Didee & Didoo: OLD CROW ZOO
YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF CARIBOU. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF MOOSE. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF MARTEN. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF SQUIRRELS. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF WOLVES. […]
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Power and Money
The ladies rule Dawson City this weekend. First up, the Dawson City League of Lady Wrestlers presents the North End Knockout on Saturday, August 6.
Only woodfire for this ethical bean
The best cup of coffee I’ve ever had was at the table of Philippe and Leandra Brient in the log-hewn home they built themselves. Outside
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Passion for Fashion
Evelyn Koh wanted a reason to stay in Haines Junction. She worked for years in Whitehorse, at the college and for the Yukon government. She
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Powerful Incentives
The ATCO technician was confused. Normally reading meters is the simple part of the job, but this one seemed to be running, well, backwards. Time
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Didee & Didoo: INDIAN TIME
WE DON’T KEEP TRACK OF TIME AN’ WE DON’T THINK IT’S A CRIME. OUR ALARM GOES ON AT EIGHT BUT WE LIKE TO BE LATE.
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The History of Jews During the Gold Rush
Once upon a time there were quite a few Jews in the Klondike. They arrived with the other gold rush stampeders. There were enough of
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Especially Good Fun
There is something special about watching Special Olympics athletes compete. If you know people with an intellectual disability involved with the Special Olympics, then you
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A Big Yellow Truck with a Past
“It’s a 1942 International,” Sid tells me as we are standing by a truck whose yellow paint is slowly chipping away with age. The truck’s
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Stories for Gold
KVA works with the Writers’ Trust of Canada, Parks Canada, and the Dawson Community Library to put on the Authors on Eighth Walking Tour.
Didee & Didoo: Dome Run
I’M OVER THE HILL TO RUN UP THE HILL. I NEVER RAN IT BEFORE BUT I KNOW IT’S SORT. I’LL GIVE IT A TRY BUT
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Bringing Crowds to Dodge: 38th annual Dawson City Music Festival
The Dawson City Music Festival (DCMF) is a major draw. “One of the bands getting a lot of attention is called the Wet Secrets,”
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Didee & Didoo: I SNOWSHOED AT… I FIDDLED AT…
I Snowshoed at… ANCHORAGE – IDITASHOE FT YUKON – ICE KING CLASSIC DAWSON – AWG SNOWSHOE TRIALS OLD CROW – EASTER CARNIVAL FT MCPHERSON –
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Saturday is Market Time in the Klondike
Saturday in Dawson’s Waterfront Park means it’s time for a couple of markets to open for business. The Farmers’ Market has been running for many
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A Family Tradition
When the hooligan are running, the rivers and harbour In Haines, Alaska host a fiesta of wildlife that congregate to feed on this little fish
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Didee & Didoo: I SHOOK THEIR HANDS
REGGIE LEACH – NHL HOCKEY PLAYER. GEORGE CHUVALO – PROFESSIONAL BOXER. CHIEF PETER MOSES – BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL. PIERRE TRUDEAU – PRIME MINISTER. GEORGE ATTLA
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The Strange Story of Mary Hanulik Garden
Dawson City blooms in the summer. It’s a process that begins in some local commercial greenhouses and explodes after the horticultural booths at the Gold
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Atlin Arts and Music Festival: A Feast for the Senses
The Atlin Arts and Music Festival, music, visual arts, film and food, is about building community through music and art.
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Stereoscopic Views
Looking through Sid’s antiquities I spot a familiar sight: stereoscopes. I had a pair of bright orange View Masters (a trademarked format of stereoscope) when
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Didee & Didoo: AT OLD CROW
Didee & Didoo by Allen Benjamin: At Old Crow WE DON’T HAVE TRAFFIC LIGHTS. WE DON’T HAVE ELEVATORS. WE DON’T HAVE BRIDGES. WE DON’T HAVE
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Gold Fever is Alive and Well
Panning for gold the old-fashioned way is an art and a science, though you don’t have to be an expert in either to take part
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The Joys of Reading Aloud
Jack London’s The Call of the Wild is not a particularly long book. A mere 70 pages, perhaps a few more in a version with
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A Canada Day Celebration Worth Driving To
Mayo Arts Festival offers a unique way to celebrate Canada’s birthday with artists, workshops and musicians from the Stewart River Valley
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Didee & Didoo: After A Race
I CAN SLEEP. I’M NOT NERVOUS. I CAN BREATHE. I CAN TALK. I DON’T CHOKE. MY HEART BEATS NORMAL. I’M NOT STIFF. I CAN KEEP
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A Big Night in a Small Town
The Teslin Arena is going to be rocking on June 25. Canadian country acts Aaron Pritchett, Cory Marquardt and Roger Gabriel are coming to town
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Chasing Stories in Skagway
My shakedown cruise for our trailer has come to be my annual pilgrimage to the town of Skagway to attend the North Words Writers’ Symposium,
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Banners! Banners!
“They were popular back in the 1960s,” Sid tells me as we stand in one of his many garages. Built attached to his house, his old
Easy Riders
Next Thursday up to 300 motorcyclists will descend on Dawson City for the 29th gathering of Dust 2 Dawson Motorcycle Ride. Dick Van Nostrand, a
Tlingit Treasure
On Saturday May 14th, under sunny skies, hundreds of spectators celebrated the Grand Opening of the Jilkaat Kwaan Cultural Heritage Centre and Bald Eagle Preserve
Didee & Didoo: BEFORE A RACE
I CAN’T SLEEP. I SHAKE. I’M NERVOUS. I CAN’T BREATHE. I CAN’T TALK. I ALMOST CHOKE. MY HEART BEATS FAST. I GET STIFF. I CAN’T
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A Little or a Lot, Get Ready to Run
Dawson City runners have been pleased to participate in the Mayo Marathon. This year there is a Dempster to Dawson (or D2DC) Solstice Race.
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Looking after each other
in 1996, the Mount Lorne fire hall opened it’s doors with a 1977 Ford cabover truck with an 800-gallon tank and a 125 horsepower pump
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On Top of the World at the Top of the World
Ever wanted to toss a log or throw a 20-pound rock? Top of the World Highland Games and Celtic Festival in Dawson City is for you.
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Didee & Didoo: WHAT ANIMALS THINK OF US
THEY WALK ON TWO FEET. THEY DON’T HAVE TAILS. THEY DON’T BARK. THEY DON’T PANT. THEY DON’T HAVE FUR. THEY DON’T HAVE HORNS. THEY DON’T
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Yoga Through the Summer
Dawson City – get ready for yoga with Sabu Chaitanya. He’s on his way to instruct a full one-month intensive in the Klondike. The course
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Oh, Beer. Maybe Next Year?
It’s a gathering where you may sip the tingly bitterness of a pale ale, sample salty snacks from the “bacon booth” and lock eyes magically
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Celebrating Jack London’s Legacy
One of the stops along Dawson’s 8th Avenue Writers’ Block is Jack London Square, home of a part of Jack London’s Klondike cabin and the
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Didee & Didoo: NOT GUILTY
THEY WORK OVERTIME TO COMMIT CRIME. THEIR MANNERS THEY DON’T USE AN’ THEY LIKE TO ABUSE. THEY LIKE TO ROB AN’ THAT’S THEIR JOB. THEY
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Propeller Invention
Sid van der Meer hustles about Beaver Creek’s Visitor Information Centre preparing his workplace for the 2016 tourism season. With new Yukon tourism commercials airing
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Gearing up for the 30th Gold Show
There are three major changes that can be seen in the organization of the 30th edition of the Dawson City International Gold Show, which will
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Music for Fun and a Good Cause
“Ten years we’ve been doing this and we never quite know what’s going to happen each time.” Nijen Holland (usually just known as Nijen) was
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Didee & Didoo: SERIOUS TRAINING
SERIOUS TRAINING I’M A VUNTUT GWICHIN ATHLETE AND I ALWAYS COMPETE. I’LL RUN WHEN IT’S SNOWING OR RAINING BECAUSE I’M IN SERIOUS TRAINING. I DON’T
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Twenty Years of Pioneer Women Celebrated at the Hospital
Twenty years ago the late Madeleine Gould’s lengthy quest (1987-1996) to join the Yukon Order of Pioneers ended with a Supreme Court of Canada decision.
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Catch A Cutthroat
This is an awkward time of year for fishing. Each day, as the amount of daylight lengthens, we grow impatient to be back outside, with
Sophia Flather
“It felt like home” is what Sophia Flather says of the first summer she lived in Old Crow. While working as a summer student there
Nothing, Nothing, Nothing… Then Honks Galore!
Sometimes it seems like maybe they might not come. Then you hear them: the faint, high-pitched croaking, growing louder and louder. Then the sky fills
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Art Nights in Alaska
First Friday is an opportunity to experience art, and speak with local artists, and enjoy the downtown in a social setting.
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The role of the KVA in the Klondike
The KVA spends money marketing Dawson City as a tourism destination, an effort that benefits the entire Yukon.
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Taking it to the Streets
The streets of Dawson vary in size, height, width and smoothness with the seasons. In spite of snowfall and the need to plough them, they
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Dawson and the Harrison Effect
I’ve been enjoying a couple of relatively new books about the work of the latecTed Harrison. They are Ted Harrison Collected (Douglas & McIntyre) and
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Technology Meets Art
A new exhibition has opened at the ODD Gallery in Dawson City. Ommatida Muralis, which runs until April 16, is a new interactive installation by
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Didee & Didoo: DIDOO NEVER HAD THESE THINGS
DIDOO COULDN’T WRITE OR READ SO THESE THINGS SHE DIDN’T NEED. DIDOO NEVER HAD A MEASURING CUP. DIDOO NEVER HAD MEASURING SPOONS. DIDOO NEVER HAD
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Germans love Jack London
Why is Robert Service so much better known here than Jack London? This question comes from Wolfgang Robert Greiner, one of five German journalists I
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It’s 40 years of mushing on the Percy DeWolfe Trail
Anna Claxton and the rest of the Percy DeWolfe Race Committee were hugely relieved to be able to announce that the “really hard working, amazing,
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Didee & Didoo: RED LANTERN
YOUR TEAM IS NEVER IN THE LEAD ‘CAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE THE SPEED. THEY’RE ALWAYS LAST ‘CAUSE THEY’RE NOT FAST. YOU’RE THE LAST TO THE
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Year 17 sees an abundance of Yukon Films at the Festival
On Easter weekend the ballroom of the Oddfellows Hall will be filled with hundreds of short film fans celebrating the 17th edition of the Dawson
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Announcing Yukon’s Unofficial Other March Long Weekend
With late February temperatures maxing out at +4 in Dawson, it’s hard to say just what this year’s Thaw di Gras, Spring Carnival will be
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Didee & Didoo: STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW
DON’T SHOOT CARIBOU AND MOOSE WHEN THEY’RE RUTTING. THREE RIFLE SHOTS MEANS “DISTRESS.” CHECK ICE THICKNESS BEFORE CROSSING. WEAR SUNGLASSES IN THE SPRING TIME. STAY
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Myth and Medium Focuses on Stories and Performance
This week shaped up to be a culturally ambitious one in Dawson City. The centerpiece of the week has been the Myth and Medium conference
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Didee & Didoo: I MADE A FIDDLE
FIDDLES COST TOO MUCH THEY WOULDN’T LET ME TOUCH. SO WHEN I WAS LITTLE I MADE MY OWN FIDDLE. IT SOUNDED LIKE A LOON BUT
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Examining the Quest to Understand the Aurora Borealis
The most recent exhibition at Dawson’s ODD Gallery is nothing if not seasonal for its subject is the northern lights, also called aurora borealis, the
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Showing Torontonians What’s Happening in Old Crow
photos from Old Crow, Yukon Territory, and Inuvik, Northwest Territories from youth workshops held by BYTE
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Of Heater Plugs and Roof Clearances
It’s not that there haven’t been warm winter spells at various times in Dawson, but this winter seems to be one for the books.
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Never Too Young To Be An Old Timer
You don’t have to be a real old timer to play Oldtimers Hockey in Dawson City. Anyone from 35 years and up can play on
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The (Book) Case for Real Books
There are six bookcases in my study, and two of those are arranged so that I can shelve paperbacks on both sides of them. On
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A Place to Wander… and A Place to Stay
You can’t beat the price: $35 for a bed, $80-$95 for the private couple/family room or $25 for a place to pitch your tent, including
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Dawson Entrepreneur Finds her own Klondike Gold
Not just gold glitters in the Klondike. For Dawson City single-mother & entrepreneur, the pasties she makes sparkle too.
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Didee & Didoo: THERE’S ALL KINDS OF FORTS
THERE’S ALL KINDS OF FORTS. THERE’S FORT YUKON, ALASKA. THERE’S FORT MCPHERSON, NWT. THERE’S FORT SELKIRK, YUKON. THERE’S FORT GOOD HOPE, NWT. THERE’S FORT PROVIDENCE,
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Where will the ravens warm their toes?
Dawson is switching to LED (Light Emitting Diode) streetlights, swapping out the older HPS (high pressure sodium) for the newer, more eco-friendly, longer lasting lights.
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Art Crawl Dawson Style
Blair Douglas and Carly Woolner are hoping you’ll join them outside to have some fun this weekend. They are organizing the second annual edition of
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Didee & Didoo: MY GYM
WHEN I MENTION MY GYM IT DOESN’T HAVE A BASKETBALL RIM. MY GYM IS THE GREAT OUTDOORS I SHARE IT WITH ANIMALS ON ALL FOURS.
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So much for the death of the printed book
I was very pleased to read recently that the L.A. Times reported 571 million print books were sold in 2015, 17 million more than in
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Didee & Didoo: I’M LIKE A BALL
THEY MAKE A BALL ROUND AN’ THEY THROW IT AROUND. WHEN THEY PLAY FOR THE GREY CUP THEY KICK THE BALL WAY UP. THE BALL
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Didee & Didoo: MOOSE AND RABBIT
THEY EAT WILLOW LEAVES IN THE AUTUMN AN’ ONLY RABBIT EATS AT THE BOTTOM. MOOSE AND RABBIT MADE A DEAL SO THAT THEY’LL BOTH HAVE
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Winning Awards with Husky Bus
Last month Jesse Cooke was the recipient of the Parks Canada Youth Tourism Entrepreneur Award, at a ceremony held in Ottawa on Dec. 2. Cooke
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Making Plans for the Midnight Sun
Rumour has it the 2015 lineup is the Kluane Bluegrass Music Festival’s best yet. No shortage of interest in headlining 2 decades in.
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Christmas in Dawson
Christmas is a time of gatherings with family and friends. But what if you find yourself alone at that time of year? Well, if you’re
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Didee & Didoo: WHEN I GO HUNTING
I HAVE NEVER SEEN A HORSE. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A VULTURE. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A ZEBRA. I HAVE NEVER SEEN AN ELEPHANT. I
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Dawson Lights up for Christmas
We have reached that point in the season where we don’t get a lot of direct sunlight in Dawson City’s historic townsite. Those who live
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Reflections on Harsh Times
Last Friday I returned from a run to find The Frenchman shovelling snow. The end result is like an iced cake: smooth, precise and clean.
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Didee & Didoo: WILLOW MAN
WILLOW MAN IS HIS NAME AN’ HIS ARROW HE LIKES TO AIM. HE’S AS STRONG AS A BEAR AN’ HE HUNTS WITH A SPEAR. WILLOW
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Feeding the Hungry is a Vital Community Service
The Dawson Food Bank and the Dawson Women’s Shelter are busy organizing their annual Holiday Hamper Program and Food Drive. It’s designed to assist individuals
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Didee & Didoo: THOSE MY AUNTIE
I CALL THOSE MY AUNTIE HE AN’ HE CALL THOSE UNCLE SHE. THOSE AUNTIE HE’S NOT THAT NEW AND SNUFF HE ALWAYS CHEW. I THINK
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Brightening Up Even the Darkest Nights
I’m happy to record that, except for the arrival of the Sears Wish Book at North 60 Petro Express, everything else related to Christmas here
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West Dawson Time
I’m not sure where the second week of freeze up has gone. After the protracted nature of my preparations, the flurry of activity upon arrival,
Berry Picking in Old Crow
In the past two years the herd of Porcupine Caribou in Old Crow herd has gradually changed its natural migration route.
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Didee & Didoo: HELICOPTER CRASH
THEY WENT FOR A SHORT RIDE BUT LUCKILY NO ONE DIED. IN THE WATER THEY MADE A SPLASH WHEN THE HELICOPTER MADE A CRASH. THE
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Good Music for Good Causes
November 7 turned out to be an incredibly busy evening for anyone involved in community events in Dawson. There was the closing banquet for the
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Jewels on the Water
The ice is coming down in a rush this year. While there was not a sign of the stuff in the river on the day
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Freeze Up: A First Timer’s Experience on the Other Side of the River
I jumped at the prospect of adventure and isolation in the little off-grid community while it waits for the Yukon River to freeze
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Didee & Didoo: I CAN’T KEEP STILL
I CAN STILL SNOWSHOE. I CAN STILL RUN. I CAN STILL BIKE. I CAN STILL CANOE. I CAN STILL MUSH DOGS. I CAN STILL SKI.
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Harvesting Porcupine Caribou Near Old Crow
In the past two years the herd of Porcupine Caribou in Old Crow herd has gradually changed its natural migration route.
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Didee & Didoo: DIDOO AN’ POOR DIDEE
THEIR BACKS ARE BENT AN’ THEY STAY IN A TENT. THEY DON’T READ OR WRITE AN’ THEY USE CANDLE AT NIGHT. DIDOO WEAR LONG SKIRT
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Winter: We Shutter to Feel it Coming
At a recent municipal candidates’ forum it was suggested that one of the solutions to Dawson’s perennial winter housing problem would be to arrange to
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Chance of a Ghost
Claude Turcotte was the father of my two younger kids, Josh and Sophie Turcotte, also Dad to then-toddlers Geordie MacInnis and Lee Robitaille. He was
An Old Crow Halloween
I looked out our window in Old Crow Halloween Day, 2014. It was -10ºC outside. Trees were shaking as the wind howled making it much colder.
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Alaska Haunting
Wherever your travels take you, there is bound to be a place that has a ghost living in the shadows. England has the ghastly Tower
Didee & Didoo: I’M RUNNING FOR PRIME MINISTER
BECAUSE I KNOW HOW TO SNOWSHOE. BECAUSE I KNOW HOW TO CANOE. BECAUSE I KNOW HOW TO HUNT. BECAUSE I KNOW HOW TO FISH. BECAUSE
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