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 →

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.

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.”