Wolseley HERITAGE Foundation Annual meeting

Saturday evening the Wolseley Heritage Foundation held an Annual General Meeting on the beautiful treed grounds of Wolseley's historic North West Territories Courthouse. David Forsyth guided attendees on a tour of the recently cleaned out and spruced up Courthouse. Special thanks go to Cory Johnstone for his work on the building.

People at the meeting agreed that Heritage Foundation should begin determining an appropriate approach and project that will ensure this building remains an integral part of the community.

Completed in 1895 the building was the Courthouse for the North West Territories until 1909. It then became a jail and barracks for the North West Mounted Police until 1915. Then it was turned into a Detention Home for boys and finally in 1921 formed the original Home for the Infirm (now Lakeside Home). Now vacant, this well maintained historic building is prime for renovation and revitalization.

By-the-way, the meeting had a wonderful blend citizens. Shirley Harris was the chair, Eleanor Dahlman was secretary, Mrs. Lillian Christensen at 90 years old stayed for the entire meeting, and Cheryl Kai (Chatterson) who like me, has recently returned to Wolseley was an interested participant. Others in attendance were, Boyd and Kit Taylor, Margaret Hryniuk, Ruth Banbury, Olga Greening, Rick Dahlman, Dennis Fjestad, Graham and Isabel Taylor, Mr. Fathers and Denise Ketchison and David Forsyth.

Road Scenes - SOURIS, Manitoba's Swinging Bridge

Last week I had an appointment in Carlyle in south eastern Saskatchewan. From there I had a stop in Redvers, SK...then on to Winnipeg, Manitoba. My route took me through Souris, Manitoba. And I must say, what a nice town!
Of course I walked across their "Swinging Bridge" which spans the Souris river. It is longer Wolseley's, but it is so bouncy that you wouldn't want to take elderly people across. However, it's a nice bridge nonetheless. I also noticed that many of the houses around Souris are historic and impressive. So if your ever in southern Manitioba, take some time to visit Souris.

Road Scenes...WHY?

I was recently asked why there are posts called "Road Scenes". Well, I work for Pharmasave Drug stores and drive a great deal in southern Saskatchewan. I always have a camera with me so I take photos of things I find interesting. Now you know about "Road Scenes".

One of the last kicks at SUMMER

Weird Willies Esso station was hopping Friday morning. Vehicles were lined up for gas and the store was busy. The license plates were from all over North America, in fact I chatted with a guy from Edmonton who just finished going to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennesee. He lived only a few blocks from where we used to live so we had a nice talk.
Around town, I saw several campers and motorhomes, people having a picnic in the playground and of course many going over the swinging bridge.

Moffat Stone House tour reveals HISTORY

The Stones of Moffat tour was a resounding success again this year.
We gathered at the MoffatHall at 1:00 pm and after an informative talk by Kay Parley boarded two school buses and a filled a few cars. With tour guides Stanley Taylor on one bus, and his wife
Phyllis on the other, each group enjoyed knowledgeable insight and recollections of the Moffat area.

We stopped at the six remaining stone houses, the Church, and numerous ruins of structures that have unfortunately not survived the ravages of the Canadian Prairies.

Among the those on the tour were former Wolseley residents Alden and Elaine Herndier, Pat and Carol Kydd, Mansel and Joyce Lavediere, Ashley and Ruby Pow, and Ken Stringer.
One of the most enthused participants was my Aunt Jeanette Bohonos. Many Wolseley, Glenavon, Montmartre and of course Moffat residents also attended.

For anyone interested in history or prairie architecture from the NWT times this tour is a must see!

Now that was a SUNSET

Last evening the sky over Wolseley was the canvas for one of this worlds most glorious displays...a Sunset over the prairie.

Canoe Races a SPLASH / Beach Volleyball a HIT

A beach without volleyball or a lake without a canoe just wouldn't be right. And "Dam Days" made sure both were well represented.

The volleyball was a focal point for much of the action around the Beverage tent all weekend. Randy Clark had the teams fired up and the competion was brisk.
Larry and Janice Hilderman organized the canoe races and they were awesome. The paddlers in each race were intense but some ended up off course and a couple tipped overboard into the drink. Of note was first and second place in the one of the over 40 races were paddlers over the age of sixty.
Racers Boyd Taylor and Kirk Molder are both well over 60 years old and they set the mark younger paddlers just couldn't meet.

CARLA TAYLOR and the Electric Outlaws rocked

The cabaret was rocking on Saturday night. Carla and The Electric Outlaws cranked out the tunes, people danced and danced and danced some more. The tent was packed to the seams and the generally well behaved crowd had a great time.
Carla played a few of the old Red Hot Burrito songs and many in crowd the sang along to the songs from days gone by.
By-the-way, the Burritos played the official grand opening of the Town Hall/Opera House a few years ago.

Street hockey becomes grass HOCKEY

The street hockey morphed into grass hockey and it proved to be a blast. These spirited games were fun to watch and the intensity rose as teams got knocked out of the tournament.
After one of the later games I came across the dejected crew of Chad Souchotte, Darrell Parker and Trevor (Center Line) Baran all muttering "But we had them 6 to 2".

Kids PARADE gets rolling

About 75 excited children gathered on the Dr. Isman school grounds in anticpation of the Children's Parade. There were kids in wagons, on decorated tricycles and bicycles, costumes, wigs and face paint everywhere. The children milled about until Linda Moss got eveyone in order before departing for the Parade around the lake.
With an RCMP car in the lead the multitude of children followed with about as much order as a herd of cats. I ended up riding my bike a few other parents joged beside in an almost futile attempt to keep kids from crashing, going of course or passing the police car.
It all ended with the happy children heading off to Shop Easy for an ice cream treat sponsored by TD Canada Trust.

Local stars ENTERTAIN!

Karaoke was one of many highlights from the weekend's "Dam Days". Friday night, Sunday afternoon and evening the town reverberated with warbling from local stars like Ron Lyke, Dave Edgar, Mark Beliveau, Rick Norwig, Dwight Williams and a cast of other Wolseley characters. These folks "lit" up the stage forever changing the memories of wonderful songs.

Thankfully, Eldon Perley, Jocelyn Linnell and some other good singers where there to give voice to some real singing.
However, Karaoke proves entertainment is not just the ability to sing.

THIS weekend "Dam Days" fun in Wolseley

"Dam Days" begin Friday evening and the whole weekend promises to be great!

The Beverage Tent, Beach Volleyball, Canoe Races, Carla Taylor and the Electric Outlaws Cabaret, Dunk Tank, Kids Activities, Karaoke, Pancake Breakfast, Community Choir, Music at the Lakeside Home and Cribbage offer fun for all ages.

So bring your family, friends, and invite complete strangers to come to Wolseley...this weekend!!

Zachary and Jordon are SAVED!

Thank God. Zachary Miller and Jordon Bruyere are now safe. And after a 10 hour standoff the twisted Peter Robert Joseph Whitmore finally surrendered.
Now, yet again, this deviant will go before a judge to account for his evil ways.

A NEW link

The Snow Plow is a new link that has been added to this site. Take a moment and check it out.

http://the-snowplow.blogspot.com/

Stones of MOFFAT tour coming soon

My roots in Wolseley run deep. From south of Wolseley on the paternal Taylor, Ferguson/Graham side my ancestors settled the Moffat/Greenville areas in 1882. From north of Wolseley my maternal ancestor Samuel Jolly settled north of Ellisboro in the same year 1882.

But the south will be the focus during the Stones of Moffat tour in mid August. I took my son Thomas and my daughter Emma on the tour a couple of years ago and they LOVED it. The tour we attended began with a church service in the historic Moffat church. Then, Phyllis and Stanley Taylor guided us through the stone house route where their deep understanding of the area proved remarkable. After the tour, Kay Parley gave a talk in the Moffat hall and offered up unique insight to this wonderful community.

We also had time to tour the Moffat graveyard which was bittersweet as I have a brother, uncle, cousin, grandfather, grandmother and numerous other relatives laid to rest there.

For anyone interested in history or early prairie architecture the tour is a must see!
I'll be there and I hope you will be too.

!!!!!Amber Alert!!!!!!!

10 year old Zack Miller is missing from Whitewood a town only a short distance east on the #1 highway from Wolseley.

He may have been abducted by an evil pedophile named Peter Robert Joseph Whitmore.
Whitmore may be driving a 1988 wood panelled Dodge Caravan with Alberta plates CUS 532.

If you have information about this child, call 1-877-SOAMBER or 1-877-762-6237 or e-mail fdiv_amber_alert@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Please check out this link for more information : http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/sk/MediaReleases/zachary_miller.html

Please Pray for Zack, his safe return, and the Miller family!

ROCKY Bishop considered for award

Toyota Canada has established a community service award. And a former Wolseley resident, Rocky Bishop is in the running. Rocky's Christian missions work has taken him to New Orleans several times helping people devastated by hurricane Katrina. On one of his trips he was accompanied with his teenage daughter Mellissa.

You can read about his nomination at http://www.toyotaneverquit.com/toyotaneverquit/ or read more about Rocky's work on the "Rocky Bishop" link on this website.

Twilight Drive-In a TRADITION

I just got home from a night with the family at the Twilite Drive-In. As tradition would have it, I was greeted at the gate by a smiling Zaba. Nowadays it is Reanne, Don and Debbie's youngest who is perched at the gate. Her smile and happy attitude made me feel welcomed and glad I made the choice to go to the show with my family.

The movie was "Cars" and it was super, a real hit with the kids and just enough big person humour to keep us chuckling. And the price was right, only $13 for the entire carload and a free bag of popcorn is included in the price!
In the concession stand there is a neat history of the Drive-In that Reanne put together for the Heritage Fair.

The Twilite Drive-In is truly a part of the fabric of Wolseley History and it is commendable that the Zaba family continue to operate one of the last remaining Drive-In theaters.

By-the-way, I heard the Hammond family from Calgary (originally Indian Head) are fired up to attend an upcoming show. I'm certain they won't be disappointed!

Tennis Court Road HOCKEY

Summer afternoons and road hockey are a great mix. The game is made even better when played on a tennis court so you don't have to run after an out-of-play ball.
Yesterday, Trevor Baran's sons Nick, Carter and Tanner, along with my son Thomas and a few other boys had robust game on the court beside the high school. As I watched them chasing the ball around I began reminiscing about countless hours of road hockey I played in Wolseley.
In my childhood, most road hockey games were organized and promoted by Mark Schramm. Mark lived a couple of doors down from us and he was always in the center of finding ways to have fun.
Sometimes people wonder what there is to do in a small town. Well, when you are a boy, and you've got a hockey stick and a ball, there is ALWAYS something to do.

Two weeks in SWIFT Current

I haven't posted much over the past couple of weeks as my work with Pharmasave had me in Swift Current. The store moved to a big, bright new location and we worked many hours getting set-up and stock moved.

But now I am back in good-ole eastern Saskatchewan and I'll be posting more regularly again.

By-the-way, the photo on this post was taken from the parking lot of the Comfort Inn in Swift Current.
And another thing, if you are ever in Swift Current check out the Akropol restaurant. The decor is awesome, the service is spot-on and the food is GREAT!