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Born2Dance launches Theatre Company to give youths homegrown stage training

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Born2Dance has launched the Triple Threat Theatre Company, which plans to put on a musical in June about The Addams Family. Photo courtesy Born2Dance

Born2Dance Moose Jaw is expanding its programming by launching a new initiative called the Triple Threat Theatre Company designed to give youths more skills with singing, acting and dancing.

There is a need for a theatre company like this because kids who want to become professional performers don’t have anywhere in town to take that next step, explained co-director Jessika Kopp. There is no organization to train children, develop their skills, take headshots, set them up for tions.

“It’s gonna be fantastic. We’ve seen a need for a while, and now that we have a well-established dance program, we’re know they will stick because we’ve been doing this for 10 years,” she said.

The theatre company — based in Church of God’s Hochelaga Street East location — will offer two streams for different age groups.

Children ages seven to 11 can take six weeks of classes on Mondays for 45 minutes from May 9 to June 13. These classes will teach kids how to sing, act and dance — making them triple-threat performers — and prepare them for a future of stage performances.

No experience is required for this part of the program.

Meanwhile, youths 11 to 18 can audition for a role in a summer musical on Monday, May 2, from 4 to 9 p.m. This program will be more time-consuming and give youths knowledge about theatre and performing.

Triple Threat Theatre Company plans to put on the musical “The Addams Family,” with performances on Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25. The location of the performance has yet to be determined.

Visit www.borntodance.ca/register/ triple-threat to register for these programs.

Directors chose a musical about The Addams Family because they wanted something that was not well-known and that local high schools had not done before, explained Kopp, who has 17 years in musical theatre. Furthermore, the directors with their vision, which is to think outside the box and buck the trends.

“The Addams Family is a family that doesn’t really go with the status quo. When everyone is telling them they should be doing something different, they kind of stick to their own weird self,” she chuckled. “So it kind of plays into the things that we’re teaching our kids: learn to think for yourself, be yourself (and) you are wonderful.”

Born2Dance is excited to break into this aspect of performing via the Triple Threat Theatre Company, Kopp added. Teachers are also eager to do something new and allow youths to learn about acting, singing and dancing in Moose Jaw.

Town, village population trend still on downward slope

By Ron Walter - For Moose Jaw Express The long term trend to rural depopulation in the Moose Jaw region continued in the 2021 Census of Canada.

Most of the towns and villages in the region lost population with some exceptions. mostly places near cities or in resort villages.

Assiniboia, the largest town in the area lost 101 residents to 2,333 while Gravelbourg at 986, lost 103. Caronport gained 39 for 1,033.

Central Butte gained 44 for 416 while Avonlea, 411, gained 18.

Bethune, near the K+S potash mine and Regina, gained 261for 560.

All three resort communities on Buffalo Pound Lake gained population with North Grove adding 43 for 175; Sun Valley adding 36 for 154; and South Lake adding 57 for 226.

Holding their own were; Bengough, 332; Shamrock, 20; Wood Mountain, 20; Brownlee, 55, Coderre 30.

Community 2021 2016

Assiniboia ................2,333 ......... 2,424 Avonlea.......................411............ 393 Belle Plaine...................79 .............. 85 Bethune.......................560 ............ 399 Briercrest.....................155 ............ 159 Caronport.................1,033 ............ 994 Central Butte...............416 ............ 372 Chamberlain .................96 .............. 90 Chaplin........................222 ............ 229 Coronach ....................612 ............ 643 Craik ...........................405 ............ 392 Dilke .............................60 .............. 98 Drinkwater....................74 .............. 78 Eyebrow .....................130 ............ 119 Findlater .......................60 .............. 45 Gravelbourg ................986 ......... 1,083 Hodgeville...................147 ............ 172 Holdfast ......................173 ............ 247 Kincaid........................120 .............111 .......................373 ............ 382 Limerick......................114............ 115 Mankota......................198 ............ 205 Marquis.........................90 .............. 97 Mortlach......................274 ............ 261 Mossbank....................368 ............ 360 Ogema.........................383 ............ 403 Pense...........................603 ............ 587 Riverhurst ...................150 ............ 130 Rouleau.......................505 ............ 540 Shamrock......................20 .............. 20 South Lake..................226 ............ 169 Sun Valley...................154 ............ 118 Tugaske.........................79 .............. 75 Tuxford........................103 ............ 113 Willow Bunch.............261 ............ 269 Wood Mountain.............20 .............. 20 Wd Mountain reserve....16 .............. 12 North Grove................175 ............ 132 22024DS0 22024DS1

By Joyce Walter - Moose Jaw Express No store-bought options existed for pioneer bakers

In the words of authors of the cookbook, Bread Baking, “bread making is a composite of lore, love and skill — plus a touch of magic, perhaps passed down through generations in homes throughout the world. The sensual delight of producing a loaf of bread and sharing it wth family or friends is a joyful and rewarding experience for all.”

For a time, the tradition of home-baked bread was set aside for the convenience of store-bought bread but it appears, according to the authors, that bread baking is experiencing new popularity. bread baking in the home. • • •

CHOCOLATE LOAVES

1 pkg. active dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water 1 3/4 cups milk, heated to lukewarm 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup sugar 3 eggs 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. vanilla extract 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans Glaze: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 1/2 tbsps. milk 1 tsp. vanilla or rum

For the bread, sprinkle yeast into warm water and let stand until dissolved.

Cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat in sugar and eggs. Stir in milk and dissolved yeast. coa, salt and vanilla. Add enough of the remaining until smooth and satiny. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Divide dough in half and shape into two round loaves. Place in greased 8 inch round cake pans. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when thumped. Remove from pans and let cool on rack.

To make the glaze, beat together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla or rum. When loaves have cooled, spread the glaze over the loaves.

ITALIAN SALT STICKS

1 tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1/4 cup olive oil 1 1/4 cups very warm water (125 degrees F) Glaze: 1 egg white, lightly beaten 1 tbsp. water coarse salt a large bowl of an electric mixer. Add oil and gradually stir in water. Beat at medium speed for two minutes. utes.

Using a heavy duty mixer or wooden spoon, several minutes. Work dough into a smooth ball. Shape into a log.

Cut into 20 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into long ropes about 16 inches long or smaller ropes 6-8 inches long.

Arrange one inch apart on oiled baking sheets. Roll to spread oil on all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm place until puffy, about 15 minutes.

Make the glaze by mixing the egg white with the water and stirring.

Paint each stick with the glaze then sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until browned. Makes 20 longer sticks or 40 smaller ones. Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel. net

Exhibition Company has events every weekend –this year’s Fair a tentative go

By Gordon Edgar - Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com George Fowler, general manager of the Moose Jaw Exhibition Company, is cautiously optimistic that with restrictions lifting, events will continue to pick up.

Proof-of-vaccination requirements and uncertain public gathering rules led to event cancellations in January and February. Events groups didn’t want to take the risk of putting a show on, only for low attendance to hamstring them.

The big event that took place this past weekend was the Moose Jaw Hunter/Jumper Schooling Show Series on Feb. 19 and 20. The judge was be Cindy Klassen from Saskatoon.

Upcoming events

The Moose Jaw Exhibition Company’s Groundhog Special Schooling Show on Feb. 26 and 27. The show was delayed from the actual Groundhog Day weekend due to public health concerns. A wide variety of classes will be shown, including hunter, jumper, equitation, showmanship, horsemanship, and barrels.

The beginning of March (when the provincial mask mandate expires) will see the South Saskatchewan Wildlife Association’s annual Moose Jaw Gun Show coming to the exhibition grounds on Mar. 5 and 6. The event typically draws hundreds of vendors from across southern Saskatchewan, with thousands of attendees perusing guns, knives, bow hunting gear, and ammunition. Gun show organizers are looking forward to admitting participants without asking for proof of vaccination, although Fowler notes they’re always careful. “We don’t want to get too carried away, and then all of a sudden discover that, you know, we have another variant and they have to bring back in rules.” On Mar. 12 and 13, there is a Dressage Show scheduled. Dressage is an Olympic-level combination of sport and art in which a horse and rider must perform a memorized set of movements exactly. Competition is done one at a time. Movement must appear smooth and effortless, with horse and rider communicating precisely in a kind of dance. On Mar. 19, the Saskatchewan Barrel Racing Association will be holding a competition. Horse and rider must complete a cloverleaf pattern around a triangle of barrels in the fastest time possible. The fast-paced rodeo sport is known to draw plenty of spectators. The following weekend, Mar. 26 and 27, the Moose Jaw Dog Club will have an agility show. Spectators can watch dogs racing around the Golden Mile Arena with various levels of skill and enthusiasm. Top competitors will obey commands from their trainers instantly as they weave through poles, up and down ramps, over jumps, and through tunnels. Fowler said the Exhibition Company is moving forward with plans for the Moose Jaw Hometown Fair and Parade from June 23 to 26. The event has been cancelled for two years due to COVID. “We’re just booking for entertainment at this point,” Fowler said. “We’re hoping everything comes together this year that we can actually host the event.”

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From letters to the internet, communications have changed dramatically over 150 years

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Communications in Saskatchewan have changed dramatically during the past 150 years, with once formidable barriers to contacting faraway neighbours disappearing as technological advances made reaching others easier.

The Western Development Museum hosted its monthly Coffee Club meeting on Feb. 15 and focused on communications during the past century. Coincidentally — ironically? — the meeting was on Zoom, bringing together nearly 30 people from across the province.

“Communication is one of the most basic functions of human beings. We all have that need to communicate,” said Karla Rasmussen, education and public programs co-ordinator.

Snail mail

One major barrier that early pioneers faced was distance, while they also had no vehicles, few books, some radios, no TVs and no computers, she said. While many pioneers could reach town by horse, buggy, or foot, they didn’t go often because of distance. Some people never even left their homestead for weeks or months.

Sending postcards and writing letters were the earliest ways people stayed in to be mailed, which mean waiting until the next trip into town. one cent.

“Like today, heavier letters needed more than one stamp. To save money, people would try to write on one page as they could. Letters were sometimes written four ways on one sheet of paper,” said Rasmussen.

Mail service expanded and became faster once the railroad arrived in the 1880s. By 1906, there were over 500 post possibility of mail arriving late was always a problem — especially for people who wanted to visit family weeks in advance.

Deliveries became faster once planes began delivering the mail and other supplies — including homes via the Eaton’s Catalogue — after the First World War.

Dot-dot-dot, dash-dash-dash

The creation of newspapers brought news from across the world, Rasmussen printed in Battleford in 1878 — 27 years before Saskatchewan became a province.

Morse Code was another method to communicate across distances. A telegrapher would transmit a message across telegraph wires and a receiver would decipher the message. Messenger boys would then

Can you hear me now?

meant wooden poles had to be erected and wire strung across the prairies, said Rasmussen. Insulators — small upside-down cups on top of poles — kept wire from touching the wood and leaking current. get of young people with slingshots.

“Telephone wire could be strung wherever it was needed. But to string to every farmyard seemed like a crazy and expensive idea,” she continued. “Many telephone companies did not want to send the money to hook up farmers miles from town.”

The provincial government created a new department in 1908 to connect rural people via telephone co-operatives. By 1921, there were 1,200 rural phone companies servicing 58,000 farmers. By 1924, more farmers had phones than anywhere else in Canada.

In urban areas, switchboard operators connected phone calls from one home to another. There were 21 different ringtones in the directory, so residents had to listen for their ring since neighbours shared lines.

“… but, some people liked to snoop and listen to other people’s conversations. It was called rubbering,” Rasmussen said.

By the 1960s, most of Saskatchewan had switched to direct arrived in the 1980s.

Video killed the radio star

Radios were another way to receive Night in Canada started on radio in 1929. Meanwhile, residents with homemade radios could send messages via Morse Code through their devices; these people were known as amateur radio operators or katchewan in 1954, after a set was shown sets were black and white, while the pictures looked snowy because the receivers were poor.

Internet history

Communications history was made in the 1980s when SaskTel introduced its idents to access the internet faster before most of the world. The Crown corporation installed 3,200 kilometres’ worth of the cable, the distance from Saskatchewan to Disney World in Florida.

It’s easy to forget that more than a century ago, people relied on sending letters that could take days, weeks or months to arrive, said Rasmussen. “We take for granted the advantages brought to us by telephones, videos, televisions and now computers,” she added, “and can only imagine what it was like to live with it.”

A 1937 stamp featuring King George VI. Photo courtesy Western Development Museum A telegram from 1919. Photo courtesy Western Development Museum A hand-crank phone. Photo courtesy Western Development Museum

Reflective Moments By Joyce Walter - Moose Jaw Express Loaf of bread pinpoints day of coming green demise

Joyce Walter For Moose Jaw Express

ronjoy@sasktel.net The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do position of this publication.

Some folks tell time by the sun and moon, others have an internal clock that somehow knows exactly the month, day and time. Lately in our house, the date can store-bought loaf of bread.

Of course this is not an entirely sci skeptics who will not believe that a loaf of bread could contain such vital information.

The label on the loaf of white bread explains the day the bread was packaged, let’s say Jan. 28. Presumably the bread was also baked on Jan. 28 or customers would be complaining about buying dayold bread and not getting a discount, like day-old doughnuts at the coffee shop.

Also on the label is the warning that the bread is best before Feb. 1 of the same

So we bring the bread home, place it on the counter where we keep our bread and eat away at the loaf, making toast and sandwiches or using a slice or two for sopping up excess soup or gravy. We don’t do the sopping if we’re in mannered company. And there are some weeks when we don’t eat all that much bread, especially if we also bought buns on the grocery us to stop eating so much bread but that’s another concern and one totally unrelated

According to the label we have Jan. 28, 29, 30 and 31 in which to eat the loaf before the best before date arrives. On that date, Feb. 1, we head to the bread bag to take out a slice and stop in our tracks. There is something that looks suspiciously like mold growing on the tops of the slic der. After all, Grandma’s homemade bread never, ever grew green spots so why does this happen with store-bought bread?

We thought about returning the bread had eaten some of it, and secondly, we were warned that Feb. 1 would be G-Day for this particular loaf — G-Day referring of course to the green spots that weren’t present on the evening of Jan. 31 but sure and certain were there in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. others we’ve talked to have noticed how quickly some brands of store-bought bread become chicken or rabbit feed. And come to think about it, the lapse between best before and packaged on dates always have the same time spread.

So how do commercial bakers know their product will only last three or so days? Is there a baker’s program somewhere that sets out the time frame between tasty and moldy? Is there a reward for longer life or a gold star for going green within the designated period?

Could it be the ingredients that contribute to this less than stellar shelf life? On the label I learn the loaf contains wheat gredients, salt, yeast, calcium, sulphate, enzymes (amylase, xylanase, oxidase, and lipase) plus ascorbic acid.

Did Mom’s homemade bread contain and salt? I really don’t think so maybe I four days.

Some say they store their bread in the refrigerator. Others swear by the counter or old fashioned bread box. In our house we simply swear gently when our morning toast is interrupted by the colour of the slice.

There’s currently a new loaf on the counter. The countdown is underway.