Canada Day in Whitehorse, Yukon
Canada Day 2011 was good fun in Whitehorse, even though it started out to be a very cold morning. The events were all held at Shipyards Park (as seems to be the norm now).
We began the day at the charity pancake breakfast run by the Knights of Columbus. As with any event here, crowds aren’t a problem if you arrive before about 10:00 🙂
A good load of pancakes with coffee for $6 – going for seconds was said to be “mandatory”, and I was happy to oblige!
Three large cakes were laid out but we unfortunately didn’t plan on being back for the noon serving of them.
Our next stop was the Old Log Church Museum, which was offering free admission for the day (it’s normally $6 per person).
Another stamp for the passport 🙂
It had been many years since I’d been into this museum, and I was very pleased to see the changes that have been made. The exhibits are now very good. This one contains artifacts from the lives of Sadie and Isaac Stringer, who spent 39 years ministering in the Yukon.
This small part of the church looks much as it would have a century ago.
Most of the building is now filled with exhibits about the Anglican Church’s work in the Yukon.
A couple from Alberta are volunteering here for a few months. As well as conducting the evensongs, they’ve been tending the flower gardens which had become overgrown and are now once again lovely.
From the church we walked a block to Main Street to see the Canada Day parade. What it lacks in size, it makes up for in character 🙂
Towards the end of the parade was a lengthy entry from MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Their “Choose Your Ride” program lines up a wrecked car on a flatdeck truck, a police car, a taxi, an ambulance and a hearse in an effort to make people think about the possible consequences of drinking and driving.
We went home for a while after the parade. This is a view of the Yukon River and Mount Lorne from a point about a block from the sternwheeler SS Klondike. The view behind me at this point is very different, dominated by the homes, condo and commercial buildings of downtown Whitehorse.
We took the scenic route home, via Lake Schwatka, our float plane base…
…and took the short side road to Miles Canyon, walking a few yards to this upper viewpoint over the river.
Once home, Monty and Kayla were dressed up for the occasion 🙂
We went back into town for a tour of the Pioneer Cemetery and some historic buildings along the walking route, given by the Old Log Church Museum. Tessa did an excellent job of it – this is the memorial to the people killed in the explosion of the sternwheeler Columbian in 1906.
Back at the church, one final photo with better light. All in all it was an excellent day. We’re always thankful for where and how we live, but reminders like this are always good.
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