The town of Makkovik is celebrating their 34th Annual Makkovik Trout Festival this year.

The festival is taking place tomorrow Saturday August 5 until August 12, 2023.

We spoke with the two organizers, Trisha Andersen and Obrien Blake.

On this year’s schedule they will start off with the decorate your property, trout festival theme, judging will take place on Monday August 7 at 7pm after the parade.

Then they will be holding their 1st annual Makkovik trout festival volleyball tournament at 10am

Click here to find out the details from Andersen and Obrien on this year’s celebrations.

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami are holding their Inuit Youth Leadership program this month.

We spoke with Sarah Rogers the Senior Communications Advisor for ITK.

Roger’s days their Inuit Youth Leadership Program will be travelling to Nunatsiavut next week, Aug. 11-18, 2023, through Goose Bay, Hopedale and Nain.

This is a summer program to help train Inuit youth in some of the work we do at ITK, and this year they are travelling to your region to do some community engagement.

ITK is planning to host a meeting in Nain in late September.

We will have more updates once it becomes available.

A Gardening program is happening in Hopedale this summer.

Vanessa Gauntlette is the Community Food Worker based out of Hopedale.

Gauntlette updated us a little on her Gardening Program for the summer of 2023 and she mentions how excited she is to see everyone’s results and accomplishments.

So far this summer, under her Gardening Program in Hopedale, there are 16 gardens and 3 green houses that were self built but the individuals.

Vanessa mentioned that there is 1 successful chicken’s coup in Hopedale, with another just started out in hopes of good success as well.

Gauntlette recently went around to each individual gardens to get updated pictures to send out to the Nutrition North Subsidy, in hopes of receiving more funding to get supplies such as containers, soil, seeds just to name a few.

Gauntlette also mentioned that under her program, she offers different types of gardening, to meet the plants needs during all seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, such as container gardening, Hydroponic gardening, green house gardening and outdoor gardening.

The hydroponic gardening was a successful type of gardening for her program, until COVID-19 hit, and affected how she was able to continue to keep the hydroponic plants cared for, but she is hopeful of having this a successful outcome in the coming fall and winter months.

Gauntlette started growing an apple tree, without success, then tried her luck with a lemon tree, and she says it’s sprouting as she expected. She also grew Basile with great success, and was happy to be able to give a few pieces with soil still attached, to keep growing to the community members.

Gauntlette and other Community Food Workers get to meet once a year, with in person meetings to update each other on how the programing is going, and she mentioned that so far, Hopedale has the highest success rate for gardening this year.

The coastal Nunatsiavut Department of Health and Social Development departments will be having the School Supply Program once again this year.

They advise parents and guardian’s that the book bags will consist of some school supplies, but not all.

The dates are to be determined for hand outs, and if you want more information on this program, you can contact your local NDHSD offices.

Rigolet’s annual Salmon Festival starts today, August 3rd.

There will be opening ceremonies starting at 6pm at the Net Loft, followed by a parade. There will be prizes for most creative, most enthusiastic, and most original.

There will be a best dressed contest, male and female, with a theme of “Saturday night fever” following a family dance at the hall, with a $2 entry fee for Children and Seniors, and $5 for adults. There will be glow products, canteen items, and balloons available to purchase.

Friday, August 4th, they will start the day with a cake walk at 9am. At 10am they will start the volley ball tournament, $10 a person and 3 per team. Half the proceeds will go to the winning team.

At 11am they will be holding registration for the cardboard boat race. $5 per adult, and duck tape and cardboard are the only items allowed used.

The OKaalaKatiget Society will keep the audience updated on Rigolet’s jam packed scheduled events for the Salmon Festival.

The Happy Valley Goose Bay Friendship Center is quite busy with running their operations.

We spoke with Alicia Neville the Programs Manager at the Labrador Friendship Center.

She says currently right now at the HVGB Food bank, there is a high demand, and it has increased in the past 3 years.

Last year they served 3066 clients and this year they served over 2000 individuals and families and continue.

During the Christmas season they hand out Turkeys to families each year.

Neville says next week on Friday August 11, 2023, they will be holding a food drive at the Terrington Co-op from 9am to 12 noon.

Also, the Labrador Friendship center held their Back-to-School backpack program, the deadline was July 14, 2023.

75 students living in HVGB received the Back-to-school backpack program, and she adds that if any parents or guardians are still in need of school supplies you can contact the LFC.

They also hold their Back-to-School snack program, to help ease families for their children’s snack for school.

For more information you can call the Labrador Friendship Center at 896-8302.

A lot of people rely on the community freezers on the North Coast.

We were in contact with each community from Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik, Rigolet, Happy Valley Goose Bay and the HVGB Friendship center Food bank for an update.

In Nain, we spoke with Frederic Dwyer Samuel the Environmental assessment manager, he says right now they have fresh seal meat from this week, and the hours of operations is run from 8:30-12:00 and from 1:00-4:00.

In Hopedale we spoke with Radio Announcer Matilda Dicker, she said they have Char and Caplin at their community freezer.

In Makkovik we spoke with Angajukâk Barry Andersen, he says right now they currently have Cod Fish, and there hours of operation are run from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

And in Rigolet we spoke with Angajukâk Chesley Sheppard he said they just ran out of food in their community freezer last week and is hoping to receive more in the next few weeks.

In HVGB at the NunaKatiget Inuit Community Corporation we spoke with Debbie Hynes the community freezer coordinator, she says right now they have Salmon, Char, Pork roast, Rhubarb, frozen strawberries, Can of corn and can of beans.

We will have an update from the Community Freezer in Postville once available.

The Nain Inuit Community Government is on track with their programs for the summer.

We spoke with Joe Dicker Angajukâk for the Nain ICG.

He says the employees are busy with the repairs on the cemetery and moving along to the wooden bridge that need repairs.

Angajukâk also mentions about the work they are doing up on Morhardt.

Click here to hear our Angajukâk of Nain speak on updates with the town.

Work is now Underway on the Nain and Hopedale Seniors’ Apartment Units.

Nunatsiavut Group of Companies are doing the construction work.

It will take over 30 trailers to transport the units and more than 2000 kilometres of travel by road and boat, but by early fall, four seniors’ apartments (11 units) will be on the ground in Nain and Hopedale and ready for occupancy by next spring.

“This is something new and innovative for Nunatsiavut,” says Elliott. “The north coast construction season begins in July and buildings have to be weathertight by November.

This arrangement allows us to get a two-to-three month jump on the construction season.

That’s a major leap forward.” – DJ Elliott, NCI Construction Manager says.

Story courtesy of the NGC Facebook page.

OKâlaKatiget Society has been trying to get in contact with NGC for an update, but no one from there department is returning any calls, so once OKâlaKatiget society get the opportunity to talk with NGC, we will have another update.

The College of North Atlantic in the Happy Valley Goose Bay Campus are now doing online registration for the Fall Semester 2023-2024.

Registration is from Monday July 31 to Friday August 11, 2023.

Other courses that are also being offered this year are Aboriginal Bridging program and the Trades Bridging program.

Give your employment potential a boost with CNA’s College Bridging program.

Formerly Aboriginal Bridging, this program focuses on academic and personal development with community and Indigenous supports for a seamless transition to college life.

Enroll online today at www.cna.nl.ca.

And the Trades Bridging program is also being offered.

The Trades Bridging program is your opportunity to develop the skills necessary to enter the trades environment.

This program will give you the confidence and knowledge you need to pursue your goals in only two semesters.

For more information contact the Happy Valley Goose Bay Campus at 709-896 -6308 or 709-896-6300.