Public Library Blog

The History Behind Halloween, by Sharren Reil

I was 26 when I first arrived in Dawson City, Yukon.  I arrived in late summer and the first big community event was the Halloween party.  Everyone in town dressed up and showed up!  I can’t remember what my costume was, but some things really stood out and I remember them clearly.  For a town with more men than women, and many, if not most, of the men involved in fishing, mushing, or other rugged enterprises, it came as a complete surprise that most of them were dressed up as women!  The best...

The Four Seasons by Sharren Reil

People know there are four seasons, but do you know why? According to the National Research Council of Canada, https://nrc.canada.ca/en/certifications-evaluations-standards/canadas-official-time/3-when-do-seasons-start  , there are four astronomical seasons on Earth, defined by the movement of the sun in the sky.  The website  goes on to explain that for the northern hemisphere: spring starts at the moment when the sun is directly over the equator, going from south to north-called the vernal...

Nathional Day for Truth and Reconciliation, by Sharren Reil

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Orange Shirt Day

September 30, 2024

I have enjoyed 65 rotations around the sun, and yet it was not until I moved to the Yukon, on the eve of my 27th birthday, that I heard about the residential school system and the injustices that occurred.  The first time I heard about what had happened in the Yukon, and of course across Canada, was sitting around a fire beside Lake Laberge and listening as an Indigenous woman spoke of her experiences.  Her family lived...

International Dot Day, by Sharren Reil

International Dot Day is a global celebration of creativity, courage, and collaboration based on a book by the author Peter H. Reynold’s called The Dot.  The website https://nationaltoday.com/dot-day/  states that on September 15, 2003, Mr. Reynolds released his book, The Dot, which tells the story of a young girl in an art class who feels she can’t create art.  The teacher tells her to just make a mark, and she draws a dot.  The picture gets put on the wall and slowly the girl gains confidence in her...

National Dog Day August 26, by Sharren Reil

This incredible day was the brainchild of a woman named Colleen Paige who is an animal activist and a Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert.  The day marks the day she adopted her first family dog.  She started this movement over 20 years ago and  now it is celebrated around the world and is also called International Dog Day.

The Canadian Animal Health Institute (https://cahi-icsa.ca/news/2020-canadian-pet-population-figures-released ) states that in 2020 there were 7.7 million pet dogs in Canada.  A...