Community effort brings Nattiq Frolics back to Kugluktuk

This year’s celebration of the sun in Kugluktuk will be a product of community members stepping up at a time when there was no formal leadership to run the weeklong event.

There were many weeks, days and hours when Nattiq Frolics co-organizer Nadene McMenemy thought it might not come together.

“We haven’t done it for a while,” she said. “So, this year people are stepping up and they’re coming out.”

With only weeks to go before the start of the frolics in 2019, people stopped attending meetings and the event nearly fell through.

McMenemy and co-organizer Nigel Allupkik banded together, though, and managed to pull it off.

There was no event in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic; the next year still had some public health restrictions and so there were fewer events, including a fishing derby. And last year, there was no committee, so it was mostly snowmobile races.

“I want to see people get out and enjoy themselves,” she said. “Things are different. It’s a great deal for the community — a lot of pride from them and it’s great to see.

This year’s festival will kick off with a parade April 17, then the frolics’ king and queen — those who raised the most money — will be named over a meal of muskox stew during the opening ceremonies a day later.

On April 18, there will be a fashion show and square dance.

The rest of the week will see snowmobile racing, a cribbage tournament, multi-day fishing derby, talent show, traditional games and a snowmobile parade through town on the final day to finish it off.

McMenemy said she’s expecting the community to show up in strong numbers to every event.

“They love the square dance and they love all the cultural stuff. They love to be getting together at the hall,” she said, adding all the events in the community so far this year have been packed.

The event that everyone gets most excited about, she said, is king of the hill in which snowmobile racers, in teams of two, race to the top of a hill on a fixed track. It’s a process of elimination, and the last team standing wins.

“The king of the hill is the crown jewel of them all,” McMenemy said.

She said she will put a call out for people to join a committee for the next year after this year’s frolics is over.

“Going forward, we hope we’ll get a new committee,” she said.