Old Man Winter has been in a cranky mood across the Kivalliq recently, and the -60 C temps with the windchill he sent shivering across Naujaat forced the 3055 RCACC to postpone its 20th anniversary celebrations this past week.
The cadet corps is hoping the extreme cold snap warms up a tad so the celebrations can be held tonight, Feb. 7, with the entire community invited.
Capt. Lloyd Francis said Feb. 1 marked the official start of the cadet program in Naujaat in 1998.
He said the date is marked on a certificate from the Army Cadet League of Canada incorporating the Naujaat corps.
"Everyone in the community is invited, but we especially hope anyone in the community who has ever been a cadet will join us for a while," said Francis.
"I was talking to one of the first cadets in the community, Romeo Kopak, and I mentioned that there's probably at least 200 people in town who went through the cadet program, and he thought that number was probably closer to 400 or 500.
"We're going to have our corps elders at the meeting, and the mayor is going to present us with the certificate from the Army Cadet League of Canada that says we've completed 20 years here in Naujaat.
"It will be nice having Mayor Solomon Malliki here, because he, himself, was one of the first cadets in the program."
Francis said a slide show will be presented that includes photos from the past five years of the program, as well as some earlier pictures sent by former commanding officer Jennifer Perry.
He said anyone who wants to speak can get up and share some stories, and some snacks and light refreshment will be served at the gathering.
"I also have a few videos to show sent in by different people who were once part of the Naujaat cadet program, but who no longer live here.
"This coming weekend, following our 20th anniversary meeting, we'll be taking 20 cadets to Whitehorse, Yukon, for the biathlon competition, which is the biggest group we've ever taken to the event.
"And Warrant Officer Jack Kopak was selected to do the Rocky Mountain Expedition, so he'll probably be doing some ice climbing and hiking out in Alberta this coming month.
"There's only 15 kids picked for the expedition from our entire region and Jack's one of them, and a cadet from Arctic Bay has been selected to participate as well."