’s a love story that’s remarkable on a number of fronts. Most notable is the fact that its dialogue is …
Middle Row, Centre: His Week with a Star
Landmark Cinemas’ Filmtastic Films series has returned for another season at the Qwanlin Cinema, showing recent independent films and mainstream movies that would not normally be presented locally. The series kicked off last week with the Martin Sheen film, The Way, about a father and son’s separate voyages along Spain’s famous pilgrimage trail, the Camino …
Sourdough
I’m a sourdough now.” “Oh yeah, by whose account?” “By mine, by everybody’s – you know, if you’ve seen the river freeze over and thaw, blah, blah, blah…” “No, no, my friend – that’s just the tourist rap. You can see the river freeze over and thaw up here in one afternoon and all that …
Mr. Jack’s Day
In Cambodia less than three days, I find myself driving 10 minutes out of Siem Reap to Vi HeaChhin, a small village in the Svay Dong Kun commune, to pick up 25 children who attend a free English school and take them out for dinner. My dear friend Jonny Wilkie (aka “Jonny One Eye”, as …
River Runner Diary
I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I signed up for the River Runner 100 last year. The 130-mile race between Whitehorse and Mendenhall was the longest I had ever participated in. The idea was crazy, thrilling, exciting and most definitely scary. I got myself organized, though. I found a dedicated …
Middle Row, Centre: All In the Family
For Toronto film director Ingrid Veninger, keeping it in the family seems to be a recipe for success. She will be accompanying her newest film, i am a good person/i am a bad person,when it plays in Whitehorse at the Available Light Film Festival next week. i am a good person/I am a bad person …
Why Europe is a Fantastic Place to Visit
During my time in Europe I met some incredible people, saw the most amazing firework display, put on 5kg from indulging in some delicious food, saw some pretty awe-worthy sights and made sure to mind the gap on London’s underground. My two months in Europe wasn’t nearly long enough. While I was there, my “to …
“Wayward Son” at Folklore
Dennis Victor Allen grew up far from the cradle of country music. Born and raised in Inuvik, NWT, Allen heard the musical style that emerged from the southern United States speak to the residents of the remote northern community. “It was on the radio, it was on the record player. All the usual suspects, Johnny …
Not Just for Drinking
Coffee isn’t content just to rule the earth as the number one consumed beverage. It also shows its multi-purpose flare by boasting many interesting uses. After some home trials on just a few of the many uses for spent coffee grounds, I thought a few of these might actually prove useful. Following is a list …
Moving in New Directions
The Toronto-based Griffith-Hiltz Trio will make its Yukon debut this weekend as the latest offering in the Jazz on the Wing concert series. The trio consists of Johnny Griffith on alto sax and bass clarinet, Nathan Hiltz on electric guitar and bass pedals, and Sly Juhas at the drums. Together, the three bring a wealth …
Put Your Back Into It
For just about everything we do, our backs are “into it”! Every move we make, every breath we take, our backs are moving too. The bad news is almost everyone experiences back pain at some point in their lives. The good news is most episodes of back pain resolve within a day or two, and …
Strung Out in Saigon
Vietnam provokes strong reactions. Either you love it or you hate it. I’ve found endless travel blogs dedicated to scams perpetrated on the back packing foreigners. In stark contrast, I’ve found writers praising the grace and virtue of the Vietnamese. Were reports from travellers on pre-packaged tours or in the luxury hotels shielded from the …
Middle Row, Centre: A Claustrophobic Ride From Cronenberg
The most recent in Landmark Cinemas’ Filmtastic Films series (formerly the Art Films series) is Canadian director David Cronenberg’s 2012 Cannes Film Festival entry, Cosmopolis. It’s a haunting, wordy-yet-prescient film, about a day in the life of a young multibillionaire. Robert Pattinson, renowned for his role in the Twilight series, plays Eric Packer, a 28-year-old …
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Justice: Great Play, Difficult Concept
Haines Junction was honoured with Gwaandak Theatre’s production of Justice on the evening of Tuesday, October 2. Playwright Leonard Linklater’s latest offering captures the juxtaposition of two far-removed cultures and their respective justice systems. Based on the history of Yukon’s first hangings in 1898, this tragic re-enactment of the Nantuck brothers’ murder trial is very …
Truth in Falsetto
“I love all of Canada, from Vancouver to the East Coast,” Martin Sexton conveys from his home in western Massachusetts. “The Canadian fans, they buy my music, come to shows and sing-along. It’s really amazing.” He’s gearing up, and getting ready for his 2012 Headlining tour that will bring him up to the Yukon in …
Middle Row, Centre: No Harm No Foul From Latest Eastwood Flick
Clint Eastwood’s new film Trouble With The Curve is the first on-screen featurre outing from the 82-year-old actor since his 2008 appearance in Gran Torino, which was billed as his swansong at the time. Rumours of Eastwood’s imminent retirement having proved to be premature, the new film is a creditable effort, and a welcome relief …
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The Yukon Family Literacy Centre: Not Just Books!
“Wow, I didn’t know all this was in here!” That’s one of the most common expressions heard when people turn the corner at the top of the staircase in the Canada Games Centre (CGC) and behold the Family Literacy Centre (FLC) for the first time. Standing at the top of the steps, looking down into …
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Middle Row, Centre: Evil is Back in Residence
Summer may be over, but it seems the sequels and remakes are not. Quickly ascending to the Number 1 box office position in its first week of release with $21-million in sales was Resident Evil: Retribution. It’s the fifth film in the repetitious but highly successful series first unleashed in 2004. The franchise first saw …
Gluten–What’s the Big Deal?
‘Gluten-free’ – these words are becoming more and more popular these days, from bread and desserts to snacks and sauces. What is gluten anyway and what’s the big deal? How can gluten affect our health? Gliadin and glutenins are proteins found in wheat, oats, rye, and barley. Gliaden can also be found as an additive …
Oldtime Revival
Atlin, B.C., a town of 450, is set to swell by over 2,500 on Friday, July 6. No, it’s not part of any Mayan prophecy-clad natural disaster. It’ll be caused by the budding Atlin Arts & Music Festival. The festival has quite a story behind it. “It started as just an idea in January of …