Longjohn Jamboree

The second annual Longjohn Jamboree (replacing the Caribou Carnival) was held March 14-17, on Yellowknife Bay next to the Snow Castle. Longjohns - particularly in their old-fashioned "boiler suit" form - are still a staple of life for some in Yellowknife, at least if you're outdoors a lot. I've also seen them as stage costumes - bright red, say, or pink with flowers - so artistic statements in their own right. So it is with The Longjohn Jamboree - function and art in harmony.

There's a wonderful account of it by Kyle on Kyle With's YK Online article - his pictures are a lot better, and his account more comprehensive, than mine!

The event takes place outdoors, for one advantage of winter is that the ice exponentially and almost infinitely increases Yellowknife's otherwise fairly scarce "flat play space." That means eating outdoors, for example, in significantly sub-zero temperatures (Pilots Mound and Old Town in the background):

It means playing outdoors, as in the Snow Beach Volleyball Tournament:

When I walked by everyone was obviously having great fun, as the team names bear out: competition championship honours were taken by "Ht Happens," who beat out "O'Hash's Irish Car Bombs" in the finals and "Where's Waldo" earlier in the process.

Then there was the winner of the hotly contested "Ugly Truck and Dog" award - this picture courtesy of the Jamboree Home Page Longjohn Jamboree 2012:

The second most amazing feature was probably the "Fire and Ice Burning Man" art event, patterned on the big Arizona Burning Man. A spot was chosen close enough to the main venue to be accessible, but far enough from the houseboats to pose no fire hazard. The ubiquitous wood pallets were put to excellent use, creating a sort of tall wall (think: a 15 meter folding screen) to which anyone could affix art they wanted burned. Then, when darkness fell on Saturday night, the entire structure was set ablaze - you'll have to look at Kyle's YK Online photo (see link in second paragraph).

But most amazing, to me, were the ice sculptures. Professional carvers from all over (Wisconsin, Washington, Alberta, Ontario, Indiana, Tuktoyaktuk, Yellowknife) created stunning pieces out of blocks of ice, using a variety of tools from chainsaws to chisels to blowtorches (see some of the process at De Beers Inspired Ice's Photos - for example, blocks of ice cut from the bay and lifted out by heavy equipment). A few of my shots to tempt you to have a look at the link:

Winter play!