Category Archives: Kenaston

Blizzards honour coach with heartfelt ceremony

At left, Dean Blenkinsop, accompanied by his wife Michelle, stands on the ice while hundreds applaud him during a ceremony at the Kenaston Arena on Oct. 28. Also pictured at right is Mark Asbjornhus.

By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON —  Hundreds filled the Kenaston Arena on Saturday night to pay tribute to a coach, teammate, neighbour and friend.

Longtime Blizzards player and coach Dean Blenkinsop was honoured with a brief ceremony at the rink, to retire his number and to recognize his years of service to hockey in Kenaston.

The ceremony was held the night of Oct. 28, prior to a senior hockey exhibition game between the Kenaston Blizzards and the Loreburn 19ers.

Introduced by former teammate Mark Asbjornhus, Blenkinsop walked onto the ice with his wife Michelle following closely behind him.

He stood quietly while the players on the ice and the crowd — estimated at more than 350 people — paid tribute with a standing ovation.

Following a slideshow of photos, a banner was unveiled at the far end of the rink, bearing Blenkinsop’s name and the number 10.

Dean then spoke briefly, thanking the team for the tribute, and saying, “Let’s have a fun night.”

Asbjornhus said the tribute was a “group effort,” calling Dean an “unbelievable guy” who has dedicated many years to the community.

“We’ve been talking about retiring his jersey for a while,” Asbjornhus said, adding as he looked over the crowd on Saturday night, “It seems to be coming together pretty good.”

Blenkinsop, 46, grew up in Hawarden and began playing senior hockey with the Blizzards in the late 1980s.

He continued with the team over the next 25 years, moving off the ice into coaching four years ago.

He was first diagnosed with colon cancer nine years ago, and has been battling the disease on and off since then.

Blenkinsop said he has been open about his fight with cancer, adding that he and his family have received plenty of support from the community.

He and Michelle have three daughters, ranging in age from nine to 13 years, while Michelle also has a 24-year-old son.

Blenkinsop said prior to the ceremony that organizers had kept most of their plans a secret.

“They just told me to show up tonight,” he said. “It’s exciting.”

Afterward, he said he enjoyed the ceremony, adding that the banner was a nice surprise touch. Continue reading Blizzards honour coach with heartfelt ceremony

Kerpans, MADD unveil roadside memorial

The family of Danille Kerpan unveils the signs for a roadside memorial to Kerpan during a ceremony near Bladworth on Oct. 10.

By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON — For the family and friends of Danille Kerpan, three years has done little to relieve the pain of her untimely death.

“It’s a feeling and a situation you can’t possibly describe,” her brother Josh said Tuesday. “If I could bottle it up and give it to everybody, to have a sip and understand, that alone would eradicate drunk driving.”

Danille, 25, was killed Oct. 10, 2014 in a collision on Highway 11 south of Bladworth, when her vehicle collided headfirst with a truck headed north in a southbound lane.

The driver of that truck, found to have a blood-alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit, was later sentenced to four years in prison.

Danille was one of 59 people killed in Saskatchewan that year in auto collisions in which alcohol was a factor.

Last week, signs were installed on Highway 11 marking the site of that crash, as a permanent memorial to Danille and a reminder to the hundreds of drivers who pass the site daily.

The signs were unveiled at a ceremony held the afternoon of Oct. 10 at the Kowalski farm shop southeast of Bladworth, roughly a half-mile east of the crash site.

About 45 people were in attendance, including her parents, other family members, dignitaries, media and local first responders.

While roadside memorials for victims of impaired driving have been installed in other provinces over the last two decades, this is only the second one in Saskatchewan.

The first was installed on Aug. 29 north of Saskatoon in memory of Jordan and Chanda Van de Vorst and their two children, who were killed in a 2016 collision.

Danille’s parents, Allan and Melanie Kerpan, both spoke during the ceremony.

“There’s still not a day that goes by that I don’t think about Danille and what might have been,” said Melanie, who was initially opposed to having a permanent reminder at the collision site.

She later changed her mind, in hopes that Danille’s story would wake people up to the tragic results of impaired driving.

“People passing it would know that a life was lost at that spot,” she said. “That’s the hope for what we are doing . . . It becomes a real person.” Continue reading Kerpans, MADD unveil roadside memorial

Courting action during Loreburn’s junior RAVE

Loreburn’s Emmitt Hundeby returns the ball during a junior boys volleyball game on Sept. 16. Also pictured are Jackson Allan of Davidson (left) and Dylan Glubis of Loreburn.

By Joel van der Veen

LOREBURN — Whether you were playing, officiating or sitting in the stands, it felt like fall in the Loreburn rink last weekend.

Fifteen teams competed in Loreburn’s junior boys and girls RAVE volleyball tournament on Sept. 16, with the action divided between the arena and the gym at Loreburn Central School.

With fall temperatures setting in, spectators and players on the bench sought refuge in winter coats and heavy blankets, while active players and officials had to find other means to conserve their body heat.

Sue Ann Abbott, who was keeping track of game results, said the rink warmed up as the day went on — “not a great deal, but enough to make it more comfortable for the referees and the people sitting in there.”

Three courts were set up on the concrete floor of the skating rink, while the school gym served as the fourth court.

The day began with round-robin play and ended with playoff games. Ten girls teams and five boys teams competed.

Continue reading Courting action during Loreburn’s junior RAVE

Hanley White Sox win midget AA provincial title

The Hanley White Sox defeated the Ponteix Pirates 6-5 on July 23 to win the Midget AA Tier 4 provincial baseball championship.

By Joel van der Veen

HANLEY — The Hanley Merchants went their whole first season without a single win.

In their second year, they showed modest improvement, winning two games.

So it was nothing short of a shock when the team, now renamed the Hanley White Sox, finished its third season by winning a provincial title.

The Sox defeated the Ponteix Pirates 6-5 on July 23 to win the Midget AA Tier 4 provincial championship.

“We didn’t expect that at all,” said Jason Bellina, the team’s head coach, adding that while the win was a surprise, the boys earned it just the same.

“It’s not like we’re a bunch of schmoes out there. They’re good ball players. It was fitting for them to win the whole thing.”

The midget team included 16 players, drawing from Hanley, Dundurn, Kenaston and Clavet, and played in the Saskatoon league.

All their games are played in the city, as Hanley’s diamonds aren’t in line with the league’s regulations.

The past season had been the team’s best yet, with three wins in the regular season and a brief run in league playoffs, where they reached the second round.

“They’re such a good group of guys,” said Bellina. “You could just see them getting better and better through the season.”

Initially they hadn’t planned to go to provincials, but later decided to take a stab at it.

“We figured, ‘Who knows? Let’s just see what we’re up against,’” Bellina recalled.

Midget AA Tier 4 provincials were held in Ponteix from July 21 to 23, beginning with round-robin play on Friday and Saturday. Six teams competed in two pools.

For the full story, please see the Aug. 14 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

 

Kenaston hosts long weekend of fun

Former Kenaston resident Lyle Hoffman shines the front end of his 1970 Chevrolet truck, one of the entries in the Show ‘n’ Shine in Kenaston.

By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON — From the youngest to the oldest, all had the chance to show off their fancy wheels during Kenaston’s long weekend extravaganza.

The village hosted a full schedule of events on Aug. 6 and 7, with proceeds going to the Kenaston rec board.

Tammy Powder, one of the event organizers, said they have tweaked the events each year, experimenting and trying new things to make the weekend bigger and better.

“It’s a lot of fun,” she said, adding that the support of the community has been crucial to the events. “We needed all the volunteers.”

Tammy and her husband Denis organized the flea market and the Show ‘n’ Shine, now in its fourth year, held in memory of the late William Holder.

Bill, who died in 2014, was well known for his passion and skill for cars, and for Chevs in particular.

The event on Monday drew about 30 entries, with some coming from Outlook, Clavet, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert.

First prize was awarded to Jim DeVries of Surrey, B.C., for his 1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air.

Jim and his son had visited Saskatoon for the Super Run over the weekend. They were driving down Highway 11 on Monday when they saw the signs for the Show ‘n Shine and decided to join in.

For the full story, please see the Aug. 14 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

 

Kenaston shows Canadian pride at street party

Nolan Briggs (right) holds a maple-leaf flag in one hand and a stick of cotton candy in the other. He and his brother Devin were visiting with grandparents Eldon and Theresa Owen in Kenaston and took in the village’s Canada 150 festivities on Wednesday.

By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON — Canada Day festivities got off to an early start in Kenaston on Wednesday afternoon, with food and fun for the whole family.

A section of Third Street was blocked off for a community street barbecue, organized by the village, the Chamber of Commerce, and local clubs and businesses.

Vickie Holder, one of the organizers, said they were pleased with the turnout and the weather. The skies were sunny for most of the afternoon, though the rain finally came around 6:30 p.m.

“We almost made it till 7,” said Holder. “We held out as long as we could . . . It was a very quick, fast-paced clean-up.”

Popcorn, cotton candy, Sno-Cones and mini doughnuts were offered up and down the street.

Attractions included a bouncy castle, balloons and face painting.

Hamburgers, hot dogs and salads were served at the Adams Centre, along with a red-and-white Canada 150 cake.

Multiple businesses were offering draws for raffle prizes, while the volunteer fire department had two vehicles on display, available for guests to check them out.

Members of the Circus Club from Kenaston School provided entertainment, performing tricks and walking on stilts.

Village councillor Brad Owen and his father Eldon were offering rides around the village in a 1926 Ford Model T.

Eldon has owned the car for more than 30 years, having restored it to running condition. The car had previously been abandoned to rust on a section of pasture land.

“I traded a piece of moose meat for it,” Eldon said, recalling that when he found it, the car had no roof and the left rear wheel had rotted off.

Mitch Hunter and his son Pierre, visiting from the Mistawasis First Nation west of Prince Albert, took a ride in the Model T.

Pierre is a home-school student who takes courses through the Distance Learning Centre. The family was in town for school-related matters and decided to take in the afternoon events as well.

“He’s never seen (a car) like that before,” Mitch said, adding that they enjoyed the afternoon. “It’s nice to have it as a community, (and) everyone gets together.”