The two teams from Diamond Tooth Gerties were first and second in the race. Photo by Dan Davidson.

Outhouse Race Reborn for Labour Day Weekend

by Dan Davidson

The sun didn't really come out until the last of the seven teams had crossed the finish line at Diamond Tooth Gerties, but that didn't seem to chill the spirits of the thirty-five participants in this year's revived Klondike International Outhouse Race.

The fastest team overall was the chariot hauled by the Diamond Tooth Gerties Bar Staff with a time of 12:11, with the Gerties Girls Relief Squad coming in second at 12:17. The Girls also took Best Outhouse with a design featuring an exploded keyboard and injured player from Gerties.

Other times ran right down to nearly 40 minutes for the toga shrouded Aglios entry, decked out like ancient Greeks in honour of the Olympics. This last place team also won the award for best theme.

The Most Humorous Award went to Deadeye Dick and the ‘Roid Warriors from the Downtown Hotel. The warriors were willing to bear their butts for the cause.

Seven teams of five members each showed up with an assortment of outlandishly decked out mobile biffies to test their mettle against the downtown core course and tickle the funny bones of the spectators.

The race was obviously a welcome diversion on a Sunday afternoon when Dawson's major attractions were shut down by the nationwide Parks Canada strike.

The event has undergone many transformations and a number of crises over the years, including its reduction in status from a semi-serious race to a novelty event, but probably reached its nadir last September when three teams were registered and several days of steady rain reduced that to one at the starting line.

This year the racers had to collect eleven items as part of a course long scavenger hunt, things like the name of the most expensive scotch at Klondike Kate’s, a postcard from Peabody’s photography shop, an airmile coupon from Dominion Shell a roofing screw from Dawson Hardware and a coffee card stamp from Riverwest.

Harmony Hunter, the special events coordinator for the Klondike Visitors Association, said the race was a much better event than last year’s, 700% better in fact, with great participation from local businesses. Judges for the event were drafted on the spot from visitors to town and there were folks from as far away as Germany among the spectators.

Aside from top two speed demons, the teams and their times included Burn on the Top (the Pit): 12:26; Dead Eye Dick and the ‘Roid Warriors (the Downtown): 14:29; A-Team (VRC, Dawson and Whitehorse): 19:56; Queens, Golden Rulers (Westmark): 24:16; Aglios (Liquor Store): 39:30.

Dawson's Trustee Aiming At April for Elections

by Dan Davidson

Ray Hayes is becoming less optimistic about meeting his original timetable for turning the administration of Dawson City back to an elected mayor and council. The man appointed by the Yukon Party Government to oversee Dawson's affairs has said repeatedly that he would like to see elections as early as possible in the new year and a council in place soon after that. In fact, that was a retreat from his original position, which would have seen himself and David Skidd, the government appointed town manager, out of their jobs by Christmas.

Even at $800 a day for each day that he puts in, Hayes is not anxious to stretch out his appointment, for which he came out of retirement. His summer plans had included a cross-Canada tour in his truck and fifth wheel trailer. Instead the trailer became his Dawson residence, parked in an RV campground just at the entrance to town.

That gave him a place of his own to retreat to, and forestalled any complaints about which hotel he might happen to stay in, a fate which had plagued Skidd before the former town manager's house was ready for him to move into..

At the most recent meeting of the advisory committee appointed by Minister of Community Services Glenn Hart to serve as he ear on the town's voters, Hayes indicated that he might be in his position longer than he wanted to be.

It might be mid-April now, he said, A number of things have not turned out quite as expected since he took office on April 13.

He wasn't expecting to have to be involved in a near crisis fire situation over the summer, one which used up town resources and some staff time.

He wasn't expecting to spent a lot of time on Dawson's internet system, which had been working fairly well until April.

Questioned about this by former councillor Byrun Shandler he denied emphatically that he was out to shut the system down. He had, he said, every intention of saving it.

"It's my pet project," he said, but added that he wasn't totally sure it was possible.

Picking up the meaning behind the question he expanded on his answer.

"I'm not trying to undo everything the last council did."

The forensic audit of the town's books is going more slowly than projected. It was initially hoped that Ian Deddington would have the job done by August.

"We underestimated the time - we did," Hayes said. As it's a work in progress he couldn't say more than that about it, but did say that the next hoped for completion date is in October.

In addition, since the major work of preparing the town's annual budget is done in the winter months, it's not likely that a freshly elected group could meet the deadlines built into the Municipal Act, so Hayes now envisions having a budget ready to hand to a new group for final approval before he steps aside.

It is noteworthy that the vision statement being worked on by the advisory committee focuses on several things, including finding solutions to the current financial and administrative problems and creating a climate where the town can be handed back to an elected council to manage with some hope of success.

Some of this may depend, Hayes said, on how much money the territorial government is willing to put into the venture. He was planning to have his first detailed discussions on this matter with Glenn Hart on the week after the September 2 meeting.

Catching Up On Kiac

By Palma Berger

The busy summer is over. The Yukon Riverside Arts Festival completed another successful year. Parks Canada in Dawson forwarded to the KIAC office a news release from the American Bus Association. It lists the 100 top annual events in all of North America to see in 2005. Eighteen of these are in Canada. Among the eighteen are ‘Discovery Days and Yukon Riverside Arts Festival’ in Dawson City. So Dawson City is on their map.

The annual Art Auction held over the Festival weekend raised 5000.00, well up from last year. This funding goes towards the artists programmes. There were about 45 artists who contributed their work. There were some moments of excitement as when a gallery owner from Sweden really pushed up the bids for Ken Anderson’s mask.

All the slots for Artists-in-residence and gallery shows are filled till the end of 2005. For the residence, artists are coming from Singapore, all across Canada, U.S.A. and England. The stick outline of a caribou lying on the exposed river bed, is the work of Veronica Verkley, present artist-in-residence. Add to it when you pass. He needs a bit more solid material on him.

The Odd Gallery shows will begin with a showing of art by the members of Dawson City Arts Society, on January 20th 2005 until March 18,th 2005. So DCAS members get painting and the public prepare yourselves for a great show. The rest of the year will feature artists from places such as Montreal, Halifax, Regina, Vancouver and Guelph.

The Fall calendar is out, so pick it up either at the Post office or at KIAC itself.

The bi-weekly film series will again begin in October. Watch for further announcements.

There is a Jazz concert this week featuring the Mike Allen trio from Vancouver. There will be an appetizer and martini bar. It is going to be something special, so wear your best lounge wear.

The popular Arts for Employment programme starts in September. This is its Fifth Year.

To end on a sad note, Jen Leece KIAC’s mainstay at the front desk and beyond is leaving. Her place is being taken by Shirley Mitchell who shows promise of filling Jen’s shoes nicely.