The Barge is coming...and it has BEER! Come celebrate the Yellowknife tradition, June 19th 2010 at the old Wardair Dock from 4 to 8 pm. $25 per ticket.
June 19, 2010 will be a big celebration for the NWT Mining Heritage Society and all Yellowknifers. For the second year in a row, the
Society has organized a BBQ and party in honour of what was once the biggest event in town: the annual arrival of the supply barge!
Until 1960 when the highway was completed, the majority of freight was handled by barge traffic on Great Slave Lake. Spring breakup and
the arrival of the first barge of the season was a big deal. It carried all the construction material, furniture, luxury items, vehicles,
and mining equipment for the town’s needs. But perhaps most importantly, the first barge typically carried the summer’s stock of alcohol!
By mid June, when the barge typically arrived, Yellowknife was a pretty dry town with the stock of beer and spirits having run out during
the spring. So the arrival of that first barge – the Beer Barge – was a cause for celebration. What a great way to celebrate Yellowknife’s history!
The event is being held on June 19, 2010, from 4 to 8pm at the former Wardair Float Plane base, across from the Wildcat Café in Old Town.
If you come early you will get to witness the arrival of an actual barge, which is scheduled to dock sometime between 4 and 5pm. Enter your name
on the time board with your guess as to the minute the barge will arrive, a true Yellowknife tradition as lotteries in the 1940s were organized to
guess the day the barge would arrive here. Prizes will also be drawn for best period costume.
Live entertainment will include music and storytelling. Several dignitaries will speak about Yellowknife history and the importance of
the barges. Cost of the event is $25, which includes one free beer and BBQ plate. There will be additional cost for further food and beverages.
Tickets will be on sale in May.
| Last update: April 14, 2010 |
