Last week provided plenty of examples. The only day that wasn’t jam packed was Valentine’s Day. After that, all bets were off. Tuesday gave us a Flag Day ceremony at the school. This had begun life as a low key internal event, but ended up as a community affair with a full ancillary room and lots of activity for everyone. I’m still waiting to hear Erik Nielsen issue a statement about John Gould’s account of their 1964 flag debate. That night was Berton House writer Charles Wilkins’ public reading at the Dawson Community Library, held on the same night as Trustee Ray Hayes met with his advisory committee. I checked out the political agenda and decided on the reading. Fascinating stuff. You can read about it in this issue. On Wednesday the Penderecki String Quartet presented the first of two performances in town, this one at the school. The next evening was the public concert at the Oddfellows’ Hall. Both events were a treat. One of the neat things was that violinist Jeremy Bell got to spend time with his sister, Gwen, who teaches at the school. Gwen explained that the group never seems to have a concert planned when she’s in Ontario, so she had to find a way to get them to Dawson so she could hear them again. Also by Thursday the Yukon Quest was blowing through town. Dogs everywhere at all hours of the night and day. Hubbub at the Visitors’ Reception Centre, where so many laptops were set up it looked like mission control for a space shot. CBC reporters arranging interviews and making the most of their 48 hours in town. “Hectic” isn’t enough of a word for it. Friday was the busiest day. Father John and Deacon Carol Tyrrell were the focus of a fund raising event staged by the volunteer ambulance crew, of which they are key members. The pair are off to Sri Lanka later this week to assist in recovery efforts there, she as a nurse and he as a paramedic. The community has raised over $7,500 to help them along since they announced their intentions. That will assist with their travel costs and buy some supplies and equipment which they will take with them and leave there. But that wasn’t enough for a Friday. An hour or so later Michael Mason was holding forth at the Dänòja Zho Cultural Centre. To go with the display of his art in the main section of the building, Michael presented a slide show and commentary on his own development as an artist. Ah, the week wasn’t over. It’s tradition that each Berton House writer holds at least one open house. Charles, who leaves us this week, held his potluck on the weekend. It’s funny how the residence seems smaller when there is no one there and seems to expand as more people squeeze in. Sunday was also a writers’ day, in that Charles held the next to last of the writing classes he’s been teaching through Yukon College while he’s been here. A fluctuating group of up to a dozen locals have been doing a lot of personal writing while he’s been in town, mining their own experiences for material. There may be literary repercussions later on. At the same time, of course, a number of locals were busy hurrying up and waiting through the Dawson location shootings for Daniel Janke’s t.v. mini series, “A Northern Town”. Big location semitrailers were parked by the Masonic Lodge and Third Avenue was blocked off as an outdoor set. In the midst of it all a solitary skier came shusshing up Queen Street and hung a right to pass by the Westminster and Eldorado hotels, a reminder that not everything around here moves at citified speed. | 
