What's Up Yukon, June 6 2008 by What's Up Yukon

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Seussical the Musical

in K ( H o

Colourful costumes, song and dance make MAD’s presentation of Seussical a fun evening for the entire family. The cast includes (clockwise from left) Alana Bekk (Miss Gertrude McFuzz), Kyle Curtis (General Genghis Khan Schmitz), Calvin Laveck (Horton), Anne Aubin (Jojo) and Graham Rudge (The Cat in the Hat). The best chance for tickets is Thursday, June 5. There are other shows June 6 and 7 at 8 p.m. and June 8 at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. See Tara McCarthy’s story on Page 18.

From the sprawling mountains to the vibrant blue lakes and autumn hues, the Yukon’s natural side has been well documented by a multitude of artists.

Now the time has come for characters to occupy the spotlight in the Yukon Portraits exhibit at the Old Fire Hall in Whitehorse.

“A lot of times when people think ‘What is Yukon art?’ it is deﬁnitely landscapes. Because, I mean, you can’t help it, our nature is so overwhelming,” says Mary

Figure Study

we hope to record this and then also send it back to the National and say ‘Hey look, there’s a lot of portraits going on here, too.’”

Bradshaw says it’s been interesting to see how many local artists were already working in portraiture.

Villeneuve’s exploration of tintype photography will be on display in the show. Tintype is a wet-plate process used in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

“So much of Mario’s work is

So there’s this kind of realness and vulnerability that would instantly come from someone willing to close their eyes and have their picture taken.

Bradshaw, curator for the Yukon Arts Centre Public Art Gallery.

During a visit to Ottawa, Bradshaw got a glimpse of the work intended for the National Portrait Gallery.

The gallery’s location is to be determined, but Bradshaw, along

interesting because he’s using the old techniques,” Bradshaw explains. “And this one he literally has to put the plates in the oven to then put on the emulsion to then put in the camera.”

Janelle Hardy’s photography will also be included. Last summer

with photographer Mario Villeneuve and Yukon Government arts curator Heather Leduc, thought it would be ﬁtting for the Yukon to get a creative head start.

“We realized ‘Wow, we need to put a show together to showcase Yukon portraits,’” she says. “And

during a stint at Arts In The Park, Hardy photographed Yukoners and visitors with a less traditional approach.

“I took a couple of regular pictures and then I’d get them to close their eyes. It’s really neat what just closing your eyes and

shutting out the outside world shows to someone,” she says.

“So there’s this kind of realness and vulnerability that would instantly come from someone willing to close their eyes and have their picture taken.”

Hardy will also exhibit her one and only attempt at printmaking. After taking a workshop about a year ago, she learned the basics of

everything from formal paintings to textiles and glass blowing.

There will be plenty of interaction as well. Meshell Melvin will conduct live demonstrations of her portrait stitching technique and Val Hodgson will hold a workshop on painting skin tone.

And the venue will stretch beyond the four walls of the Fire Hall.

In a photograph simply titled, Lisa, Janelle Hardy asked the subject to close her eyes to inevitably reveal herself. The piece is on display as part of Yukon Portraits at the Old Fire Hall.

the meticulous process. The ﬁnal result is an intimate image of her husband cast in aqua tint.

Hardy says her passion for cap-

turing people is born out of fascination.

“Trying to see past the mask and see who the person is, or portraying the mask because sometimes how people present themselves is just as fascinating as what’s hidden underneath,” she says.

Photography is just one of many media in the show. Bradshaw says with over a dozen contributing artists, the range is wide with

“A number of the storefronts along Main Street are going to take some of the images too. So [the artists] may have one or two in the Fire Hall and then another one in Seasons’ front window or in Coast Mountain’s front window or the bookstore. So, you’re going to run into the show whether you like it or not,” Bradshaw says with a laugh.

Yukon Portraits is on display at the Old Fire Hall (and in other locations along Main Street in Whitehorse) from June 6 to 14.

Janelle Hardy’s print, titled Yassin, exposes an intimate portrait of her husband. It is showcased in the Yukon Portraits exhibition at the Old Fire Hall.

PHOTO: JANELLE HARDY

I’m Just Saying...

by Darrell Hookey, Editor

MAD Kids Break the Stereotypes

Are you worried about the state of our youth today?

I have a cure for you. It is something that works for me every time: I attend a MAD performance at Wood Street Centre.

Music Arts Drama is an experiential program advocated for, and now run by, Mary Sloan and Jeff Nordlund. Two semesters a year, groups of students rotate through to learn some core subjects and much, much more.

They learn how to present performances from both sides of the curtain, both sides of a video camera, and the result is always afﬁrming of just how talented and passionate these young people can be.

I attended the MAD Coffee House last month and was entertained and impressed in equal measure. These young people can sing and dance and act and play musical instruments.

Then there are those who recited short stories that used words in such a measured and precise way that made them powerful. For a sample, see The Story Corner on Pages 16 and 17 that features the sonnets of Kelly Bowers. Heidi Loos featured her, too, on Page 6.

And there was a skit that skewered the beatnik generation that was devastatingly funny. Indeed, many of them displayed a sophisticated sense of humour that spoke to a self-awareness not often attributed to teenagers.

These students are also producing ﬁlms. My daughter’s was the best in my unbiased opinion, displaying a talent and world view that de ﬁnitely did not come from me but, really, these are skills that are practised by each of the students.

But “skills” is not what I had in mind in the “much, much more” I referred to earlier. It is the poise and conﬁdence these students are learning; it is the appreciation of the arts they are gaining; and the understanding that they really could earn a living from the arts.

Indeed, my daughter will be entering a ﬁlm production program at university in 2009. Meh, she won’t be a writer like her Dad, but she will still be a storyteller. And what cooler way is there to earn a living?

I really have to acknowledge the Department of Education here. Yes, Mary and Jeff deserve much credit for their passion and hard work, but the territorial government made the decision to support our children in this way.

In a town that demands ice time and soccer ﬁelds as a right, there is still money ﬂowing to the development of the arts.

What a bleak town this would be if The Guild, Nakai Theatre and Brave New Works lost this annual infusion of talent and enthusiasm from the MAD program.

Assuming Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is true, youth always get what they need. As a parent, ask yourselves: Do you want your kids to satisfy their need for self-actualization by tagging a wall or by writing and performing a skit? Do you want them to satisfy their need for love/ belonging by hanging out on Main Street or by working together as a team on a play?

Every student should sign up for MAD for at least one semester.

Meanwhile, if you need to convince yourself that “the kids are all right”, if you need to see just how clear-eyed and talented they can be, you have one more chance before the next school year. Seussical shows June 5 to 8 at 8 p.m. at the Wood Street Centre.

And you can see Tara McCarthy’s story on Seussical on Page 18.

Check out full issue oline: www.whatsupyukon.com Editor

DIDEE & DIDOO

The Brushman had a lonely life, so he went out lookin’ for a wife.

He built a birchbark canoe, a canoe built for two. He waited until it was dark, and hoping the dogs wouldn’t bark.

He stole a lady while she was sleeping, in the morning she was still weeping. He paddled his canoe all night, downriver with all his might. She did not want to live in The Brushman’s cave, so her life she wanted to save. The lady wanted to escape from The Brushman, so she came up with a clever plan. She asked him to stop so she could pee, because she had drank too much tea.

The Brushman landed his canoe, next to a deep slough, so that she would have no where to run, when her peeing was done. She didn’t want him to watch her go to potty, she told him he would

be quite naughty.

Around her waist he tied a tight knot, but a knife she had brought. The Brushman kept tugging on the line, and felt everything was ﬁne.

She had tied the rope to a tree, and at last she was free.

And far away she did ran, ‘cause she hated The Bushman. At the end of the rope she wasn’t found, and there was no wet on the ground.

So, you ladies always carry a knife, someday it will save your life.

June 12th

Hamburger, and Juice/Pop will be available by donation! So please come by to show support to Ramesh and his campaign, and have a bite to eat.

Hosted by Darrell Pasloski and the Yukon Conservative Association

With summer’s arrival in the North (thank goodness it is ﬁnally here) come picnics and pot luck BBQs.

Having a salad or two to make ahead is always a good tactic in the time management department. Made ahead, the salad can marinate and improve while you take off on your bike or hike up a nearby hill before your guests arrive.

Alternately, the salad can marinate in your boat while you paddle to the picnic.

Keep salad making simple by having the basics stockpiled in your cupboards and refrigerator.

Be ﬂexible and adapt a recipe

Summer Salads

deck or herb garden can really ratchet up the ﬂavour dial in these two salads.

Broccoli, Chicken and Cheddar Salad

INGREDIENTS

1 head (3 stalks) of broccoli

1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed

¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

6 cherry tomatoes

¼ cup plain yogurt

¼ cup low-fat mayonnaise

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

to whatever is available at the time (that is what any good northerner does anyway). Using fresh herbs that are grown out on your

PREPARATION

Wash and cut broccoli into bitesized pieces cutting the stalks on the diagonal into pieces.

Add a little water to the broccoli in a container and microwave 1.5 to 2 minutes on high power. Broccoli should be blanched not cooked – bright green and just tender-crisp. Alternately, boil a pot of water and immerse the raw broccoli for 1 to 2 minutes.

already done so. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by whisking together the yogurt, mayo, sugar, vinegar and lemon juice. Pour the dressing over top the prepared broccoli, adding the cherry tomatoes, the cooked chicken and the cheese.

If you make this ahead, do not add the tomatoes or cheese until just before serving. Also, if you want to make this a vegetarian salad, don’t use the chicken. With the yogurt and cheese, you are still getting lots of protein.

Couscous and Lentil Salad

INGREDIENTS

½ cup raw couscous

1 can (540 ml) lentils, well rinsed and drained

1/2 red pepper, sliced 1 stalk celery, sliced on the diagonal

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped ﬁnely ¼ teaspoon hot pepper

sauce

½ cup feta cheese, crumbled into large chunks

½ cup fresh cucumber, cubed ¼ cup fresh parsley

PREPARATION

Put the couscous into a sieve and let soak in a bowl of warm water for about three minutes. Lift the sieve out of the bowl and let the couscous drain.

Meanwhile, place the rinsed and drained lentils into a medium bowl.

Add the red pepper and celery.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients: vinegar, oil, garlic and red pepper sauce. Add in the prepared couscous. Add the dressing and toss together gently.

Add the feta cheese. If you want your hike ﬁrst, marinate the salad

now and just before serving, add the cucumber and parsley. For a variation, use lemon juice instead of red wine vinegar and fresh cilantro instead of parsley.

Pat McKenna has a B.Sc in Food Science, Bachelor of Education and is a Red Seal InterProvincial Chef. She teaches the FEAST Program at F.H. Collins Secondary School.

Drain the blanched broccoli and set aside. Cook the chicken breasts if you haven’t

Broccoli, Chicken and Cheddar Salad

PHOTO: PAT McKENNA

Barbecued Buffalo Burgers

BYUKONBarbe-

BQ season is upon us and Buffalo Burgers are a great way to get started.

Looking for something different to throw on the grill, a friend of mine suggested a switch from the “same old – same old” ground beef to a local favourite, bison meat.

Bison meat is high in protein and contains less fat and fewer calories than skinless chicken breast ... which I ﬁnd quite surprising. It is readily available in local outlets in a wide variety of cuts much like beef: T-bone steaks, tenderloin, roasts and (the one we’ll be cooking today) ground bison.

For those of you who haven’t been using your barbecues during the winter months, it’s time to pull off the cover, reﬁll your propane tank and replace any tools that may have mysteriously disap-

with Rob Millar

peared since last summer.

As you would do every time you use the barbecue, clean the grill. The way to do this is to bring the grill to a high heat for one minute, then reduce the heat to low. Use a wire brush to remove any residue. With a brush or paper towel, apply a light coating of vegetable or olive oil.

Select ground bison that is approximately 15 to 20-per-cent fat if possible. If there is too little fat, your burgers might not stick together very well. If there is too much fat, they will be overly greasy.

Now, everybody talks about “quarter pounders”; they don’t talk about “eighth kilogramers”; so for simplicity let’s use pounds. OK, so a pound of bison burger will make somewhere between four and eight patties, depending

ICE CREAM BAR

OPEN ALL SUMMER!

on the demands of the consumers.

Using a large bowl, preferably glass or pyrex, mix the pound of burger with an egg. The egg helps hold it all together. If your meat is a bit too wet or too greasy, add a handful of bread crumbs which will absorb the excess moisture or fat. Everything else is a matter of personal preference.

Invent your own secret combination of ingredients which may or may not include, and are not limited to, various amounts of the following: chopped onion, minced cloves of garlic, Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ketchup and spices such as Taco or Cajun seasoning, steak spice and ground black pepper.

Just keep in mind the mixture should not be overly wet. If you get carried away, it’s never too late to throw in a handful of bread crumbs.

To cook a basic buffalo burger, bring the grill to medium-high heat. Cook the patties for three minutes (just leave them sit, don’t

poke and prod them with your fancy barbecue tools).

Then ﬂip them over and cook them for three minutes on the other side. Again, just let them sit. While they are cooking, leave the cover closed.

Reduce the heat to mediumlow and cook for ﬁve to seven minutes per side. This produces a medium-well done burger. Adjust the cooking time to suit individual tastes.

Serve the patties on lightly toasted buns (use the top rack on your barbecue) and lightly spread with mayonnaise. Add slices of tomato, red onion and cheese and top with a crunchy piece of lettuce.

Remember to buy locally when in season.

BENDS OVERBACK

Kelly Bowers Has Found the Words

Kelly Bowers recently shared her writing with the public for the ﬁrst time.

Bowers, 16, has always enjoyed writing as a hobby, but she is very careful not to leave any of her pieces lying around. Having other people read her work terriﬁes Bowers.

“I guess it is because I just don’t feel it is good enough,” Bowers admits.

However, Bowers had the courage to read two of her sonnets and a short story at MAD’s Coffee House last month. Bowers wrote all three pieces for her English class, inspired by a writing and acting workshop lead by Celia McBride.

only share it with close friends and family.

Bowers loves to read. She believes most of her writing techniques have come from this favourite pastime as opposed to something she learned in school.

“It would be easier to tell you the books that I hate rather then the books that I love because there’s just too many of them,” Bowers smiles and shakes her head.

Although Bowers had her doubts, she really did enjoy reading her works aloud for the coffee house. Bowers ﬁnds it easier to read her pieces to people than actually letting them read it themselves.

Bowers explained to me that her short story had come out of a writing exercise in which all the students wrote ideas for plot, setting and character traits onto little slips of paper.

Bowers picked ﬁve of these paper slips out of a hat and retrieved the following: Making pancakes, a cheerful person, a house, a tragedy and someone who is always grumpy. These tidbits of information proved to be the exact combination of ingredients Bowers needed to concoct her “surprising” short story.

“Twists are fun,” Bowers laughs, “but most of what I write is pretty cliché.”

She finds inspiration for her writing in everything she does. The things her friends do and say often find their way to the tip of Bowers’ pen and crawl out onto her page disguised as fiction.

Bowers has never really considered writing as a possible career choice, but when asked she quickly agrees that she would like to attempt a novel or, at least, a longer piece in her lifetime. Still, Bowers says she would not want to get it published and she would

I ask Bowers if she would let other actors and performers read her pieces for an audience and she replies without delay, “They would have to spend about 16,000 hours

Kelly Bowers has discovered that her writing hobby is something that can be shared. You can see her sonnets in The Story Corner on Pages 16 and 17.

with me and I’d be telling them exactly what to say and when to say it!”

Lately, Bowers has been doing more writing than she ever has before. Bowers has always liked constructing things, but most of her creations prior to this year involved craft supplies and glue guns.

In fact, she was drawn to the MAD program by the promise that she would be able to build and paint sets and create props. Now in her second year in MAD, Bowers

craft making.

Bowers now regards words as more handy supplies for her

POOPER SCOOPER SERVICE

Pet Waste Removal and Dog Walking

Yard not Scooped through Winter • Selling and Having an Open House

Maybe you’ve just been too busy • C all me to arrange a Quote Today!

Christine Salyniuk 335-1660

Become a Certi ﬁed Technical Trainer!

Instructional Techniques Workshop

June 23-25, 2008 Whitehorse 8:30 am-5:00 pm

Advanced Facilitation Skills Workshop

3-day course, dates TBA

Who should apply?

Those in a mining or safety related ﬁ eld who are involved in training.

Supervisors training new employees.

Registration Deadline: June 10, 2008

For more information and to register, please contact YMTA at 633-6463 or tara@yukonminetraining.com

Visit us online at www.yukonminetraining.com for information about our many upcoming courses.

TheYukonMineTrainingAssociationisapartnership betweentheYukon’sminingindustryandFirst Nationsforthepurposeofbuildinglabour marketcapacityintheYukonby providingsafetyandskill trainingopportunities. Allcourses arefree!

These Comedians are Ready for the Big Time

Deep down in the cockles of my President’s Choice Deluxe White Cheddar macaroni and cheese clogged heart, there’s a yearning for some recognition.

But not for myself. My need to perform is juxtaposed with my general shyness and predilection for reclusivity.

I’m talking about a group of young folks out there that I can be proud to say are solid new members of the comedy community.

Our humble beginnings lie with Chris McNutt, as he yelled jokes over the patter of drunken

realize the sheer amount of comedic talent that has crawled out from under the ﬂoorboards this past year.

It’s taken a large amount of prodding and metaphorical ﬂuffing (yeah – I said it) to get some of these guys on stage, but now Whitehorse can truly claim to have a mostly thriving comedy scene.

In the past few months, we’ve had the likes of Scott MacDonald, Rob Stalkie, Logan Larkin and Steve McGovern become welcome regulars to the Coasters stage.

In my belief that every good performer deserves an atten-

MAKES SENSE

with Anthony Trombetta

yahoos at the original Whitewater Wednesday. Now we have a full roster of comics who, every second Wednesday, bring a bucketload of yuks to Coasters, on the picturesque corner of 2nd Avenue and Jarvis.

The drunken yahoos might occasionally still be there, but an audience is deﬁnitely being built.

For comedy’s sake, the crowd’s attention span is directly proportional to the performer’s material.

I know, there’s some math involved ... a danger zone for yours truly.

However, this isn’t a particularly difﬁcult equation when you

tive crowd, I wanted to give the opportunity for these relatively new comics to hit a greater range of people.

It is my humble opinion that these fellows are, as the kids say: “Freakin’ hilarious.” (Not knowing many kids, I might be paraphrasing.)

And I think it’s about time for others to realize that as well.

For a Yukon performer there’s no holier a Grail than the Yukon Arts Centre. Standing on the big stage, under the hot lights, with a full audience at your disposal, is pretty awesome. Even when you bomb (Heh.)

Considering that there isn’t a

comedy festival anymore, there won’t be many chances for these guys to have that experience. This disappointed me as there is some great work going into their sets. Just watching these new comics you can see that they’ve practised, paced and panicked to get onto the stage to share their particular brand of humour.

There’s a wide variety of styles and concepts -- some really great stuff -- that really should be thrown in front of a full, rapt audience. There is a happening, young comedy scene going on, with some stuff that’s on par and even better than what could be seen at clubs Outside.

Thus we veterans (whatever that means) of the Whitehorse comedy community will be presenting a show at the Yukon Arts Centre on June 11. Joining us will be the aforementioned, plus as many special guests we cram into one memorable evening. Do your community a favour and come see what’s been brewing at Coasters for the past year at The Last Potluck, June 11 at 8 p.m., at the Yukon Arts Centre. Tickets are available at the box ofﬁce and Arts Underground.

Anthony Trombetta is the host of Coaster’s Comedy every other Wednesday at 9 p.m. The next show is June 18. If you want to share your war stories with this comedic veteran, contact him at cabbinal@yahoo.ca.

Looking for something a little bit different this summer?

How about building a go-cart, and in your spare time, going swimming, hiking and bowling?

Have a chance to meet people working in the trades, watch what they do, and participate as well!

Registration starts on June 5th at the Skills Centre on 103 Platinum Road, and will be on a ﬁrst come basis.

For more information 668-2736.

Skills Canada Yukon is hosting another six free one-week long day camps for local youth from July 7th to August 15th. Youth Exploring Trades Camp

Veggies Like a Warm Bed

If you haven’t planted your garden, now is de ﬁnitely the time to get growing.

Remember to plant your seeds -- such as carrots, beets and lettuce -- fairly shallow. The depth of the seed bed that is required for root vegetables should be fairly

deep (eight to 10”) for the development of the vegetable, but the actual seeds should be planted shallow at roughly one half inch.

Your aim is for the seeds to germinate and poke through the soil quickly. If they get planted too deep, the soil will be cooler and germination will take forever. Well, almost.

A tip regarding the seeding strips now available for some garden vegetables such as carrots is to make sure the strips are moist and that the soil is warm. A layer of plastic mulch may be necessary to warm up the soil. Then, as soon as the seeds emerge, either cut the plastic wide enough so the seedlings can grow up through the plastic or take the plastic off.

Potatoes, too, beneﬁt from a shallower planting. As the plant grows, hill the soil. This is especially true if you have a greater concentration of clay soil.

Our ﬁrst year of gardening in the Yukon, we planted potatoes six to seven inches deep. We did not cut

the potatoes; we just planted the whole potato. As I recall, it wasn’t a particularly warm summer that year, but come fall when we dug the potatoes they were as ﬁrm as the day we planted them and we didn’t get very many potatoes.

warmer weather, the plants in your greenhouse should be growing by leaps and bounds.

Make sure the plants have adequate moisture and plenty of ventilation during hot weather. Don’t forget to open greenhouse doors

It was as though by planting so deep the potatoes were in “cold storage” all summer long.

Potatoes should be planted two to three inches deep; the tubers should be cut in quarters so each piece has one or more eye. They can also be pre-sprouted by exposure to light before planting, saving you at least a week of growing time.

With the

and vents before going to work in the morning. Misting, along with normal root watering, is one way to cool plants down if the greenhouse is excessively hot.

The plants will absorb the moisture through the leaves as well as the roots. It is always hard to make a gen-eral

statement regarding how much to water because it depends on the soil structure, whether the plants are grown in containers, in a bench or in the ground. A good rule of thumb is to apply enough water so that 10 per cent of the water comes out the bottom of the bench or container.

Keep in mind that the recommended temperatures of all greenhouse crops are 18°C. Within certain limits we can go higher in the daytime and lower at night as long as we average 18°C.

An ideal range to strife for would be 14°C at night 26 to 27°C during the day. Keep in mind, however, natural sun movements will cause high and lows to be maintained for only an hour or two.

You will discover that proper greenhouse temperature control will produce amazing results.

Ingrid Wilcox operates Lubbock Garden and Floral Consultant and offers gardening, greenhouse and ﬂower arranging workshops. Contact her at ingrid@ northwestel.net.

June 7 Copper King Day from 10 am to 5 pm at the Copperbelt Railway and Mining Museums. Festivities and free rides.

June 7 Peter Gzowski Invitational Golf Tournament for Literacy. Info: www. yukonlearn.com.

June 7 Cancer Survivor Reception from 5

or www. cancer.ca.

June 8 Yukon Outdoors Club day hike to White Mountain. Info: 633-5868 or www. yukonoutdoorsclub.ca.

June 8 Kanoe People Customer Appreciation Day from 9 am to 2 pm at the Takhini River Bridge. Info: 668-4899.

June 10 Prose Writing Group at 7 pm. Info: Rhonda at 456-7559.

June 10, 17 Intro to Sea Kayaking from 7 to 9 pm. Info: 668-4899 or www.Kanoepeople. com.

June 12 Yukon Bird Club will look for nesting birds at Paddy’s Pond (Hillcrest). Meet at the Transportation Museum at 6 pm. Info: www. yukonweb.com/community/ybc.

June 14 Yukon Green Party’s Potluck BBQ at 502 Wood St. Info: 633-3392.

June 14 Fair Aid Society Fundraiser hosted by Equinox Rox from 4 to 8 pm at the Takhini Hot Springs. There will be a 32-foot climbing tower, a 1000-foot zipline and a barbecue dinner. Info: Joanne at 668-7072.

June 14 Yukon Bird Club will explore Hidden Lake in Riverdale. Meet at the Fish Ladder at 6:30 pm. Info: www.yukonweb.com/ community/ybc.

June 14 Yukon Canoe & Kayak Club O’donnell River Trip. Info: www.yckc.ca.

June 14 to 15 Yukon Shooting Federation Handgun Silhouette at 8 am at the Whitehorse Riﬂe and Pistol Club. Info: Jim at 668-6776.

June 16 Singles Coffee Night from 7 to 9 pm at Doc’s Diner. Info: 668-7134 or whitehorsesingles@northwestel.net.

June 20 to 22 Summer Solstice Festival at the Old Fire Hall. The Gallery is open from 10 am to 8 pm daily and evening performances are from 7:30 to 8:30 or 9 pm.

June 20 to 29 ISF Junior Men’s Fast Pitch Championship. Info: softball@sportyukon. com.

June 21 Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay. Early registration deadline is May 24. Info: www.kcibr.org.

June 21 Air North Midnight Sun Golf Tournament. Info: www.mountainviewgolf. ca or 633-6020.

June 21 Summer Solstice & Saint-JeanBaptiste Celebrations. Info: www.afy.yk.ca/ culturel or 668-2663, ext. 232.

June 21 to 27 Aboriginal Week. Info: www. yfnta.org or 667-3937.

June 25 to 29 Yukon River Quest at noon on Main Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenue). Info: www.yukonriverquest.com.

June 27 to 29 AMSAT Whitehorse Amateur Radio Club Radio Field Day on Klondike Rd. North (just past the bridge on the right). Everyone is welcome. Bring a radio and meet new friends.

June 28 Singles Summer BBQ Potluck at 4 pm at Wolf Creek Campground. Kids are welcome. Info: 668-7134 or whitehorsesingles@ northwestel.net.

June 28 to 29 24 Hours of Light (Icycle Sport) Mountain Bike Event. Info: www.24hoursoﬂight.com.

June 29 Travel the Canada Pathway at the Mt. Lorne Centre. Barbecue to follow. Info: www.mountlorne.yk.net.

July 16 Singles Evening Walkabout from 6:30 to 8 pm on the Millennium Trail. Info: 668-7134 or whitehorsesingles@northwestel.net.

July 17 to 20 Dustball Invitational Slo-Pitch Tournament. Info: www.softballyukon.ca.

July 17 to 20 Yukon Horse & Rider Summer Horse Show. Info: 633-3012 or www.yhra.ca.

July 29 Singles Pasta Night at 5:30 pm at Boston Pizza. Info: 668-7134 or whitehorsesingles@ northwestel.net. SENIORS June 4 Whitehorse Seniors & Elders Tea from 2 to 4 pm at the Canada Games

Fridays Crib at 2:00 pm. Fridays Floor Curling.

GREENWOOD PLACE Lois at 667-6149

Third Tuesday Blood Pressure Clinic from 10:30 to 11:30 am.

YOUTH

June 22 to 25 Yukon Federation of Labour

Youth Summer Camp 2008 for ages 9 to 13. Info: 667-6676.

June 22 to 27 Marsh Lake Bible Camp. Info: www.marshlakebiblecamp.com or 333-1710.

July 7 to Aug. 15 Skills Canada Six Week-Long Day Camps. Info: 668-2736.

Tuesdays River Raiders Kayak Drop-ins. Info: www.kayak.yk.ca.

Tuesdays Whitehorse 551 Air Cadets from 6:30 to 9:15 pm at Whitehorse Elementary School. Info: 456-7880.

Thursdays Children’s Aikido Class in French from 3:45 to 5:15 pm at 415 Baxter St. Info: 667-4690.

First and Third Thursdays Whitehorse Youth Coalition at noon at Sport Yukon.

Fridays Youth Group at 7 pm at the Church of the Nazarene. Info: Megan at 334-6883.

Fridays Free Aikido classes for ages 12 to 18 from 4 to 5:30 pm at 6209 6th Ave.

Sundays Tennis Lessons from 4 to 8 pm at Yukon College gym.

First Sunday of each month Youth Kayak Drop in for ages 9 to 16 from 5 to 6:30 pm at the Canada Games Centre. Info: 667-4386.

CHILDREN

June 16 to 20 Aurore of the Yukon (ages 6 to 10) from 10 am to 4 pm at the MacBride Museum. Bring lunch, snacks and outdoor clothing. Info: www.macbridemuseum.com.

June 18 & June 21: Mad Hatter’s Tea Party!

From 1 to 3 pm at Whitehorse Library. A fun program for children aged 5 to 11. Info & registration: 456-6112.

June 20: Raconte-Moi Une Histoire! (French for “Tell Me a Story”) for babies 0 to 24 months who are accompanied by an adult from 10:30 to 11 am at Whitehorse Public Library. Free, drop-in. Info: 456-6112.

June 23 to 27 Ice Age Mammals and Peoples (ages 6 to 10) from 10 am to 4 pm at the MacBride Museum. Bring lunch, snacks and outdoor clothing. Info: www. macbridemuseum.com.

June 29 to July 4 or July 6 to 11 Marsh Lake Bible Camp (ages 8 to 12). Info: www. marshlakebiblecamp.com or 333-1710.

July 21 to 25 Ice Age Mammals & Peoples (age 6 to 10) at the MacBride Museum. Info: 667-2709 or www.macbridemuseum.com.

Ongoing Children’s Aikido in French & English. Info: 667-4690.

Tuesdays Preschool Storytime/drop-in from 10 a.m. to noon at the Marsh Lake Community Centre. Story time, activities and gym time.

Tuesdays Romp ‘n’ Run Toddler and Infant Playgroup from 9:30 to 11 am at Whitehorse United Church (6th and Main). Info: Amy at 668 3433.

Tuesdays until June 24 Toddler Storytime for children 2-3 years and their parents from 10:30 to 11 am at the Whitehorse Public Library. Info: 667-5240. Wednesdays Caravans (grades 1 to 6) at the Church of the Nazarene. Info: Clayton at 334-2491.

Wednesdays Scottish Country Dancing (adults and teens) at 9 pm at the Elijah Smith School gym. No experience needed. Info: Pat at 668-4976.

Wednesdays Baby Stroll at 2:30 pm at Whitehorse Health Centre. Come, walk with us. Info: 667-8864.

Thursdays until June 26 Preschool Storytime 10:30 to 11:30 am at the Whitehorse Public Library for ages 3-6 accompanied by an adult.

Thursdays Tumbletime Playgroup from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm at Riverdale Baptist Church. For parents and tots to 5 years. Everyone welcome. Info: Katy at 667-6620.

Sundays Tennis Lessons from 4 to 8 pm at Yukon College gym.

Sundays Kidz Create Sunday activities for families from 1 to 4 pm at the Yukon Arts Centre. ONGOING EVENTS

Weekdays until Aug. 8 Arts in the Park from 11 am to 2 pm at LePage Park. Music and the work of local artists. Info: 667-4080. Until Aug. 15 Tennis Lessons (two-week sessions). Info: tennisyukon@mac.com.

Mondays Adult Beginner Ballet from 6:45 to 8:15 pm at Leaping Feats. Info: 39-DANCE.

Mondays Yukon Amateur Boxing Association Training Sessions at 8 pm at Peak Fitness. Info: Ted at 667-2900.

Mondays and Wednesdays Yukon Amateur Boxing Association Training Sessions at 8 pm at Peak Fitness. Info: Ted at 667-2900.

Mondays & Fridays Shiroumakai Judo. Info: Aaron at 633-5042.

Tuesdays until the end of June Free English Conversation Group from noon to 1 pm at 302 Strickland St, in the Newcomers Resource Centre (lower level). Bring your lunch, we’ll treat you to coffee. Info: Carrefour d’Immigration Crossroad Yukon at 668-5907.

Tuesdays and Saturdays Pilates at 2:30 pm and 1:30 to 2:30 pm, respectively. An eight-week session of classes.

Every Second Tuesday Knitters, Spinners, Weavers at 7:30 pm at TC Richards building. Info: Gail at 456-7604.

Wednesdays in June Yukon Canoe & Kayak Club Wheaton Wednesdays. Info: www.yckc. ca.

Wednesdays (summer) VeloNorth Cycling Club Road Events. Info: www.velonorth.ca.

Wednesdays Lunches at the Victoria Faulker Women’s Centre anytime between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm.

Wednesdays Spanish Conversation from noon to 1 pm at the Elijah Smith building (Room 4A).

¡Bienvenida!

Wednesdays R.C.M.Police Veterans Association coffee at 10 am at the Edgewater Hotel.

Wednesdays Ceramic Studio Drop-in from 5:30 to 9 pm at Arts Underground.

Wednesdays Toastmasters for Breakfast 7 to 8 am at Sport Yukon. Develop speaking and leadership skills with Northern Voices Toastmaster Club. Info: 667-2389.

Wednesdays Whitehorse Riﬂe & Pistol Club from 7 to 10 pm at Grey Mountain Range. Info: 633-4003.

Wednesdays Women’s Aikido from 5:30 to 7 pm. First class free. Info: 667-4690.

Wednesdays Ceramic Open Studio from 5:30 to 9 pm in the Arts Underground. Info: 667-2159.

Wednesdays (ﬁrst & third monthly) Northern Voices Toastmasters from 7 to 8 am at Sport Yukon. Info: 667-2389.

Thursdays Community Lunch from noon to 1 pm at the Second Opinion Society. Info: 667-2037.

Thursdays Fireweed Community Market from 3 to 9 pm at Shipyards Park.

Thursdays Tai Chi Yukon Practice at 6:30 pm at Shipyards Park.Info: www.taichi-yukon.ca.

Thursdays Sundog Toastmasters at noon at Library meeting room. Info: 633-6228.

Second Thursday of the month GALA Gathering at 7:30 pm at the Edgewater.

Third Thursday of month Conversations about Art from 7:30 to 9 pm at the Yukon Art Centre. “A tour, a cup of coffee and light learned discussions about art.”

Fridays Café Rencontres at 5 pm at Association Franco-Yukonnaise. Info: 668-2663.

First Friday of the month GALA Gathering at 7 pm at the Edgewater.

Second Friday and Saturday of the month Yukon Film Society Film Society’s Monthly Alpine Film Series at 8 pm at Alpine Bakery.

Saturdays (mid-May through August) Yukon

Made Market from 9 am to 2 pm at the Takhini Hotsprings Road and Klondike Highway.

Saturdays Bingo from 9 am to 3 pm at the Elk’s Hall. Supports Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association.

First and third Saturday of month Free Clothing Room & Free Computer Repairs from 10 am to noon at 2111 Centennial Street. Info: 633-4903.

Sundays Ceramic Drop-In from 2:30 to 6 pm at Studio 1, Arts Underground. Info: 667-6058.

Sundays Purebred Dog Walk at 2 pm at Shipyards Park (weather permitting). Sundays All-Breed Dog Walk at 4 pm at the S.S. Klondike.

Most Sundays Polarettes Gymnastic Club

Family Drop in from 1:30 to 3 pm.

MEETINGS

June 5 Yukon River Quest from 5:30 to 7 pm at Sport Yukon.

June 5 Jazz Yukon AGM at 7:30 pm at the Whitehorse Public Library.

June 8 Arctic Edge Skating Club AGM from 1 to 3 pm at the Canada Games Centre. Info: www.arcticedge.ca.

June 9 Arctic Health Research Network

Open House at 10:30 am followed by AGM at noon. Info: 668-3393.

June 10 Line of Life (Lifeline) Association of the Yukon AGM at 7 pm at the Whitehorse Public Library. Info: 667-6945.

June 11 Yukon Council on Disability AGM at noon at the Whitehorse Public Library.

June 12 Yukon River Quest Pre-race Training for volunteers from 5:30 to 9 pm at Sport Yukon. Info: www.yukonriverquest.com.

June 12 FH Collins School Council Meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in the Fine Dining Hall at FH Collins.

June 16 Rec & Parks Association of the Yukon AGM at 7:30 pm. Barbecue at 6:30 pm. Info: Anne at 668-3010.

June 17 YACL AGM at 7 pm at the Whitehorse Public Library. Performance by “ynklude”. Info: 667-4606.

June 17 Yukon Horse & Rider Association Show Committee meeting at 6 pm at the Show Grounds. Regular meeting at 7 pm. Info: www. yhra.ca.

June 18 FASSY AGM at 7 pm at the FASSY ofﬁ ce. Info: 393-4948.

June 19 Yukon River Quest from 5:30 to 7 pm at Sport Yukon. Volunteer packet stuf ﬁng from 7 to 9 pm.

June 19 Yukon River Quest Pre-race Training for volunteers from 7 to 9 pm at Sport Yukon. Info: www.yukonriverquest.com.

June 24 Valleyview Community Association AGM & Block Party at 6 pm in the park. Info: 667-7848.

Second Monday of each month Laberge Renewable Resources Council Meeting at 6 pm at the Auto Sense building back door. Public is welcome. Info: Flory Enzenauer at 393-3940.

First Monday of Month St John Ambulance Community Services meets at 6:30 pm at Unit C, 128 Copper Rd. Info: 668-5001. Second Monday of Month LLRC Meeting. Info: 393-3940. Second Monday of the Month Yukon Kennel Club Meeting at 7 pm at the Sports Yukon Boardroom. Everyone is welcome. Second Tuesday of Month Community TV Society (Channel 9) from 7 to 9 pm at the Polarcom Training Centre at 202D Strickland Street. Info: Sue at 667-4661. Every Second Wednesday Food Bank Society of Whitehorse board meetings from 5 to 7 pm in the Yukon Federation of Labour boardroom. First & Third Thursday of Month Whitehorse Youth Coalition at noon at Sport Yukon. Thursdays (June) Yukon River Quest from 5:30 to 7 pm at Sport Yukon. Info: www. yukonriverquest.com. Third Thursday of Month Yukon Anti-Poverty Committee from 5 to 7 pm at LDAY Board

Room at 1154C 1st Ave. Use entrance in the back by Carpenters Hall. Everyone welcome. Info: Sue at 667-4661.

June

CARMACKS

June 4 4-H Yukon AGM via teleconference at 7 pm. Info: Sylvie at 993-5392.

June 6 to 8 Weekend on the Wing: Birding Festival at Tombstone Territorial Park. Info: www.dawsoncity.org. June 7 Art Yard Sale on the grassy pathway between KIAC and Ruby’s. Info: Tara at dawsonarts@yknet.ca.

June 7 to 25 What I Did Last Winter exhibit opening at 4 pm at KIAC. Drop off work June 3 and 4 at KIAC SOVA between 9 am and 5 pm.

June 14 Commissioner’s Ball at the Palace Grand Theatre. Info: 993-5575 or www. dawsoncity.ca.

June 17 (for six weekly sessions) Art Camp for six to nine-year-olds from 1 to 4 pm. Watch for a selection of workshops for 10 to 12-year-olds and teens.

June 21 Aboriginal Day Celebrations. Info: 993-5385 or www.yfnta.org.

June 28 to July 12 Alchemy exhibit opening at 4 pm at KIAC. Drop off work June 24 and 25 from 9 am to 5 pm at KIAC SOVA.

July 12 Fourth Annual Triathlon to support Dawson City Women’s Shelter. Info: Jean Hopkins at 993-5086 or shelterevents@ northwestel.net.

July 17 Hayden in Concert at the Palace Grand Theatre.

July 18 to 20 Dawson City Music Festival Info: www.dcmf.com. Mondays Kundulini Yoga at 6 pm at Yukon College. Second Wednesday of month Chamber of Commerce General Meeting. Info: 993-5274. FARO

June 13 to 15 Effy Croft Memorial Slow-Pitch Tournament. Info: info@faroyukon.ca to reserve your spot.

Tuesdays Youth Weight Room Sessions from 3:30 to 4:30 pm at Rec Centre. Staff will assist with stretching and scheduling.

HAINES JUNCTION

June 6 to 8 Alsek Music Festival. Info: www. alsekfest.com. June 9 to 15 Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival & Music Camp. Info: www. kluanemountainbluegrassfest.com.

June 21 Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay. Info: www.kcibr.org.

INUVIK

June Midnight Sun Fun Run & Half Marathon.

June 6 to 8 Ride for Sight Info: www. rideforsight.org.

June 11 to 12 Petroleum Show. Info: Marnie at 777-8618.

July 11 to 20 Great Northern Arts Festival. Info: www.gnaf.org.

MARSH LAKE

June 7 Ballroom Dancing from 4 to 5:30 pm. Info: 660-4999. June 14 Dance Party (Ballroom Dancing). Info: 660-4999.

June 15 Spring Flea Market & Father’s Day Potluck at 10 am at the Centre.

Tuesdays North of 60 Café for “Golden Age” residents from 2 to 4 pm. Coffee, home baking, cards and carpet bowling. Tuesdays Seniors’ Carpet Bowling from 2 to 4 pm at the Community Centre.

Third Tuesday of Month Foot Clinic from 1 to 3 pm. First and Third Tuesday of month Wellness Clinic from 1 to 3 pm. Wednesdays Yoga at 6 pm at the Community Centre. Wednesdays Badminton at 6 pm at the Community Centre.

Fridays Drop-in Volleyball at 8 pm at the Community Centre. “The Jackalope” is open from 6 pm to midnight. Dinner available.

Saturdays Art Classes for Kids with Ferryn from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Please register.

Sundays Yoga at 10:30 am) at the Community Centre.

Last Sunday of Month Brunch Invitation from Maggie & Lea-Ann & the Marsh Lake Ladies. RSVP to 660-4999.

MAYO

June 21 Mayo Arts Festival from 2:30 to 8

pm. June 21 Mayo Midnight Marathon at 11:45 pm. Info: www.mayomidnightmarathon.ca.

June 27 to

(Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre) from 1 to 2 pm.

Daily Men’s Society Drop-in Centre from 11 am to 4 pm (18+) at 207 Elliott St. Info: 633-6367. Daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Info: 668-5878.

Mondays Dragon’s Way, Qigong Meridian Movements from noon to 1 pm at the Whitehorse Public Library. Mondays Overeaters Anonymous at 7:30 at Maryhouse at 504 Cook Street. It is a 12-step program of recovery from compulsive eating. No weigh-ins, or diets, or dues or fees. Info: Kate at 667-7146. Mondays in June Bereavement Support Walking Group (Hospice Yukon). Info: 667-7429. Tuesdays Metta Meditation from 5:15 to 6 pm at the Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre. Info: 667-2693. Tuesdays Gamanon Meetings at 7:30 pm at Yukon Family Services. Info: 668-6466. Tuesdays to Thursdays Mental Health Advocate from 11 am to 5 pm at the Second Opinion Society. Until 2 pm Thursdays. Info: 667-2023.

Wednesdays and Fridays Al-Anon Meetings. Info: 667-7142.

Wednesdays Healing Circle from 7 to 9 pm at Sport Yukon, Meeting Room #2. Info: Eleanor at 668-3747.

Every other Thursday of month Havenites meet to discuss exploration of self, concepts and relationships. Info: Dave at 667-6099. Third Thursday of Month Mental Illness Caregiver Support Group from 7 to 9 pm at #4 Hospital Road. For parents and caregivers for people with mental illness.

Fridays Narcotics Anonymous from 7 to 8:30 pm at Many Rivers Counselling & Support Services (4071-4th Ave.).

Second Sunday of month M/S meeting at 2 pm at Copper Ridge Place. Info: 456-2464.

Beer From a Wide-Open Space

Marketing beer is fun. When you have a product that so many people enjoy and you are told to “Go sell this!” you can have a pretty amusing and creative time.

Many of the world’s larger breweries have found a useful formula when advertising their wares: Beer = Boobs + Friends + Sports Heroes. It is that simple.

Perhaps this form of advertising has a tendency to set the human race back a few years but c’mon, it’s fun and it works. It works very well.

Beer, however, is a big industry that has a bunch of distinct markets within it. Thus, exportminded breweries, craft breweries and brew pubs carve out their own niche using different angles through which to market themselves.

Take us at the Yukon Brewing Company for example. It is no secret that the Yukon Territory has its own mystique in the eyes of the people who live here and

love it as well as to the thousands of people who visit the territory each year in search of something magical, untouched and pure.

To play on this with our brands and our advertising for those brands is natural. Also, we never feel bad doing it because we all view ourselves as true Yukoners making beer for other like-minded people with similar tastes and sentiments about the place we live in.

Sometimes, however, marketing skirts the line between fun or silly and absolutely ridiculous. Word has it that Sapporo Holdings, an international brewing giant out of Japan, is producing the world’s ﬁrst, wait for it ... “Space Beer!”

Apparently, Sapporo got their hands on some barley that was once stored on the International space station for a period of ﬁve months and will now create a beer out of it instead of just throwing it away. Great that the barley will not be going to waste, but how does space change the product’s genetics?

Turns out, it does not change a thing. The idea behind having barley in space was that it can grow in a relatively wide variety of climates and temperatures and is high in nutrients and ﬁbre.

Thus, barley is an ideal plant to test for space agriculture. However, scientists concede that no difference has been found in barley that has spent time in space and barley that has stayed true to Earth’s atmosphere.

Still, Sapporo will create about 100 bottles of Space Brew to start and has no plans on developing the beer as a commercial venture. In other words, Sapporo is just having some fun creating a product that will ensure the brewery’s name sticks in the collective consciousness of consumers.

There is plenty of advertising out there that you don’t need to turn on your B.S. ﬁlters for and plenty more that probably deserves to be ﬁltered but you don’t because it is all in good fun ... just as long as you don’t get hosed by ridiculous messaging.

Sapporo got their hands on some

that was once

Then again, if you do, hopefully you can laugh it off, for now. You never know when we’ll all need to move to space and Sapporo will be refreshing us all with delicious Space Beer.

This column is courtesy of the Yukon Brewing Company, an organization that is proud to say its product is not out of this world.

We Always Get the Community We Deserve

It’s been a little while and, I have to admit, I’ve had my ﬁrst ever writer’s block.

It wasn’t so much WHAT to say, because heaven knows, I can talk about coffee ‘til I’m purple. It was more HOW to say what I needed to say; so bear with me, while I mumble, stumble and bump my way through this one.

ness in Whitehorse, my intent was not only to build a business based on the best quality coffee, but also to build one of the things that go with coffee best: community.

It goes back to the history of the coffee house and its roots in being a gathering place for community.

a reliable patronage of customers, most businesses do not have the money to spend on beauty.

“Ah Ha,” you say. “But they cost more than the chain store down the street! They are just price gouging and I need to save money!”

customer base) the pie (ie, cafés in Whitehorse) gets divided up, the smaller they get and, eventually, everyone starves except those that have a centralized cache of goodies.

Oh, and by the way, I’m not grumpy, just really … real. Some days are better than others.

Since beginning this column, I’ve had lots of people say they love to read it and learn about coffee, etc. When I go on a rant, as in my last missive, the comment I get is, “My, you were a bit grumpy …” This is where I got stuck.

Coffee is intricately tied to the arts, in history and present day and the artist in me found a space to hold for other artistic people

BrewHA-HA

during the growth of the Midnight Sun Coffee Roastery on Black Street and the building of Zola’s Café Doré in the Hougen Centre.

From the 20+ years I have been in and around the coffee industry, my brain is ﬁlled with all these great tips, treats and tricks about one of the best-loved plants on this planet. However this plant, like us, does not exist in isolation. There is a myriad of factors that affect its daily survival, some of them are unpleasant to think about.

Before my analogy gets too far out there, let me bring it home. If you were hoping to be spoon-fed information about how to make coffee, there are plenty of sites on the Internet. If you want to read a Pollyanna column where everything is nice and nothing is controversial or unpleasant, read a Family Circus cartoon.

When I got into the coffee busi-

In the creation of those places, one of the special things I have been most proud to represent is the bridge between business and the arts.

Business has always been a patron to the arts; from commissioning a painting by Rembrandt of some businessman, to large corporations like Northwestel partnering with Arts presenters, to small businesses donating their time, space and money.

Every single time that money has supported arts, it has been a personal decision to spend money out of pocket. Whether it is motivated by philanthropy, vanity or tax breaks, it is always a choice to make beauty over money.

What on earth does that have to do with me, you ask? Without

Is it possible to price match a store with the cost advantages of centralized production and distribution? You bet! And most stores will have to in order to survive.

But because the independent pays more to produce what you are buying, the proﬁt margins are smaller and, guess what? That’s right! There is less money to donate within the community.

And no business can survive on no proﬁt, so the more pieces (ie,

So the next time you are exercising your right to buy, think about whether or not it matters to you that we have independent businesses willing to invest in the community?

Or do we want a deal now and are willing to end up in a culture of franchises such as Wal-Marts and Starbucks with no choice, no arts, no one to write columns about coffee tips, just a few quarters in your pocket that will get you out of plastic-town for a break (you’re gonna need it).

Zola Doré is the owner/ roaster of Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters in Whitehorse. Comments and questions about coffee are welcome. Or you and your friends can join her in a coffee-tasting session. Find out more at www.yukoncoffee.com.

with Zola Doré

CARPE DIEM CARPE YUKON

Happiness on Both Ends of the Leash

“ What sort of dog would you like?”

There were so many to choose from: small, medium and large dogs, short and long-haired dogs, quiet dogs and enthusiastically barking dogs. How do you decide?

idea to volunteer “somehow” had been bouncing around for a while.

The idea landed at the Mae Bachur shelter. You can get out, get involved and take along a new friend ... a most appreciative friend that will be more than happy to share their day with you.

breeze and a few passing walkers stopped to pat Diamond on the head. This was a ﬁne way to spend a lunch hour.

On my next visit, I felt more energetic and perhaps a little more relaxed. Stephanie introduced me to Grizzly Bear.

“How about Diamond? She’s a nice dog and she behaves well on the leash. She will be a good start for you,” suggested Stephanie.

Dog walkers are welcome to

Sun and GAMES

with Catherine Millar

stop by any time during opening hours so it’s ﬂexible enough to ﬁt into anyone’s schedule.

The Mae Bachur Animal Shelter provides care and a home for animals – mainly cats and dogs - waiting for adoption. They welcome volunteers in a number of capacities, including dog walkers.

It must be spring fever and the release from the restrictions of cabin fever and freezing temperatures that create this urge to get out and get more involved. The

“OK, come on Diamond. In the car!”

Diamond was a smooth black lab, a calm rider happy to stay on her side in the passenger seat during the drive to the park.

Walking along the path, Diamond turned back from time to time to double check that things were going along OK. The sun shone, the crocus bowed in the

WAs his name implies, “Grizz” may be the largest dog currently in residence. Very fortunately, he is also friendly to the maximum and, in fact, just a bit goofy. The dog and I teamed up and set off. He fully occupied his one-quarter of the car.

“Excuse me, is this the way to Yukon College?” asked a young man with a knapsack, passing us on the path alongside Two Mile Hill. He bent to scratch Grizz behind an ear. “Nice dog.” By this point, Grizz had the leash between his teeth as if to let everyone know “I am actually taking myself for a walk.”

For your next walk, why not borrow a dog from the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter to make the experience even more special? The hard-working staff would appreciate the help and the dogs would love you for it.

At least that’s what I thought. What Grizz was really doing with his leash between his teeth was chewing it in half. It took me a minute to realize that, in a way, he was taking himself for a walk since we were no longer physically connected. He may be a bit of a clown, but he’s a clever one. Hopping back in the car without further ado, he returned home quite pleased with himself; but in need of some new equipment.

For further information on volunteering, dog wash and foster programs at Mae Bachur Animal Shelter, visit www.humanesocietyyukon.ca, phone them at 633-6019 or stop by 126 Tlingit Street (just off Copper Road).

Atlin is Great for Young Explorers

to skip the most.

After we had unpacked and the kids had left their mark on the ice, we went for a long waterfront walk up the beach.

e drove down to Atlin for the May long weekend for some family time. Atlin is one of my favourite getaway places. The town is so quiet the birds make more noise than the people.

The Saturday we arrived it was a bit cool and grey during the day.

We pulled in to top up the fuel tank and the gas attendant pointed out a young bald eagle sitting atop a tree right behind Pine Tree Services. We admired the bold and enormous bird and then headed to the Brewery Bay Chalet to check in.

The view from the waterfront was spectacular. Atlin Lake had an icefree spot right in front of the hotel which the kids thought was wonderful. They could either throw rocks from off the docks and smash the ice ﬂoes or spend their time challenging each other to see who could get their stone

The kids, true to form, all stepped in the water along the way. The sound of feet squelching in sopping wet shoes and the cries of gulls harrying the young eagle on the ice made an interesting sound track.

We ﬁnished our walk by heading to the Trading Post for an improvised dinner of hotdogs in tortilla wraps. The kids loved it, but they are poor food critics because hotdogs with anything is excellent in their books. We settled down for a family movie while we ate and relaxed the rest of the evening away.

By the kids’ bedtime, the cloud was beginning to break. By our bedtime, the sun was peeking out from among scattered islands of cloud and we knew Sunday promised to be beautiful.

Sure enough, sunlight seeping in around our curtains woke us up early the next day.

Fortiﬁed by bowls of cereal, we decided to take a jaunt out to Warm Bay and see how the spring was looking.

When we arrived, we discovered a number of other people had the same idea. There were over a dozen people enjoying the area and two basking in the sun in the pool.

I took Leonie and the boys to

A walk around Atlin, B.C. is an adventure when you are accompanied by young

see the hills where the runoff courses down. There was evidence of deer recently in the area which had the boys daring each other to step on the deer poop. Boys ... go ﬁgure.

We played on the hillside for a while, investigating the pools and just enjoying life. David had great fun while Brace and Denali watched the minnows dart around.

With wet and muddy children, we headed back up to the spring source where the kids began to collect frogs the size of my thumbnail. There was another boy there who had a bucket and soon they had 17 frogs hopping about.

We headed back to town for a late dinner and then Leonie and I went for a leisurely walk

afterwards while David did some homework and Brace and Denali watched a show on dinosaurs. Monday morning we packed up early and were seated in the Pine Tree Restaurant for breakfast.

As luck would have it, we were patrons on their last day of operation. With the increased mining activity in the area, the restaurant couldn’t compete against the wages offered in camp and was closing down indeﬁnitely.

Our server was sad to see the place close and it will be missed sorely by other travellers. We all enjoyed our meals and said goodbye to the restaurant and see you later to the town as we headed back to Whitehorse.

boys.

Family camping is like the third evolution of camping (after being taken out to Algonquin Park with my parents) ... at least it is for me anyways.

My first evolution of camping involved figuring out how to fit the maximum amount of beer and people in the Tercel.

Comfort wasn’t an issue, I wasn’t going to be feeling much at night anyways.

The second, and more positive evolution of camping, involved careful planning to ﬁt all the food/

Creature Comforts

shelter and bear safety equipment possible for multiple days in the back country in a 35-pound pack.

Family camping is a completely different animal involving completely different challenges and goals.

Comfort wins out and, really, less your comfort than the comfort of the kids.

The ﬁrst unsuspecting challenge we faced was one we expected, but was greatly ampliﬁed by the uniqueness of the Yukon summer night.

Camping takes on an entirely more complex and ﬂuid set of logistics when these things are involved (represented here by Ben and Emily Beese).

There isn’t one.

The kids don’t want to go to sleep until well after it’s dark, which means September, which isn’t going to make for a cheerful morning.

I can still remember watching the two bumps (Ben and Emily’s heads) moving along the outside of our tent at 2 a.m. while we waited for the kids to ﬁnally go to sleep.

Suitable separation was an unexpected challenge we faced as well. Two kids will either get along all to well and ﬁnd incredible mischief to get into together ... or get along all too unwell, interrupting the calm and tranquillity that is the goal of a camping trip.

Food to satisfy the masses. Kids never eat well at the best of times and their inconsistent requirements for food mean packing for multiple options ... this will deﬁnitely put a family over that 35-pound limit mentioned earlier.

All of these multiple demands make the ﬁrst camping trip of the year an important and sometimes treacherous one. One year will see an almost complete change in the needs of the kids, especially at ages 6 and 8.

This means that everything you thought you needed last year is certain not to satisfy the requirement this year. Half of it can be left behind, but only to make room for the new load of as yet undetermined kit and tackle.

Free Rides On That ‘Other’ Train

I’m sure that most of you are aware of the little yellow trolley that chugs along the waterfront every summer. But what you may not be familiar with is the other Whitehorse Railway attraction.

the history of the area, this is the perfect opportunity to beef up your local history knowledge and gain a better understanding of why local subdivisions in the area were named as they are.

displays and models of the mining area and is sure to teach even the most avid history buff a thing or two.

The day’s events play tribute to the discovery of copper in the area just north of Whitehorse where rumours of copper outcrops

The Miles Canyon Historic Railway Society, in addition to running the waterfront trolley, operates the Copperbelt Railway and Mining Museum located on the Alaska Highway approximately two kilometres north of the airport.

If you have never been, there is no better time than on Copper King Day. The museum will have free balloons for the kids and several special festivities related to the history of the copperbelt. For those of you not aware of

led John McIntyre and William Granger to establish the Copper King and Copper Queen claims which started a copper rush.

Over 1,000 claims were staked in the area establishing Whitehorse as much more than just a stopping point on the way to the Klondike.

The museum features miningrelated artifacts, photographic

Once the trip through the museum is complete, it’s all aboard for the 1.8-kilometre ride on a two-foot mining track that runs through the 10-acre park.

Visitors are pulled behind mining engines called “Lok-ies” on a passenger car with open sides and a canvas top so you can enjoy the breeze through your hair as the little engines pull you through the boreal forest setting.

You can bring your lunch and make a day of your trip as the site also has a picnic area with a covered pavilion and a play area for the kids.

Copper King Day is taking place at the Copperbelt Railway and Mining Museums, Saturday June 7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All are welcome.

This column is provided by the Yukon Historical & Museums Association.

We generally make our ﬁrst camping trip someplace very convenient and close to home. Something that affords a great deal of comfort on its own with amenities like playgrounds, parks, attendants who can provide necessities like matches or a hatchet or some ice cream for the kids. Something that allows us the opportunity to spin quickly home to pick up that sleeping bag/breakfast cereal/

The Art of

CAMPING

with Mark Beese

stuffed animal/critical toy. Our ﬁrst camping trip of the year this year, as last year, will be at the Robert Service Campground. And while we’ll try to remain completely independent in all parts of the trip, I will still slip over to the store at the campground for some Midnight Sun Coffee in the morning.

If you are in town for the weekend, stop by and say hello, we may need to borrow a ...

CELEBRATING TOURISM WEEK IN YUKON

As Minister of Tourism and Culture, I would like to invite you to join me, and all of those who help make Yukon a great place to visit, in celebrating Tourism Week in Yukon.

It is our wide open spaces, larger than life scenery and hospitality that continue to make Yukon the destination-of-choice for travellers from around the world.

I want to thank all individuals, communities and organizations who help to make Yukon so inviting to our visitors for their hard work, and wish them continued success.

I invite all those looking for exciting and rewarding travel experiences to visit www.travelyukon.com. I would also encourage anyone, especially our young people, to consider tourism as a career path.

Sincerely,

Minister of Tourism and Culture

They can only win if you nominate them by either ﬁlling out a card at local locations or online at: www.goldenhost.ca

with Rebecca Jansen

Elaine Taylor

PHOTO: TAMMY BEESE

The babies sat in the driveway, tarped over, covered in snow half-melted in the April sun.

I brushed them off, to let the sun begin to warm the silver shrouds, to soak some life back into the batteries.

It’s my motorcycles that make me hate early spring days. The melting snow turns my dirt laneway into treachery for two wheels and it is utterly impossible to remem-

Sleeping Babies

I take turns admiring and snarling at the early season bikers. They must have electric socks and vests and electric hand grips ... the kind the snowmobilers have. Or maybe they really are just tough, with some sort of immunity to the cold, like the fabled prospectors of a hundred years ago, eschewing comforts in trade for adventure.

A couple of years ago, I was one of them ... unwittingly, I have to admit. I chose May 1 as the day

ber how many clothes you have to wear to survive the temperature change that a 100-kilometre (or more) wind chill brings to a gorgeous +5C or even +10C sunny day.

to begin a six-week journey down the Alaska Highway. The journey would continue south and east, as far as Ottawa then turn around and come back home.

The whole trip is a longer story,

Early Childhood Development

In both the 1-year certiﬁcate and 2-year diploma programs, students learn to work with young children in a variety of early childhood settings. Graduates have skills and knowledge in all aspects of child development and program planning and ﬁnd work in areas such as daycare centers, family day homes, centers for exceptional children and as educational assistants.

Community Support Worker

In this 1-year certiﬁcate program, students prepare to work as skilled para-professionals. Graduates work with people of all ages who have challen ging conditions and behaviours requiring special care. Graduates ﬁnd employment in many areas, including residential care homes, supported living programs, job coach programs and family support services.

Home Support Worker/Nursing Home Attendant

In this 1-year certiﬁcate program, students learn to work with people of all ages who require assistance with activities of daily living, or who require specialized care due to ongoing health challenges or illness. Graduates work with people in nursing homes, extended care centres and in home care settings.

but it’s the snowstorms that stand out in my mind – three of them, in fact.

The ﬁrst was on May 2. Never underestimate the weather on the Alaska Highway.

It started to snow just before Toad River, south of Liard Hot Springs. I had stopped at the café to warm up, drink soup and tea and try to ﬁgure out how crazy I really was. A father and son from Alaska pulled in on a couple of Harleys.

“You are not alone,” echoed in my head like that voice in the science ﬁction movies.

The Dad told a story of riding through a sudden snowstorm in the California mountains, the son just clearly wanted to get back on the road and up to speed. Being 19 years old will do that.

That Dad had ridden through stuff like this boosted my conﬁdence and, as they got up to keep going, I asked and they agreed to let me tag along.

I am sure they would have gotten further that day without me along, riding in terror with my shoulders up around my ears, and I thank them for their patience. Who knows, perhaps my fear kept us all safe.

Further down the road, waiting for the two other snow storms, I learned there is a picnic table in Jasper with bicycle seats for stools (yuk), a historical underground world in Moose Jaw and an old hotel in Leland where, if you order a steak dinner, you have to cook the steak yourself.

Things I never would have known without being forced to stop and spend an unplanned night

Yukon College offers career training in Health and Human Services! For information see our website at www.yukoncollege.yk.ca or give us a call at 668-8850

Denise L. Norman uses her breaks to soak up the local culture.

in an unexpected place.

The ride from Jasper to Banff was so cold that even with those little chemical warmers in my mitts and my boots I had to stop every half hour to thaw out.

Last year, I rode my bike north from Vancouver in the third week of May. Outside of Fort St. John, on the 19th of May, found me riding through a blizzard, visibility about 100 yards.

How is it we forget so fast?

I have heated hand grips on my new bike, but it still doesn’t

make up for the bone-chilling cold of early season riding. Call me a wimp, but I wait a little later in the year to wake up the babies and content myself by dreaming of winter riding in the Baja.

Denise L. Norman started riding motorcycles in 2001. She currently rides a BMW 650GS for adventure and a 750 Honda Shadow for comfort. She may be contacted at summitheart@hotmail.com.

Story Corner

By Kelly Bowers

Sonnet 1

The grace of she who moves like silken water, her feet the slaves to wild demanding beats.

The master of motion and most pleasant to watch, her dance to leap to ﬂy with sky she meets.

A twist, a ﬂick, a painter is painting quick, with red, with black, with orange a colour obscene.

A lake the colour of broken, blackened brick, and sleeping maple tree with little green.

A legion of sound assaults the calm world, a long parade of notes swirls to and fro,

a blanket of song is over the world unfurled, these gifts to us, the people of earth were bestowed.

An idle mind is of the devil, so said.

And idle mind makes art, so I have read.

Sonnet 2

The beauty of words burnt black as aces of spades, a word by precious word so rises the castle.

So author like mason, can build till heart content; they build from earthy ground to cloudy sky.

The sculptor takes his tools in hand and waits,

oh see in his mind’s eye he can already, the fruit of all his labours in all its greats, and bids his eager shaking hands, be steady.

An actor sits in wings and waits her cue; her mind does take one moment to gently praise the few good men who made the whole set new,

and actors practising their lines for days. The devil he can only warp, destroy and pain.

So idle minds must be of God’s domain.

dancing

As taught as bow about to loose its arrow, like runner waiting for the starting gun, so waits the dancer for the musics ﬂow; her hair is neatly done into a bun.

A wild and frenzied beat does shake the ground.

The motion of dance is torn from those on stage, their limbs are pulled by puppeteers of sound, the lure of music is hard to disengage.

The sound slows down, her heart beats hard and fast.

She stoops to grasp, a single fallen rose, thrown by a hand she knows is from her past.

The minute will pass, she goes to change her clothes.

She goes about her life with strength and stance, her pride and conﬁdence is brought by dance.

painting

Some canvas stretched over a wooden frame, the paints are sleeping on a crescent palette.

In rows, like soldiers, the paintbrushes they wait, a small glass jar stands tall beside the sink.

A canvas lady greets the setting sun, and in her hair she has a water lily.

The children came to hear the tales she spun, they sit in puddles, pristine

Thine Art

white and frilly.

A painting is hidden from the world by he, it is also of his beautiful mistress, oh one that he would die if viewed by any.

T’is of his lady sleeping in the nude. His lady she smiles on seeing the water lily, if other she saw, his death would come swiftly.

music

A piano playing in an old dark room, the notes all ghost over the maple ﬂoor, the only time he plays now is the gloom; though bruises tell he has played so much more.

An elderly lady turns and starts to sing, her face is lifted to the eastern sky.

Her song tells life and love and happiness; her melody lifts high into the clouds.

A rhythm guides the young man’s well-toned body, it slowly seeps into his very blood. Infusing him with life and energy, a desert drought after a welcome ﬂood.

Oh, blood is life for the human mortal,

so music must be life, love for soul.

writing

A pen does stare longingly at the paper, her blood does leap at thoughts of such a meet.

A paper waits; he knows the time will come, to meet and dance and burn the midnight oil.

The writer comes with steaming cups of joe.

His candles light the room and hand takes pen, the dance begins, a rapid, hurried ﬂow, the dance once pauses, to ﬁll the coffee again.

It’s almost morning, he rubs tired eyes, the writer stumbles and the pen will weep.

His coffee falls and

spills, the paper dies; the writer yells, the pen cries, the coffee seeps.

Some ink and coffee, that’s all that’s left, of tears, of coffee, of love bereft.

sculpting

He looks and smiles and puts his tools away; some stone slivers are quickly swept outside, along the walls are rocks so rough and grey.

In garden green his statue will reside.

The statue stands in pose very relaxed.

With great afﬁnity to Apollo.

The stone highlights his masculine beauty, he’s unreachable on his pedestal.

The stone of his hard body will last forever, so, so much longer than that of his creator.

Were he not stone he would become quite clever, for young human bodies is time traitor.

The creation of he, momentous task; to make one such as he is much to ask.

She hides behind her otherworldly mask, A character so like her not she plays.

Someone with life much different to her own, in settings ‘lot

“Oh the thinks you can think, when you think about Seuss.”

BY TARA McCARTHY

Walking through the doors to the auditorium is like travelling into a world of storybook proportions – the air is ﬁlled with energetic rhythms, while the stage is devoured by colour with a rainbow cast of characters.

After weeks of work, the dedicated Music Arts and Drama students at Wood Street Centre have brought to life a familiar world of wonder and fantasy with Seussical

“It was a major challenge because a lot of people are on stage a lot of the time and everybody’s energy really has to be up. It’s ﬁlled with singing,” explains MAD instructor Jeff Nordlund of the wildly playful musical.

Everyone’s favourite picturebook practitioner, Dr. Seuss, is translated to the stage in this whirlwind production of Whos, Horton and the Cat In The Hat. Rhyming dialogue leads the audience through soliloquy ballads to up-tempo jazzy numbers and a bouncing chorus of birds.

The audience members will undoubtedly connect with the Seuss content. And the actors themselves say that’s been a large part of the fun.

“It’s really weird because I

remember reading all of the stories individually and then now you have them all linked together,”

Anne Aubin says.

Aubin takes on the role of Jojo, a Who that the humble elephant Horton is determined to keep from harm.

Calvin Laveck plays Horton. True to the book, he hears a Who and makes it his duty to keep the tiny people safe. Along the way he gets caught up nesting an egg and has a run-in with the circus.

“It’s been a lot of fun to play,” he says. “It’s a fun class to do Seuss with.”

Alana Bekk says she’s developed a newfound love for the rhyming tales. Bekk takes the stage as Gertrude, a warm-hearted bird intent on impressing Horton.

“I enjoy it because it’s a good challenge,” she says of the role. “I mean last year I had a smaller role and this year I was determined to do well and apparently I’ve achieved that.”

To take the musical from page to production, the MAD students vigorously worked to transform the Wood Street Centre stage.

A giant green swirl covers the theatre ﬂoor and bright cartoonlike buildings stand off to stage right. The atmosphere conveys that particular Dr. Seuss style as if it were straight from the pages.

And MAD student Graham Rudge put together virtually every quirky garment to transform the actors.

Laveck is draped in grey, while Aubin and her fellow Whos are outﬁtted in vibrant yellow. Bekk and a ﬂock of giggling bird girls traipses across

Horton (played by Calvin Laveck) sits atop a nest taking care of an egg, while a colourful cast of characters exhaustedly waits below.

The Cat and the Hat (Graham Rudge) leads an energetic crowd of Whos and creatures through the world of Dr. Seuss.

the stage in pinks, purples, blues and feathers.

Rudge also takes the stage in a tall red and white striped hat as

a musical ensemble

none other than the charismatic and conniving Cat In The Hat.

The students did their research and read through each Dr. Seuss tale as part of the process. But Rudge says it’s been a challenge to play creatures. And more importantly, do the Dr.’s characters justice.

Miss Gertrude McFuzz (Alana Bekk) croons for more impressive feathers and the adoration of Horton.

A ﬂock of femme birds shake their tail feathers in Seussical.

“Kids have this certain image Ain their head of how Horton is going to act and you’ve got to sort of live up to those expectations,” Rudge says. “That’s difﬁcult, but I think we did a pretty darn good job of it.”

Seussical runs June 5, 6 and 7 at 8 p.m. and June 8 at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Wood St. Centre. Tickets are $7 for those under 12 years of age and $12 for those over 12.

General Genghis Khan Schmitz (played by Kyle Curtis) leaps during

number in Seussical.

PHOTOS: MORGAN WHIBLEY morgwhib@gmail.com

Hours Monday-Friday 5:30am-10:00pm Saturday & Sunday 7am-10pm

Lanes & Leisure

5:30am-9:00am 4-8 Lanes (L)

Parent & Tot, Physio

9:00am-12pm (4 L from 9-11am) Aquaﬁt (2 L) 11:05am-11:55am Family Swim (8 L)

12:00pm-1:00pm Schools (2 L)

1:00pm-2:30pm Public Swim (2 L)

2:30pm-4:00pm Lesson & Clubs (1 L)

4:00pm-7:00pm Public Swim (2 L)

7:00pm-8:30pm from 7-8:30pm Aqua Jogging (2 L)

8:35pm-9:20pm Adult Leisure

8:30pm-10:00pm (4 L from 9:15-10pm)

Lanes & Leisure

5:30am-9:00am 4-8 Lanes (L) Schools (2 L)

9:00am-10:30am Parent & Tot, Physio (4-8 L) 10:30am-Noon Family Swim (8 L) 12:00pm-1:00pm Schools (2 L)

1:00pm-2:30pm Public Swim (2 L)

2:30pm-3:45pm Lesson & Clubs 3:45pm-6:00pm Public Swim (2 L) 6:00pm-8:00pm from 7-8pm Aquaﬁt (2 L)

8:10pm-9:00pm Adult Leisure 8:00pm-10:00pm (4 L from 9-10pm)

Lanes & Leisure

5:30am-9:00am 4-8 Lanes (L) Schools (2 L)

9:00am-10:30am Parent & Tot, Physio 10:30am-Noon Aquaﬁt (2 L)

11:05am-11:55am Family Swim (8 L)

12:00pm-1:00pm Schools (2 L)

1:00pm-2:30pm Public Swim (2 L) 2:30pm-4:00pm Lesson & Clubs (1 L)

4:00pm-7:00pm Public Swim (2 L)

7:00pm-8:30pm from 7-8:30pm Aqua Jogging (2 L)

8:35pm-9:20pm Adult, Parents & Tot 8:30pm-10:00pm

Lanes & Leisure

Accessible and Affordable

5:30am-9:00am 4-8 Lanes (L) Schools (2 L) 9:00am-10:30am Parent & Tot, Physio (4-8 L) 10:30am-Noon Family Swim (8 L) 12:00pm-1:00pm Schools (2 L) 1:00pm-2:30pm Public Swim (2 L) 2:30pm-3:45pm Lesson & Clubs 3:45pm-6:00pm Public Swim (2 L) 6:00pm-8:00pm from 7-8pm Aquaﬁt (2 L) 8:10pm-9:00pm Adult Leisure 8:00pm-10:00pm (4 L from 9-10pm)

Lanes & Leisure

5:30am-9:00am 4-8 Lanes (L) Schools (2 L) 9:00am-10:30am Parent & Tot, Physio 10:30am-Noon Aquaﬁt (2 L) 11:05am-11:55am Family Swim (8 L) 12:00pm-1:00pm Schools (2 L) 1:00pm-2:30pm Public Swim (2 L) 2:30pm-8:00pm from 2:30-4pm from 7-8pm Family Swim (2 L) 8:00pm-9:30pm after May 30 Clubs 7:30am-9:30am Lessons (2 L) 9:30am-1:00pm Public Swim (2 L) 1:00pm-4:00pm

Facility Hours until June 16th

Monday – Friday 5:30 am – 10:00 pm

Saturday & Sunday 7:00 am – 10:00 pm

Facility Hours June 17th until September 12th

Monday – Friday 6:00 am – 10:00 pm

Saturday & Sunday 10:00 am – 10:00 pm

Go for a virtual visit of the Centre.

Wellness Centre:

•

Fully air conditioned

Cybex strength training equipment in 8

• stations: Lat Pull, Row, Overhead Press, Fly/Rear Deltoid, Chess Press, Seated Leg Curl, Leg Extension and Leg Curl

Cybex cardio machines: 8 stationary • bikes, 6 treadmills, 5 elliptical trainers

6 stair climbers •

4 rowing machines • Hoist Functional Trainer • Free weights up to 40 lbs • Stability balls, stretch tubing, BOSU balls, • medicine balls, balance boards

Located on the 235 metre indoor track:

• 1 recumbent bike, 2 stair climbers, 1 elliptical trainer and 1 stationary bike

Feeling the Light

It’s taken 20 years, but Gary Bailie has light burnt into his soul.

With a background of lighting up thousands of different shows, Bailie has learned the survival skill of relying on his intuition and feeling.

In an electronic age, he infuses human touch into his world of colour.

Inﬂuenced by the very thing that made him, Bailie is passionate about his artistry. Taking his colour palette from what he sees around him, he strives for originality. “My inspiration is the Creator, He has one light which is the sun and He lights the world with it,” he says.

Bailie got his start in lighting by chance and, luckily for him, it came naturally. He was in Whitehorse, working in a local pub, playing DJ/doorman, and made friends with the California band, Cindy Warren.

One thing led to another and Bailie found himself on a plane; he was now on tour lighting up the band.

With desires to learn technique, he began his research. Searching out what wasn’t being done, he started perfecting his practice: “The work was pretty technical, I wanted to get good at it so I went to every concert/band I could see and just started doing it and developing my own style.

“I progressed, I started studying the structure of music, counting the beats and keeping time, which was really important. All music has a style to it,” he says. “I wanted to be original as I saw it as an art form, lighting was going to be my chosen medium,” he says.

With such a background in working with hundreds of bands from Nazareth to Randy Bachman to 54●40 to Tanya Tucker, Bailie is experienced with all ranges of music ... every lighting show is just a bit different.

“Country is an easy going style. Rock ‘n’ roll is more punchy,” he says. “I look for originality in design and placement. I try to make my lighting rig look aesthetically pleasing. Then, you try to visually enhance the band,” he says.

“I want to create an environment for the artist where they can feel conﬁdent, look good and therefore have a good performance.”

Clearly times have changed since Bailie started working with lights. Living in an electronic world has removed the feeling that light-

ing once had.

“Technology is amazing, a powerful tool, but nothing comes close to the human touch.

“Computers are great but they don’t have the feel, the feel gives

it that little bit extra,” says Bailie, mimicking sliding his faders up and down.

Doing his homework helps him deliver the best show, that and feeling the music: “I set up a

THE Know

with Lauren Tuck

light show that will look good for everyone. I will try to listen to the band’s disc to ﬁgure out how they arrange their song structure and dynamics. And then I just go for it,” he smiles.

“There’s lots of anticipation with lights and it’s really fulﬁlling when you get in the groove and everything is working.”

Bailie continuously provides lighting around the territory. You can see his work at music festivals such as Frostbite, Dawson City, Blue Feather (which he also produces) and Alsek and the Yukon Arts Centre.

“It’s burned into my soul, it just

ORWOOD

comes out so familiar. It opens me up to all kinds of improvisation, what a magic place to be, that creative zone,” he says. You can contact Bailie or his production company, Moonshadow Productions, at Gbailie@kdfn. yk.ca.

Correction In the last The Know column, the names of Jordy Walker and North by Northeast Music Festival were spelled incorrectly. We apologize for these errors.

PHOTO: RICK MASSIE massierick@hotmail.com

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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 four feet long.

The mineral’s green colour emerges as you approach. Further attention yields the egg clasped in the owl’s left claw. Has the bird stolen this egg to eat or does it bring it as a gift?

Kirby collected most of the stone in this show, including this massive piece of serpentine, from the old Whitehorse Copper mine site.

The serpentine’s green colour comes from its high copper content. The mine treated the serpen-

tine as ore, crushing it to prepare for the copper reﬁning process.

Kirby worked at the mine when he was 18 years old. Now he scours the hillside for rocks that survived the blasting process. Most rocks, he taps with a hammer, and they fall into pieces. One in 20, perhaps, retains enough integrity to carve.

Kirby ﬁnds his inspiration in the wild. But he turns to abandoned quarries or mine sites to ﬁnd his materials. He has no interest quarrying for stone himself in an untouched setting.

He likes to go to places where there’s been “serious damage done” to the earth. He feels that “when you’re sensitive to the essence of a place, you can bring something back to it.” He glories in making “something beautiful from destruction”.

Kirby’s show contains three main kinds of work: there are his representational stone carvings,

like the owl. There are abstract “specimen stones”, which he has ground down and polished to create a composition from the highly ﬁgured surfaces inside. And then there are his re-creations of ancient Egyptian artifacts, reminiscent of museum exhibits.

But the show doesn’t feel like a museum crossed with a geological exhibit. It embodies both Kirby’s love of stone and his sense of magic.

From a very early age, Kirby loved stone. His sock drawers were full of rocks since he was four.

Most stones are greyish white when you ﬁnd them. If you lick rocks, you can ﬁnd surprising colours.

Check out Psyche, one of Kirby’s abstract highly ﬁgured rocks. Around the back of the stone, he’s left an area unpolished. This grayish beige forms a fascinating contrast to the stone formed of serpentine with massive garnet,

Integrity

granite and quartz. There’s a face carved into it, but you might not notice it.

Not only are these composite rocks hard to carve, due to the mixed hardnesses of their component rocks, but their “highly ﬁgured” surfaces are statements

communicate these thought forms, much better than words.

Three quarters of the way into the space, a long wide plinth, reminiscent of an altar, supports three of Kirby’s specimen stones. Two intricately reproduced Setian artifacts adorn the wall behind it.

on their own. Representational imagery carved into them tends to disappear into the rock’s own statements. In these pieces Kirby offers the stone’s own story.

In his magical practice, Kirby wants to get past the illusory surfaces of things, to their inner integrity, their truer selves, their “isolate intelligence”. As he grinds and polishes the stones to ﬁnd their inner colours, he does just that.

As you enter the show, you meet a raven entitled Intricate Webb carved in BC and Yukon serpentine. The raven’s form is carved of black BC serpentine. It holds a green serpentine egg, again in its left claw.

Kirby speaks of the “left-hand path” as the soul’s journey to its “clearest representation of self”. The raven’s trickster nature belongs to this path for Kirby.

The god known as Set in ancient Egypt also emblemizes Kirby’s lefthand path. Setian artifacts were destroyed at one point in ancient Egypt. Kirby wants to bring Setian ideas back to the world, especially here to the Yukon, feeling they are an important part of a shamanic tradition he wants to propagate.

Kirby feels that images best

Before it, like an offering or a dedication, stands another of Kirby’s representational sculptures, entitled Alicia Sarah Kirby: Behold the Soul. A two-sided face stands on a post through the palm of an open hand in soapstone.

Stones standing on posts surround you. It’s as if these representatives from the landscape stand up and look back at you.

Kirby plans to check out slag piles from the new mines, to see what other rocks they’re throwing away. He’ll also carve the other serpentine he has collected, that’s waiting in his yard.

You can catch this show until August 24. In the adjacent gallery, you will see the Yukon Art Society’s Roots show at the same time.

If you get out to the gallery before June 22, you can also catch Shiela Alexandrovitch’s Explorations in Felt: Words and Wool in the Community Gallery.

Nicole Bauberger is a writer and painter living in Whitehorse. Find out where you can see her work at www. nicolebauberger.com.

with Nicole Bauberger ARTS

Best of Both Musical Worlds

BY GEORGE MARATOS

AINES JUNCTION

HDancing on the grass under the big tent at Alsek and then racing across town in hopes of scoring a seat in the church at Bluegrass.

This has been a common scenario for many music lovers in Haines Junction over the years: schedule juggling in hopes of cramming as much of each festival in as possible.

This year, however, that won’t be required as a scheduling mix-up has resulted in the festivals now being held on separate weekends.

The Alsek Music Festival, featuring some of the north’s most recognized music acts, will kick things off June 6 to 8 with the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival going the weekend after.

“It’ll be different for sure this year,” explains Bob Hayes, president and artistic director for the bluegrass event. “It was a really good partnership we had, so we’ll have to see how this year goes.”

Hayes recognizes not having the ability to share fans of both festivals is an obvious blow but notes it’s allowed him to offer more music options to the bluegrass music lovers.

“Our festival goers are going to be able to watch music all day Saturday at both the Grand Hall and St. Christopher’s Anglican Church so that’s a deﬁnite bonus,” said Hayes, noting the bluegrass festival is already sold out as has been the case year after year.

Look at the names gracing the

stage at this year’s bluegrass festival and it is easy to understand the popularity as they are among the most recognized in the bluegrass world. This includes Michael Cleveland and the Flamekeeper,

is safe to say the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival is among North America’s most impressive.

“We have an incredible group of volunteers and we have very high standards from the hospital-

The Alsek Music Festival and the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival are so popular, audiences are in the rafters. This year will see Alsek presented June 6 to 8 while Kluane is the following weekend.

winners of the 2007 Instrumental Group of the Year.

Add to the mix Female Vocalist of the Year Dale Ann Bradley and it

ity to the music,” explains the soft-spoken Hayes when asked what the secret to his success is. “It’s also a word-of-mouth kind of business in the bluegrass world and fortunately we have a great reputation.”

Hayes says the relaxed and friendly environment is also an easy sell to the world-class musicians.

“They get wrapped up in the special aspects of this festival and it really is like a holiday for them. They’re treated like royalty for three days and they get the chance to become part of the community.”

Not to be outdone, the Alsek Music Festival also boasts an impressive line-up of northern musicians including Kim Barlow, Dave Haddock and Brandon Isaak.

Alsek attendees also have the option of a beer garden, a complementary shuttle and a riverside stage making it a fair estimate to say the scheduling mix-up may actually be a blessing in disguise and a regular mistake in the future.

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Hours: Monday-Thursday & Saturday 9:30-6:00 Friday 9:30-8:00

206 Alexander Street, Whitehorse Yukon Y1A 2L4

Phone: 867-668-6543

TOLL FREE 1-866-628-3468

Email: eriks@eriksyukon.com

David

Tel: 867.993.5005

Fax: 867.993.5838 www.kiac.org

Dream North Presents

William Shakespeare’s

Much Ado About Nothing

Directed by Craig Walker

June 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 7pm

June 14, 2pm

June 21, 2pm

presented by Festival du Solstice Festival

Outdoors @ Shipyards Park

Tickets by donation (suggested $15)

Don’t forget to bring your blankets and lawn chairs

Mayo Midnight Marathon

Jun 21, 2008

Fireweed Community Markets

Downtown Markets

Every Thursday 3pm-8pm Shipyards Park (on the riverfront and Ogilvie) Until Mid September

Yukon Made Store and Oﬃce Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 5pm 393-2255

For More information: ﬁreweedmarket@yahoo.ca www.ﬁreweedmarket.yukonfood.com It’s

The Yukon Art Society presents

Arts in the Park 2008

LePage Park, 3rd Avenue & Wood Street

June 9th – June 13th, 2008 On the Stage Noon to 1:00 daily

Monday, June 9th –Remy Rodden – local singer and songwriter with an environmental and ecological ﬂ air!

Tuesday, June 10th – Vanier Senior Jazz Combo –come out and support the local high school

***Wednesday is Kids Day!!!***

Wednesday, June 11th – Lana Rae – the Yukon’s favourite children’s entertainer

Thursday, June 12th – Kim Beggs & Kevin Barr – country duets from these two Yukon favourites

Friday, June 13th – Gordie Tentrees – bottleneck to the wire – blues and beyond

Visual Artist Demonstrations

11:00 to 2:00 daily

Nicole Bauberger

Seussical The Musical

I meant What I said I said What I meant

Seussical’s coming 100%

Mayo Arts Festival

June 21st, 2008 2:30 - 8:00 pm Galena Park

Come out and enjoy local artisans at the Arts and Craft Fair and listen to our talented homegrown musicians on the Main-stage! Free Admission. For more information contact Esther Winter at (867)996-2043.

Festival

Picturing the Yukon 2008 + Summer Repertory Cinema Whitehorse, Tuesdays at the Old Firehall July 1 to Aug 26 7:30pm Yukon ﬁlms

9:00pm Recent international cinema, NFB docs and ﬁlm classics.

PTY: Yukon Films on Tour Haines Junction July 1

Atlin Arts Festival July 11+12

Dawson City Riverside Arts Festival August 15

Keno City August 29 + 30 WWW.YUKONFILMSOCIETY.COM

Life Whitehorse

The Cranberry Fair is now accepting applications for the 2008 Sale.

The deadline is August 1st,

For more information, please contact Edith at 393-2389 or cranberryfair@live.com

Marathon race also includes a 10-km walk or run; halfmarathon walk or run. Medal, T-shirts and champagne breakfast for all participants. Phone: (867) 996-2368

Email: stephron@northwestel.net

Encaustic Painting – 100 Dresses With her current work, 100 Dresses, Nicole is attempting to paint 100 dresses in as many different places as possible, including the LePage park this week!

Thanks to Gold & Silver Sponsors: YTG ArtsFund; Lotteries Yukon; On Yukon Time; YHMA; City of Whse; Culture Quest; Northwestel; Yukon Energy; Unitech; Home Hardware; What's Up Yukon; Whitehorse Folk Society; Hougen Group of Companies; North End Gallery; Vector Research and the Java Connection.

June 7-8

Rotary Peace Park

Survivors Reception June 7 5pm in the Main Tent www.cancer.ca

www.atlinfestival.ca

City Music Festival July 18-20

www.dcmf.com

The Hougen Heritage Gallery

Active isolated stretching, PNF stretching, contractrelax stretching, facilitated stretching, ballistic stretching, stretching to increase ﬂexibility, stretching to increase power, stretching for relaxation ... there are so many “rules” and guidelines when it comes to stretching that it creates a lot of confusion as to when and how to stretch.

Stretching is an important part of your ﬁtness regime but, like exercise, diet and cardio, you must ﬁrst set a goal as to why you want to stretch. What do you want your stretching to enhance?

We use to recommend that all people stretch prior to exercise and the safest most common prac-

tice was static stretching.

Static stretching is your basic hold in a stretch position without movement. The reason for this was to get the muscles ready and warmed up to start moving.

We have since learned that

The new rules are as follows:

Pre-weights workouts need a light cardio warmup for eight to 10 minutes.

Post-weights workouts need a long, isolated stretch for all muscle groups. This is when you want

HEALTHY

static stretching prior to physical activity actually increases the likelihood of muscle tears and strains by putting the muscle in a pre-stretched position.

Come watch young Yukon artists in action!

Yukon First Nation and Northwest Coast designs

Experience Yukon culture

Take home unique handmade gifts Masks, art cards, prints, panels, paddles, plaques, rattles, bowls and more…

Helpingemergingartistsdevelopthe artistic,socialandbusinessskills requiredforpersonalsuccess.

Monday – Friday, 9:00am - 4:30pm

to do static stretching. Hold each stretch for 1+ minute to increase ﬂexibility.

Pre-ﬁtness class needs more of an active, but not ballistic, stretch. This is when you are stretching the muscle group while in a controlled movement. For example, standing in a straddle and lunging side to side.

Cardio activity on your own such as running, elliptical, stair climber, cycling, etc, then you do a warm up, walk or light jog for a few minutes prior to increasing the intensity.

If you have a tight muscle group that is causing you a bit of discomfort, then feel free to take a minute after your warmup to stretch

it out a little bit but, again, try a more active stretch to keep the blood ﬂowing. You want to do a deeper isolated stretch post cardio.

When you are wanting to increase power for sport speciﬁc moves such as in basketball, volleyball or gymnastics, then you would incorporate ballistic type movements in your program. These need to be done when you are fully warmed up and in a controlled yet intense manner. This is saved for those who are aware of where their body is in space.

If you are stretching for relaxation, then practise a contract-relax stretch program in conjunction with a yoga style workout.

Start with the yoga practice ﬁrst in order to fully warm up and get the blood ﬂowing through the muscles then, at the end of the workout, do your contract-relax stretching.

For this type, you want to start at either the toes or the face and work your way through the body. Be sure to use your breath as you release the tension to fully feel the relaxation beneﬁts.

When you are stretching to increase ﬂexibility, a stretching

program can be a lot of fun and quite a good workout if you do it with a partner. Be sure to do your homework and make sure you and your partner know how to partner stretch properly to not cause injury to one another.

Take your time with this, don’t be competitive and try to relax in the poses as much as possible. It is all about preparing your body and your mind for the activity you are about to do. Listen to your body and ﬁnd the stretching program that best works for you.

Remember, a tight muscle group is a weak muscle group, so get stretching along with strengthening.

If you are having joint or muscle problems ﬁnd a good physiotherapist to program a proper stretch program for your limitations.

This column is provided by Peak Fitness. Mrs. Lee Randell is an ACE certified personal trainer. Contact information and past articles are available at www.pkfitness.yk.ca/Clients. Anyone who wants to begin an exercise program should consult their physician first.

with Lee Randell

Sunday June 8 1-3pm Canada Games Centre

Come out and enjoy a swim with your skating friends www.arcticedge.ca

Athletics Yukon

June 8th WAR Whitehorse Adventure Run

Tuesday’s (until October) Run/Walk at 6:30 p.m. Intersport Fun run/walk starting at F.H. Collins. 2.5km, 3km and 5 km distances. $2.00 for members and $4.00 for non-members of Athletics Yukon. See www. athleticsyukon.ca or call Don White at 633-5671 for more information

Registration • Game Times • Seminars • Meetings

This space reserved for Sport Yukon Members Contact Sport Yukon to book your space or to become a member at: tel: (867) 668-4236 fax: (867) 667-4237

e-mail: news@sportyukon.com website: www.sportyukon.com 4061-4th Ave , Whitehorse, YT , Y1A 1H1

Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay Association

On the Haines road from Haines Junction Yukon to Haines Alaska RACE Date June 21

For more details see www.kcibr.org

EET –Primary School

Falcon Dr. Copper Ridge

TUESDAY

6-7pm. Iai-jutsu (Samurai swordsmanship)

7-8pm Practical self-defense (Aikido & Tai-jutsu)

8-8:30pm Jo-jutsu (staff ﬁghting)

WEDNESDAY

6-6:45pm. Kids in Budo, Ages 5-9

6:45-7:30 Aikido, Tai-jutsu

THURSDAY

6-7pm Practical selfdefense for women 7-8pm Iai-jutsu, Jo-do

FRIDAY

6:30-8:00pm Practical self-defense At Salvation Army

Contact: Sensei Vitold Jordan (867) 393-4910 sensei@yeshua-do.com

Table Tennis Yukon Drop In

Tuesdays

6:30pm-9pm Holy Family School Porter Creek

Sundays

1:30pm-4:00pm Whitehorse

Elementary School

Enter at Back Door

Sponsored by: EastWest Clinic and Table Tennis Yukon

Aikido Yukon Schedule of classes:

Monday 5:30 – 6:30 Level 1/2 6:30 – 7:30 Weapons

Tuesday 5:30 – 6:30 Level 1/2

6:30 – 8:00 Weapons 8:00 – 9:00 Level3 (advanced)

Wednesday 5:30 – 7:00 Women’s class

Thursday

5:30 – 6:30 Level 1/2

6:30 – 8:00 Weapons 8:00 – 9:00 Level 3 (advanced)

Saturday 10:00 – 12:00 Weapons

For more information please call 334 – 9844 www.Aikidoyukon.net

Yukon Outdoors Club

July 6th Day hike along the Auriol Trail in Kluane National Park. Moderate elevation gain along 16 kilometer trail. A number of great view points along the trail. Moderate 668-4424

June 8 Carcross to Whitehorse RR/ITT

Great Savings Sprouting

The Neptune Streamer was originally used for large brook trout in Labrador.

Since its inception, it has also been used successfully for numerous other species. I have always had good ﬁshing with this attractor streamer.

All you need is oval tinsel, ﬂat tinsel and badger saddle hackles.

The wing uses four badger saddle hackles and the collar uses two to three badger spade hackles. All saddle hackles for the wing should

be the same size.

The saddle hackles are the long feathers at the top of the saddle neck; the spade hackles are the short wide hackles at the bottom of the neck. The original Neptune called for natural white badger hackles, but I have substituted saddle hackles dyed red.

Be sure to tie a lot of these ﬂies in the original colour and any bright colour of your choice.

For ﬁshing in the lakes and rivers of the Yukon, olive cree (middle ﬂy in the left column) would work well on grayling and lake trout.

For Alaska, I would try green, chartreuse, pink, fuchsia, blue and shrimp-dyed saddles (the larger the better).

Chum salmon should like green and chartreuse and Coho salmon pink and blue. Tie these in your favourite colours, too. They work and are fairly easy to tie, but they aren’t very durable. The hardest part is getting the wing to stay upright (step 3).

RECIPE

Hook: Mustad 9671, size 2 (or any similar streamer hook)

Thread: Black UNI-thread 8/0

Rib: Silver oval tinsel

Body: Silver ﬂat tinsel

Wing: Four badger saddle hackles dyed red, with four to six red Krystal Flash strands

Hackle: Two or more badger spade hackles, dyed red

Head: Clear cement

TYING A NEPTUNE STREAMER

Step 1

top of the hackles.

This will get the hackles to stay at an angle to the shank.

Make a good base by wrapping thread over the hook shank.

Tie in the oval tinsel along the hook shank.

Tie in the ﬂat tinsel in the middle of the shank (not at the end).

Step 2

Step 4

Tie in the four to six Krystal Flash strands on both sides of your hackles.

Tie a spade hackle in by the tip and wrap forward about two to three turns.

If the hackle is big enough, just grab it with your ﬁngers and wrap.

For small hackles, use a pair of hackle pliers.

Wrap your thread back through the hackle, pull back

on the ﬁbres and secure it.

Wrap the ﬂat tinsel backward to where the oval tinsel is tied in and then reverse, tying the ﬂat tinsel toward the eye at a spot leaving enough space for the three spade hackles to be tied in collar style.

Wrap the oval tinsel forward making two turns for the tag and wrap forward to where you tied off the ﬂat tinsel.

Prepare four equal-sized saddle hackle feathers (two on each side facing in).

Trim off the butt sections and cut off the ﬁbres at the butt end.

Step 3

Tie in these four saddle hackles holding them on top until they are securely anchored.

Wind the thread under the hackles at the back and then over

Repeat Step 4, tying in two or more spade hackles.

Finish the head with a whip ﬁnishing tool and use head cement or lacquer of your choice.

Bruce Ross has been hooked on fly fishing and tying his own flies since the early 1970s and has fished throughout Canada and the US. Contact him at robert.bruce.ross@northwestel.net.

Endless Possibilities for Yukon Kayak Fishing

FISHED THAT

with Dennis Zimmermann

Christmas has come early for me.

I have invested in a brand, spanking, new ﬁshing kayak.

I’ve tried and owned all kinds of watercrafts for ﬁshing. I’m paddling now and giving the pistonpowered propeller a break, the belly boat a hiatus and the pontoon boat a well-deserved vaca-

The introduction of the specialized fishing kayak or “fishyak” is taking the paddling and fishing world by storm.

There are a number of companies producing lines of kayaks rigged and designed to be able to sneak up on and catch all kinds of fish. They tend to be more stable, all tricked out with rod holders, fish finders, storage hatches, shing

to try a few other demo models.

As he expertly zipped up his dry suit, strapped on his neoprene booties and tightened his pfd, I realized I knew very little about kayaking.

We made a deal, I would teach him as much about ﬁshing as I could and he would do the same for paddling.

I straddled the very stable siton-top kayak and easily pushed off. Kalin provided instructions on how to safely and efﬁciently paddle the kayak, I stripped off some line and the rest is history.

It was as simple as that with a few Rainbows caught in the process.

might be for you.

anchor trollies and other ﬁshi accessories.

Reasons for to a kay for ﬁ

Reasons for switching to a kayak shing include: extra stability, stealth, manoeuvrability, exercise that comes with paddling and the fact that it’s fun.

Not to mention getting into the hard-to-access, gnarly areas where

My ﬁrst impressions included how easy it was to cover water at a variety of trolling speeds and the height at which you sit in the water was very comfortable for sight casting.

The opportunities for kayak ﬁshing in the Yukon and the North seem endless. One could paddle the weeds of Tarfu Lake in search of pike; troll the depths of Lake Lebarge in the quest for lakers;

power boats just can’t go.

After some lengthy research, I decided on purchasing a 13-foot, sit-on-top Prowler model made by Ocean Kayak.

Kalin from Up North Adventures, from whom I purchased the kayak, wanted to give me an early introduction to this wild, wonderful, new sport. While waiting for my kayak to arrive in town, he invited me out to Pumphouse Lake

hike into Hidden to catch wiry Rainbow; or travel to Haines and be pulled around by salmon.

All of which I hope to experience ﬁrst-hand this summer.

Another positive to this new sport is that the kayaks are relatively inexpensive starting at around $1,000.

If you are a paddler looking for a new angle, or an angler looking for a new way to catch ﬁsh, this

If you want to give kayak fishing a try, Up North Adventures is offering, for the first time, an Introduction to Kayak Fishing Course June 10 and 12, with an all-day fishing session June 14.

If you would like to share your fishing story, or hear more about this one, visit Dennis Zimmermann’s Yukon fishing blog at www.fishonyukon.com.