Findlater, Sports

Ranchers compete in Findlater rodeo

Hayden O’Brien, competing on the A & M Ranch team, sets up a lasso during the wild cow milking event.

By Joel van der Veen

FINDLATER — Even seasoned cowboys can find themselves on a string of tough luck.

That was the case for Boyd Sanden and his teammates, four ranching veterans who competed in their first ranch rodeo at Findlater last weekend.

“It’s all the luck of the draw on half of this stuff,” said Sanden, who competed on the Dennis Edwards team.

Edwards, a Craik-area rancher, was the captain for the team, which also included Boyd’s brother Codey Sanden and Kelly Smith, a rancher from the Tugaske district.

Boyd said the animals are often unpredictable, and having multiple teams in the arena at the same time complicates matters further.

He recalled one instance where he’d roped an animal, then had to release the rope to avoid cutting off a competitor: “That’s the way it goes.”

However, the Edwards ranch redeemed themselves with a second-place finish in the final event, the wild cow milking, and ended the day in ninth place out of 10 teams.

“Basically our goal was not to come in last, which we didn’t,” said Sanden, adding that they enjoyed the day and hope to return in the future.

The Findlater Ranch Rodeo, presented by K+S Potash Canada, was held Aug. 12 at the John Edwards Memorial Field east of Findlater.

Shannon McArton, who serves as one of the rodeo directors, said roughly 800 people were in attendance for the event, now in its ninth year.

“Given how many people were harvesting, and these things go up and down,” she said last week, “we were relatively pleased.”

McArton said the events ran smoothly and the weather was ideal.

The rodeo’s organizers prepare for the worst and had both an ambulance and veterinarian on hand, but there were no significant injuries during the day.

Ten teams competed in the ranch rodeo, which featured five events: the wild horse race, team doctoring, team branding, trailer loading and wild cow milking.

The events of the ranch rodeo are chosen to represent the daily work that happens on ranches. The program describes the event as “a salute to the working cowboy.”

Winning first place were the FWDP Team of Shawn Francis, Chris Williamson, Ross Davidson and Riley Pritchard, whose members hail from the Piapot First Nation, Ponteix and Mankota districts.

The winners are presented with the Chum Edwards Memorial Trophy, which features a bronze depiction of the late Findlater-area rancher on horseback.

For the full story, please see the Aug. 21 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Davidson, featured

MLA: Gov’t will stay the course as Wall retires

MLA Greg Brkich and Premier Brad Wall walk down Washington Avenue during a campaign stop in Davidson on October 2011. Also pictured is Cole Murfitt.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Premier Brad Wall’s retirement likely won’t mean a major change in vision or direction for Saskatchewan’s government, according to MLA Greg Brkich.

Brkich, the MLA for Arm River, shared his reaction to the premier’s announcement in an interview with the Leader on Thursday.

He said he was disappointed by the news, as he has had a good relationship with the premier and appreciated Wall’s leadership and advice.

“You always hope he’s gonna stay on forever, because he’s a great leader,” said Brkich, expressing his appreciation for Wall’s work ethic. “It’s a lot harder being the premier than it is just as a standard MLA.”

“I believe our vision isn’t going to change much,” he continued. “Saskatchewan First, keep growing the province and keep making it a better place to live and raise a family . . . Them goals aren’t going to change much with him leaving.”

Last week, Wall, who is partway into his third term as Premier of Saskatchewan, announced his plan to retire from politics.

In a video released on Facebook on Thursday morning, Wall said he has asked the Saskatchewan Party to begin the process of selecting a new leader, adding that he plans to remain in office until the leader is chosen.

Noting that he’d long considered the 10-year mark a good time for re-evaluation, Wall said he and his wife had reached a consensus.

“Together with Tami, I have decided that now is the time for renewal — for my party, for the government, for the province,” he said.

Brkich said the caucus had been informed of Wall’s plans roughly a day in advance of the announcement.

The MLA said he was in Saskatoon early on Thursday and had stopped in a few towns on his way down to Davidson.

During his travels, he said he was approached by multiple people, some of whom said Wall was the best premier the province has had.

Some expressed sadness, and most asked him to convey their warm wishes and thanks to the premier for his service.

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

Dundurn, featured, Hanley, Kenaston, Sports

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.

 

Craik, featured

Hundreds attend Craik summer fair

Susana Anderson rode in the Craik parade on July 29 as a colourful clown on a tricycle festooned with flowers.

By Joel van der Veen

CRAIK — Hundreds of guests flocked to the Craik fairgrounds in late July for a day of music, food and fun.

The Craik and District Lions Club hosted a fair and music festival on July 29, featuring a bill of 11 acts from across the province.

The jam-packed day of events also included a pancake breakfast, parade, slo-pitch tournament, car show, burnout competition and kids carnival.

Club secretary Gayle Skeet said more than 400 adult wristbands were sold, along with 80 youth wristbands.

“It was certainly come and go all day because of the heat,” she said, expressing her appreciation for the support from the Lions and other helpers, and all those who attended the events.

“Lots of volunteers from the community stepped up,” she continued. “We’re already looking forward to 2018.”

Music for the event was organized by director Tom Moore, with support from Sask Music and Nebulus Entertainment.

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

featured, Kenaston

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.

 

Elbow, featured

Horsing around at Gallery 148

Checking out the restored rocking horse are Lois Kurp, from Victoria, B.C., and Sarah Hicks from Outlook.

By Joel van der Veen

ELBOW — This summer’s art show at Gallery 148 has drawn more than the usual number of neigh-sayers.

In this case, though, it comes with the territory.

The gallery on Saskatchewan Street is featuring a month-long show under the name “Horse Power,” featuring contributions from 10 artists.

Gallery owner Linda Kennedy said the name was suggested by contributor Dale Hicks from Outlook, following last year’s show on “The Art of Combines.”

“We just liked the name,” she said. “It’s such a catchy (phrase), it conjures up such interesting ideas.”

The show opening was held the evening of July 21, with several artists and many guests in attendance.

Refreshments were served and guests were also treated to a musical performance by “Just for Fun,” a vocal group accompanied by Dawn McTavish on keyboard.

Gallery 148 currently features the contributions of 29 artists. The “Horse Power” show will continue until Aug. 21, while the gallery is open till Thanksgiving.

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

 

The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan