The Souris Valley Theatre has devised a way to celebrate Estevan’s history and to promote one of its main stage shows this summer.
The theatre will host the Bordertown Bootleggers Run dice rally on Aug. 6. It will pay tribute to life in Estevan during the days of Prohibition, when Estevan was part a popular route for rum runners.
Bordertown Bootleggers Run will happen on the final day of the local showing of Volstead Blues, which will be shown at the Souris Valley Theatre’s Frehlick Hall in late July and early August.
Volstead Blues, which has been presented in Estevan on several occasions, depicts Estevan during Prohibition.
The Bordertown Bootleggers Run will start at the Visitor Information Centre west of the city at 1 p.m., and wrap up at the theatre’s Frehlick Hall. Participants will stop at nine locations in the Estevan area, toss dice three times at each area, and record their score. The person with the highest score wins.
“I think it’s similar to a poker rally, except I think it’s simpler,” said theatre board president Maureen Ulrich. “We don’t have to worry about which hand is higher, and also with poker rallies, there’s a chance of pulling a duplicate card, and you have to worry about how many cards you can have in hand, if it’s five or seven.”
Ulrich believes the highest score on the dice rally will exceed 100.
People need to arrive at the theatre by 4 p.m.
Participants will also travel with a bottle of “hooch,” which will likely be a chilled soft drink. They need to have as much of the beverage remaining as possible when they arrive at the theatre, and deliver it to Fat Phil, one of the characters in Volstead Blues.
Ulrich noted she has already driven the route for the run, and it took her about an hour. But participants will also need time to roll the dice, record their scores and view interpretive displays set up at some of the stops.
“People can learn a little bit about Prohibition, and they will actually be treated as if they are bootlegging,” said Ulrich.
They might also wind up in jail at the North West Mounted Police Museum near the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum. Organizers are still determining the criteria for participants to be locked away in prison, and how they can be released.
“I’m not sure if everyone will end up in jail, but I think what’s going to be more interesting is at the end of the run, when people arrive, and they’re supposed to deliver their hooch to Fat Phil, what will happen if they’ve already drank it,” said Ulrich. “There could be some consequences for that.”
A speakeasy, with food and beverages, will be set up at the theatre for when participants arrive. The students in the theatre’s Act III theatre camp will perform their one-act show, Game of Phones, starting at 5:30 p.m. The final performance of Volstead Blues is at 7:30 p.m.
Prizes will be handed out for the best costume and the best vintage vehicle, but Ulrich stressed that families are encouraged to participate, and vehicles of all ages will be welcomed.
The theatre is also hoping local businesses will come on board with some Prohibition-themed specials during the weekend. Fired Up Grill is the first to commit to the event.
