By the S.S. Klondike in Rendezvous outfit.
Have you ever had the urge to go bowling with a frozen turkey? To pull a train caboose? To chuck your chainsaw in the snow or to show off your hairy legs?
If so, I can highly recommend visiting Yukon’s Sourdough Rendezvous Winter Festival where all these things happen as a contest. I briefly mentioned this festival in a previous Yukon blog but it deserves a story on its own.
Most people will plan to visit Yukon during the summer. But winter offers a chance to participate in one of Canada’s most exciting festivals. The first snow might have come in September. Snow and cold are definitely there to stay after October, until somewhere around April depending on the year. The sun barely makes an appearance. Living in a dark, frozen land can have its challenges despite coffeeshops and a great library in town.
When we lived in Whitehorse, Yukon December was not bad when you had Christmas get-togethers and lots of potlucks. But January was long, dark and cold, often -60º.
Gillian Campbell: the grande dame of Rendezvous.
By February Spring is still a long ways away and it will be at least two, perhaps three more months of winter. You need to lift your spirits. But how? By celebrating Yukon’s Gold Rush history! Each February is time for this varied winter event. Just like in Quebec and a few other northern places, Yukon has its Sourdough Rendezvous Winter Festival.
Reenacting the colourful Klondike history of the 1898 Gold Rush, this a period for everyone to come out of hibernation, to celebrate the present, the past and the future.
Since 1945, Yukoners have embraced their unique winter celebration. Local businesses and banks decorate their premises and the streets in Gold Rush theme to “give visitors a hearty welcome and assure them a rollicking good time”. A parade is organized, contests take place and there’s even a Queen of the Carnival.
The contests are the wildest and the craziest you’ve ever seen. In 1947 the Whitehorse Winter Carnival established these official rules:
• Beards must appear below the mouth from January 1 to February 23, 1947.
• Age limit: All men under 50 years of age must grow a beard, but we except (sic) all contestants over this age limit and welcome them into the contest.
All personnel in uniform, such as the Canadian Army, the R.C.A.F, R.C.M.P., Customs, are exempt due to regulations beyond our control. All ministers are exempt.
The Keystone Kops patrolled the city and “fined” citizens, the money used for a good cause. By 1962 things really heated up. The Carnival was officially renamed the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Festival:
“It is a gathering of Northern people to let off steam generated during the long, dark days of winter. It is a preamble to the busy days of spring and summer. It is a time for remembering this territory’s history and the strength of its pioneer people. It is a salute to the past and a bright eye on the future. Sourdough Rendezvous is a gathering of the community’s talent and skill, an assembly of the area’s high spirits.”
I especially love that Yukon’s First Nations participate wholeheartedly, wearing beautiful beaded buckskin outfits, demonstrating dances, baking bannock and much more. Every year there are fantastic dances , food and cultural craft displays at Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. One of the long-time and most popular events is the Fiddle Contest which draws contestants from across Canada and even from around the world.
The Miss Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous competition became a major component. The women modeled period costumes: ball gowns, tweed walking suits and hats piled high with roses. They showed up at most events, rode in the parade and sold the raffle tickets that funded much of the activities. At one point the Miss Rendezvous competition was coupled with the Miss Yukon, and thus Miss Canada, contest. But while we were there the two contests were separated so that anyone who wants to support the community spirit can help raise funds by selling raffle tickets. I joined, with several friends, as Miss Chocolate Claim. That year the oldest Miss Rendezvous contestant was 79, the youngest a gorgeous First Nations’ 18 year old. (She won!)
Below: Miss Chocolate Claim, and back for a reunion many years later!
It might be -40 outside but an Ice Fishing Contest and Ice Sculpture Contest draw lots of participants. An original, popular event is flour packing. This reenacts the weight gold rushers had to carry across the Chilkoot Pass from Alaska to the gold fields in Dawson City. They pack flour sacks on their backs and stagger under its weight. 500 pounds is a tie, in 1964, between Jim MacCormick and Danny Jackson. Mukluk races, snowshoe races, pulling a train, even chucking chainsaws expands the array of wild and weird contests today. My favourite: a hairy leg contest - but this one is for women only. Can-can dancers liven up the evenings in local pubs where the temperatures rise.
As Rendezvous’ popularity increased, more winter visitors came to Whitehorse to attend the Queens’ Tea, the ’98 Fashion Show, to meet Mr & Mrs, Yukon (always a prominent older couple), and to take part in all of the festivities.
Dogsled races were added. The now famous Yukon Quest dogsled race often coincides with Rendezvous dates. One of the toughest dogsled races in the world, the Yukon Quest runs more than one thousand miles between Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon with mushers and dogs spending some eight days on the trail. It is amazing to see them finish, the dogs wearing fleece booties to protect their feet from being shredded on the frozen snow; the mushers with frozen beards and eye lashes.
CNN Photo
There are dress-up contests for dogs, snow carving contests, and chili cook-offs. But still one of the most unique, and perhaps my favourite crazy event, is the Frozen Hair contest. For this event, you visit Takhini Hot Spring and soak in the marvellous hot, natural water. When your hair is good and wet, it will freeze in no time in the sub zero temperatures. Then it’s just a matter of styling, pulling and twisting. Careful not to break your hair!
If you ever have a chance to visit the Yukon during Rendezvous, bring warm boots and parkas and get ready to party in a way unique to Canada’s North, while the Northern Lights swirl overhead as a bonus.
Check out: www.yukonrendezvous.com/
Yukon River