WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2013 · & Jill Cough Syrup, Triaminic, Neo-Citran and Buckley's, which have...

INSIDE

Promoting tourism

Making drums

Music and skiing

Peewees win big

Aurora shooting

WEDNESDAY, February 6, 2013 ● 41st Year No. 49 ● $1.00 (.95 + GST) ● PM#40012157

SPORTSHUBT H E

HAY RIVER, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Sno-cross races returning to Hay River next month

NEWS

Looking back on 50 years of Hay River

A trailer in West Channel was destroyed by a fire that started in a chimney last week.

Firefighters were called to the fire around 12:15 p.m. on Jan. 30. By the time they reached the prop-erty at 139 Alaska Road at 12:30 p.m., the building was engulfed in flames.

There were no injuries, but firefighters had to work to keep the blaze from spreading to trees and a fuel cache that lay close to the structure.

Fire Chief Ross Potter said the cause was a chimney fire.

"It was a total write-off," said Potter. "Upon our arrival, the building was totally involved from one end to the other, so there was no saving it. We were only pro-tecting exposures to the trees and a few drums of fuel and oil tanks. It could have been bad."

The structure was a pre-1970s trailer with several additions built onto it.

A man, who was living in the trailer temporarily, managed to get most of his personal belong-ings outside before the building became fully engulfed. There was no insurance on the building, but there was no value attached to the structure.

Potter said chimney fires are of particular con-cern this time of year, noting there have been a few calls to respond to chimney fires already this sea-son.

For that rea-son, he highly rec-ommends people ensure their wood stoves and chimneys are properly serviced.

"Because this trailer was mostly used for storage, the wood stove was not properly installed or maintained and that is what prob-

ably caused the fire," said Potter. "Whether the fire was from an overheated pipe or chimney fire in the chimney that managed to catch the rafters, we can't tell because

there was too much damage."

The tempor-ary resident was in the trailer when the fire started, Potter said, not-ing the man luck-ily woke up when he smelled smoke and discovered exhaust billowing from the chimney area.

The fire was extinguished by 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 30.

There were 14 firefighters working in difficult -40 C conditions.

Potter said department mem-bers need to be diligent in the cold so they don't suffer frostbite and pumps don't freeze up.

Firefighters battle blaze at -40 C; building occupant saves most of his belongings

Angele Cano/NNSL photos

Firefighters Gavin Brockway, left, and Ralph Sanguez help survey a smoldering structure is out in all directions in West Channel on Jan. 30.

ANGELE [email protected]

▼ "Whether the

fire was from an overheated pipe

or chimney fire in the chimney that managed to catch

the rafters, we can't tell because

there was too much damage."

Ross Potter ▼

Smoke rises into the trees as the Hay River Fire Department battles a fire in West Channel on Jan. 30.

Chimney fire destroys trailer

www.hayriverhub.com2 ▼ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2013

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2013 ▼ 3www.hayriverhub.com

This is the first in a series of retrospective articles on the 50th anniversary of the Town of Hay River, which was incorporated in 1963.

Regardless of whether you go by Robert Dean's property on Vale Island by land or water, you can't help but be drawn to the enormous dish that points to the sky.

Its unorthodox appearance and location has probably confounded hundreds of people throughout the years.

"When I was a child, I thought it was a drive-in movie screen for boats," said Hay Riverite Kate Latour.

In fact, the 60-foot billboard shaped antennas were part of the Cold War's Distant Early Warning System (DEW Line), built in 1963 along with other radar equipment to monitor Soviet bombers and pre-vent land and water invasions in the Arctic.

The antenna would transmit and receive signals by tropospheric scat-ter, a method of bouncing micro-wave signals off the troposphere – the lowest portion of Earth's atmos-phere – and then having them picked up by receiver stations.

Around 1975, when the Can-adian military stopped using the facility, it was operated by Can-adian National Telecommunications (CNT), a subsidiary of Canadian National Railways, and turned into a way to communicate with north-ern sites.

Poul Osted's aunt worked as a phone operator at the facility.

"Back then, this was as far north as the phone lines came," he said. "The signals received by the antenna would be sent out via telephone lines to receiver stations down south. Then they were used for civilian purposes and every time a person would call the site to be connect-ed elsewhere, everyone on the line could hear the conversation, just like on a CB radio."

At that time, a young North-westel employee by the name of Robert Stephens discovered the facility, and spent some time there on a microwave technician training course while it was still being oper-ated by CNT.

In the early 1980s, Stephens was living in Edmonton and began searching for equipment he could use to establish a dedicated Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program.

When he came back to Hay River in 1981 and discovered that the site had been decommissioned, he was able to purchase the antennas for the relatively low cost of a dollar, according to his website.

"Before I could remove the antennas for relocation to a site in Alberta, CNT decided to sell the property by auction," Stephens said in a recent e-mail.

He said he pleaded his case before town council in 1983, laying out his plans to establish a radio observatory at the site. His motives were backed by extensive research in the form of a 23,000-word report, concluding that the site was a suit-able location for his project.

With very limited funds, he

made the highest bid he could with-out borrowing any money. The town also entered a bid to secure the site for the proposed radio observatory.

The eight-acre property was put on the block in 1985 and was pur-chased by Robert Dean, who came out on top with a bid under $20,000.

As a result, Dean and Stephens negotiated a five-year lease agree-ment. After selling off most of his personal possessions in order to buy various pieces of equipment, Ste-phens was finally able to start mon-itoring the skies for extraterrestrial signals.

From 1985 to 1989, his work gained international attention. The American television network NBC even sent a news crew to the site in 1987 to do a story on it. The same year, Stephens hosted his first undergraduate university stu-dent, who came to the site for some hands-on observing experience.

A July 1987 Hub article described a campaign drive, in which he travelled across Canada and the United States to drum up support for his project. It also docu-ments his mounting debt, which stood at $50,000 at the time.

Without a constant source of funding, Stephens had no way of paying his property-lease payments and mounting utility bills. In 1989, he was forced to abandon his project and leave Hay River altogether, and now lives in Ontario.

Dean tore down one of the anten-nas, to Stephens' dismay, and left another standing, because "it was kind of a landmark," he said.

"Years later, I found out Dean had torn down one of the dishes after I'd left," Stephens said.

"My use of the site as an astro-nomical radio observatory was

completely harmonious with the existence of the structures as a navi-gational aid for fishermen and the bit of tourist interest that my repur-posing the site had created."

Reached last week in Arizona, Dean said he still didn't have any plans for the last remaining dish.

"It's a real curiosity piece," he said, adding tourists drop by once in a while to ask him questions about it.

In a 2001 News/North story, he mentioned his desire would be for an artist to come by and paint a giant mural on the dish's smooth surface.

Hay River's parabolic antenna turns 50 this year; rich past includes stint helping search the stars for intelligent life

A connection to the cosmosMYLES DOLPHIN

[email protected]

Did we get it wrong?Hay River Hub is committed to get-

ting facts and names right. With that goes a commitment to acknowledge mistakes and run corrections. If you spot an error in Hay River Hub, call 874-6577 and ask to speak to an editor, or e-mail [email protected]. We'll get a correction or clarification in as soon as we can.

NEWSBriefs

Cold and flu medication recall

There has been a recall on some cough and cold products as the cold and flu season hits Hay River.

The Hay River Health and Social Services Authority recorded a spike in the number of cases of head colds and upper respiratory tract infections in January compared to past years.

On Jan. 31, Health Canada advised that Novartis Consumer Health Canada Inc. voluntarily recalled 17 products with faulty childproof bottle caps.

Some ingredients, such as aceta-minophen, dextromethorphan, and hydrobromide, could be harmful to children if ingested in large quanti-ties.

Health Canada hasn't received any information on possible inci-dents involving the defective caps.

Some product names include Jack & Jill Cough Syrup, Triaminic, Neo-Citran and Buckley's, which have been distributed across Canada.

Award-winning trioThe Gryphon Trio will be per-

forming at Riverview Cineplex on Feb. 22, part of the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre's On the Edge season.

In 2011, the trio won its second Juno award in the category of clas-sical album of the year: solo or chamber ensemble.

The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. – Myles Dolphin

Sexual health awareness

Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Week is set for Feb. 10 to 16 and the Native Youth Sexual Health Network is calling for sub-missions for its Heart Your Parts campaign.

The network is asking aboriginal youth to submit three-minute vid-eos explaining how individuals share knowledge on sexual and reproduct-ive health.

Throughout the awareness week, selected videos and related topics will be posted on the network's blog, Twitter and Facebook.

– Angele Cano

Hockey showdownFour Hay River hockey teams

will travel to Yellowknife this com-ing weekend to participate in two different tournaments.

The Hay River peewee, bantam and midget teams will play in the Yellowknife invitational tournament against teams from the capital city, the far north, and Fairview, Alta. The Hay River teams will have up to 42 skaters on the ice during the weekend.

A separate peewee girls' team will compete in a three-on-three tournament on Friday before the Yellowknife invitational tournament begins.

– Angele Cano

NNSL file photo

In this Hub photo from July 8, 1987, Robert Stephens works on his Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program in Hay River at the still-standing antenna on the shore of Great Slave Lake.

Myles Dolphin/NNSL photo

This is the sole remaining antenna on Robert Dean's property on Vale Island.


Not too long ago, a Hay Riverite was overheard saying he was pleased with a local business because an employee there had gone the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.

Stories like these are a common in Hay River, where it's relatively easy to find good service because most people know each other and there's a friendly atmosphere that permeates many businesses.

There are exceptions, of course, and you can't blame people for having a bad day once in a while. They're only human, after all.

As a customer, walking into a business with a negative attitude might also increase your chan-ces of reaping what you've sown.

That said, the customer is always right, and it's no secret that businesses in small towns have to step up their game a lot higher than those in big-

ger cities, if they want to ever see repeat cus-tomers. People go into businesses expecting the exact same thing:

basic service such as courteous employees, timely response, having their problems resolved and other things of that nature. When they leave, satisfied with their experience, their expectations have been met, but not exceeded.

What truly makes a business stand out is when it leaves its customers with memorable experi-ences, the ones that just have to be shared with friends and family. In an age where thoughts, opinions and ideas can be shared instantaneous-ly via social network sites, this is an invaluable weapon for a business in a small town.

It could be interesting for the Hay River Cham-ber of Commerce to sponsor a mystery shopper of some kind, to come in from another commun-ity and rate our local businesses' customer ser-vice. It would be someone unbiased and neutral to spend a few days here and see employees as they perform naturally.

On a short-term basis, the chamber could think about implementing a comment card sys-tem. Monthly awards could then be handed out as incentives for businesses. The chamber already hands out an annual award at its yearly gala, but maybe more are needed.

Otherwise, more people might start switching to a place where customer service is, while a bit impersonal, not generally disappointing: the Internet.

Outstanding service

EDITORIAL

HUBOPINIONHISTORICAL QUOTE

"He who has imagination without learning, has wings and no feet."

– Josepph Joubeert

What is your favourite winter sport?

You Said It! Sara Beaudet

I love snowshoeing; to get to the top of a mountain and a little cabin with nothing else than a wood stove. I love to feel free in the wild.

Sitelle CheskeyI love cross-country skiing because it's fun and social. It allows me to take a big breath of fresh air.

Paige O'SullivanI like snowshoeing. The winds on my face is tough, though.

Felix SmithI would say snowshoeing.

2011CCNA

As Hay River adjusts to a break in the cold. The Hub asks people how they enjoy the seasonOffice Hours:

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PUBLISHER J. W. (Sig) Sigvaldason

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PHONE (867) 874-6577FAX (867) 874-2679

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WWe acknowledge the financial

ssuupppporrt oof the Government of Canada

tthhroouuggh tthe Canadian Periodical Fund

(CCPPF) for our publishing activities.

PUBLISHERJ. W. (Sig) Sigvaldason

[email protected] MANAGER

Michael [email protected]

MANAGING EDITORBruce Valpy

[email protected]

Publishers of• HHayy River Hub • Deh Cho Drum

• Innuvik Drum • Kivalliq News•• YYeYellowwknifer • NWT News/North

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HAY RIVER, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

According to news coming out of Ottawa last week, the GNWT and the federal government are get-ting closer to a final agreement on devolution of power to the territorial government.

However, we would forgive long-time residents of the NWT for being skeptical about that. Devolution has been talked about for years without ever become reality.

Is it really going to happen this time?

We think that it will happen, soon-er or later. That's not because of false optimism or even the fact an agreement-in-principle has already been signed, but because of the way things happen in Canada. Although it sometimes seems to take forever, the historic trend in Canada is for provinces and territories to grad-ually assume more power from the federal government.

Devolution would just continue that trend.

Of course, the real struggle will be to determine where the benefits

of devolution will go. More power to the NWT means more highly-paid bureaucrats working somewhere, resulting in economic benefits to host communities.

Hay River, and other commun-ities outside Yellowknife, must work diligently to ensure we get our fair share of the jobs that will be com-ing to the North, not a token few jobs to keep us quiet.

It can't just be assumed that the vast majority of jobs will go to Yellowknife.

In this Internet age, there is really no reason why jobs cannot go to many communities throughout the NWT, most certainly the regional centres at the very least.

It would be in Hay River's inter-ests if we all – MLAs, town council, businesses and residents – make it crystal clear to the GNWT that we demand and expect our fair share of the benefits, and will accept nothing less.

The time to start doing that is now.

Demand our fair share


A couple of Hay Riverites were on opposite sides of the country last week, attending different functions but both contributing to the pro-motion of the NWT.

Tyler Hawkins, a lutenist and founder of the NWT International Lute Festival, and Rob-ert Bouchard, MLA for Hay River North, were in Ottawa and Vancou-ver respectively.

Hawkins was invited to perform at the Ottawa Conven-tion Centre on Jan. 30 for the Spectacular NWT Days.

The event showcased a variety of interactive exhibits where people could learn more about the NWT and enjoy musical and cultural perform-ances.

Hawkins said he learned

about the invitation three weeks before the event, when he got a phone call from some-one with the GNWT.

"I was honoured to be con-tacted to participate because

I've done events like this before but noth-ing quite like that," he said. "If the legislative assembly achieves the goals it had intended, then I can look back on this event many years from now and say that I was there for that, which is really excit-

ing."Hawkins performed on a

white stage in the shape of a giant drum, for approximately 250 people in a large banquet room.

He said his performance was intended as background music while various people – ministers, MLAs, pre-miers and others – met and

greeted each other. Meanwhile in Vancouver,

Bouchard attended the Min-eral Exploration Roundup 2013 conference with various NWT ministers and Premier Bob McLeod.

"The biggest thing is that we launched a mineral strat-egy looking at getting feed-back from the mining industry on things that the North should be doing in the future," he said.

The NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines was also present at the conference, as well as other major players in the mining industry such as Avalon Rare Metals, Tamer-lane Ventures, Fortune Min-erals and Canadian Zinc.

Asked about future mining activity that would benefit Hay River, Bouchard mentioned the Avalon Rare Metals proposed processing project at Pine Point.

"The company is currently

in the environmental review process and will be attending hearings in Yellowknife and Fort Resolution this month," he said. "Hopefully that process will be done in a month or two

and they can get started on get-ting approval from the water board after."

Canadian Zinc, which has designated Hay River as a jump point once the Prai-

rie Creek Mine near Nahanni Butte is operational, is cur-rently seeking approval from the water board and under-going the public consultation process.

Community in the spotlight

photo courtesy of Robert Hawkins

Hay River lutenist Tyler Hawkins performs at the Spectacular NWT Days in Ottawa on Jan. 30. Meanwhile, Hay River North MLA Robert Bouchard was in Vancou-ver at a mining show.

MYLES [email protected]

Hay Riverites promote region at tourism and mining conferences

Robert Bouchard


Aline Laflamme has a personal goal to help people make up to 2,000 drums.

An amazing feat given that it was only decades ago that the traditional form was out-lawed.

Laflamme, a former Hay Riverite, will be in town

from Feb. 8 to 10 to teach a traditional drum-making workshop at NWT Centennial Library.

She learned drummaking in the early 1980s, and was

intensely affected and deeply moved by the drum's powerful impact.

"Some people went to jail because they felt so strongly that they had to uphold this

tradition," said Laflamme. "Drumming had been essen-tially illegal for three or more aboriginal people to get together and drum and prac-tise spiritual traditions. These things motivated me. It aston-ishes, the power to build self-esteem and pride and deep spiritual healing."

The process begins with a spiritual pipe ceremony on Friday. On Saturday, the drummaking class is inter-mingled with significant spiritual and traditional teachings and p r i n c i p l e s . On Sunday, the drums are "woken up," and used for the first time in ceremony.

Laflamme lived in Hay River for 10 years and returns almost yearly to visit and teach work-shops.

"The drum is a heart-beat," she said. "Those are the heartbeats of our people and our nation, a powerful act of harmony and unity. In that moment when you are drum-ming, you don't need to agree on anything at all."

Long-time drummer Janine Hoff credits Laflamme with bringing drumming back to Hay River and providing people with the opportunity to reconnect with their roots.

"She grew up in a gen-eration when people weren't

allowed to drum," said Hoff, "So she recognizes the sig-nificance of giving people the tools and resources to drum."

Hoff has drummed with her family for more than 20 years and more publicly for the past decade with the Granddaughters of the Drum, which Laflamme founded.

"We grew up Metis women, but we didn't know that side of our culture until we were introduced to it," said Hoff. "(Drumming is) a form of prayer. That's why we

are selective of where we play. A gather-ing we attend has to have an aspect of spirituality or empowerment for people. It just feeds you on a spiritual level."

With a goal to reach 2,000 drums in her lifetime,

Laflamme is well on her way. She has helped people make around 1,300 drums. She strives to continue because of the unifying effect she says the drumming has on all nations.

"It's a traditional teaching and it's also scientific," said Laflamme. "When you create sound, it goes out to all of cre-ation. It does not stop. Think of everyday people, they curse and swear, but, if we drum and sing in praise of life and one another, that's the vibra-tion we send out."

Former Hay Riverite returns to teach spiritual drum-making course

A drum beat, a heartbeat


NNSL file photo

Aline Laflamme demonstrates how to make a Dene drum in Fort Providence in 2008. Laflamme will be in Hay River this weekend to teach another workshop from Feb. 8 to 10.

▼ "Those are the

heartbeats of our people and our

nation." Aline Laflamme▼


HUBSPORTSLEARNING THE SKIING ROPES

Workshop helps build more coaches for cross-country skiing, page 8

Adrenaline junkies can mark a couple of import-ant dates on their calendars in March as a variety of ice racing is about to return to Hay River.

On March 2 and 3, several Hay Riverites will be com-peting against racers from Yellowknife, Fort Providence, Fort Simpson, Fort Chipe-wyan and other communities in a number of events.

Short-course sno-cross and cross-country snow-mobile races will be held on the first day, while dirt bikes and snowmobile drag races will take centre stage on the second day.

The action is slated to take place near the ice road cross-ing to the Hay River Reserve, and will start at approximate-ly noon on both days.

Kurtis King, a racer in Hay River, said it will be nice to finally have organized races back in town.

"We used to have a lot of them here, but we don't any-more," he said. "We have lost racers throughout the years, and the people who used to organize it just aren't here anymore."

King said there is a small contingent of racers who still travel to other communities to take part in competitions.

Despite not being at the top of his form, Hay River Swim Club's Lyndon Yee still performed well at the Alberta Senior Championships held in Leth-bridge from Feb. 1 to 3.

The 16-year-old swimmer, who took part in seven events, posted top-15 results in two of them: the 50-metre butterfly and the 50-metre backstroke.

Yee also posted personal bests in six of his seven events.

Thirty teams from southern Alberta took part in the competition.

"There were some really good swim-mers there," said Lyndon Yee's coach and father Kelvin Yee. "To be able to finish 29th in the 100-metre freestyle was also impressive considering there were 75 swimmers taking part."

The teenage Yee, who began swim-ming when he was five, said he wasn't entirely satisfied with his results.

"It wasn't the greatest," he said, when asked about his perform-ances. "Last week, I pulled some muscles while training, so I guess

I did a bit too much." The swimmer added, "I tried to hit

certain times during the meet, but I just couldn't do it."

Yee said he expected to reach the finals in the 50-metre backstroke, his strongest event, but wasn't sure about the 50-metre butterfly.

He practises two mornings a week, mostly freestyle swimming, and puts in roughly two to three hours of training per day.

The young athlete said he sets a high standard for himself before going into any meet.

"I tried to hit 23 or 24 seconds dur-ing the 50-metre freestyle, but I couldn't break 25," he said.

Kelvin Yee pointed out that a won-derful new application for smart phones allows swim fans to get results quickly, while meets are taking place.

"It's called Meet Mobile and you can easily search for different age groups and meets," he said. "They list all of the swimmers at a particular meet and they update the results almost instan-taneously, which is far better than what we're used to."

Snowmobile racing to return to Hay River in March

Lyndon Yee posts personal bests in six of seven events in Lethbridge, despite pulled muscles

Get your motor running

Swimmer hampered by injuryNNSL file photo

Sno-cross is returning to Hay River. Races similar to this one in 2006 are scheduled for March 2 and 3.

photo courtesy of Kelvin Yee

On Feb. 1, Lyndon Yee of the Hay River Swim Club competed in the 50-metre butterfly at the Alberta Senior Championships in the near lane.




As interest in the Jack-rabbit ski program multiplies across the NWT, so does the demand for qualified coaches.

Eight eager Hay Riverites completed a 10-hour coaching workshop on Feb. 1 to 2 at the Hay River Ski Club, taught by Ski North co-ordinator Karen Johnson.

Christopher Lirette, Ange-line Magtibay, Robert Pla-mondon, Wanda Dewar, Ther-esa Patterson, Bev Tybring, Julianne Fuller and Tracey Pope went through a variety of exercises, such as develop-ing an entire season plan and an activity plan.

They also learned about proper skiing equipment and clothing, safety factors and techniques, and created emer-gency action plans and came up with games for children in the Jackrabbit ski program (aged six to 10 years).

The standardized courses are competency-based and cover the same material that is taught in other ski clubs across the country.

Johnson was trained to teach the workshops two years ago, and this was already her third one of the season.

"There is tons of interest

for this now, which is great," she said. "I taught two work-shops in Yellowknife and one in Fort Smith. The course is designed by Cross Country Canada and it is nice to be able to teach a large group such as this one, because if

you only have a single person running the program, you're stuck once that person leaves the community."

She said it's important for children in the Jackrabbit pro-gram to learn the right skills at a young age because it leads

to becoming successful biath-letes, and there is no shortage of those in Hay River.

Johnson was also at the Chief Sunrise Education Cen-tre on the Hay River Reserve on Feb. 1, showing kids the basics of skiing.

"The snow was really deep there, so we had to focus on playing simple games, such as one-ski soccer," Johnson said.

Tracey Pope, the co-ordinator of the Jackrabbit ski program at the Hay River Ski Club, said she got a

lot out of the workshop. "We did a few hours on

the snow, which was fantas-tic," she said, as the coaches also learned a few techniques of their own. "We got a lot of ideas for games that will improve the kids' techniques."

Two-day seminar covers skiing fundamentals

Workshop helps fill coaching need

photo courtesy of Karen Johnson

From left, Christopher Lirette, Angeline Magtibay, Robert Plamondon, Wanda Dewar, Theresa Patterson, Bev Tybring, Julianne Fuller and Tracey Pope take part in a Feb. 1 and 2 workshop called Introduction to Community Coach.



About 30 people gathered at the Hay River Ski Club to take to the trails on snowshoes or skis on Feb. 1, and they then retreated indoors to enjoy the warm sounds of acoustic per-formances by musicians from

the community.The musicians performed

on a variety of instruments, including wooden flute, gui-tar, piano, fiddle and djembe drums. They played covers or adaptations of well-known tunes, or simply improvised.

Franziska Ulbricht plays along with the group at the ski club's music night.

Anya Van Zyll improvises a beautiful tune on a wooden flute.

Noemie Plante, left, and Sitelle Cheskey enjoy the music.

From left, Karen Wall, Carlos Tapia and Brigitte Tetreault play their rendition of 'Me Gustas Tu' by Manu Chao at the Hay River Ski Club's music night.

Warm sounds at the ski club

Northern News Services

by Angele Cano

MUSICFeature

Chris Irvine strums along to the music.


There is more than one Hay Riverite willing to lend Craig Cardiff a parka.

The popular Canadian musician with indie folk-rock roots will be travelling to Hay River in February to shake residents out of their winter slumps with something they don't always have the privilege to see: live music.

Thanks to private citizens

and music enthusiasts, Peter Magill and Keith Dohey, Car-diff will play at the Doghouse Sports Pub on Feb. 22.

"We were thinking of ways to promote and benefit the town," said Magill. "The opportunities came up and we thought, 'Why not?' This is something different from what we normally see. Live music is severely lacking in town. We have this great tal-ent here, and they often have nowhere to play."

Cardiff, who grew up in Waterloo, Ont., and lives in the Ottawa Valley, has per-formed in Yellowknife several times. The folk singer was nominated for a Juno award for his latest release Floods and Fires in the roots and traditional album of the year category.

The same album was also nominated for contemporary singer of the year at the Can-adian Folk Music Awards in 2012. Cardiff was up against

artists like Bruce Cockburn and Rose Cousins.

This will be his first visit to Hay River and he is look-ing forward to returning to the welcoming atmosphere of the North.

"I was the fellow from Ontario who showed up dur-ing a cold snap in Yellowknife with two (regular) winter jack-ets," said Cardiff. "My friends showed up at the airport with a proper parka and were like, 'What were you thinking?'"

During his tour, he is per-forming songs from his most recent album. Many new ones he's fine tuning through live performances with the help of audience response with a focus on vocals and poetic lyrics. His compositions are a lot like stories.

"It's fine to have a song that's theoretical, but songs aren't made in a vacuum," he said. "It's like a comed-ian recording a set with-out an audi-ence. There's no stronger endorsement than someone coming up to you and say-ing, 'I want to hear that song again.'"

Cardiff will be playing on the same night as a North-ern Arts and Cultural Centre presentation of The Gryphon Trio. Also on that evening, Nearly Neil, a Neil Diamond impersonator, will be the fea-ture act at the annual gala of the Hay River Chamber of Commerce.

A different demographic will keep the performances from competing with each other, said Magill.

The culture of a grass-roots music scene is grow-ing in town, he said, although mostly behind closed doors or through the avenue of music and open mic night.

Alternatively, the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre has begun to build a patron base, as has the Hay River Early Music Society, though those

groups cater to a different demographic.

M a g i l l said they are steps closer to making Hay River a per-formance des-tination.

"Open jam nights are great, don't get me wrong, but I want to see a real art-

ist and I don't want to pay to go to Yellowknife or Edmon-ton," he said. "There are the avenues here, but it's just a matter of if the interest is here. We'll start small now to see if this is a doable thing. We're a long way off from the ideal, but wouldn't it be awesome to fill up the entire arena for a show?"

Organizers are still plan-ning for a Hay River perform-er to open the Cardiff show.

Folk musician Craig Cardiff to play in town this month

Hay River, meet indie musicANGELE CANO

[email protected]

NNSL file photo

Craig Cardiff performs at the Top Knight Pub in Yellowknife in November 2011. The solo artist will be performing in Hay River on Feb. 22.

▼ "We're a long way off from the ideal, but wouldn't it be awesome to fill up the entire arena for

a show?" Peter Magill ▼


The Hay River Library's board of directors wants the town to take governance over the Hay River Library and is giving council until March 31 to respond to the request.

The board presented at the committee of the whole meeting on Feb. 4 and said the NWT's public libraries act states the library should be the responsibility of the town.

Currently the library is run by a volunteer board, which is operating without legislative authority.

Funds are being provided to the library through fundraising and from the GNWT without agreements or stipulations. This could also change, said the library board members, if the town took over.

Council expressed concern that if it took on the library, the GNWT would scale back its support. The board said the volunteer positions are very demanding, making recruitment and retention dif-ficult. Board member Ken Latour said the board has run its course and members are not willing to do it anymore because they see the institu-tion as belonging to the town.

The library's budget this year is $160,000.

Fire department ranks on top

Compared to 34 fire departments across the NWT the Hay River Fire Depart-ment was among one of the best maintained, trained and considered at the top as an

"offensive" department.Fire Chief Ross Potter pre-

sented the National Fire Pro-tection Association's assess-ment of the Hay River Fire Department to council dur-ing a committee of the whole meeting on Feb. 4.

The department is working on replacement of the old fire hall, and certification of the training ground burn struc-ture.

The depart-ment presently uses three pump-ers, one tanker, and three rescue vehicles which are maintained regu-larly.

In the past 10 years, 59 members participated in a defensive level training. Many

members have Emergency Medical Responder certifica-tion, technical rescue, vehicle extraction certification.

Corridor wants lower taxes

The Hay River Corridor Ratepayers Association wants the town to honour an agree-ment they signed with the town in 1998 saying their per-centage of taxes would not increase.

On Feb. 4, the association re-presented its case. Lisa Smith, the association's presi-dent, said the idea was pre-sented to the previous council three years ago.

In July 1998, the town and the corridor group agreed to set the corridor's mill rate at 80 per cent of the residential mill rate due to the difference in services compared to the town.

Over time, the rate crept

up to 90.4 per cent. Smith said association members want this to change.

The agreement was made because many services weren't received in the corridor includ-ing paving and sidewalks, recreation and parks, street-lights, bylaw enforcement, garbage collection, commun-ity TV, and civil emergencies services.

Smith said corridor house-holds pay more than resi-dents of the town because of higher insurance premiums

due to fewer emergency ser-vices. That difference in cost equates to around $3,400 a year, although they receive fewer services.

If the rate was set back to 80 per cent of the town's mill rate, Smith said corridor resi-dents would still be paying 18 per cent more than Hay River ratepayers. Smith added the change would only result in a reduction of $24,000 in town revenue. The matter will be on the agenda at the next meeting of council.

Library committee wants town to take over

COUNCIL Briefswith Angele Cano

[email protected]

Angele Cano/NNSL photo

STUDYING FOR EXAMSara Beaudet, left, and Chris Lirette go over some complicated math problems in preparation for the Grade 12 math final exam on Jan. 25.

Northern News Services


With an edge-of-the-seat win in overtime, the Hay River Peewee Huskies team was able to come away with a gold medal in last month's home tournament.

During the six-team tour-nament, the Hay River blue team was divided into two, and went head to head with the Yellowknife Mackay Mavericks in the bronze medal game, which served as a semifinal for the champion-ship match. Hay River scored in overtime to break a 3-3 tie, pushing the team on to the gold medal game against Yellowknife Boston Pizza Royals and winning 9-1.

"They took the tough road to the finals because they lost their first qualifying game," said head coach Mark Horton.

Both Hay River blue and white teams made it to the playoffs during the Jan. 18 to 20 tournament, but the white team fell short and took fourth place in the tournament.

Next, the peewee team will be travelling to Fort Smith this weekend for a tournament. The trip follows tournaments in the North and Alberta.

Horton said the team members are developing their skills and teamwork.

Supporters and fans are also offering encouragement. During the recent tourna-ment, the stands were full.

"I think the peewee team is having a good season so far," said Horton. "There have been a lot of success-es this year. We've travelled to a lot of tournaments and so far we have a winning record."

Hay River Huskies hockey team win gold at peewee tournament

Tough trail to the championships


photo courtesy of Connie Belanger

The Hay River Peewee Huskies team won last month's home tournament against their final contenders, Yellowknife Boston Pizza Royals. The Hay River team consists of, front row, from left, Tyrell Wilgosh and J.J Lamoreux. Middle row, from left, Taylor Maurice, Jacob Harder, Cassidy Ring and Ally Carston. Back row, from left, assistant coach Les Ring, Jeff Ashby, Jason Griffiths, Abby Webster, Bryn Hill, Madison Loutit, Brad Belanger and head coach Mark Horton.


Autos for Sale2001 JEEP TJ Sport - 60th Anniversa-ry Platinum Edition. Command start; hard top; all new rubber, 86,000 km. Asking $12,000. Call Kim Crook 867-875-8811 TFN

Miscellaneous

FIREWOODCUSTOM CUT SIZES - SPLIT

1 FULL CORD $225, GST & LOCAL DELIVERY

INCLUDEDCALL

PATTERSON’S SAWMILL867-874 - 2746Fort SmithClassifieds

DRY FIREWOOD for sale. For more info, call Norm at: 872-2355 TFN

FOR SALE: Firewood. Custom cut siz-es, split green, dry, bagged. Wood gasification/outdoor wood boilers. Delivery to Hay River and Yellow-knife. Contact Dave at (867)872-3435 or cell 872-0229. Fort Smith, email: [email protected]

CLASSIFIEDS: DEADLINE is Friday at 4 p.m. For more information, call: 874-6577; or email: [email protected]

CommunityAnnouncements

AEROBICS IS back every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Harry Camsell School starting at 6pm. Come on out and get active!

24-HOUR CRISIS LINE Providing a free and safe place for victims of family violence. Help is available. Call 874-6626

GAMBLER’S ANONYMOUS FRIDAYS 875-8613 for information

ROTARY CLUB meets every Thurs-day at noon. Call Chris Robinson 874-2207.

LIONS CLUB meetings, 2nd Tuesday of every month, 7pm at the Salt N Pepper’s back room. New members welcome. If you would like more information contact Pat @ 874-6660

DJSS PARENT Action Committee (DJPAC) is looking for anyone, who would like to help out and support our school. Call Evellyn Coleman 874-2342 / Kim Crook 874-4901 or email: [email protected]

HAY RIVER Community Library hours are as follows: Monday - Thursday 10am - 5pm and 7 - 9pm (always open during lunch) Friday, Saturday/Sunday 1 - 5pm. Closed for statu-tory holidays.

HR RESERVE Community Counsel-ling. Service hours Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm. Offer confidential referral, counselling and education services. Please call 874-2838.

TO PLACE YOURCLASSIFIED AD:

TO PLACE YOUR AD:Call 874-6577, fax 874-2679,

or write 8-4 Courtoreille Street,

Hay River, NT X0E 1G2.

Email: [email protected]

Reach buyersthroughout theNorthwest Territoriesand around the world

$5.00for the first 15 words

Your PREPAID classified ad must be received by our office before 4 pm Friday each week.

You may pay for your ad using your Visa or Mastercard over the phone or come into our office in the Gensen Building.

Private classified ads: $5.00 first 15 words. 15 cents per word thereafter.

Boxed ads: for Memoriams, Obituaries, Birth Announcements, Thank Yous, Birthday Greetings, etc. are $25.00 plus GST for a basic 2 col. by 2” ad, $6.25/col. in.

National and business classified ads: $1.40 per agate line.

W E M A K E I T E A S YLOCAL BUYERSLOCAL SELLERSPH: 867.874.6577 FAX: 867.874.2679 Email: [email protected]

HUB WLLP

UB

CLASSIFIEDSALCOHOLIC ANONYMOUS Meetings in Hay River: SUNDAY 7:30pm, South Mackenzie Corrections Centre. Studney Drive (in house meeting.)

VICTIM SERVICES. For immediate as-sistance call 876-2020 for free and confidential direct services. TFN

ALCOHOLIC ANONYMOUS Meetings in Hay River, Daily Reflections, FRIDAY 8pm, Anglican Church, downstairs, #69 Woodland Dr. (open meeting).

THE SOUP KITCHEN Open Mon., Wed., Fri. 11am - 1:30pm. For more information, please call: 874-2885 or 874-4353.

HAY RIVER PLAYSCHOOL Early child-hood programs for 3 & 4 year olds. To register, contact Norma Shaw at 874-2508, Mon to Fri, 8:30am - 4:30pm

ALCOHOLIC ANONYMOUS Meetings in Hay River: Keep it Simple THURS-DAY 7:30pm at Anglican Church basement 874-4787.

PENTECOSTAL CHAPEL Bible Study and prayer Tuesdays at 7pm. Ser-vice Sundays 10:30am

ST. ANDREWS ANGLICAN/ Grace United Church, service – Sunday morning 10:30 am, Sunday School. And the Thrift Shop hours are; Wed, Thurs. and Sat – 1:30 to 4pm, Thurs. night 7pm to 9pm.

INTERESTED IN Karate? Classes for all ages at PA School. Call Santiago or Cindy today at: 3754 or Alex: 6667, after 6pm.

IF YOU have a fine or community services to work off – the Com-munity Alternative Measures, Fine Option and Community ServiceOrder Programs are now serviced from the office of the Hay River Community Justice Committee. Of-fice hours: Monday - Friday, 2-5pm. Located at Room 102 in the Green-way Building. For more info, phone 874-3993

COMMUNITY COUNSELLING Services Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; closed noon hours. We offer confidential referral, counselling, therapeutic and education services. Please call 874-2446.

ALCOHOLIC ANONYMOUS Meetings in Hay River: Big Book Study. MONDAY 7:30pm, Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre, rear entrance.

ALCOHOLIC ANONYMOUS Meetings in Hay River: Women’s Group TUES-DAY 7:30pm at Anglican Church basement.

Realty For Rent or Sale

FOR SALE or Rent 3 bedroom mo-bile home. 100% newly-renovated interior, floors, walls, custom kitchen cabinets, open kitchen / livingroom. New windows, doors and trim. Large fenced, landscaped yard. Close to schools, downtown and hospital. Priced to sell. Available on Sep-tember 1. Referneces required. For further info, call 874-2864. 02/13

Mackenzie Place Highrise

Bachelor, 1 & 2 bdrm

•furnished or unfurnished

•weekly or monthly

•incentives available

•new tenants only

Ph: 867-876-1949Email:

[email protected]

Vacation Rentals

CANMORE 3 bedroom condo for vacation rental. Available for short term holiday rental (min. 4 days) in Canmore, Alberta. Ideal for skiing or hiking. Comes fully furnished with all conveniences. Call Chris at 403-208-5341 TFN

VACATION RENTALS available in Palm Springs, California area and Big White Ski area near Kelowna. Palm Springs house, two bedroom, master with ensuite, second with bunk bed, sleeps two. Fully equipped kitchen, patio with BBQ, located in gated community on golf course. Big White Ski area, ski in - ski out, 3 bedroom townhouse located in Snow Pine ar-ea, two queen sized beds, four bunk beds, sleeps eight. Fully equipped kitchen, deck with BBQ and private hot tub. For more info, call: 403-208-5341 or 403-875-7604 TFN

BROWNIES (GIRL Guides of Canada) Thursdays 6 - 7:30 p.m. Catholic church. For more information, call 874-2350.

RECYCLING FUND RAISER - Hay River Minor Hockey Association. HRM-HA’s main fund raiser is its bottle drives every October and April. If we missed you, or if you have recycling to donate in between these months, please contact Stacey Barnes at 874-2515 for pick up. Thank you for supporting HRMHA.

THE HAY RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT and ambulance service is presently running a recruitment drive for 10 new members. For more informa-tion, contact Ross Potter, fire chief at (867) 874-6522 or pickup an ap-plication at the town hall.

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS Meetings in Hay River at #4A Gaetz Drive. 7:30 pm every WEDNESDAY. Any-one wanting to attend the meeting please contact Barb at 876-0570

GUIDES, PATHFINDERS (Girl Guides of Canada) Thursdays 6:30 - 8 p.m. P.A. School. For more info, call 874-2350.

ALCOHOLIC ANONYMOUS Meetings in Hay River: 12 Step x 12 Traditions. SATURDAY 8pm, at Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre, rear entrance.

DOES SOMEONE you know have trou-ble with drinking? Al-anon meeting Wed, 7:30 - 8:30pm. Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre, entrance at back.

THE HEALTHY Family Program is in Suite 11 - 3 Courtoreille Street. (Up-stairs above the Bakery). Are you expecting a baby or had a baby in the past six months? We do home visits to support you with: Healthy Child Development, Healthy Parent-Child Interaction, Community Re-sources & Social Support. Our pro-gram is FREE and open Mon. - Fri. 8am - 4pm. Angela Jacobs @ 874-3009 or Paula Oteiza @ 874-3008

MEALS ON Wheels needs volunteers to deliver meals. (11am - noon ap-proximately). If you are interested, please call Marcy Cowger at 874-7201. Hay River Community Health Services.

PARENTS AND Tots every Thursday at 10:30am. Stories, crafts, cre-ative play. After school program-ming with Adam every week: grades K-2 Mondays 3:30-4:30pm; grades 3-5 Tuesdays 3:30-4:30pm; grades 6-7 Wednesdays 3-4pm. Hay River Community Library.

SPARKS (GIRL Guides of Canada) Thursdays 6 - 7p.m. Pentecostal church. For more information, call 874-2350.

SUPPORT LOCAL business! Check out www.sshcp.nt.ca to see what Hay River has to offer!

GROWING TOGETHER, a place for children 6 and under and their par-ents. A variety of activities are al-ways on the go. For a full schedule of events, call 874-4545.

COMMUNITY COUNSELLING Services Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; closed noon hours. We offer confidential referral, counselling, therapeutic and education services. Please call 874-2446.

WORK WANTED The Hay River Com-mittee for Persons with Disabilities is assisting clients with job placement. If you have full or part time work for someone or can offer a person with disabilities even a few hours a week, please contact the CFPWD office at 875-4448 or fax 875-4442

EVERY WEEK at the Tree House! Mondays - crafts and drop-in, 10 am - noon for parents and children ages 0-6. Tuesdays - tumbling tod-dlers at the Pentecostal church, 10 am - noon; fun stories and drop-in, 1:30-4:30pm. Wednesdays - movie madness days, come in and enjoy a featured movie, 10 am - noon; phonics club 3:45-5pm. Thursdays - parents and tots, 10 am - noon; curious kids clubs, 3:45-5pm. Call Tree House at 874-2103

ALCOHOLIC ANONYMOUS Men’s Group, WEDNESDAY at 7:30pm, Friendship Centre, back door.

HAY RIVER Youth Centre Hours are: Tue. to Thur., 6:30-9:30pm; Fri. 6:30-11pm; Sat. 3:30-11pm. Ph: 874-3953

KICK BUTT! Quit smoking weekly support group meeting - every Tues-day at 7:00 p.m. upstairs in the clinic. All nicotine dependant people (whether in the Kick Butt! program or not) and any interested friends, family or other support people are welcome to come to our meetings. Facilitator: Susie Taylor

Don't be a couch potato… VOLUNTEER!

Pinnacle Wood PelletsAvailable Immediately

Call 874-2447


Alberta Blanket

Classifieds

ANNOUNCEMENTSDO YOU KNOW a great volun-teer? The Alberta Weekly News-papers Association (AWNA) and Direct Energy are now accepting nominations for the Alberta Vol-unteer Citizen of the Year award to recognize someone who goes above and beyond to help others in the community. Nom-inations are open to all residents

served by AWNA newspapers. As a reward for giving so much, the winner will get a $1000 cash prize from Direct Energy and a $5000 donation to their commun-ity organization of choice. Visit: directenergy.com/vcoy or awna.com. Nominations close Sunday, March 31, 2013.

AUCTIONS7TH ANNUAL COLLECTOR CAR Auction & Speed Show, March 15 - 17/13, Red Deer Westerner Park. Featuring Big Schwag & indoor car show! Exhibitor space avail-able. Consign your car; estate

today. 1-888-296-0528 ext. 102; EGauctions.com.

RITCHIE BROS Unreserved Auc-tion. Edmonton, April 24 & 25. Residential Golf Community Lot Development Project in Vulcan, Alberta. Contact Dean Pollock 403-650-1996 or visit: rbauction.com/realestate.

BUD HAYNES FIREARMS AUC-TION. Sat., March 2, 2013, 9 a.m. Bay 4, 7429 - 49 Ave., Red Deer. Estate George Huebner. Taking Consignments; Phone 403-347-5855; www.budhaynesauctions.com.

1 HOME QTR & 18 Parcels of Farmland - Davidson, Saskatch-ewan. Sorgaard Ranches Ltd - 2290+/- title acres. 3 bedroom bungalow, 30 X 50 ft. garage, selling at the Saskatoon Auction March 19/13. Ritchie Bros. Auc-tioneers: 1-800-491-4494; rbauc-tion.com.

RITCHIE BROS Unreserved Auc-tion. Edmonton, March 7. Two Parcels of Farmland located at Grassland, Alberta. For more info contact John Kiszka, 780-689-3076 or visit: rbauction.com/realestate.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

WELL ESTABLISHED Towing Company in Drayton Valley. 6 trucks & roadside contracts. Will sell as whole or individually. Train-ing available. Unlimited earning potential. Must see! Phone 780-621-1622.

WANTED -SOMEONE to own & operate a Shoe Store in "The Village At Pigeon Lake" Some fi-nancing available to right party. Email: Terry Myers at: [email protected].

ESTABLISHED 1901 Historic Bed and Breakfast. Five guest rooms, turnkey operation. In-cludes 2 houses on large river-side lot in Minnedosa, Manitoba. $575,000.; www.tilsonplace.com; [email protected]. 204-867-2830.

LIFE CHANGERS! Distribut-ers required for non-competition health product. www.ourwow.info then www.jusuru.com/change. 780-239-8305 or [email protected].

CAREER TRAININGMASSAGE CAREER. Train full-time or part-time at our highly re-garded, progressive school. Small classes, individual attention, con-fident graduates! 1-877-646-1018; www.albertainstituteofmassage.com.

REFLEXOLOGY PROGRAM, fun and relaxed learning. Regis-ter now limited space. Starting March 9 & 10, 2013. Certificate on completion. 403-340-1330.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

INTERIOR HEAVY EQUIPMENT Operator School. No Simulators. In-the-seat training. Real world tasks. Weekly start dates. Job board! Funding options. Sign up online! iheschool.com. 1-866-399-3853.

JOURNEYMAN HD mechanic required for oilfield construction company. Duties will include ser-vicing, maintenance and overhaul of our equipment. The job will be predominately shop work, but with a portion of your time spent in the field. A mechanic's truck will be supplied for you. The job is based in Edson, Alberta. Call Lloyd at 780-723-5051.

NEED TO ADVERTISE? Province wide classifieds. Reach over 1 mil-lion readers weekly. Only $269. + GST (based on 25 words or less). Call this newspaper NOW for de-tails or call 1-800-282-6903 ext. 228.

PYRAMID CORPORATION is now hiring! Instrument Techni-cians and Electricians for various sites across Alberta. Send resume to: [email protected] or fax 780-955-HIRE.

PARTS MANAGER. GM dealer-ship requires Automotive Parts Manager. Must be detail oriented with leadership and organization-al skills. Requires inventory man-agement skills with a focus on customer satisfaction. Apply to: Alan Hunter, Hunter Motors Ltd., Athabasca. Fax 780-675-3415 or email: [email protected].

SPRUCE POINT Park Associa-tion is seeing an individual for the position of: Park Manager (Seasonal May 1 - Sept. 15). The Spruce Point Park campground and marina facility is located on Lesser Slave Lake approximately 285 kms northwest of Edmon-ton, Alberta near the Hamlet of Kinuso. We are now accepting applications for the position of Park Manager, for the period of May 1 to Sept. 15. For complete package and details please call 780-775-3805 or 780-805-0801 or email: [email protected]. Position will remain open until suitable candidate is found.

JOURNALISTS, GRAPHIC Artists, Marketing and more. Al-berta's weekly newspapers are looking for people like you. Post your resume online. Free. Visit: www.awna.com/resumes_add.php.

Time on your hands? Expand your mind at the library! hayriverhub.com


Photographers with a love for shooting the Northern lights are preparing for what experts are calling a peak period for the atmospheric phenomenon.

That's why Hay River shutterbugs gathered on Jan. 26 to get a few tips from seasoned wildlife and aurora borealis photographer, Adam Hill.

It can be tough to capture the mov-ing lights properly, said Hill, and for this reason, photographers need to have a few staples with them when they start:

Equipment: Tripods are essential to stabilize your

camera. Carbon fibre is easier to touch and manoeuvre in the cold and twist over clip adjustable legs are preferable.

A pan-and-tilt tripod will allow you to work in smaller increments, but a ball head is fine.

Headlamps are great for everything. They allow you to see what you're doing when you find yourself out in the middle of a dark field.

Also, take extra batteries. Keep one set warm in your pocket with a hand-warmer or in a neck warmer.

The cold quickly saps the energy from batteries.

For lenses, the wider the better. If

you have a digital SLR camera and can control you settings, program them before you head out to photograph.

Settings: A 2.8 F-stop aperture setting is fast

and captures a sharper aurora. A 3.5 set-ting also works. But by the time you get to numbers four and five the speed is slow. The F-stop determines how light will be detected by the sensor.

You can reduce a camera's shake by using a cable release attachment, only to be used with a 3.5-4.6 aperture lens.

Try and keep your ISO setting between 400 and 640. The higher the ISO, the more light will be let in, but the photo will also appear grainy.

Composition: Think about how you want your photo

to look, says Hill. Framing the sky with landscape, and having activity in the foreground of your photo are options, as is mirroring with water. You also want to head somewhere dark.

Creature comforts:Dress warmly, said Hill. Keeping your

fingers and toes warm is essential. Also, find a reputable aurora forecast

to gauge activity. The magnetic phenom-enon is reaching its peak cycle this year as the Earth reaches its solar maximum. This means the Aurora Borealis will be at its most intense this coming season. The height of activity is between midnight and 1 a.m.

Tips on how to shoot an atmospheric phenomenon

Capturing Northern lightsANGELE CANO

[email protected]

Adam Hill photo

Sean Pinnington, left, and Matthew Goad stare up at the Northern Lights on a fall day.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2013 · & Jill Cough Syrup, Triaminic, Neo-Citran and Buckley's, which have...

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