southeastdistrict

Last Saturday, Weyburn Arts Council (WAC) took in some workshops taught by Joni Hagen and Tara Heslip of South East Sport, Culture & Recreation District. South East District, previously known as Southeast Connection, offers many workshops for groups involved in sport, culture & recreation. The workshops WAC participated in were Effective Meetings that Produce Results, Policy & Procedure: Be Proactive Not Reactive, and Inclusive Programming 101. Some might not think these topics are interesting, but they were presented in a very interactive, engaging, and informative way. Each member of WAC walked away with an understanding of the next steps we need to take to integrate the learned tools & tips in our meetings and our group. We also left with a bunch more reading material to work through that will extend our knowledge on the topics discussed.

South East District has many free workshops coming up in 2019. Some of those workshops and meetings include a Volunteer Recruitment workshop in Redvers, two Indigenous Roundtable events, an Event & Program Planning workshop in Grenfell, a Successful Fundraising workshop in Estevan, and their 20th Anniversary Celebration & Annual General Meeting in May. They will also come to your next group or board meeting and teach Mini-Workshop Cafes like the one WAC participated in on Saturday. Find out more on their website here.

Big thanks to Joni & Tara for making these workshops fun and enjoyable!

Written by Krista Klemmer

SaskCulture’s Community Cultural Engagement and Planning grant (CCEP) is accessible by municipalities, First Nations or Tribal Councils in Saskatchewan to plan for the cultural life of a community.

The Community Cultural Engagement & Planning grant (CCEP) aims to support research, community engagement, cultural planning, community investment and development, and collaboration and partnerships between various cultural organizations and community sectors that promote cultural vitality and economic sustainability.

Please note that for 2019 only, the deadline to apply for CCEP is February 22.

The tiny village of Forget has long been known as a hub for arts and culture in southeast Saskatchewan, and now the community is gaining some national attention.

Canadian Living Magazine listed the community of 42 residents as one of 20-plus small towns and villages in Canada that people need to visit. Forget is the only community under 100 people to be included in the article, which came out in mid-December.

There are two communities listed from each province, with the exception of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, which have one community each. There are also two communities listed for the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

Gravelbourg is the other Saskatchewan community to crack the list.

Gayla Gilbertson and her husband Leon operate the Happy Nun Café in Forget. The restaurant is among the attractions to be mentioned in the article.

She said the village has a lot of history, and at one time, was larger than Stoughton, the neighbouring community to the west. Now Stoughton, with nearly 700 people, has more than 15 times the population of Forget.

But there’s still a strong history to Forget, Gilbertson said, and it has strong French and Catholic roots. The community was settled by nuns who built a convent in the village. A Roman Catholic church still operates in the community.

“Now the community has turned into an area where we’re very much rural Saskatchewan, but there’s many so many artists and musicians, and there’s a love of creativity in the community, and I think that’s what sets people off when they come here,” said Gilbertson. “It feels different driving into town.”

People who come in the summer or eat at the restaurant feel like they’re coming home to Forget, she said, even if it’s their first time there.

“It’s very welcoming, and then it creates these really cool experiences that stand out in your mind, because it’s a little bit different,” said Gilbertson.

Ken Hamm, a Juno Award-winning guitar player, lives in the community. So does Michele Amy, the founder and operator of the Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party, which is a popular music camp every summer. Two bands also reside in the community, and other residents are very creative.

“Because everybody’s creating all the time and very open to new ideas, you get this very welcoming community, because they want to hear everybody’s experiences and stories, and when you meet at the beginning, you’re strangers, and when you leave, you feel like you’ve known each other for years,” she said.  

A group from Florida who performed at the Happy Nun a couple of years ago even wrote a song about Forget because they enjoyed the experience so much.

Gilbertson has been in Forget for seven years. Her husband was raised in the village, and his family has been in the community for generations. The Gilbertsons purchased the Happy Nun Café in 2017, after working with the previous owner, Katelin Vinge, who died in a vehicle collision earlier that year.

Since the restaurant is in an older building, many of the customers remember what it used to be.

“Over the course of its lifetime, the Happy Nun has seen everything – weddings, funerals, anniversaries, proposals, and just a good old town hall dance,” said Gilbertson. “It’s all been there at some point.”

Gilbertson believes the village is a hidden gem. People don’t expect to find this great arts community when they turn onto a grid road off of Highway 13. But then they arrive in the village, and that’s when the magic happens.

She was surprised to find out that Forget cracked the top 20 of the Canadian Living list, but people who come to the village understand its charm. She hopes the article will increase people’s awareness.

“You don’t need to travel to the city to have these experiences,” said Guilbertson. “In southeast Saskatchewan, there are places nearby with good food and good music. The musicians who live here in town not only do they perform at the Nun, but they perform outside of here as well, all throughout the province and nationwide.”

Article Credit: David Willberg, Estevan Mercury

Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program, which was formerly restricted to students has now expanded its eligibility to include all youth aged 15 to 30. CSJ, which provides funding to help employers including those from not-for-profit organizations, create quality summer work experiences for young people is accepting applications for summer 2019. More information is available on the Service Canada website. Deadline for applications is Friday, January 25, 2019.

Watch this free webinar and learn how you can use social media to promote parks and recreation in your community.

A beautiful coulee along Pipestone Creek, south of the Town of Whitewood, has been named after Lance Corporal Wilfred Jordens, a Saskatchewan son and brave fallen Canadian solider of the First World War.

“Through the GeoMemorial Commemorative Naming Program, the Government of Saskatchewan is pleased to announce the naming of Jordens Coulee,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Gene Makowsky said. “Jordens Coulee will honour the legacy of Lance Corporal Wilfred Jordens, who left our province to serve and ultimately, sacrificed his life for our freedom.”

Jordens was born in Lebret on January 16, 1896. He was farming near Whitewood when he enlisted in 1915. He served with the 28th Battalion, Canadian Infantry – Saskatchewan Regiment and was killed in action on August 21, 1917 at the age of 21. His body was never found and likely remains interred on the battlefield with more than 11,000 fallen Canadians, who along with Lance Corporal Wilfred Jordens are remembered with honour on the Vimy Memorial at Arras, Pas De Calais, France.

“We know that Wilfred Jordens will rest eternally in the soil of Europe alongside the other Canadians with whom he so gallantly fought,” nephew and nominator Thomas Jordens Sr. said. “Through the GeoMemorial program, the official naming of this coulee enables the story of Wilfred’s service and sacrifice to live on in the area of Saskatchewan he called home.”

The GeoMemorial Commemorative Naming Program was established in 1947 and is designed to honour Saskatchewan military personnel, police officers, emergency responders and others killed while serving our country or province. Since its inception, nearly 4,000 geographical features, such as lakes, hills, and valleys, have been named across Saskatchewan.

To learn more about the province’s GeoMemorial Commemorative Naming Program, including nomination instructions, click here.

Article Credit: Government of Saskatchewan