Fur Show Was a WOW

by Shelby Jordan

WOW!

This is one word that instantly comes to my mind when I think of the Dawson Fur Show. I work for the Dawson District Renewable Resources Council (DDRRC), the organization that hosted this event and I am writing as their employee, but mainly as a happy community member with just a tad bit of inside information.

By way of a brief background, the Fur Show was held in an effort to raise awareness and enhance the renewable resources economy of Trapping. I must admit I am a wee bit biased when I say that the DDRRC had an excellent idea of reviving the Dawson Fur Show, and then approaching Megan Waterman to coordinate a fashion show to bring forward another aspect of trapping.

There was an excellent turn out from trappers bringing in their furs to be judged, from the kids jigging, musicians, designers and other trappers that brought in their products to share with the rest of us. WOW! Lets face it, it is not very often that the average Joe gets to see and touch a real fur straight out of the bush.

All of these people deserve an applause for pulling it all together and putting on a great show.

The main reason I am sitting here to write this little piece though is simply for you - you the community as a whole. I know that volunteering in a small town is a never ending saga, I also know that businesses always go beyond any expectations to support community events in any way they can. WOW! And did they ever. I thank all of you on behalf of myself and the DDRRC for showing your community spirit.

Finally, I must, absolutely must stand up and give you the grandest of applause for coming out in such amazing numbers to show your support for the trappers, the designers, the industry and your community. By rough calculations around 300 of you walked through those doors at the Community Hall. WOW! Yes 300 in January. Perhaps a few days of crazy cold weather were enough to have you run screaming from your houses when it warmed up, but I opt for chalking it up to community support.

I do have to say that Megan, Dom and Joe put on one fabulous show, and all you brave souls that let down your guard to strut your sexy stuff down that runway. WOW! Mmmm excuse meÉ double WOW! It was so good to see you having fun and, by the sound of it, all the audience too. You showed great community spirit.

Oh, and for those of you that didn’t notice the video cameras and lights at the end of the runway, “NEDAA, Your eye on the Yukon” will be airing a piece on the Dawson Fur Show in the spring sometime. We will keep you posted.

Excellent job folks!

Morgan’s Journey Reaches Dawson

by Dan Davidson

How do you put across a message about peace and sharing for little kids without ending up sounding like Barney the purple dinosaur? Playwright and clown Robert Morgan seems to have found something that works, and has been working since 1986, making “Morgan’s Journey” one of the longest running children’s plays in Canadian theatre history.

“Morgan’s Journey” was written Robert Morgan and David S. Craig and is performed as a one man show by Robert Morgan. Morgan brought his show to Dawson City on January 18, where he performed before an audience of a couple of dozen kids and their parents at the Oddfellows Hall.

Morgan’s tale really begins at the beginning, as the clown is born, emerging from a brightly coloured bag perched on top of a steamer trunk after having been provided with a valentine heart by Jen Shelest, emcee for the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture. We’re told that Morgan needs this heart in order to function.

During the first half of the play Morgan progresses from the discovery of his hands and other parts of his body, to discovering sound, movement and speech, actually coaxing the audience to supply him with words and ideas, and producing gales of laughter along the way.

By the middle of the play Morgan is fully functional character with a dozen different ways of saying “Oh wow” and a cheerfully naive outlook on life. When Morgan discovers that it is his birthday it becomes the occasion for opening presents and learning about happiness.

He gets a hat, a coat, a camera, a backpack and, last of all, a hand puppet called Herkimer. Each item creates a new outburst of joy, but Herkimer also brings problems, as Morgan must learn to cope with another point of view, with issues of sharing, and with the development of a friendship.

Friendship means give and take, and Morgan has trouble adjusting to this. They argue over a harmonica, over the digital camera, over enough things that Herk finally retreats into his personal bag and Morgan, in a fit of pique, does the same.

Now the play gets serious, for Morgan apparently expires of a broken heart, his valentine having developed a big crack. Herkimer gives Morgan his heart to allow him to live. Each of them tries to outdo the other in comically sacrificing himself for the other’s welfare, until suddenly they discover that neither of them needs their artificial hearts any more. They have found love.

The play has apparently changed a bit over the years. The digital camera used to be a Polaroid, and Herkimer used to be named Fred. Robert Morgan, however, seems to possess the same joy of discovery and spontaneity that he must have brought to the play 18 years ago. The kids loved the show, and delighted in the chance to meet Herkimer at the end of the play.