New events help local tourism

Three new events will help expand the tourism opportunities in the city of Yorkton in 2012.

The Yorkton Exhibition Association (YEA) is behind two of the events, hosting an already announced SSRA Snow Drags, as well as planning a new Seniors' Expo.

The third event is the Parkland Outdoor Show and Expo.

The three events will add to the variety of event the city already has, and that helps attract tourists, says Randy Goulden, manager of Tourism Yorkton.

"We are excited about the upcoming year," she said, noting the new events add to what the city already offers in terms of attracting tourists. "We have a good mix of events, attractions and services."

In terms of the snowmobile drag races the YEA is partnering with the Painted Hand Casino (PHC) to host the event.

The partnering will bring Saskatchewan Snowmobile Racing Association sanctioned drag racing to Cornerstone Raceway in the city January 28. The SSRA sanctions snowmobile racing events throughout Western Canada for both professional and amateur racers. This year races are scheduled each weekend from January 7 thru March 3, throughout Saskatchewan, Alberta and northern B.C..

At a press conference to announce the races in December Jason Popowich, president of the Yorkton Sno-Riders said his club is excited to be involved, the club will build the track with its groomers for the races since it should be an excellent fundraiser, which they were looking for after purchasing a new trail groomer at a cost of more than $200,000.

Popowich said race fans should be drawn to races that he called "the real deal," being fully sanctioned. "There's tech checks They start with a Christmas tree

"They'll basically have professional racers from across Western Canada."

The racers will be competing for an estimated $15,000.

In addition to the professional racers, amateur and Junior classes will be offered, said Popowich, which will allow local drivers a chance to experience drag racing.

Goulden said the snowmobile races will cater to a sector of tourism that is very important.

"That's the user group that per capita spends the most money," she said.

The Yorkton Dodge presented Parkland Outdoor Show and Expo is an event where proceeds have a targeted purpose, a purpose which really led to the development of the event.

"We are heavily involved with youth archery in town," explained one of the show organizers Darren Wandy. He said that involvement had meant working with numerous small fundraising efforts to help offset equipment and travel for youth participants. " We thought let's do one big project."

That big project is the outdoor show, which organizers hope will be an annual event.

"That's our goal," said Wandy.

The expo part of event will be held at the Gallagher Centre March 10 and 11, with a banquet at St. Mary's Cultural Centre, the Saturday evening. Home Hardware is on board as banquet sponsors, said Wandy.

Brad Johner will be the banquet entertainment.

Wandy said while the expo will have displays from businesses involved in hunting and fishing and other outdoor activities, a highlight of the weekend will be a stand out list of speakers. The list includes Cody Robins of Live 2 Hunt TV Series, Jason Peterson of Hunting Canada and Beyond, Dean Partridge of Canadian Whitetail TV, and Chad Morris of Men Outdoors.

One of the speakers will be making a presentation on the event's main stage in the Flexihall, said Wandy.

The world record Milo Hanson Buck, harvested in Saskatchewan, will be on display.

"There's a real Saskatchewan feel to people coming in to speak and perform," said Wandy.

As a special attraction to the event will be a pair of draws which come with your admittance ticket. Adults will be entered for a draw for a new rifle, while youth aged 12-to-16 will be entered in a draw for a five day bear hunt in Northern Saskatchewan with Rob Nye.

Goulden said the outdoor show will help other aspects of the tourist industry grow.

"It will really help Yorkton promote our hunting product," she said, adding the region has excellent waterfowl, and big game hunting, and fine fishing as well.

The YEA is also in the planning stages for what will be a Saskatchewan first said association manager Shaun Morin. He said the idea came from attending a trade show for fairs and exhibitions held in Las Vegas.

"In the States they call them 50-plus Expos," he explained adding "when we researched them on the computer there are hundreds of them in the U.S."

The events are geared toward those "looking at retirement, or are retired," said Morin.

The expos are generally divided into three areas, said Morin.

One is the traditional trade show with booths on things such as health care, travel opportunities, and retirement homes.

The second phase of the events focus on providing entertainment, ranging from hosting a dance to holding bridge and cribbage tournaments.

The final aspect is a series of information sessions.

The sessions, usually under half an hour in length revolve around things such as health care, retirement or travel planning, offered Morin.

"There will be lots of information for them, but we'll still make it fun for two days," he said.

The three phase expo is what the YEA hopes to develop, said Morin.

"That's basically what we want to bring to Yorkton," he said.

"There isn't one in Saskatchewan. We want to be the first, because it makes sense."

Morin said the Expo is "tentatively" book for May 17 and 18.

The three new events add to an already active events calendar in Yorkton, said Goulden.

Over the next few months the city will host annual toy and gun shows, the Kaylana Dance Festival, the 65th Film Festival, and this year TheatreFest is being hosted by Paper Bag Players, as well as numerous smaller events, tournaments and meetings.

Goulden said each time an event is held which attracts visitors to our city they are the people "who fill our hotels, eat in our restaurants and shop in our stores."

Goulden said the new events, and the old are only made possible by the dedicated efforts of the groups, organizations, volunteers and sponsors who come together "to make all these things happen."