Library supporters stand outside Arm River MLA Greg Brkich’s office on April 7 for a “Drop Everything and Read” protest against cuts to provincial funding for Saskatchewan’s regional libraries.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — They came, they stood, they read.
Between 30 and 35 people gathered outside the Davidson office of MLA Greg Brkich over the noon hour on April 7, in protest of recent budget cuts to Saskatchewan’s seven regional libraries.
Following the theme of “Drop Everything and Read,” they brought their books, each reading for 15 minutes or so and then continuing on with their day.
Some stood in silence, while others spoke strongly of the value of rural libraries and criticized the government’s decision.
The protest drew library supporters from Davidson, Craik and Bladworth, and as far away as Govan and Liberty.
“It is an erosion of our rural communities,” said Craik resident Pauline Dixon, adding that her town’s library is far more than just a place to borrow books.
Residents and visitors come to use the computers with assistance. Others gather there for coffee and socializing. The library also hosts art and music classes and summer programming for kids.
“I count on the library,” said Grace Swanson, also of Craik, who wanted to encourage residents to brainstorm ideas for saving the services. “Without it, I’ll be lost.”
Peter Farden, who farms east of Davidson, said the cuts reflected “a total lack of vision and understanding.”
For the full story, please see the April 17 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Organizers Robyn Libke and Madison Prosofsky pose with a giant cheque for $15,675.95, representing the proceeds from this year’s Hanley Sno-Pitch Extravaganza on Feb. 11.
By Joel van der Veen
HANLEY — A field of snow, seven teams and four spray-painted bases — all for a good cause. What’s not to love?
It was another successful year for the Hanley Sno-Pitch Extravaganza, an annual fundraiser for cancer research.
Organizers reported a clear day, a strong turnout and close to $16,000 raised.
“It was one of our nicer years,” said Madison Prosofsky, who organized the event with Robyn Libke. “It makes playing ball a lot of fun.”
The Extravaganza was held on Feb. 11 outside the Elks Hall, with seven teams taking part.
Including players and volunteers, around 125 people were involved in this year’s event, raising a total of $15,675.95 for the Saskatoon Cancer Centre.
The hall served as the event headquarters. Ball games were played on the adjacent lot with bases marked in pink spraypaint — “about as redneck as it gets,” in the words of organizers.
For the full story, please see the April 17 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Construction of Davidson’s new pool was underway in September.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — June 16 is the target date for the opening of Davidson’s new swimming pool.
But multiple factors, including weather and contractors, have to fall into place for that to happen.
Recreation director Trevor Ouellette said he met Tuesday with representatives from the Saskatoon firm Allan’s Landscaping, Ltd., and informed them of the date he had in mind.
“They didn’t laugh us out of the meeting, but they did chuckle,” he said. “That’s a tight timeframe.”
The timeline will be heavily dependent on weather, but Ouellette said it’s possible they can stay on schedule with continued warm and dry conditions.
Fencing must be in place before the public health office will grant the town a license, and the ground must be levelled before fence construction begins.
Ouellette said he’s waiting on a quote and detailed plan from Allan’s for the fencing and landscaping, with preliminary approval given by town council.
The rec director said he has been lining up the staff for the upcoming pool season, including a total of seven instructor guards.
Quin Johnson will return as pool manager this summer.
For the full story, please see the April 10 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Lovers and fellow ghosts Charles (Hayden Pitzel) and Nellie (Lauren Griffin) are surprised in a scene from The Hotel, this year’s Hanley Composite School drama production.
By Joel van der Veen
HANLEY — Last year, they played farmers beset by drought and depression, economic and otherwise, in the midst of the Dirty Thirties.
This year, they were ghosts creating havoc in Saskatoon’s Delta Bessborough hotel.
Leanne Griffin, co-director of the drama program at Hanley Composite School, said she likes giving her actors some variety in their roles from year to year.
“It’s good to stretch them and make sure they get to experience different styles of acting,” she said. “That helps them grow in their performances.”
Close to 80 people attended a dessert theatre at the school on Wednesday, featuring the club’s performance of The Hotel.
The 60-minute play was written by Griffin, and co-directed by herself and Brandon Hutchinson with a cast of eight students.
The story centres around a group of six ghosts at the Bessborough, who spend their days recreating their own deaths to scare hotel guests.
For the full story and more photos, please see the April 10 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Carson Palmer’s ewes come running as the 12-year-old carries a pail of oats. Palmer owns and cares for a herd of 26 ewes and their offspring on the family farm east of Davidson.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — It’s a sunny spring day as Carson Palmer heads out to do his afternoon chores.
Tending a herd of 26 ewes and their lambs keeps the 12-year-old boy busy.
He’s often the first one up in the morning, and he’s back out there after he comes home from school.
Lambing is weeks away, and warm weather will be a welcome sight as the ewes in Carson’s herd begin delivering their offspring.
“It’s going to be a busy April and May around here,” says his father Dean.
Carson is the oldest child of Dean and Tracey Palmer, who live east of Davidson in the RM of Arm River.
Their family operation is largely built around livestock, including around 300 head of cattle, plus about 1,000 acres of cropland.
But the growing herd, made up of Dorper and Dorper-cross ewes, is Carson’s business.
“They’re entirely Carson’s enterprise,” says Dean, who clearly approves.
“It’s pretty unique . . . He can get out of the house and have some responsibility. He’s doing quite well.”
The Dorper breed was developed in South Africa in the late 1940s, according to the website of the Canadian Dorper Sheep Association.
Today, the Dorper breed is the second largest breed there with over 10 million head, representing more than 1/3 of the total sheep population in South Africa.
The breed has also seen increasing popularity around the world, including in Canada and the U.S.
Dorpers typically have white bodies and black heads, and their usual lifespan is about nine or 10 years.
They are recognized as a profitable breed given their early maturation and the strong demand for lambs.
As well, Dorpers shed their wool each summer, which reduces the work and expense required for their care.
For the full story, please see the April 10 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Local resident Bernard Janzen, pictured at the Davidson library branch on Wednesday, signs a petition in support of maintaining provincial funding for Saskatchewan’s regional libraries.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — With close to 10,000 items in its collection, there’s plenty to keep a bookworm busy in the Davidson library.
But the local collection is no match for the combined holdings of all the province’s libraries — numbering more than four million books, DVDs, CDs and other materials.
Budget cuts to regional libraries will effectively cut off access to any material outside of a user’s local branch — a devastating loss, in the eyes of some.
“In a small-town branch here, what you have available is limited,” said Bernard Janzen, a patron of the Davidson library who lives on a farm west of town.
“No (rural) branch can really stock all of the books that the people there would be interested in reading,” he continued. “It’s a nice place to come and read (but) the purpose of it is gone.”
Library staff and users were reeling last week from the news of massive funding cuts in this year’s provincial budget.
Funding for Saskatchewan’s seven regional libraries will drop from $6 million to $2.5 million, a cut of 58 per cent.
Jan Smith, director of Palliser Regional Library, said the region’s staff were “gob-smacked” by the announcement of the funding cut, which took effect April 1.
Palliser’s 20 branches include the libraries in Davidson, Craik, Elbow, Loreburn, Holdfast, Imperial and Bethune. The region is headquartered in Moose Jaw and extends south to the U.S. border.
Six employees at the Moose Jaw office received layoff notices last week, representing 75 per cent of the staff in that office. The layoffs take effect at the end of May.
Smith said local branches will likely see some reduction in operating hours, with the municipalities being asked to cover a greater share of staff salaries.
In an update posted online, Palliser staff said the cuts would have a substantial impact on the services available at their branches.
There will be no more regional funding for new books, DVDs or magazines.
Most electronic resources — including Hoopla, a digital service that provides access to movies, TV shows and more via computers and mobile devices — will be eliminated for rural branches effective April 1.
Staff also said the cuts would affect the Single Integrated Library System (SILS), which allows users to borrow items from any library in the province.
Without funding for the couriers who transfer items from one library to another, the SILS program would have to wind down, Smith said.
As of April 1, patrons will only be able to request items held in Palliser’s libraries, and by the end of May they will be limited to the items held in their local branch.
Cutbacks at the main office would also affect the services provided to local branch staff, including everything from payroll to technical support.
In the Davidson branch, patrons were being encouraged to add their signature to a petition, calling for a province-wide vote on maintaining library funding “at least at 2016 levels, indexed for inflation.”
The petition was organized by Regina lawyer Merrilee Rasmussen, in accordance with provincial law that states a petition signed by 15 per cent of the Saskatchewan electorate will result in a plebiscite on the question at hand.
Organizers said about 125,000 individual signatures are needed. Only people eligible to vote in Saskatchewan can sign the petition, which is being circulated around the province.
For the full story, please see the April 3 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
