On June 30th in the early evening a storm passed through Churchill and caused devastation to one of the hotels. The Lazybear lodge had its roof ripped of leaving the surrounding area in a rubble. Thunder, lightening, torrential heavy rain and over 70km/hr winds ripped through the town in a matter of 30 minutes. At least one quarter of the town lost its power for 6 hours, but that didn't stop the Tundra Inn from serving their guests both food and drinks.
After having lit every candle and offering them to guests staying at the Tundra Inn, Dean and I continued cooking meals back at the Tundra lounge/pub. When you have propane, a power outage only slows you down a little but it does not stop the cooking. As Dean worked the fryer I held a torch so he could see. Candles enabled us to plate the food and guests enjoyed their unexpected candle-lit dinners.
The next day brought sunshine and blue sky, perfect for the polar dip into the Arctic waters of the Hudson Bay. A fair crowd gathered to join in the fun (and madness), some in fancy dress and others wearing a competative glimmer in their morning eyes. I met up with my team which was a family I had taken out whale-watching a few days prior. They were short a team member and I volunteered. With all of our creative heads we concocted a theme for our costumes.
'I was Lady Godiva who had arranged a benefit concert to protest the closing of the Canadian Wheat Board. I had invited David Bowie, Katy Perry and Harple Marks for the concert. So there we have it. The horn blasted and I raced towards the water with my 10 pounds of extra hair. I was aiming for a floating line that had a ribbon which I needed to grab and rip off. By the time I reached the line the frigid seas came up to my waist and every wave sent the water higher. Now with the ribbon safely in my hand I fought against the ocean surge returning towards my team mates. We each had a turn and it was hilarious to watch our colourful heads bounce and bound towards the sea with adventure in our spirits.
Once everyone had completed the relay the prizes were presented. We won best costume! I think it had everything to do with the horse I carried. Dean created the horse head the night before.
At the last minute I talked Dean and Monica in to helping me create a Tundra Inn Float for the Canada Day Parade. In 20 minutes flat we found a truck, Dean and Monica drew and cut out a Ptarmigan, wings and lettering for TUNDRA INN. Frontiers North owners Merv and Lynda Gunter helped decorate the truck with Canadian flags, balloons and streamers and gave us a bundle of candie to pass around and I dressed up as a Ptarmigan. Why all the fuss about a Ptarmigan you ask? It is the Tundra Inn logo after all.
-An old white sheet, a few pillows tied to my body and a head band to represent the males sexy red brow - did the job nicely. We joined the near back of the parade only minutes before it was about to begin.
The streets were packed with people waving Canadian flags, gathering candy that had been thrown from the many floats wearing festive smiles. A band played and the sirens from the local fire-brigade sounded. It was a delight to be involved. Following the parade offered live music in the local Hudson Square, a BBQ and a chance for the kids to frolic in the foam-created playground.
Parade photos to come
Dean and I started prepping early for our offical Tundra Inn lounge opening. It was pizza night. We designed four styles/flavors of pizzas, prepped all the ingredients as well as the usual pub-food items. Our first order came at 4.30pm and we did not stop cooking, (and I mean 'on the run' kinda cooking) until 11.45pm. It felt like we fed the entire town of Churchill, including all the visiting tourists. We think we made at least 70 pizzas as well as a zillion other dishes. It was non-stop go go go but boy it was a rush.
By the end of that busy day and evening Dean and I staggered home (a 17 second walk across the road), and after only an hour of 'winding down' time, by 3am we fell into a deep sleep. I had to be up at 7.00am to run a whale watching trip and needed all the sleep I could get in those few hours.
What a day! So much fun! and a succesful one all around!
Happy Canada Day!
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