Daron Letts
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 30/05) - Cold winter nights are a time to share memorable stories and make happy music to warm the spirit. Northern artists of all ages will gather with that in mind for the North Star Christmas Celebration at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC) this weekend.

Fiddler James Rogers, of Inuvik's Delta Good Time Band, will appear on stage for some duets with his daughter, country singer and guitarist Doris Rogers.

Doris performed in Yellowknife last fall and James flew in to play at Caribou Capers years ago. But this storytelling event is something new for the duo.

"It's the first time I've done something like this," he said. "I'm going to tell some old stories about when we used to have Christmas and New Year's in the bush during the years when Inuvik was just starting. My mom used to make cranberries and a little bit of pie and rice puddings. We used to have a swan or geese for Christmas dinner. It was really good."

Jim Green, of Fort Smith, has told stories his whole life. He'll share a couple of them at NACC.

The first, set in Dog River, tells of "the strangest Christmas present anyone ever got." The second tale comes out of Fort Fitzgerald. It's about the time Santa got his order wrong.

"I live to make people smile and laugh," Smith said. "Laughing makes you feel better. It relieves tension and extends your life."

Renowned storyteller and historian Rene Fumoleau has recorded more than 200 Arctic stories in the past two decades. Some are published in his books Here I Sit and The Secret.

"I'm going to tell a story about Christmas or wintertime," he said. "It can be funny and serious, too."

Dance, music and stories will also be performed by the Aurora Dancers, Stephen Kakfwi, Leela Gilday, the Ecole Sir John Franklin high school choir and the Diamond Jenness Handbell Choir.