MAYFAIR — Autumn isn’t quite here yet but the evenings sure get cool. Anyone with a bountiful garden has been pickling and canning to their heart’s content. A very good year for the vegetables if one has the water and the ability to water. I’ve done a lot of preserving fruit, making jam and pickling myself. Some years I don’t feel as ambitious, but this summer I was a real go-getter outdoors and in the kitchen. Unfortunately, as we age our ability to do these tasks do come to an end. We all experience new chapters in our lives.
All Chitek Lake businesses (except one) have been thriving this summer but all this will come to an abrupt end after the Labour Day weekend which is rapidly approaching. The well-maintained camping grounds have seen lower attendance due to the highway construction which will be completed hopefully by the end of 2023. What a luxury to be driving in between Leoville and Chitek Lake. It’s “smooth sailing.” Next year this highway will be extremely busy with campers, motor homes, fifth-wheel trailers and others en route to the more northern forested areas boasting great fishing lakes. Three acquaintances from Alberta were at my cabin for three days and they couldn’t believe the beauty and quietness, except for some ATVs ripping around to no end. Northern blueberries were also an attraction for them but being city people, they found berry picking to be a challenging chore.
Rural Municipality of Round Hill with an office in Rabbit Lake wants taxpayers to pay land taxes before Aug. 31 at the discounted price laid out in the tax notice that was sent out a month ago. The office hours are Monday and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Community Hall in Rabbit Lake has reasonable rental fees. It hosts church services using the kitchen, showers, teas, suppers and funerals for $150. Church services not using the kitchen are $40. Kitchen-only rental is $50 and having an open bar with hall rental is $250. Please call Karen at 306-883-7428 for bookings.
Also in Rabbit Lake, Mayfair’s nearest thriving village, the library branch has opening hours on Wednesday from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. and Friday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The library offers Blu-Rays, children’s fiction, mystery, Western large print for older folks, talking books, you name it and it’s in this library. If you desire an item not in the collection it can be ordered from another library with a small waiting period. Did you know that a library card registered in Saskatchewan is good at any library in our province?
The Alcoholics Anonymous branch in Rabbit Lake hosts meetings Fridays at 7 p.m. in the seniors’ hall on Main Street. It began in June and is a big success with unity, service and recovery as the main objectives.
Mayfair’s coffee get-together last Wednesday at the library brought out 15 women eagerly sharing tips on gardening, summer holidays and the regular chit-chat. We shared snacks and some took out library books and other materials. Next coffee row is Wednesday, Sept. 20 from noon until 2 p.m. or later.
Former Whitkow Hotel owner Ann Ewanchuk celebrated her 95th birthday three weeks ago with all but one son, Evhan (wife Debbie) of Fort St. John, B.C. not in attendance. An excellent crowd of well-wishers attended, cheering her on to many more wonderful years ahead. She went above and beyond when her husband (Uhan) and she owned the hotel and bar. Late into the night, she’d make sandwiches and other food to keep the regulars satisfied. She’s a wonderful kind-hearted woman who is enjoying her active senior years in North Battleford.
Last week, to my surprise, I ran into my cousins at Chitek Lake village while doing their business with TC Tomanek Landscape and Tree Removal. Trent and his wife Christine live in rural Denholm and travel all over the countryside doing what they like, with an employee and usually his dad Victor, a retired plumber from La Ronge. There is a demand to cut down large towering trees which can be a danger close to cabins and permanent residences. Once on site, neighbours approach wanting trees cut down on their properties. Time is limited but owner Trent will allow other unscheduled jobs in the area. If jobs are plentiful a future visit is required. They brought three trucks to Chitek.
It’s this time of the year when those pesky flies seem to get indoors so darn fast. The fly swatter certainly was a good invention in 1905 by a Kansas school teacher Frank H. Rose. The first apparatus was made of wire screening attached to a yardstick, deemed a “fly bat.” Later the handy gadget was renamed fly swatter. Who could ever live without one?
A big shout out to the owners of Little Pine Resort in Chitek Lake as business is booming for them not only in the hot summer months but also during winter for snowmobiling and ice fishing enthusiasts needing accommodations. Lise and Gille Henri, permanent Chitek Lake residents, have added a small grocery and clothing store alongside their Little Pine Cabin rental office. The store hours are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and open every day of the week for now. They employ 14 temporary workers during high peak times.
I have noticed more properties for sale than usual at Chitek Lake. Many elderly people find it a long drive from their residences in Saskatoon, North Battleford and other locations. For-sale signs don’t linger long on property at the well-known resort.
