Yellowknife (Sep 18/06) - With the first signs of fall nipping at noses around the North, nature is letting us know that festival season has come and gone.

It was an eventful year across the NWT, with some festivals thriving, others struggling and good weather showing up for most. All hosted a variety of arts and entertainment from the around the North, from the Mackenzie Delta to the Sahtu to the Deh Cho.

In some cases, however, good fortune came at a cost.

Organizer Sareta Shae said this year's version of the biannual festival in Fort Good Hope was a successful one, despite being tainted by tragedy.

Two separate events hit the community hard in August: a boating accident that claimed the lives of three Fort Good Hope residents, and a plane crash that killed six.

Rather than retreating from the event, Shae said people rallied behind it.

"The community really came together. Everyone just pulled in," she said. "We wanted to carry things on, because it was keeping the people together, the community together."

She said community members came together to provide seating for the event, including a set of bleachers that will provide a place to rest for years to come.

With two years to go until the next festival, Shae said she is in no hurry to get things under way (other than through their regular bingos).

"We're just wanting to take a break," she said with a chuckle.

Organizers said next year's Inuvik End of the Road Festival may be very different -- if it happens at all.

Festival president Jonathan Churcher said next year's event may take the form of several concerts through the year, or may even be combined with the annual Petroleum Show, depending on what the newly-formed society decides.

These suggestions, he said, are a result of low turnout at the third-annual event.

"The Friday attendance was way, way down from previous years," he said, adding that Saturday turnout was about average.

Churcher said none of these ideas were solid, and that the society was looking for input from the community.

"If we don't do what the community wants, we're not doing our job," he said.

This year's Folk on the Rocks was a success, according to organizers. Around 3,500 people attended the 26th annual festival.

"In all, we were very happy with this year's festival," said director Tracey Bryant during the summer.

While numbers were down from 2005's record year (roughly 4,000 attended), the event marked a steady increase from previous festivals.

"There was less than last year, but more than 2004," she explained.

With the dust barely settled, Bryant said plans were already underway for Folk on the Rocks 2007.

"We've got one artist confirmed for next year," she said.

2006 was a rebound year for the Great Northern Arts Festival, as the Inuvik event saw its 18th year.

While the number of artists in attendance were down from previous years, organizers considered the festival a success, and were already preparing for its 20th anniversary in 2008. During the event, festival founder Charlene Alexander said its fortunes were turning, after years of debt and near-cancellations.

"It's had its ups and downs, but once you get all the artists here, it has this instant energy," she said. "All the problems get left behind."

-- With files from Philippe Morin