Iqaluit's Toonik Tyme festival roots, as told by Bryan Pearson

Former Iqaluit mayor and longtime city resident Bryan Pearson has been named the Honorary Toonik at this year's Toonik Tyme festival, which launched on Thursday and continues until April 10 in Iqaluit. Pearson was among the co-founders of the annual celebration of spring — an event celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The famously colourful Pearson recently sat down with Nipivut host Lucy Burke to discuss the event's origins and other things you might not know about the long-running festival.1. It almost wasn't called Toonik TymeOr spelled that way, anyway. According to Pearson, there was much debate amongst the co-founders about how to spell the second word in the festival's title. "We had a big argument over 'tyme.' I said t-y-m-e looked more romantic than t-i-m-e."He won that argument.2. It started really smallThe budget for the first Toonik Tyme was a meagre $700, and when it began the festival lasted three days, as opposed to this year's nine-day event, says Pearson.There was much less competition for people's attention back then, he says."In those days, there was nothing else. No matter what you did, people would show up. Today it's different. There's TV, there's hockey events, a movie theatre [which Pearson himself once owned]."3. Big-ticket names help put it on the mapPrime Minister John Diefenbaker and Prince Charles are among those who've attended the festival as honoured guests in a calculated bid to give Iqaluit some national attention."Prince Charles happened to be in the country at the time, so that was easy. It certainly put the community on the map."4. A Governor General nearly got whipped one yearToonik Tyme has always featured an eclectic mix of events and competitions, everything from honey bag-throwing to whip-cracking. Once, former Governor General Roland Michener sat nearby as Pearson laid out the targets (coffee cans filled with cement) for 30-foot whips."As I put the can down for the target, somebody whipped me. They got me right across the stomach. I was just a foot away from the Governor General, and his wife was very upset — as I lay on the floor in agony."5. Rock music and elders don't always mixOne year, Pearson convinced Montreal entertainment promoter Donald K. Tarlton to fly in a rock 'n' roll band called the Sinners to perform in Apex, Iqaluit's satellite community, at no cost — except for people's eardrums."They had all the old-timers seated in front to make sure they got the priority seats. Then, when the speakers started up, they all flew back in horror. Nobody had ever heard such loud music." Former Iqaluit mayor and longtime city resident Bryan Pearson has been named the Honorary Toonik at this year's Toonik Tyme festival, which launched on Thursday and continues until April 10 in Iqaluit. Pearson was among the co-founders of the annual celebration of spring — an event celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The famously colourful Pearson recently sat down with Nipivut host Lucy Burke to discuss the event's origins and other things you might not know about the long-running festival. 1. It almost wasn't called Toonik Tyme Or spelled that way, anyway. According to Pearson, there was much debate amongst the co-founders about how to spell the second word in the festival's title. "We had a big argument over 'tyme.' I said t-y-m-e looked more romantic than t-i-m-e." He won that argument. 2. It started really small The budget for the first Toonik Tyme was a meagre $700, and when it began the festival lasted three days, as opposed to this year's nine-day event, says Pearson. There was much less competition for people's attention back then, he says. "In those days, there was nothing else. No matter what you did, people would show up. Today it's different. There's TV, there's hockey events, a movie theatre [which Pearson himself once owned]." 3. Big-ticket names help put it on the map Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and Prince Charles are among those who've attended the festival as honoured guests in a calculated bid to give Iqaluit some national attention. "Prince Charles happened to be in the country at the time, so that was easy. It certainly put the community on the map." 4. A Governor General nearly got whipped one year Toonik Tyme has always featured an eclectic mix of events and competitions, everything from honey bag-throwing to whip-cracking. Once, former Governor General Roland Michener sat nearby as Pearson laid out the targets (coffee cans filled with cement) for 30-foot whips. "As I put the can down for the target, somebody whipped me. They got me right across the stomach. I was just a foot away from the Governor General, and his wife was very upset — as I lay on the floor in agony." 5. Rock music and elders don't always mix One year, Pearson convinced Montreal entertainment promoter Donald K. Tarlton to fly in a rock 'n' roll band called the Sinners to perform in Apex, Iqaluit's satellite community, at no cost — except for people's eardrums. "They had all the old-timers seated in front to make sure they got the priority seats. Then, when the speakers started up, they all flew back in horror. Nobody had ever heard such loud music."