Sheri Warkentin, who lives west of Davidson along Skudesnes Road, provided this picture of the tornado that touched down west of her home early in evening of Tuesday, July 19.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — It took less than two minutes to destroy more than a century’s worth of work.

That was Sydney Willner’s observation as she surveyed the damage to her parents’ farmyard northwest of Davidson on Wednesday morning.

The Willners’ yard was flattened by a twister that struck sometime after 8 p.m. on Tuesday, cutting a diagonal path through their yard.

The storm uprooted trees, tossed around granaries and knocked down most of their buildings. Even so, their house was spared, suffering comparatively minor damage, and neither the family nor their animals were injured.

Laura Willner was counting her blessings Wednesday morning as she, her family and their friends continued the task of clearing the damage.

“We’re just very, very grateful for everybody’s help,” she said, adding that the first volunteers showed up within an hour of the tornado passing through.

Gord and Laura Willner and their daughter Sydney were home on Tuesday night when the storm hit.

Gord and Sydney were on the porch watching the hail storm in progress when they spotted a funnel cloud taking shape.

“It made a funnel right over the yard,” said Gord, and at that point the three of them headed for the basement.

Sydney said Wednesday that being hit by a tornado was her greatest fear, but added that she wasn’t aware of any loud noise as it passed over: “I had the adrenalin going.”

Gord said the family was only downstairs for a couple of minutes, after which they emerged to find their yard in ruins.

“Every building in the yard was gone, except the house,” said Laura.

For the full story and more photos, please see the July 25 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — If you’re gonna catch ‘em all, you’ve got to start somewhere.

The Pokémon Go craze that swept across North America in recent weeks has made its way to the Midway Town.

It has attracted a loyal following here, primarily among players in their teens and 20s — though some of them may be in denial about it.

The game officially became available on Apple (iOS) and Android mobile devices in Canada on July 17.

It is the latest entry in the longrunning Pokémon franchise — the name being an abbreviation of the words “Pocket Monsters.”

Gamers are tasked with catching the creatures in the wild, training them and battling them against others, with the ultimate goal of becoming the greatest Pokémon trainer.

Rather than navigating through a virtual world as in past games, the new game uses “augmented reality,” incorporating the real world through the use of the camera on the player’s phone.

Players are required to walk around looking for Pokémon characters, which are shown superimposed onto the environment on the screen.

When they encounter the critters, they can “catch” them using Poke Balls, working their way towards collecting all 151 of the original Pokémon.

Players can also look for PokéStops, where they can obtain the supplies needed to progress in the game, and Pokémon gyms, where they can battle other players.

Both PokéStops and gyms are associated with real-world landmarks, and can be found in cities and towns across North America, including Davidson.

The game made its debut in early July and has already been downloaded by 30 million users.

For the full story and more photos, please see the July 25 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — There were hot rods, classic cruisers and custom jobs of every make, model and size.

And because the show was happening in Saskatchewan, there was one tractor, as required by custom.

Outskirts, a car show co-organized by two city clubs, drew upwards of 100 vehicles, along with hundreds of enthusiasts and spectators, to Davidson’s Washington Avenue on July 10.

Though the threat of stormy weather loomed overhead, the rain held off until late in the afternoon, providing a pleasant afternoon for the show.

Along with the vehicles on display, Riverbend Co-op set up a barbecue with proceeds going to the Davidson Playschool Association. A bouncy castle and free snowcones were also provided.

The show was a combined effort between Dodologic, a Regina-based club, and the Saskatoon-based Redline Society.

All involved said they were pleased with the turnout and response, and that ideally, the event would carry on next year.

“We have everything from classics to imports to muscle cars, old hot rods,” said co-organizer Josh Duchin. “It’s anyone and anything.”

Co-organizer Tyler Lakeman said the two clubs often hold meets in their respective cities, but decided to try meeting up in the Midway Town.

For the full story, please see the July 18 edition of The Davidson Leader, or phone 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.