Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Sep 14/01) - Don't worry about missing celebrations for Fort Simpson's 200th anniversary, the party is going to last all year.

That's the plan, anyway. The village has formed a committee to begin mapping out the event, but so far only councillors Betty Hardisty, Sean Whelly and Duncan Canvin have offered their services. At least 10 to 15 people will be needed to co-ordinate a project of this magnitude, Canvin predicted. He's a proponent of having 52 different events, one for every week of the year.

"Let's make this the biggest extravaganza they've ever seen in the Northwest Territories," he said enthusiastically.

The ideas are coming fast and furious. Graham Davis, manager of the Visitor Information Centre, has proposed that the village host concerts, a Snowbirds air show and a long-distance dog sled race. Canvin added the RCMP's musical ride to the list.

Visitors could also be encouraged to canoe the Mackenzie from Hay River to Fort Simpson -- a trip that would take about four to five days. Davis said the Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association has expressed interest in promoting the event.

A homecoming, for anyone who has ever lived or worked in Fort Simpson, is another idea that he's pushing.

"We've had a steady procession of people through here this year that are coming back after 30 years," Davis said.

A lack of accommodations may seem to be an obstacle, but with the events spread out, not everyone would be here at once, he pointed out. As well, he said the village managed to find shelter for 4,000 people in 1984 for the Pope's expected visit, and took in another 2,000 people three years later when the Pope finally did arrive.

Although Fort Simpson has been a gathering place for thousands of years, it wasn't formally established until 1803. Davis suggested that the celebrations certainly don't have to end in 2003.

"Why couldn't something along these lines be done every two years?" he asked. "Yellowknife has Folk on the Rocks. We could do a different event every second year of some kind."