Over 900 people attended the Davidson Trade and Hobby Show April 12 and 13 at the Davidson Communiplex to take in the 37 exhibits showcasing Saskatchewan business and talent.

Jim McCubbing, who manned the Davidson Golf Course booth with Tim Bruch, said they set up shop at the show to sell memberships and promote the nine-hole course with all grass greens. He said the golf course executive sets up a booth at every Davidson Trade and Hobby Show because it is easier to sign up members here in town than back at the clubhouse.

“There are lots of members who know we’re at the Trade and Hobby Show, so they come and sign up (for this year’s membership) here,” said McCubbing. “It’s easier than tracking people down if they know they can do it here.”

It wasn’t just the lure of summer golf that got people to head down to the show. There were a variety of exhibits set up in the hockey rink including one promoting the Davidson Library, another booth detailing the benefits of heading to the town’s New You Weight Loss Clinic on Washington Avenue and a third showcasing the advantages of bringing vehicles in for service at the NAPA Auto Parts garage on Railway Street.

The InSight Vision Care optician team of Laura Kjersem and Cristy Szymesko gave away free glasses cleaner bottles at their booth along with holding a draw for an InSight Vision Care gift basket.

Kjersem said this was their first time at the Trade and Hobby Show considering they only set up shop at the Davidson Family Practice last September, but she believes their exhibit at the show was a great success because it enabled them to promote their business as they get set to move into their new digs at the former CTRC building.

“This is a good event to come out to because there is a lot of foot traffic,” said Kjersem. “This lets everyone know that we are offering this service in Davidson and that we sell glasses and have an optometrist come out.”

To read more please see the April 22 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Dancers from Davidson, Craik and Loreburn hit the stage in front of a huge audience of siblings, parents and grandparents April 12 and 13 at Davidson School for the dance showcase and spring recital.

Eighty-one of the 83 dancers who train with the Davidson Optimist Dance Club (DODC) took to the stage over the two days. The dance showcase brought out solo, duet and trio dances on the Saturday night for the audience, while group dances occurred the next afternoon during the spring recital.

Vonné Johnson, president of DODC, said the club decided to split up the performances this year as a way to trim the time of the year-end dance presentation. She said by all accounts that she heard, the split was well received and the plan is to continue with the Saturday night and Sunday afternoon productions in future years.

“We have 30 group numbers and 19 private lesson numbers and in the past we did all of them together, but that gets kind of long for some people,” said Johnson. “For those of us who enjoy dance and are involved with a lot of it, it’s not that long, but if its your daughter and it’s her first year and she’s got only one number, then it gets a little long”

The showcase and recital brought the dance season to a close for the club, with the next event planned for late August. The club will be hosting their fourth annual Back to School Dance Camp Aug. 24 and 25.

Johnson said the camp would feature instruction from prominent dancers including Saskatoon’s Braiden Stevenson, who previously starred on So You Think You Can Dance Canada.

“The Back to School Dance Camp is usually the week before school starts and it’s used to get the kids back into it,” she said. ” We have guest instructors, so it’ll be a weekend of something special.”

Davidson School students are busy setting up the lights, studying their lines, decorating the stage and rolling out the red carpet in anticipation for the 2013 SaskEnergy Willow Awards Gala that will be held at the school next Wednesday.

“The students have been busy for the last few months getting the activities completed,” said Debbie Jestin, Davidson School librarian and co-chair of the 2013 SaskEnergy Willow Awards Gala. “All the decorations are student work and the students are in charge of the program and they’re the ones who are going to be presenting it. The emcees are going to be students. The entertainers will be students and it all revolves around the 30 books (up for awards).”

The school is welcoming Saskatchewan Lieutenant-Governor Vaughn Solomon Schofield, authors, dignitaries and guests from across the province to the Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice–Willow Awards (SYRCA) Gala held in the Davidson School gym April 24. The day will begin with writing workshops presented by Canadian authors for Kindergarten to Grade 9 students before moving on to the Gala that will feature student writing, art displays, singing, public speaking and acting during the awards program and finally end with a reception in the school library.

The SYRCA is a volunteer-run, non-profit charity that promotes reading among

Kindergarten to Grade 9 students by granting Willow Awards to the best Canadian and/or Saskatchewan book voted on by Saskatchewan school students in three designated categories. Ten 2012 books are nominated in each category with a Shining Willow Award presented to the top young readers’ book (Kindergarten to Grade 3), the Diamond Willow Award given out to the best upper elementary readers’ choice (grades 4 to 6) and a Snow Willow Award handed to the favourite young people’s book (grades 7 to 9).

“It’s a celebration of Canadian authors that write for children,” said Jestin. “Students all across Saskatchewan read these 10 books in each category and then vote on which one is their favourite, so it is actually the kids that are choosing the book that is going to win the award.”

To read more please see the April 15 print edition of The Davidson Leader.