Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Feb 27/02) - They're back. Gisele Forget and Christiane Boyd are two of a half-dozen people signed up to compete for the title of caribou king or queen this year.

"They both applied," said Caribou Carnival President Bernie Bauhaus.

That means the war is on, and ticket sales will begin in earnest this weekend. It could also mean another record year for the Caribou Carnival. Last year, the carnival came away with a $40,000 surplus, due in large part to the huge number of $1 raffle tickets sold by the two women who would eventually share the title of queen.

Last year, a royal battle erupted between Forget and Boyd when carnival organizers decided to name them both queen. They each sold about 9,000 tickets.

Both winners were awarded the top prize of a week-long trip for two to Cancun, but Boyd sought legal advice when she felt the contest rules were contravened. The fiasco erupted into such a big mudslinging match that it ended up on the front page of the National Post.

This year, organizers have created a four-person Royal Quest committee, which will discuss the selection of each applicant.

"We have to make sure we have everybody happy in this regard (in selecting the participants)," said Bauhaus. "It was crazy last year."

That discussion was to take place last night. Carnival site coordinator, Julia Seaton said Boyd and Forget are guaranteed spots in the Quest for the Crown.

Organizers are also contemplating assigning a communications officer to handle media inquiries.

Neither queen was available for comment before press time.

Beyond the royal battle

Bauhaus said the carnival is still in the process of getting together sponsorship and government money for the event. He said the current financial situation is "so far so good," but didn't know if the carnival would end with another surplus.

The gross carnival budget is about $120,000, a figure which is usually matched by corporate in-kind donations.

"It depends on how many tickets we sell," he said.

The race for the queen is one component of a bigger drive -- the drive to get the carnival on ice by March 28.

Carnival staff moved one step closer to that when they hired a Seaton as site coordinator last Tuesday. She'll work with a crew to make sure the grounds are prepared for the carnival.

This year, the grounds will include an additional two geodesic domes and three temporary structures created by a competition between local architects. Snow golf and turkey curling facilities might also be included, said Seaton. Other ideas being considered are a northern legends tent and an ice sculpture contest. Regular features like the teen tent, ice worm race, sugar shack and ugly truck and dog contest will also be back.

"I'm always amazed at the interest that we get," said Bauhaus.

But Bauhaus is still looking for more participants for another new title: the bush king and queen.

The award -- a trip for two to Edmonton -- will be given to the person who accumulates the most points in events on the snow stage. Events on the list include log-sawing, log-chopping, snowshoeing, Indian leg wrestling and spike driving. Organizers are looking for participants to sign up by calling the carnival office. Snow removal on the carnival site will begin this week, and power poles will be installed shortly thereafter. Seaton said the structures will be erected on the ice March 24.

Additional information about the carnival is available on its web site, which is new for this year and located at www.cariboucarnival.com.

The carnival runs from March 27, with Caribou Capers to March 30.