LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
A weekend walk down memory lane drew dozens of Deh Cho residents to the recreation centre in the village from Sept. 18 to 20 to celebrate the Fort Simpson Historical Society's 25th anniversary.

Twenty-five Deh Cho children and adults took part in a historic fashion show put on by D'Arcy Moses on Sept. 19 at the recreation centre. The participants modelled traditional Dene garments.

In true historical style, the society brought in four members of the Edmonton House Brigade for the weekend, who set up an 1805 fur trade camp reenactment.

The four included Ken and Linda Willis, Randy Chappel and Roger Murray. Their demonstrations began Sept. 18 at the Arbour, where they had a full day of programming for children and youth, including old games, hands-on demonstrations of how fur traders performed their craft and black powder demonstrations, which continued throughout the weekend.

The events were forced inside for Sept. 19 and 20 due to wind and rain, although black powder demonstrations continued outside the recreation centre.

On Sept. 19, the weekend festivities kicked off with a fire-feeding ceremony and drum dance at Thomas Simpson Secondary School, led by three elders and Liidlii Kue First Nation Chief Jerry Antoine.

Antoine thanked the Historical Society for including the First Nation in the celebration. The drummers would be calling upon their ancestors during the opening ceremony, he added.

Weekend events were emceed by local musician Lindsay Waugh, who joined a trio of performers to play at the recreation centre on Sept. 19 and 20. They were later joined by Hay River fiddler Linda Duford.

Sept. 19 wrapped up with a fashion show and a feast.

Fashion designer D'Arcy J Moses had 25 participants showcasing traditional indigenous clothing, from baby belts to men's coats and women's dresses.

Historical Society president Martina Norwegian said despite the dreary weather, the events got a steady stream of people in.

During an ecumenical church service on Sept. 20, she said the place was packed.

"It was really nice to see," she said.

During the celebration, visitors had the opportunity to walk around the recreation centre and read posters the Historical Society had set up detailing some of the history of Fort Simpson and the society itself.

There were rows of old photographs the society has collected over the years, as well as information about some of the fundraisers the society has put on this year.

Additionally, despite the fact the society was not prepared to receive donations during the weekend, Norwegian said there were many people asking to donate money.

"We didn't have a donation jar or anything set up, but a lot of people were asking," she said.

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