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 Celebrating the sun's reappearance in Inuvik, if only for a few minutes on the first day, hundreds of residents headed down to the shores of the Mackenzie to revel in the year's largest display of colour and light. - photo provided by Melissa Schab |
If you were the sun and all the explosions were part of the town's fireworks display in your honour, you'd probably feel right at home.
 This year $10,000 worth of professional-quality pyrotechnics wowed the crowd during the hour-long show. |
Inuvik's volunteer fire department held it's 18th annual Sunrise Festival at the old airstrip, Sunday, welcoming back the sun after its 30-day absence.
"It's great," said Valerie Jefferd, a resident of the town of almost 3,500 people. "It lifts everyone's spirits after the long, dark December."
Although temperatures often dip into the 40-below range, hundreds of spectators flock to the banks of the Mackenzie River every year to witness the myriad of colourful shapes and effects.
Some watch from their cars, many arrive on snowmobiles and hoards of excited children warm themselves by the bonfires with frothy cups of hot chocolate.
One year, with extra comfort in mind, someone even dragged a couch out onto the ice.
"It turns old folks into kids," said Rick Lindsay, a safety officer for the volunteer fire department who has supervised and set-up the show for the last 15 years.
With the generous help of sponsors, the displays have continually grown, said Lindsay, a licensed pyrotechnician for more than 20 years.
This year $10,000 worth of professional-quality pyrotechnics wowed the crowd during the hour-long show.
Detonation has also become more sophisticated, he added.
Guns and mortars were originally positioned in the snow and lit one by one with a fuse, he explained.
That is until one of the mortars was kicked over during his first show.
"The whole lot of them just went off," he said.
No one was hurt, he said, and "we just kinda regrouped and went on."
Now he uses an electrical system.
This year Lindsay had the help of two other volunteer firemen who completed their fireworks accreditation just for the festival.
As the festival approaches its 20th anniversary, children and adults alike recall countless wonderful memories.
"It's so great to see all the excited kids," said Annabelle Tetlichi, who grew up in Inuvik and has been to each of the last 18 festivals.
"I always liked watching the fireworks and being around the bonfire with my friends when I was younger."
