Volunteer
Organizing Burning Away the Winter Blues is a big job but it’s also rewarding and lots of fun. We welcome new volunteers every year.
We need people to set out candles on the path, animate the dragon of spring and the effigy of winter, carry torches, bring and play their percussion instruments, and put away all the props at the end of the evening.
Every year we offer community groups the opportunity to fundraise by running our concession, and we are always open to offers of artistic input. Interested? Contact us.
Invite
Burning Away the Winter Blues, like many grass roots community events, relies on word of mouth. We’d appreciate any invitations you can make to people who might enjoy being here.
And, with this year’s live webcast, anyone with an Internet connection can enjoy a virtual visit to Whitehorse and our event. Please email your friends and relatives and tell them we’d love to have them take part. They can even send in their blues ahead of time and we’ll burn them away!
And here’s another added perk - you can come by our webcast camera during the event and send a greeting out to anyone watching from afar. Here’s your chance to show off your new parka or that spiffy wool toque you got for Christmas!
Be There!
Burning Away the Winter Blues begins at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday March 22, 2008 on the shores of the Yukon River in downtown Whitehorse.
We recommend arriving between 8 and 8:30 p.m. If you arrive in a vehicle, park your vehicle at Robert Service Campground so that your vehicle will be close by after the event ends. Shuttles will be available between 8:00 and 8:30 to transport you from the parking area to the procession’s starting point at the S.S. Klondike.
The procession will begin around 8:45 and will wind along the waterfront and the Millennium Trail, through Robert Service Campground, ending up at a huge bonfire in the campground.
Be sure to wear sturdy walking shoes or boots. Dress warmly and in layers, in case you need to shed a layer or two in the heat of our great bonfire. Walking with strollers or sleds is usually fine, although it is a good idea to check in with event organizers to see if a snowfall or thaw has recently affected the path. Organizers wear security jackets and are readily visible.
Bring noisemakers and drums. Wear masks, funny hats and costumes if you wish. And please bring your blues for burning… then you can leave them behind!
You can write your blues down ahead of time, but we’ll also have note paper and pencils (which work better in the cold!) available at the bonfire.
Be There In Spirit
If you can’t join us in person, we invite you to watch Burning Away the Winter Blues over our live webcast. Just go to our home page on March 22nd and we’ll have a link there to the webcast.
We’d also be pleased to burn away your blues for you. Use the form on this page and send us your blues or mail them to Box 31697, Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 6L9. Attach your name or mail them anonymously.
As long as they get here by March 21st, we’ll be happy to throw them in our bonfire, and you can start spring with a clean slate! (For those of you who stumble on our site the day of the event and have blues to burn – you will be able to email us and we’ll write them down for you right on the spot and burn them up with all the others!)
