Iqaluit set for a full schedule of Nunavut Day festivities

Here’s the spot at Iqaluit’s four corners where Nunavut leaders will mark the 20th anniversary of the land claims agreement at a ceremony to be held there between 12 noon and 1:00 p.m. July 9, when they’ll pull the blue cover off a Nunavut land claims monument created by three master carvers: Inuk Charlie of Taloyoak, Paul Malliki of Repulse Bay and Looty Pijamini of Grise Fiord.

A full day of festivities are in store for Iqaluit for Nunavut Day, July 9, which marks the 20th anniversary of the land claims agreement that gave birth to the territory.

The centre point of the celebrations will be the Igluvut Building downtown, where Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. will unveil a 20th anniversary monument, made by three master carvers from, at noon.

NTI president Cathy Towtongie will be joined by the artists who created the monument, with Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak, Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq, Senator Dennis Patterson and Bernard Valcourt, the aboriginal affairs minister.

The day beings at 10:00 a.m. with the start of an aviation show, featuring a display of several passenger and military aircraft on the tarmac at the Iqaluit airport.

“The kids and the family will get a chance to come out to see, and get in most of the aircraft,” said Eric Luethold of Frobisher Bay Touchdown Services, who coordinates this year’s air show.

Planes from First Air, Kivalliq Air, and Kenn Borek will be open for visits.

“We’ll have at least three military aircraft,” he said, including the massive Hercules carrier, an Aurora maritime patroller, and an F-18 fighter. The Canadian Forces planes will do fly-bys between 11 a.m. and noon, and be included in the display for the afternoon.

The air show typically runs every two years, and this year’s tie-in with the 20th anniversary celebrations couldn’t be better, Luethold said.

“The last couple of times we had over a thousand people come out for our little air show,” he said.

Festivities will begin at 1:00 p.m. with a community feast and barbecue at the Igluvut building.

Music will play throughout the afternoon, with performances by the Trade-Offs, the Jerry Cans, drum-dancers and an ayaya singer.

NTI will also host a cake-decorating and traditional costume contest, starting at 2 p.m.

In addition, the day offers a chance to see some of Nunavut’s best artists at the Legion’s Cadet Hall, where the Nunavut Arts Festival will hold its closing exhibition from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. All works on display will be for sale.

The day closes with the Inuktitut Film Festival at Astro Theatre, starting at 7 p.m.

The NTI-sponsored event features three Inuktitut films, a series of five short films from the Nunavut Elders Series, and four animated films from the National Film Board.

Bus service will be provided throughout the day from Apex through most neighbourhoods until 4 p.m.

A separate bus will offer rides to the air show at the airport, departing from the Parnaivik Building, near the Igluvut Building at Iqaluit’s four corners.

See NTI’s schedule of events online more information. The Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker tours originally scheduled in the morning have been cancelled.