The 11th annual Fall Harvest Fair is taking place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 24th outside of the Ndilo Gymnasium. The event has expanded over the years to include new collaborations, locations and activities while maintaining its traditions of celebrating local food and the harvest season together.
Ecology North says that at the heart of the fair, is the promotion of local food systems and the joy of bringing people together around food to share and learn from one another. The event is co-coordinated by Ecology North and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation’s Dechita Naowo.
The Fall Harvest Fair was started by the Yellowknife Community Garden Collective in 2008. This is the sixth year that it will be co-hosted by the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and Ecology North.
There will be various harvest-related stations with workshops, demonstrations and activities for the whole family to participate in. This year’s workshops will feature wild harvesting, garden produce preservation and beekeeping as well as a garden and greenhouse tour, crafts, painting, live music and other kids’ activities.
As a free community event, all are welcome to join as well as encouraged to bring a submission for the annual Veggie Show Off Competition by 3:00 p.m. for the chance to take one of the harvest-themed prizes.
There will be a community feast of bison burgers complemented by a local harvest potluck. This year, Ecology North hopes to see a wide variety of harvesting practices showcased throughout the fair as they continue to encourage local food harvesting and production within the territory.
The City of Yellowknife is also partnering up to present Music in the Park at the Fall Harvest Fair. The showcase was originally scheduled for Thursday evening but was postponed due to poor weather.
