CARYLE - Shelley Slykhuis has been a part of the Carlyle Dickens Village Festival since the day it started, and it all began with a letter from the Carlyle Catholic Church Dickens committee 20 years ago.
They were looking for volunteers to help with the chowder shack and to make soups. The shack is still a big part of the festival with its hot soups over the weekend.
It did not take long for Slykhuis to get involved with the Dickens festival and soon became the chairwoman. She remained in that role until now.
The festival is held in December and she said it has so much to offer. It is a lot of fun, going to the parade, checking out the craft show, the high tea and the play.
The parade is held in the evening, with most of the floats having Christmas lights on them. The high tea is during the day, and that event is becoming extremely popular. The play is performed three times over the weekend, with a matinee on Sunday.
It is a crazy busy time that takes a great deal of volunteers to get the work done.
The volunteers that help are great, but many more are needed to make the work easier for everyone.
Slykhuis has many fond memories over the years, but the item that stands out most for her is the weather conditions on the festival weekend.
“We have had a lot of different weather conditions,” said Slykhuis. “Some of it was not great.”
She remembers one year it was so cold the propane heater in the chowder shack could not keep it close to warm, and they felt like they were going to freeze. The chowder shack during the year is used for storage of Dickens items.
They wore layers of clothing and were still cold. Her husband David often portrayed the Scrooge who walked the streets.
There was also a year when the weather was so nice, she could wear capris under her Dickens gown, and not have a jacket on.
Three years ago, Slykhuis suffered a stroke, and this has slowed her down. She has also had two knee replacements, with the most recent seven weeks ago.
Being 98 per cent retired, she feels it is time for her to look after her health and let the younger people take over these jobs.
Although Dickens is in her blood, like so many others, for Slykhuis she believes it is time to move on and take a break.
Slykhuis and her husband David live on a farm north of Carlyle up in the hills, where they raised their six children.
During the years on the farm, they first had dairy cows, which were a huge commitment as they need to be milked twice a day according to set times. There were times they needed to go home and milk the cows, and neighbours brought the Slykhuis kids home from events.
Later it became a cow-calf operation.
Slykhuis said although it was a busy time, her kids participated in many things through the school and the community.
Not only did they farm but they also did catering. At first it was only for the Gordon F. Kells High School in Carlyle, but later they branched out and served for community events.
She has been a big part of helping in the community and was a Girl Guide leader for 22 years.
