Fort St. James National Historic Site will join 166 national historic sites across Canada in offering free admission during this day. As each park and site creates unique and different activities for each venue and location, Fort St. James is unique in offering a Salmon themed day across Canada on July 16 this year.
The flagship activity and highlight of the day will be the Best Salmon Team in New Caledonia Cook-off. Last year in 2010, Nak’azdli Concession arrived late after the 5 other teams had gotten started, cooked up a storm and managed to pull off a surprising, but intriguingly tasty upset. They became the first ever New Caledonia Salmon Cook-off Champions. This year, Nak’azdli enters once more in a bid to repeat as champions, but the field of contestants is looking more formidable than in 2010.
Along with returning contestants from the District of Fort St. James and Nak’azdli, four teams with a wider regional scope have been added. Staff from the Mount Milligan mine and the Tl’azt’en First Nation north of Fort St. James, have joined. Professional calibre teams from Prince George are also in the mix. Chef Ryan Cyre from the White Goose Bistro, one of Prince George’s elite dining establishments is said to be exceedingly confident on his chances of winning. Chef Alan O’Reilly and his team from the Smokehouse Cook training program are also equally excited to take home the prize. Will the crown stay in Fort St. James? Or, will Prince George or Tache be the home to this years 2011 Salmon Cook-off Trophy?
The best way to find out is to be at the historic site from 10 a.m.-noon on July 16. Sampling commences at noon and the voting for the best salmon team at 12:30 p.m..
Salmon themed events and activities will also run from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. throughout the historic site grounds. Activities including fish talks, salmon dissections, game show trivia and more will be part of the fun. Event partners with displays include Fisheries and Oceans Canada, BC Hydro Outreach and Golden Raven Heritage Sites. There will be free giveaways and fun for everyone on this free admission day to Fort St. James.
