Keeping traditions alive has become a tradition of its own, as the Threshermen’s Show and Senior’s Festival has reached its 60th anniversary.
Susan Mandziuk, manager of the Western Development Museum says that the show is a vital opportunity to keep Saskatchewan’s history in people’s mind. The show is a way to keep that traditional methods of farming and agriculture around, and run old equipment for people who would otherwise miss the chance to see it actually operate.
“We don’t want that part of our history, Saskatchewan’s history to be lost.”
Even when things go wrong it’s an example of what farming was like years ago, as the old tractors were much more complicated to keep running. Mandziuk says that while they want the demonstrations to go without a hitch, it’s still worthwhile to see the complications that come with running vintage machinery.
“The amount of work that the guys go through to get them in operating condition for each year, it’s amazing. The visitors really enjoy watching them tinker with the tractors just to get them going.”
They strive to make it a family event, entertaining for the seniors familiar with the old ways of farming and agriculture, but also with kids who have never experienced old fashioned threshing or horse-drawn farm equipment. Mandziuk says that keeping the event family focused fits with the history they are portraying, because family has always been a focus of the farm.
“With Saskatchewan and the farming community, it was a family business, just as it is today, even if it is of course more advanced.”
Mandziuk says that the continued existence of the Threshermen’s Show is a tribute to the volunteers who make it work. The Threshermen’s Club has been with the museum since 1955, and the East Central Seniors joined in 1977, providing the entertainment. Mandziuk describes the volunteers as the backbone of the event, and says that the effort they put in each year is what makes it happen and what formed the show from the outset.
The anniversary of the show was commemorated with an exhibit showing the history of the show from the beginning, with photos, mascots and memorabilia from the first sixty years being part of the showcase. Mandziuk says that for her, there were memories from back when she began with the museum, and as she grew up with it and the different volunteers.
“To see and remember those who have really framed and started this whole show and festival has been really exciting.”
