By Kevin Gilby

The end of summer is marked by many things: combines in the field, pools being drained, and vintage automobiles gathering in small town Saskatchewan.

For the eighth year, the Holder and Owen families hosted the annual Kenaston Memorial Show and Shine on Sept. 1 in memory of Bill Holder and Eldon Owen. Held on Labour Day weekend, the show and shine attracts classic automobiles from throughout the province to help raise money for the Kenaston and District Fire Department and keep the love of classic cars alive and thriving in rural Saskatchewan.

Eldon Owen and Bill Holder were friends since they were children growing up together, and their shared interest in mechanics and vehicles remained constant throughout their lives. After their respectful passings, families of the pair have kept their memory and passions alive by hosting the show and shine.

“We had 72 cars this year,” said event organizer Amanda Holder, granddaughter of Bill Holder. “And we raised over $34,000 for the Kenaston and District Volunteer Fire Department.”

The show and shine raised money through entrance donations, vehicle registration fees, a 50/50 draw, and a BBQ hosted by the Owen family.

“Lots of people from all over the province came to the show,” she said. “Lloydminster is the furthest that someone brought a vehicle from.”

Visitors strolled the aisles of vehicles, sometimes talking about their memories with the owners or amongst themselves. One couple of 40 years was overheard reminiscing about their honeymoon in a 1954 Chevy Belair while admiring one on display.

“It brings back a memory,” Holder said when thinking about vintage cars. “It’s like a song, or a smell; things can trigger some sort of memory. Going to a car show is one of those things when people tell stories or remember things when they make a connection to cars they see.”

Organizers tossed around moving the date due to harvest, but so far remain committed to the long weekend.

“Although there’s a lot of things going on that weekend, it still seems to be well attended which we’re grateful for,” said Holder. “Some people stop in on their way to the Rider game; they see the sign on the road, they stop by for a minute and look around. It’s a good time. It’s halfwayish  from Saskatoon to Regina.”

Holder remarked that the show is a little different every year as new collectors visit for the first time, or longtime supporters bring a different automobile from their collections.

“The Shifters Car Club and the Saskatoon Car Club are huge supporters of the event every year, and we saw a number of them return this year as well as some new members.”

Show and Shine organizers wish to acknowledge the countless volunteers, and the businesses and individuals that supported the event: Riverbend Co-op,  Hoffman Holder Insurance, Slowhand Corp, FWS, Sunwest DLC, Affinity Credit Union, Kenaston and District Volunteer Fire Department, Tammy and Dennis Powder, Jaw and Michel Taylor, Art and Wendy Sekulich, and Whitetail Distillery for donations and help towards prizes.

“It’s kind of like the unofficial end of summer event,” Holder said. “I don’t like to say that but it’s like the last chance we can get together, have a good time, and have good weather.”

It is with heavy hearts that the family of Darryl Wayne Norrish said goodbye to their father and grandfather on August 30^th, 2024.  He was surrounded with our love at the time of his passing and will be sadly missed by his daughter Jamie (Scott) Pearce and son Jason (Heather) Norrish as well as his grandchildren Zachery (Jordan), Megan, Sean, Jackson and Macy.  Darryl was predeceased by his wife Nola in 2019 and brother Bob in 2020 as well as his sister-in-law Carole and parents Jim and Mary Norrish.  Darryl was born in Outlook, SK and spent his whole life in Strongfield, SK.  Dad’s wishes were no funeral and not to stop harvest so there will be an “informal” graveside goodbye for those wishing to attend on October 12^th at 3:00 at the Strongfield Cemetery.  The family wishes to thank the nurses and Dr. Lang at the Davidson Health Care Center for their wonderful care they gave dad during his final days and wish that anyone wanting to make a donation can do so to the Davidson Health Trust Fund (payable to the Town of Davidson), specifically Palliative Care so we can help families during one of the most difficult times of their lives.  As well donations are welcome to the Loreburn Town and Country where dad loved his daily coffee and chat with his buddies.  Hanson’s Funeral Home in Davidson is in charge of helping the family arrange dad’s goodbye. 

The regular meeting of Davidson Town Council took place on Aug. 20 at the Town chambers. There was one delegate. Council learned of a mechanical issue at the water treatment facility in town. Public works reported an alarming vibration on a plant restart operation. The electrical motor was reported to be in good state of repair but the vibration points to an imbalance, possibly due to wear, of the submersible pump. Council approved $10,000 to remove the pump and assess the health of the pump and identify a corrective action.

• Public works provided an update on maintenance activity being performed on the irrigation pivot located southeast of Davidson. A vendor was at the site to fix a locomotion issue on the pivot, so its move- ment is now restored. Council moved to replace a pump control box necessary for lagoon operations for $4,700 before taxes.

 • Unused public works equipment has been listed on McDougall Auctioneers online platform. Close date for bids is Aug. 27 at 12 p.m.

• Tenders opened Aug. 16 for the Enter- prise Lane local improvement. Tenders will be accepted until Aug 29. The invitation to tender has a project start date of Sept. 9.

• Director of Recreation & Culture Dave Whitenect provided updates on upgrades for the Panther Swimming Pool and the ball diamonds. A contract was awarded to build an additional shade structure at the pool, matching the design of the existing structure. The construction is entirely dona- tion funded. Also, work on two new dugouts on Diamond #2 is set to begin shortly with funding coming from a donation and from the recreation budget. Both projects have a completion date of Sept. 30.

• Council approved a recommended 10 per cent rate increase to curling fees for the 2024 season. This adjustment is on par with other usage fees.

• Council approved advertising rate increases for billboards and in-ice logos in the curling rink and skating rink in the AGT Centre. All advertising rates are increased $100 per anum. The rate increase could generate an additional $3,100 in revenue per anum.

• Council had accepted a tender to per- form general upgrades to the lift station on Government Road. The awarded proposal had a start date of Oct. 15 and will include electrical upgrades, ventilation improvements, and a genset. The genset, which produces electricity for pump operation from natural gas in the event of a power outage, has an estimated one-year wait time.

• Administration will be contacting property owners to trim back overgrown trees and/ or bushes that encroach across sidewalks.

The Legacy Trout Pond officially opened to the public on Aug. 7. A small gathering at the pond enjoyed a free hot dog and drinks.

Anyone wishing to try their luck at catch- ing a trout is more than welcome. No license is required. All we ask is to respect the resource and do your part to keep it clean. Other than that, enjoy! Happy fishing and good luck to all.

The Arm River Wildlife Federation would like to thank the following: The Rands Family, Logan Tennant, Kevin Eddie, The Manz Family, Gerrid Gust, Murray Hodgins, Jim Siroski, Wayne Obrigewitsch, Steve Low, Mike Heinrich, Jason Boyd, Rob Allan, Rick Millman and anyone that has purchased trees and anyone else we forgot. Thank you all.

(Information Submitted)

By Kevin Gilby
There was a buzz at the Davidson Airport on July 13 and it wasn’t the many airplanes that landed at the runway.

Pilots, aviation enthusiasts, and even those with an interest in Second World War fighter aircraft were drawn to the Blue Hanger just off Highway 44 west of Davidson.

Fast Toys for Boys hosted its second annual Fly-in, Drive-in, or Walk-in event, which showcased an up-close and personal look at ‘in-progress’ restorations of three 1944 P51 Mustangs, as well as the personal automobile and airplane collection of owner/operator Terry Dieno.

Hanger doors opened at 9 a.m. with beautiful flying conditions which encouraged at least 15 single engine flights to visit the airport and discuss aviation with like-minded individuals.

For those bound firmly to the Earth, the day granted guests a chance to see a multitude of different types of airplanes, exchange stories with the pilots, and take in some plane spotting when not indoors to view the displays. Dieno is a self-proclaimed Davidson boy, a 1960 Davidson School graduate, and a long-time entrepreneur attracting business to Davidson province-wide in his many ventures.

He worked for over a decade for the government in Regina before returning to Davidson in 1976, where he took over the operation at the Esso Gas Station.

In following years, he opened a Ford dealership, the largest Polaris dealership in North America in the 1990s, most recently he built the A&W, Tim Hortons, Dairy Queen and the Esso that populate the commercial area just south-east of Davidson on Highway 11.

“I’ve been a busy boy,” he said. But throughout the years, he had another desire beyond building successful businesses.

“I just had a love for speed from when I was a teenager and bought my first (Pontiac) GTO back in the muscle car days.”

“I was a drag racing fool,” he said without a hint of exaggeration.

Perhaps realizing the folly in street racing, or perhaps to legally quench that thirst even more, he became interested in getting his pilot’s licence.

Tired of waiting to learn to fly with his fellow car enthusiasts, he set off on his own and got his licence in 1973. Years later, after having returned to Davidson, he soon found himself wanting to fly even more.

“The only thing I could do to fly more was to crop spray,” he said. “I bought a spray plane in Missouri, a big spray plane that had a radial engine and two wings and started spraying with that.”
Before long, the spraying business was taking off and he was flying with two of his brothers and collectively they had four running spray planes.

In the 1980s, he further enhanced his prowess in the air with aerobatics training. Any Davidson resident of the time could attest to the skills he obtained.

His love affair with the Second World War fighter planes was opportunistic. He bid on a wrecked P51 Mustang in California. To his surprise, he won the bid and a new project was born – to restore the plane to ‘as built’ flying condition. After thousands of hours, and at least a decade, the job was complete and soon the flying machine found a new owner in the United States, who wasn’t shy about sharing his admiration of the restoration work done in small town Saskatchewan, Canada.

Then, in June of 2023, Dieno suffered a life-threatening stroke.
“I got out of the hospital Aug. 16 last year, and was home for maybe an hour when my phone rang.

“This perfect English voice said, ‘I’m so-and-so from London, England. A group of buyers in Europe had flown to Montana and looked at a World War II fighter plane restored and we can’t believe the quality of the work.’”

Later in the conversation they discussed their desire to have Dieno’s team build some aircraft for them. Despite having been stripped of his driver’s and pilot’s licences due to his stroke, his passion for flight remained constant and he accepted the challenge. Dieno is now in the process of building six P51 Mustangs, three of which were on display at the open hangar event in various stages of restoration. Some of the planes are waiting for V12 engines to be built to spec, others for a set of wings, but all well underway.

The Mustang was initially an American-built long-range, single-seat fighter that underwent a few development cycles and subsequently became popular with the Royal Air Force as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber. Its long range and high-altitude capabilities led to it escorting bombers in raids over Germany and helped ensure Allied air superiority in 1944.

Almost a year after being discharged from the rehabilitation ward of City Hospital in Saskatoon, Dieno is still without his wings, but has proven himself still capable of supervised flight and sees licensed solos in his future.

“I’ve got airplane disease and it’s incurable,” he said.

This need to keep active in his passion undoubtedly aided in his recovery.

While Dieno might take partial ownership of his stroke recovery, he extends the majority of the credit to health care providers at the Davidson Health Centre, Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, and the stroke recovery ward of City Hospital.

“I’m fortunate, a nurse from Elbow, that I still have to go meet, was there (at the Davidson Health Centre) and she knew something was going on. She said to (my son) ‘I’ve called RUH hospital, I’ve called the ambulance. We’ve got to get him to Saskatoon right away or we’re going to lose him.’

“I owe my life to that girl who stepped above and beyond, and the rest is history.”

Therapists have cautioned him not to expect recovery too quickly but have told him that many patients that experienced similar trauma have recovered almost fully one to four years after the injury.

There’s only on direction Dieno wants to go . . . and that’s forward to regaining his wings. In the meantime, it’s the get-togethers like the fly-ins and restoration projects that keep pushing him.

“It was a very good turnout,” Dieno said of the recent. “We’re trying to make the next one an even better one. It helps put Davidson on the map and it brings people into town that will maybe come again to shop, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

February 29, 1944-July 7,2024

Lucille passed away at the age of 80 with her husband and children at her side in the Davidson Long Term Care Centre, where she had been residing since March 2024.

Lucille was the only child born to Donald and Jean Knox of Davidson, Sask. in the Maple Valley district. She lived on the farm with her parents until her own mom passed away suddenly when she was 3 ½ years old. She then was cared for by her father, as well lived with her grandparents, a friend Audrey Murphy, and her Aunt Elda in Calgary. She attended school at Maple Valley, Davidson and LCBI in Outlook where she met and married the love of her Life, Alex (Ted) Murfitt April 20, 1963, on the farm where they spent 61 years together. They farmed and raised five children plus a nephew Lorne Murfitt.  Lucille was diagnosed with M.S. shortly after the youngest child was born in 1971 and was able to live with this diagnosis and its challenges in her own home until Feb 2024 with the dedicated care of her husband, assistance from Home Care as well as family and friends.

Lucille will forever be remembered for her amazing smile, loving everyone, and choosing Joy over despair at every opportunity. Lucille loved having her family come and spend time at the farm, there was always lots of food, fun, laughter, and room for tears. Her true happy place was sitting on their deck listening to the birds and enjoying a coffee with a visit.

Lucille is survived by her husband Alex (Ted), sons Edward, daughter Jean (Dave), Chris (Dorothy), Cal (Dianne) and Randy (Kim). Grandchildren: Dalton, Landon (Breanne), Martina (Taylor), Corbin, Chelsea (Devon), Greg, Braden (Ashley), Tara (Brennan), Alicia, Cole (Kyela), Clay (Dakota), Paris, Sedrik. Great-grandchildren: Libby, Emerson, Harper, Aliza, Ruth, Brynn, Braelynn, Everlee, Rhett, Theodore, Nathan, Maddyson, Maria, August, Collier, Abbigail, Edward-Jaxon, Lillianna. Sister-in-laws Judy (Howard) Saelof, Bev Murfitt, Rose Murfitt. As well as many nieces, nephews and extended close family members.

Lucille was predeceased by her parents Donald and Jean Knox, Fred and May Murfitt, Kenny, Stan, and Fred Murfitt.

A Celebration of Life was held July 13,2024 at Davidson, Sacred Heart Catholic Church- United service.  Hanson’s Funeral Home of Davidson in care of arrangements. Donations can be made to M.S. Canada, Davidson Heath Trust Fund (payable to the Town of Davidson) or Telemiracle (Kinsmen Foundation Inc).