Yellowknife (Aug 04/06) - The ravens are coming, and rhyming platitudes abound!

"It's the invasion of the ravens," Yellowknife Arts Festival organizer Betty Wilcox said with a laugh.

A murder of fibreglass birds are set to descend on the capital tonight as part of the ongoing Yellowknife Arts Festival, which runs until Aug. 7.

The ravens, which have been painted by a number of Yellowknife artists, will be unveiled during a 7 p.m. ceremony at city hall. After that, they'll start popping up on structures all over town.

"The small ones are looking real good," Wilcox said. "We're going to take as many with us as we can on Friday night." Small ones, you ask?

A larger and considerably more dangerous cousin of these ravens, more than a metre tall, was set to appear during a similar ceremony Thursday evening. This, preceding their takeover of the city throughout the month.

Truly a terrifying portent of things to come, though one that has been mercifully delayed.

Other commitments, such as a trip to the Great Northern Arts Festival, have prevented artist John Sabourin from completing the prototype the fibreglass monstrosities will be cast from.

"I guess it's up to me to finish it," he said from his carving studio. "It's a lot of sanding."

Initially, the large ravens were set to appear along with their smaller counterparts, which were designed by Jordan Martin. Wilcox said she wasn't troubled by the small delay, however.

"What's a few weeks, when it comes down to something that's going to be there for years?"

Artists painting the small ravens include Jordan Martin (two), Christine Rudolph, Brittany Russell, Charissa Alain, Angela Gzowski, Pat Winter and Barb Round, Erica Silver, Chris Brown, John Schnell and Courtney Chetwynd.

Those behind the large ravens include John Sabourin, Dean Robertson, Jen Walden, Gail Cyr and Bonnie Madsen.