Festival by the Lake attracts hundreds in Baker Lake
Music, art, food and plenty of fun fill three-day schedule in hamlet
Revellers of all ages pack Baker Lake’s community hall during the eighth annual Festival by the Lake, which ran from Sept. 13 to Sept. 15. (Photo courtesy of Daniel Tapatai)
Summer is complete in Baker Lake now that the hamlet’s eighth annual Festival by the Lake wrapped over the weekend.
Rick Aningaat, right, receives the Nunavut Law Foundation’s 2024 Upinnatuq Award, presented by Mayor Kevin Iksiktaaryuk. The annual honour recognizes students who embody values of leadership, conflict resolution and peace. The presentation was made Sept. 14 as part of Baker Lake’s Festival by the Lake. (Photo courtesy of Karen Yip)
Elder Jean Simailak lit the qulliq in the packed community hall to open the celebrations, said festival committee member Karen Yip.
Hundreds of residents took part in the bustling festival, which ran from Sept. 13 to Sept. 15.
Planning for Festival by the Lake begins “never soon enough,” said Yip.
It takes close to 20 volunteers to prepare and implement the festivities, along with the organizing committee and hamlet staff.
The three-day event featured performances and workshops led by Metis father-and-son duo George and Lee Mandeville of Yellowknife, illusionist Greg Wood of Winnipeg, throat singer Margaret Akpauksuq Sharp of Rankin Inlet, and other artists who travelled to the hamlet.
Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. sponsored activities on Sept. 14, including a traditional barbecue with refreshments and giveaways.
Sixty employees from Meadowbank Gold Mine travelled to Baker Lake to support the festivities, said Eric Steinmetzer, Meadowbank Complex mine manager, in an email to Nunatsiaq News.
He called the festival a great opportunity to connect with people in the community.
“The 2024 edition of the festival is particularly special as the Meadowbank Complex has achieved a significant milestone by pouring its fifth-million ounce of gold,” Steinmetzer said.
Musician Colleen Nakashuk of Pangnirtung, who performs under the stage name Aasiva, led a music workshop and later performed on Sept 14. (Photo courtesy of Karen Yip)
Festivalgoers had the opportunity to snap selfies next to a hefty gold bar poured to mark the milestone.
Iqaluit-based children’s author and illustrator duo Ceporah Mearns and Jeremy Debicki were also on hand to read to children and lead activities, followed by a book handout.
First Book Canada, a non-profit group that works to improve access to education across the country, gave out the books to families, daycares and classrooms in the hamlet.
Baker Lake is the fourth-largest community in Nunavut with a population of slightly more than 2,000 residents.
Activities and festivals are a great way to get away from toxic life. Small things like joining music shows, guitar learning may be small things, but it helps alot to recover from toxic life.
I recommend opening a few businesses of all kind, end of mine life for both locations are just around the corner.