Yellowknife has it going on! Film Fest and Heritage Week all in the same week, amazing. We are all going to have  busy schedules taking in all the good stuff this City has to offer. Along with the Yk Film Fest it is Heritage Week as well. This week is being put together to celebrate Yellowknife’s energetic history. You can do so by attending some of the events that are being put on all across town.

Although many of us may only move to the north to work, I have found my peace with it and enjoy this City. The City has grown on me, even though through my school years I wanted nothing more than to move south. I have discovered that Yellowknife is a very unique and relatively young City. Although the Yellowknife Dene have been in the area for generation the town of Yellowknife did not form until the mid 1930’s when Gold was first discovered. From the first discovery of gold to now Yellowknife has grown and changed in many ways. From being the hub for over 12 gold mines to now the hub of 3 diamond mines.

Here are the Heritage Week 2010 events:

Monday, February 8

Tour of the Legislative Assembly 12:10 – 1:00pm
Join us for an informative and fun tour of the Legislative Assembly in honour of Heritage Week!

Tuesday, February 9

Evening Music Session 7:00 – 9:00pm Javaroma
Yellowknife’s rich cultural heritage will be on display Tuesday night with performances by Rick Poltaruk and Pat Braden!
An open mic will follow the headlining acts. Any musicians with northern songs in their repertoire are encouraged to come out and contribute to the night’s celebration!
The Evening Music Session is presented in association with NWT Music.

Wednesday, February 10

Heritage Art Show 7:00 – 9:00pm Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
Local works celebrating the history of Yellowknife will be on display. Come down to support the vital role of art in celebrating and promoting heritage.
Music will be courtesy of harpist Susan Hoefer, with refreshments provided.

Thursday, February 11

Heritage Award Gathering
The 2009 Heritage Award will be presented to Yvonne Quick for her enthusiasm, energy and hard work towards the preservation and promotion of Yellowknife’s heritage.

Friday, February 12

Heritage Plaque Unveiling 12:15 – 12:45pm Post Office
The plaque being installed on the Post Office is in recognition of the significance of the Yellowknife Post Office to the social, cultural and business fabric of the city of Yellowknife. The plaque will be unveiled by the Mayor and refreshments will be served.

Sunday, February 14

Amazing Family Sundays 2:00 – 3:30pm Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
A multi‐cultural storytelling event with poems, dance, song and stories. Fun for the entire family! Refreshments will be served.

Here is the second half of the Yellowknife Film Fest schedule. I truly can’t believe the amount of stuff that WAMP has put together for this years fest. Enough for a full weeks worth, awesome. There is so much going on it might evening be over whelming, so if you’re not sure which show/workshops to go to read this PDF which has details about all the shows and workshops. To see the first half of the schedule you can click here.

Friday, February, 12th

Saturday, February 13th

Sunday, February 14th

Alright, this Friday, Feb 5, is the kick off the 3rd annual Yellowknife Film Fest. I am really surprised I missed the first two, because after reading the program I can’t believe all the great content that will be at the festival. Along with some awesome movies and short films there will be some workshops and panel discussions to attend. Below is the schedule for Friday Feb 5th to Thursday Feb 11th. Although I don’t approve of PDF’s, to see a detailed description of events including titles, description, prices and credits download the festival program.

Friday February, 5th

Saturday February, 6th

Sunday, February, 7th

Monday, February, 8th

Tuesday, February, 9th

Wednesday, February, 10th

Thursday, February, 11th

To continues on and read the second half of the schedule PLEASE CLICK HERE.

The Christmas season is right around the corner which mean craft sales will be kicking off right away. This year is no different and here is what you need to know.

November 7, 2009

• Northern United Place Arts & Crafts Sale 11am – 3pm
• St. Pat’s Catholic Church 10am – 1pm (May start at 9am)

November 14, 2009

• Elk’s Hall Craft Sale 10am – 2pm

November 28, 2009

• Baker Centre 1pm – 4pm

If you know of another craft sale that is happening or a correction in the above schedule, please comment below.

Well today is the Friday before Folk on the Rocks, which means it is the last day that tourists and performers will be trickling in for the festival. Folk on the Rocks is one of the big sellers for coming to the end of the road (Yellowknife) in the summer, so for the couple days the festival is on, the streets seem that little bit busier as well as musical.

I have posted about the festival, the line up, and the schedule for each day and they all can be found here:

• Folk on the Rocks intro and 2009 Lineup
• Friday July 17 Schedule
• Saturday July 18 Schedule
• Sunday July 18 Schedule

Taking a quick glance at the weather forecast for this weekend it looks to be a good one. As you all know this summer definitely hasn’t been an outstanding one.

Having never been to Folk on the Rocks personally I am probably not certified to be giving advice about what you should know about attending the festival but I thought I should mention a couple things you might want to consider.

As this event runs for two full days and chances are you are going to be sitting in one spot for the majority of it I must remind everyone, that although it wont be overly hot outside during the afternoons. The suns rays will still  get to any exposed skin, so don’t forget that sun screen or at least a hat. While on the topic of exposed skin, do I really need to remind anyone that the bugs are out. And in full force. I suggest you pick up a can of Muskal for yourself, you may just use the whole can in two days.

The Folk on the Rocks site is a big place and there will be a lot happening, which means there will be a lot of people all over the place. As far as I am aware there will be some seating provided in some areas but as the amount of people will be so great, it would be a very good idea to bring your own foldable chair. If you do not have the use of a foldable chair or you purely don’t want to take one, maybe a blanket is more your style.

There will be food and drinks for sale at the festival but bringing your own water bottle is a good idea as well, especially if it is going to be sunny.

If you have any tips or tricks for Folk on the Rocks let everyone know in the comment section.

Finally, If you are taking any photos and upload them to Flickr, make sure to tag them with fotr2009 for everyone to see. Hope to see you all there.