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INUVIK
Nestled between beds of kale, tomatoes, radishes and towering sunflowers, the annual fall fair was held at the Inuvik Community Greenhouse on Sept. 8.

One-year-old Rebecca Blakeston finds a familiar face in the Inuvik Community Greenhouse on Sept. 8. - Danielle Sachs/NNSL photo

The greenhouse was bustling with more than gardeners on Saturday. Carnival games were spread through the plots and a face-painting booth was set up to bring in even more colour than the tomatoes still ripening on the vine.

The greenhouse closes on Sept. 28 and the fall fair was one way to bring everyone out to explore the facility.

"There are already people signed up for plots for next year," said Sheena Adams, executive director of the greenhouse.

Before the greenhouse can be closed for the season, gardening plots have to be emptied.

"There's still a lot of cleaning and painting to do before the end," said Adams.

"It's a busy place right up until it closes."

Amie Hay was circulating around the plots talking to people.

"It has been a busy season," she said.

"We start early. In the commercial gardening section, there are extra tarps to keep heat in for the seedlings."

The greenhouse still needs some work. While constantly growing in popularity, the repurposed arena does need a new roof, at a cost between $275,000 and $300,000.

A new roof could add another 10 to 15 years of indoor growing.

The fall fair was only the most recent community event held at the greenhouse. All summer, there have been yoga classes, a quilt show, tours and a host of other activities.

"There are a lot of people who visit Inuvik and are so impressed with the greenhouse," said Adams.

"Even today (Sept. 8) there was a group from Germany that stopped by and they seemed pretty impressed with what we could grow."

The day was kind of bittersweet for Adams, who will be leaving her position as executive director of the greenhouse by the end of September.

"It's been busy and it's a lot of work but this gives me a chance to see people before I leave," she said.

While she said she doesn't know what the future holds for the greenhouse, she's confident it will continue to grow and succeed.

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