DAWSON CITY – The 36th edition of the Dawson City International Gold Show was blessed with good weather this year. Sometimes it rains on the Victoria Day weekend and one year it actually snowed heavily, but none of that happened this year, which was a good thing, because much more of the trade show was in booths outside the Art and Margaret Fry Recreation Centre.

There were 64 exhibitors this year and no floods or forest fires to keep people way, which knocked a planned 53 exhibitors down to 45 in 2023.

This year, the George Black ferry was in the water before the weekend, but the planned opening of the border at Little Gold was delayed from May 17 to 19 by bad weather conditions on the heights.

Gold Show organizer Justine Hobbs says the uncertainty over the border opening caused some Fairbanks vendors who were interested in attending to change their minds.

The change from the more crowded stalls in the arena to outdoors was the result of feedback from last year’s vendors. First, they wanted more space to display their equipment. Second, the arena is unheated and not warmed by the sun until later in the day.

“This year it was a difference between wearing light winter gear inside and wearing shorts outdoors,” Hobbs said.

Outdoors, the trade show lined Fourth Avenue across from the rec centre, blocked Queen Street from Fifth to Third Avenues and used the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in owned lot next to the Dawson Daily News building just off Third.

She figured that about 350 people attended on each of the two days, though the numbers seemed to thin out by later Saturday.

This year marked the return of the Bill Bowie Backyard barbecue, which was held in the Triple J parking lot, off Queen Street. Hobbs credits the hotel staff for making the space available and for helping. The late Bill Bowie was one of the driving forces behind the trade show’s founding in the late 1980s.

Hobbs started working on the show in January, and in February she was reaching out to exhibitors and sponsors, with registration happening in March.

As usual, the two days were dominated by various mining companies and heavy equipment merchants, but there were also numerous government agencies, offering information and services, and some craft booths.

Space was provided on stage at the east end of the arena for a number of potential presentations. The only one that actually took place was Jackie Olson’s and Aubyn O’Grady’s lecture on the potential for creating art from the results of mining activity.