WAKAW — Whether individuals have an extra long weekend or not, there are several activities in Wakaw and the surrounding area to fill any and all free time people may have.
Kicking things off is “Walk”aw Day, on Saturday, June 28, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the business district along two blocks of 1st Street South. Shoppers can check out offerings at both town shop locations and find Wakaw Lakers hoodies, aka bunny hugs, at the location across the street from the Post Office. The Farmer’s Market vendors will be at their tables in the old curling rink to assist visitors in finding that special something for the long weekend, and the Saskatchewan Association of Conservation Officers will be set up on First Street with their “Hooked on Fishing” education trailer.
Saturday and Sunday evening, The Crooked Club – Clubhouse and Social Bar at Wakaw Lake Regional Park golf course, will be partying with Dixie Highway. They will take to the stage in the gazebo from 8 to 11 p.m. both nights.
The Valley Viking U17 boys’ softball team will be hosting the New Zealand Under 19 at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 30, at the Laird ball diamonds. The Valley Vikings are made up of players from several communities in the former Sask Valley Health Region, as well as players from outside the region, with Micah Green of Wakaw being part of the team.
Back in Wakaw on Monday, the Lions Club will be running bingo at the Wakaw Recreation Centre; the doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Then, as darkness begins to fall, the Town of Wakaw, RM of Fish Creek, SaskTel, and SaskEnergy have come together to bring a fireworks display to help ring in Canada Day. The fireworks will be held at the ball diamonds.
Canada Day activities start at 1 p.m. at the Batoche National Historic Site. Birthday cupcakes, games for kids, tours of the site and live entertainment will showcase the history of the region. The Batoche and St. Laurent areas were home to approximately 1,200 settlers, the majority of whom were Métis. In 1872, the Village of Batoche was established when Xavier Letendre opened a ferry crossing and built a store. By 1884, the Batoche area grew to approximately fifty family river lots.
The Visitor Centre features a unique collection of artifacts from both Métis and First Nations, including a Red River Cart, authentic animal furs and a realistic bison hunt diorama in its small museum. In the 90-seat multimedia theatre area, visitors can take in a locally produced interpretive film related to the Métis history of the region. New this year is an exhibit by Métis artist and author, Arnolda Dufour Bowes. “Apples and Traintracks” is a sensory art exhibit based on her own story featured in her book, “20.12 m: A Short Story Collection of a Life Lived as a Road Allowance Métis” shares the seldom heard stories of Road Allowance families’ plight during the 1930’s-40’s, the history of their dispossession, discrimination and forcible removal and relocation by the Saskatchewan government.
“The Road Allowance Metis were innovative, resourceful, and full of life; nothing was wasted, not even experiences. In this exhibit, you will journey within a story, and Arnolda desires that you empathize with the strength, resilience, and determination of the Road Allowance Metis.” (https://arnoldadufourbowes.com/)
In the Introduction to her book, Bowes writes, “My purpose for writing this book was not for sympathy, nor was it spoken out of anger, but out of a desire for empathy and understanding, which I believe births reconciliation and healing.”
To finish out Canada Day, people can take a drive over to Duck Lake to be entertained by the Dean Smith Band at the hall and enjoy some more birthday cake. At dusk, fireworks at the Duck Lake ball diamonds will signal the end of Canada Day 2025.
