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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
As organizers do a final cleanup and perhaps get a bit of sleep this week, confidence is high that Yellowknife's community spirit is back alive and well.

Yellowknife resident Spencer Tracy took home the 'Best in Show' crown at the Flaunt Yer Skivies fashion show at the Long John Jamboree, Tracy also won in the "Manly' category, representing the modern man in his baby friendly long johns, Tracy got crowds talking as he pranced about with son Craig on stage. - Bob Wilson photo

It was clear after the Long John Jamboree came to a close Sunday afternoon that it was a smashing success.

"I felt it went really really well," said co-ordinator Nancy MacNeil.

"There were lots of smiling faces and it seemed people were able to keep busier than what I thought possible. It was really cool to see how many people participated in the competitions and really got into it."

MacNeil said she had about 50 to 60 volunteers to help out as thousands of people took to the ice of Yellowknife Bay for the inaugural spring festival, which takes over for the now deceased Caribou Carnival. Approximately 1,000 vehicles were counted parked on Yellowknife Bay outside the jamboree and Snowking Festival.

Many of the volunteers were seen directing traffic to parking spaces, running vendors or setting up and taking down the site.

Organizers counted on location as a big part of the success.

Caribou Carnival was traditionally held on Frame Lake by city hall, which made parking more difficult. Jamboree organizers took advantage of the neighbouring Snow Castle, the close proximity of the Dettah ice road and route for the Diavik 150 Canadian Dog Derby Championships.

"Changing the location opened up so many more venues and it differentiated us from the Caribou Carnival which is something that we wanted," said MacNeil.

"Moving locations really gave us an avenue to explore partnering with other organizations like the Snow Castle, with Diavik 150, and the snowmobile races."

MacNeil said the Jamboree's helicopter rides was one of the most popular activities over the weekend.

"The helicopter rides from Trinity were a huge success to the point which we ran into scheduling problems," she said. "That was too bad, but those were definitely the most popular attraction and we are looking forward to looking at a better system next year so that everyone gets a chance."

There were about 40 entries in the Terriers and Tiaras contest, and the server relay on Sunday had a huge turnout of teams representing most, if not all, of Yellowknife's restaurant and bar establishments.

About 80 people were entered into the 14-km foot race to Dettah and back, which she said was amazing to see.

Jamboree president Adrian Bell said attendance and participation in the event proved the city still has plenty of spirit after years of declining and sporadic attendance at Caribou Carnival, which was held for the last time two years ago.

"It was funny because some people had asked if Yellowknife had lost all of its community spirit, and I never believed that for a second," said Bell.

"When we started talking about it, the first four members were of the same opinion that the community spirit is there but somebody has to just package it in such a way that the community can effectively come out and support it."

Bell said there is plenty of room for growth and that much of the next year will be devoted to fundraising and organizing. The inaugural season had a five-month lead-in for preparation.

He said he would like to explore having public transit or car-pooling to the location and would like to have a greater cultural aspect to the event, with a larger First Nations presence. The jamboree had planned to hold a handgames tournament but it was relocated at the last minute to the Ndilo gym.

"I think it is perhaps not at the level of more successful Caribou Carnivals of the early 1990s, but it is right up there and I would say pretty close," said Bell of Yellowknife's first Long John Jamboree.

City councillor Cory Vanthuyne said during the closing ceremony Sunday that he was "overwhelmed with pride and joy."

He said as a Northerner who grew up with the Caribou Carnival that "a new generation" was being hearkened in with the jamboree.

Mayor Gord Van Tighem, who had been involved in the judging of the Ugly Dog and Truck contest, said he thought the event was comparable to some of the more successful years of Caribou Carnival.

"I think a lot of people, who had been coming for years to the Caribou Carnival, came to see what it was to see if they could rediscover their memories of years past," he said.

"I thought it was really amazing seeing the number of people up and down the hill."

He noted that there was some potential for the ice sculpture contest to grow.

"It really could be a big draw for the top carvers in the rest of Canada and the United States," he said.

- see pages 16-17 for more Long John Jamboree photos.

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