KK072501 Karen SE
SASKATOONEXPRESS - July 25-31, 2016 - Page 1
Early Bird & Night Owl Special!
MONDAY TO FRIDAY 8:00 am - 10:00 am 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
1702 8th St. • 705 22nd St. • 3330 8th St.
VALID ONLY AT THESE LOCATIONS
39
ONLY $
Early Bird or Night Owl
Standard Oil Change
99
Or
$15 OFF*
Any other time
No Appointment Necessary *Starting at $39.99 (Early Bird/Night Owl) **0r $44.99 (Any other time) with coupon for most vehicles plus taxes and enviro charges. Present coupon. Not valid with any other discounts or loyaty program. COUPON EXPIRES AUGUST 8, 2016
Volume 14, Issue 29, Week of July 25, 2016
Saskatoonʼs REAL Community Newspaper
Diamond Girls
All-American Girls’ Baseball featured in Fringe play FROM 1943 UNTIL 1954, Saskatchewan sent 25 players, more than any other province, to enjoy the experience of playing in a truly unique All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League. The league was the brainchild of P.K. Wrigley, the chewing gun magnate and owner of the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley wanted entertainment in his Wrigley Field as a safety valve in case major league baseball was seriously disrupted by Americans enlisting in the Second World War. Major league baseball was never disrupted. People The history of the girls’ league has been documented to a considerable degree, the most noteworthy evidence assembled by a full-length 1992 motion picture called A League of Their Own. Maureen Ulrich, a Saskatchewan writer, has recreated the magic moments achieved by the prairie stars in Diamond Girls, which will be performed seven times at Saskatoon’s Fringe Festival from July 28 through Aug. 6. Most of the performances will be in the evening hours at what was once known as Cosmopolitan Seniors Centre and is now named Kinsmen Hall. The one-woman play is produced by Menagerie Productions of Estevan and stars Malia Becker. There will be references to most of the Saskatchewan talent, but the story builds around Mary Baker, who played 11 years in the league, Arlene Noga Johnson and Daisy Junor, who were also recruited out of Regina. There will be mention of Muriel Coben, a Saskatoon pitcher, and Millie Warwick McAuley, who had both Regina and Saskatoon connections. Becker will perform 21 parts. The best method of identifying the main characters is by Becker’s use of the ball cap. Baker, being the catcher, wears hers with the back in front. Junor wears hers higher on the head. Noga Johnson wears hers tucked down over the eyes. ULRICH WAS born in Saskatoon, grew up in Edmonton and Calgary, and came back to Saskatoon in 1976 to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Saskatchewan. Her first teaching assignment was in Lampman, where she started to write plays for her students. She has written more than 30 plays. By 1999, she entered into young adult fiction, creating a series of three books about girls’ hockey, Power Plays in 2007, Face Off in 2010, and Breakaway in 2012, all for Coteau Books. “I read a story about Mary Baker and I was amazed,” Ulrich said. “I approached the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame to see if they would consider a play as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. They were agreeable. The bookings at Fringe festivals in Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton were bonuses.” (Continued on page 9)
NED POWERS
JW072505 James
Malia Becker stars in Diamond Girls, a play which received five stars at the Winnipeg Fringe. (Photo Submitted)
Experience Saskatchewan’s Premier Destination! Take a class, taste some Saskatchewan made cider, plan an event with friends … Its all waiting for you at the Glen! Check out our event calendar for classes, workshops and programs for all ages at www.theglenatcrossmount.ca
Located 5 km south of Saskatoon on Lorne Avenue | 306-374-9896 | events@crossmount.ca