A6 Friday, January 6, 2017 - The Times
As we look forward to 2017 … the Assiniboia Times would like to reflect on important community events in 2016 Many important events happened in Assiniboia and the surrounding communities during 2016. The December 30 issue of the Assiniboia Times covered the months January to March. This issue reviews the remainder of the year from April through to December 2016. April The month of April saw five provincial candidates vying to become Member of the Legislature for the Wood River constituency: Judy Mergel from the Sask Green Party, Dave Marit from the Sask. Party, Edward Ives from the Liberal Party, Brian Archer from the PC Party and Brenda Shenher from the NDP Party. Marit won the seat for Wood River with a huge majority of 76 per cent of the votes cast. The seat was formerly held by long-time MLA Yogi Huyghebaert. A variety of sports wrapped up their seasons successfully this month. The Assiniboia skating club concluded its year with an annual Carnival. Minor hockey handed out its awards at the St. George Parish Hall. The Assiniboia Junior Lacrosse team of 1972 held its reunion and traded fond memories of capturing the Saskatchewan Championship. The Assiniboia and District Chamber of Commerce hosted a successful trade show attracting hundreds to the Prince of Wales Complex. Assiniboia awards night recognized volunteers in sports, service clubs, church groups and community organizations. The action-packed month ended on a high note as Assiniboia’s annual music festival featured local student performers. A number of scholarships for musical achievements were also awarded. May Gainer the Gopher, mascot for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, visited the Assiniboia Elementary School with a couple of Roughrider players. They joined Marni Chadwick’s Grade 5 class for reading month. The Friends of the Gravelbourg Convent gathered for a tea to raise funds to preserve the Convent of Jesus and Mary. The third annual Hayley and Cayden Mother’s Day run took place in Assiniboia. The run is both a memorial and a fundraiser. Two new doctors, Dr. Joan Odiagah and Dr. Eric Moore, began their practice in Assiniboia. Para-athlete Wyatt Lightfoot captured two national medals at Canada’s first para-national badminton tournament in New Brunswick. He had a busy schedule of national and international competition during the year. The Olympia Theatre screened Basic Human Needs, a 100 per cent Saskatchewan-made film. Film lead, Laura Abramsen, grew up in Assiniboia, producer Allan Roeher is from Hodgeville, and the sound track comes from the Kacy and Clayton of Wood Mountain. June Anthony Drake, designer of the Saskatchewan flag, made a stop in Assiniboia in June. He was born in England, but came to Canada to teach in Ponteix and then in Hodgeviille. RBC branch staff teamed up with the Friends of the St. Victor Petroglyphs for a Day of Caring. Later in the month the RBC staff joined a Day of Caring at the Regional Park for more clean up work. The RBC staff spent a day helping to landscape the Healing Gardens. The Southern Prairie Railway unveiled its new train excursions for the summer-fall season. Summer festivals got underway with the 37th St. Victor Boogie. Nelson GM celebrated its 14th anniversary with a show and shine. Limerick played host to around 40 slo pitch teams for their major tournament of the year. The Assiniboia Kinsmen and Kinettes Club hosted the D3 District Convention. The Southland Co-op held its equity days paying out $1 million to Co-op members. July Saskatchewan’s longest running continuous rodeo — now 127 years in the making — took place in Wood Mountain with over 200 competitors participating. The Wood Mountain Wagon Train recreated the pioneer experience. Taking over as wagon trail boss this year was Teresa Broeder. Fruit, music and crafted wares were on display at the second annual Berry Jam Festival near Kincaid. Assiniboia’s 14th annual PolkaFest experienced another successful year. The long-running FarmFest at the
Winning splash The Mossbank community won the Great 8 contest. The funds went to support renovation work for the Mossbank swimming pool. Campagne farm near Willow Bunch was also a success. Grandma T’s, a residence for nursing students posted to rural locations, was set up in Lafleche. The residence is named in memory of Teresa Thellon, a long-time resident of Lafleche. The residence held its grand opening in September and began operations. Hutch ambulance paramedics, Corey McNeice, Destin Ash and Kyle Guild, began their shift with an ordinary transfer to Moose Jaw hospital, but along the way stopped to deliver the baby. Assiniboia athletes shone at the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games. The Assiniboia peewee Aces under-14 girls softball team clinched the gold, defeating the Panthers in Moose Jaw in the Minor Girls Fastball League. August Mankota became home this month to the world’s leading helium processing plant. Superior Pulses launched a lentils handling facility in Verwood just in time for the fall harvest season. Faith’s Kitchen, the old Rancher’s Nook cafe, closed its doors in Mankota, while Spring Valley lost its iconic elevator to fire. In political news, Premier Brad Wall shuffled his Cabinet. Wood River MLA Dave Marit was named as Highways and Infrastructure Minister. Miles and Sheri Anderson won the Environmental Stewardship Award from the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association for their ranch. The Wood Mountain Horticultural Society celebrated its 40th anniversary. The society began as a high school class project and blossomed into an award-winning horticultural society. Assiniboia, Coronach and Mossbank competed in the Great 8 Communities Contest run by a Moose Jaw radio station. Mossbank won the $5,000 prize and targeted the funds for the swimming pool. The Viceroy Baseball team that played between 1946 and 1975 was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame. September Southland Co-op and Farm Credit Canada teamed up to collect food for the food bank. Southland Co-op’s food drive collected 2,543.5 lbs. The town of Assiniboia partnered with the Government of Saskatchewan and the Scrap Tire Corporation to initiate clean up of the abandoned Assiniboia Rubber Recycling Facility site. The Assiniboia and District Chamber of Commerce held a successful Career Fair. Schools in Assiniboia and surrounding communities attended. October The Assiniboia’s Alliance Church marked its 75th anniversary. A Our Lady of Fatima pilgrimage was held in Lafleche, inspired by Mark and Doreen Crooks. The Rockglen Co-op marked 75 years of operations. The Southland Co-op in Assiniboia held a grand reopening following major renovations to the interior of
the food store. B&A Petroleum also upgraded its facilities, with the installation of new fuel storage tanks to increase capacity. The century-old business, Bengough Drugs, was lost to fire in Bengough. The community rallied around the Foleys in the aftermath. The grand re-opening of Ecole Gravelbourg school was held with Education Minister Don Morgan present. The school had undergone expansion and renovation to house all grades from K to 12 under one roof. The Gaity Theatre began its season with its annual Coffee House. The Gravelbourg Music Centre opened its music programming. Saskatchewan elections to RMs, municipal councils and for school boards were held. Many polls were abandoned or councils acclaimed in the area. November The Southern Rebels Junior B hockey club held its annual Pink Jersey auction, raising over $11,000 for breast cancer research. Popcorn Productions held performances of the playwright Tom Smith’s “Drinking Habits”. The event raised funds for the Assiniboia Rotary Club for its many projects as well as for Popcorn Productions. The Chiropractors Association of Saskatchewan held a sock drive for the Salvation Army during the month of November. Dr. Dwight Vallee in Assiniboia also joined the Toasty Toes sock drive. The 27th annual Mistletoe Arts and Craft sale and Christmas Lane attracted record crowds. The Assiniboia and District Chamber of Commerce organized a successful light parade that had record participation and attendance. Newly-installed Archbishop Donald Bolen of Regina made a visit to his home community of Gravelbourg to serve Mass at the Our Lady of Assumption Co-Cathedral. Bolen is originally from Gravelbourg. December The Southland Co-op and Lafleche Co-op membership voted to merge. The amalgamation goes into effect in January 2017. Assiniboia high school students met their principal’s “two per cent challenge” and raised the school’s grade point average by two points to 80 per cent for the term. Their next challenge is to keep it up for the semester. The Rockglen Beautification Committee received a grant of $11,000 from Peavey Mart to develop and maintain the town’s new Heritage Orchard, The Festival of Trees was held in Assiniboia raising over $60,000 to be donated to the Health Care Foundation and Prince of Wales Complex. The Assiniboia Rotary Club held its annual carol festival featuring many talented local musicians. Hodgeville held its Night Jesus was Born nativity display with over 900 displays. Gravelbourg Gaity Theatre held its Christmas play to packed houses during its performances.
The Times - Friday, January 6, 2017 A7
New Year’s Resolutions
The Grade 5 class at the Assiniboia Elementary School participated in a New Year’s resolution project for the Assiniboia Times. The students created some wonderful art adding their top resolutions for the new year. Resolutions ranged from promising to help out around the house more and do chores to keeping up with reading and school homework to being nice. The Assiniboia Times thanks the Grade 5 class and their teacher Marni Chadwick for their assistance in creating this project. See the December 30 issue of The Assiniboia Times for additional illustrations of this project.