Enterprise's Gateway Jamboree is set to return for a 25th time from Aug. 9-11 SA国际影视传媒� a testament to how important the event is to the community.
"It just showcases what a small community in the Northwest Territories can undertake and succeed at," says Evellyn Coleman, the organizer of the event. "It's something we do for our community and something we do for our neighbours.
"People really look forward to it."
Enterprise had its first jamboree in 1999, just before the NWT and what is now Nunavut split into two separate territories. In the time since, it has become a fixture of the community's annual calendar, often in spite of serious obstacles.
During the pandemic years, for example, the jamboree persisted with online events.
Last year's summer festival also went down as a success, despite ending mere hours before Enterprise was evacuated due the wildfires that ultimately destroyed most of the buildings in town and left many residents displaced.
"The very last day of last year's jamboree SA国际影视传媒� which happened to be Aug. 13 SA国际影视传媒� we finished up about noon and the evacuation order went out at three," Coleman recalled. "It was hectic because people who had been evacuated from Fort Smith the day before were still [in Enterprise], so there was a lot of running around getting everybody out of the community.
"I think there was a sense [earlier in the day] that we knew the fire was where it was, but the winds were going towards Hay River at that point, so we thought 'OK, we may not be in as much danger,'" she added. "It wasn't until later on in the day that the actual fire jumped the highway and came into Enterprise."
For Coleman, it has been a relief SA国际影视传媒� to say the least SA国际影视传媒� to plan the 2024 jamboree without the threat of wildfire on the horizon. And while some of the remaining displaced residents will regrettably not be able to attend this year's event, she's expecting a solid turnout for its 25th anniversary, with people from in and out of the community showing up to enjoy the festivities.
"We're expecting probably the same amount or more than we had last year, and we had 1,000 people come through our gate on Saturday last August," she said. "Last year when we had this jamboree here, there was 101 people living here. So we had 10 times our population walk through our gate."
People from nearby communities, such as Hay River and Fort Smith, are expected at Enterprise's jamboree, but will face a new situation in terms of lodgings this year, as the community's motel burned down in last year's devastating wildfires.
Despite that, Coleman said she's getting many requests for information about accommodations in the area.
"People are really interested in coming, and we're getting more questions about camping than ever in the past," she said.
While the loss of local storage facilities has forced Coleman and her team of volunteers to temporarily abandon some past events like the silent auction, the jamboree will still feature plenty of food, vendors, activities for children, and, of course, live music.
By the time July ended, there were already more than two dozen musicians set to perform over the Aug. 9-11 weekend. Many of them are regular jamboree performers, and Coleman is confident they will all be entertaining, but she's particularly excited to see Duane Steele play at the event's beer garden on the opening Friday.
"We did hire Duane Steele as a headliner this year," she said. "We have Shane Daniels and The Usual Suspects opening for them, and Shane and his group have been a mainstay of the jamboree for probably a good 20 years.
"They've been here almost from the beginning, so people always look forward to seeing them."
