There will be entertainment weaved with heritage at Weyburn's 14th annual Wheat Festival on August 6, 7 and 8.
The Wheat Festival will kick-off with a pancake breakfast care of The Family Place at Memorial Park on Friday, August 6 from 8 to 10 a.m.
Much of the festivities take place at Heritage Village with Heritage Village Days. The Village will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the 6th. Entertainment starts at 1 p.m. with a performance by local talent Chelsea Woodard.
The entertainment at Heritage Village continues until 6 p.m. It will begin again at noon on the 7th with a performance by Weyburn's own young country music star Tenille Arts.
Also at Heritage Village will be several demonstrations from days long-past, including sheep herding, butter churning, ice cream making, rope making, and rug making. There will also be entertainment for children put on by the Village and Boinky the Clown.
Heritage Village has something new to view this year. Hard-working volunteer Joan Drouillard-Honig has collected several loads of bricks and tindle stone from the former Souris Valley Hospital to erect a walkway and seating area at the Village.
Drouillard-Honig said it took her and her husband a week to get the stone and brick to the Village, making two trips a day. She plans to wind the brick path around the Village's RCMP barracks and make benches out of old tindle stone window sills.
"We didn't ask Joan to do this she just did it and we're really excited," said Director of Leisure Services for the City of Weyburn Mathew Warren. "We think it's a great way to preserve the memory of Souris Valley in our own way."
A highlight of this year's festival is the world premiere of "The Crazy Man" being performed at the Tommy Douglas Centre on August 5, 6, 7 and 8 at 8 p.m. The play is based on the novel by Pamela Porter, who plans to be at the play on opening night.
The Weyburn Horticultural Society will be holding their 85th annual Horticultural Show at Knox Hall on August 6 from noon to 5 p.m. and August 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. They will also be hosting a Tea Room with strawberry shortcake and beverages.
The Horticultural Society has also organized a self-guided yard and garden tour of the city. The tour will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the 7th. Guides are available at Knox Hall for a small fee.
City Centre Mall is also getting in on the Wheat Festival action with entertainment, face painting, and a silent auction in conjunction with their regular Farmers Market on Saturday, August 7.
Also at the Mall will be the Minards People Mover. It will leave from the Mall every hour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the festival, travelling to the Soo Line Historical Museum, the Tommy Douglas Centre, Signal Hill Arts Centre and Heritage Village.
Signal Hill Arts Centre will be open to the public to view their latest exhibit - the artwork of Ben Gill of Halbrite and Kraig Doyle of Weyburn.
The Soo Line Historical Museum is hosting a bread baking contest during the festival. Entries must be to the Museum between 4 and 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 5. After the judging, residents can bid on the entries during a silent auction on the 7th. Admission to the Museum is free.
Warren said that the Wheat Festival narrowly avoided being shut down this year due to a lack of volunteers. Luckily, one volunteer took up the cause.
"Maureen Clay took on a lot of work," said Warren. "She was the overall coordinator."
The festival will wind-down on Sunday, August 8 with a community church service at the Weyburn Comprehensive School Cafetorium at 10:30 a.m.
The fun doesn't stop there however; the Weyburn Rodeo will be on at the Exhibition Grounds from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the 8th, thanks to the Weyburn Agricultural Society. There is also a performance on Saturday, August 7 beginning at 5 p.m.
