DAWSON CITY – Discovery Days have become a long weekend packed with events, many of which begin on Thursday and run until Monday.

Not only that, but the events occur in a variety of locations. They stretch from the downtown core out to the Bear Creek Compound and on to the Discovery Claim on Bonanza Creek Road.

Tied into the Discovery Day events is the Yukon Riverside Arts Festival, which is organized by the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture.

It ran a series of events beginning last Thursday night with the introduction to this year’s Natural and the Manufactured event, continuing with a gallery hop all around town.

It concluded with Tall Tales Around the Campfire, held at the Riverside Park fire pit.

The annual Authors on Eighth event actually began on Monday this year with a series of readings continuing today and Wednesday.

These activities will lead up to the literary walking tour and writing contest announcement on Thursday afternoon.

Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday saw a number of events that continued through the long weekend.

There was the Artists’ Market in the Riverside Events Shelter, a Graffiti Mural project at the former Tr’ondëk Youth Centre, and local live music on an open stage also at the Riverside Event Shelter.

A fastball tournament also began that day at Minto Park and continued until Sunday.

Needless to say, Diamond Tooth Gerties opened last Friday, and remained open each evening until the Monday holiday ended.

Friday also saw the Klondike Placer Miners’ Association’s 38th annual barbecue and dance, held this year in the local chamber of commerce’s event tent next to the arena.

While these events continued Saturday, there were others that were added.

The Horticultural Exhibition began at 11:30 that morning and continued through the day, showing off the wide variety of farm produce produced here.

At the same time, kids were gathering at the recreation centre to prepare for the Discovery Days parade, which is the largest of the several parades that are held here in the summer.

This year’s parade was led by a pipe and drum band, marching just ahead of the Yukon Order of Pioneers flag bearers.

The parade wound from the recreation centre to Front Street, east on Princess and finally along Fifth Avenue to the local museum.

One of the highlights was the horse-drawn  Clap and Jones Steam Fire Engine, an 1897 model recently returned to the fire department museum after a two-year restoration project.

At the museum, there were speeches by Tr’ondëk Chief Roberta Joseph, Premier Sandy Silver, acting Mayor Kyla MacArthur, and Yukon MP Larry Bagnell.

Other extra events included the youth living history tour, held at the museum, artists’ demonstrations and inter-active installations at the Riverside Park, Dënezhu Bingo at The Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre, and an artists’ talk and a film that the kayak ballroom.

Many of these events carried over on Sunday, with the very popular edition of the Dawson City mud bog in the north end park.

Monday focused heavily on the 1896 Gold Discovery, which the weekend celebrated.

There was a pancake breakfast in the morning at the Bear Creek compound.

The afternoon featured a free interpretive walking tour of the Discovery Claim.

This was followed by free gold panning and a barbecue at Claim Number 6, just up the road.