Aidan Haraldson, left, and Hunter Wightman bring their horses to a halt during a meet in Davidson on Aug. 19.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Local horseback riders wrapped up their season with a western performance and gymkhana event at the Davidson rodeo grounds on Aug. 19.
The Davidson Riding Club hosted the event, their sixth and last meet of the season, though several riders have qualified to compete in provincial finals next month.
The club’s membership includes riders from Davidson and other nearby communities, and as far away as Saskatoon.
Riders are divided into seven age groups. Members of the local club range in age from three years to 60-plus, with the eldest being categorized as “Pioneers.”
“If you’re still riding at that age, it’s quite a compliment,” said organizer Gloria Kadlec.
JC Manz, age 3, was the youngest rider at Saturday’s event, riding by herself for the first time on Blackie, a Shetland pony. Her mom Beth was close by.
Other local riders included Hunter Wightman in the Junior C age group. His horse, Lacey, had been out of commission for most of the season, recovering from an abscess in one hoof.
Competitors are judged and assigned points in different categories.
For the full story, please see the Aug. 28 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of the pillar of our family, Hilton Spencer of Craik, Sask., on Aug. 17, 2017, at the age of 69. With his much-loved wife and children by his side, Hilton fought until the end with the same determination and strength that he had displayed his entire life.
Hilton was born in Craik, Sask., on Feb. 2, 1948. He is predeceased by his parents, George and Violet (Sloan). Proudly carrying on Hilton’s spirit and love for his family are his wife of 43 years, Wilma (Sianchuk) and their four children: George (Barbara) Spencer and their daughter Athena of Bluffton, Alta.; Peter (Brady) Spencer and their sons Mason and Grey of Edmonton, Alta.; John (Jennifer) Spencer and their children Ainsley and Flynn of Martensville, Sask.; Rae Lynn (Dan) Crooks and their daughter Madyn of Weyburn, Sask. He is also survived by his brothers Ernest (Nancy) Spencer and Dave (Arlette) Spencer as well as numerous nieces, nephews, family and friends.
Hilton loved all members of his family and was unable to hide his pride as he spoke of them. He cared deeply for his wife. Hilton and Wilma set a precious and rare example for their children to carry forward into their relationships. His grandchildren were one of his real joys and Hilton always brought a new and fun experience to each child whenever he spent time with them. Although his grandchildren are spread throughout various communities in Saskatchewan and Alberta, “Grandpa” is always one of their constant topics of conversation.
Hilton was very creative, resourceful and intelligent. He could usually be found manufacturing various structures from wood and metal. Hilton loved to golf and archery hunt with his closest friends and family. He was very community-minded, serving as president of the Craik Golf Course and as the Reeve of RM No. 222 for 27 years. He fought for many ideas that he believed would make his community prosper, including keeping rural health care intact and bringing new businesses and families to the area. His entrepreneurial spirit served him well as he supported his family and the community with equipment operation through his company, Spencer Trenching, farming, raising livestock and owning his own semi and gravel trailer. In the weeks before his passing, he spoke of retiring on the farm and rekindling his passion of working with horses. We will be forever proud of Hilton’s integrity, selflessness, and countless life lessons learned by being in his presence.
A celebration of Hilton’s life was held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, August 26, 2017, at the Hall in Craik, Sask. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude for the medical efforts of the doctors and nurses at the Pasqua Hospital Intensive Care Unit and their compassion towards Hilton and his loved ones.
Arrangements were in care of Hanson’s Funeral Home of Davidson.
Pilot Larry Ricker lands a replica Neiuport II biplane at the Davidson airport on Wednesday.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Outside the Davidson town hall, the town cenotaph lists 35 names of World War One casualties — all men who lost their lives fighting on Canada’s behalf.
“That’s 35 too many,” said Allan Snowie, one of three pilots visiting Davidson last week. “We don’t want that to ever happen again.”
Snowie said his generation represents the last living link with the men and women who fought in that war. As such, they have an important task — to keep the memories of their sacrifice alive.
“What we’re striving to do is to pass their stories on to our grandchildren,” he said.
Davidson was one of the official stops for “Birth of a Nation,” a cross-country tour featuring replicas of the planes used in the historic Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Three biplanes — replicas of the Nieuport II model flown by Canadians at Vimy — landed at the Davidson airport on Wednesday.
Those planes, along with two specially-built Sopwith Pup replicas, were also part of the 100th anniversary ceremony held in France on April 9 of this year.
The five aircraft performed a commemorative flight over the Canadian National Vimy Memorial during the ceremony, before a crowd of 25,000 people.
After landing in Davidson, the planes were on display at Terry Dieno’s hangar, with upwards of 300 people attending a meet and greet and enjoying coffee and doughnuts.
Later, the pilots and the rest of the crew were the guests of honour for a dinner at the town hall, served by the ladies of Davidson United Church and attended by roughly 100 people.
Mary Jane Morrison served as emcee for the event, representing Branch 51 of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Legion branch president Gordon McRae had been working since last fall to arrange a stop for the tour in Davidson, but the visit was only confirmed a few weeks in advance.
“Terry (Dieno) and I worried about that,” he recalled. “For a while there we thought we weren’t going to get them.”
Presentations were made by both McRae and Larry Sinnett, the latter representing the Saskatchewan committee of the Air Cadet League.
Both presented donations to Snowie, on behalf of the Legion and the Air Cadet League, in support of the flight tour.
McRae also presented a Saskatchewan flag, signed by Premier Brad Wall and the other provincial MLAs, as well as members of the Royal Canadian Legion Saskatchewan Command, the branches in Davidson, Loreburn-Elbow and Moose Jaw, and the directors of the Air Cadets League provincial committee.
For the full story, please see the Aug. 21 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
The giant coffee pot at Davidson is shown during the painting of the murals in July of 1996.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Got some thoughts to share on the future of Davidson’s giant coffee pot?
Then town council wants to hear from you.
For 21 years, the 24-foot steel sculpture has greeted visitors at the north end of town and drivers along Highway 11.
The coffee pot has been featured in books, a stamp issued by Canada Post in 2010, and more recently, in an adult colouring book, Colour Saskatchewan by Jason Sylvestre.
But weather and age have taken their toll on the venerated vessel.
The once-vibrant murals have faded, and rust is now visible in multiple places, particularly on the handle.
Davidson’s town council has discussed the coffee pot’s future multiple times in recent years, and the topic returned to the table at their regular meeting on Tuesday.
Coun. Jessica Foster reported from a Communities in Bloom (CIB) meeting the previous day, where members had discussed a new proposal.
As Foster explained, the idea is to have a local artist or artists guide a team of volunteers to repaint the mural.
“It’s almost gone the way it is,” she told her colleagues, expressing her support for the proposal. “I think we have enough local talent.”
Council gave its approval to begin soliciting volunteers for a committee to lead the project, with two additional councillors, Arlene Low and Jared Shaw, agreeing to take part.
Foster told the Leader that she’s interested in public input, with plans to issue an official call for committee members.
“It really depends on what the community wants,” she said. “At this point I’m just looking for a committee to guide the process.”
The town would cover the cost for materials for a restoration project. There is roughly $8,800 sitting in a fund established for that purpose several years ago.
Foster said they have sought professional advice on how to treat the rust, as well as what paint to use.
“If we don’t do anything it’s just going to rust,” she said.
Lorraine Gust, who also serves on the Davidson CIB committee, said they have discussed a couple of options for resurfacing the coffee pot.
Some are strongly in favour of recreating the mural, but if it is to last, it will need to be continually and carefully maintained.
“It is going to be an ongoing issue to get it repainted,” said Gust. “People have been mulling over this forever.”
Another popular suggestion was to repair and then repaint the structure using a speckled paint finish, giving it the look of an antique enamelware coffee pot.
The murals would disappear, though the original paintings, from which the artwork was created, are still held.
Gust said a public meeting might be ideal, adding, “It would be nice to hear different opinions from lots of people.”
For the full story, please see the Aug. 21 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
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.
