A wet, noisy weekend was followed by cleanup in many areas of the village where water had accumulated and caused problems of various kinds. The rain gauges showed at least three inches of rain dumped in a short time period. The loud clap of thunder about 4 a.m. woke most people in the village, even me without my hearing aids. The storm carried on for a good two hours with lots of lightning, too.
The crops are showing a lot of lodging, but maybe they’ll straighten up if the sun comes out and stays out. I have had no tent camping reports so hope everyone made it through OK. There must be some good stories out there that I’ll dig up for next week. We saw the first hay being cut in the highway ditch south of Meota on Saturday, but it will be laying in water today.
Contract bridge was played at the Do Drop In on July 5 with top score by Warren Iverson. Second was Linda Ard.
Condolences go out to several families in the area who have lost loved ones recently. On the other hand, congratulations to at least three couples who were married recently. In the old days it was the custom to have the wedding picture in the paper, but that seems to have changed and they are put on Facebook instead. Many seniors do not have computers so this is a bit unfair to them.
Shirley and Lawrie Ward drove to Lloydminster to meet their new great-granddaughter, Ellie Drew born to Jessie and Ryley Ingram on June 28.
Sadly, a graduate in the Canwood area lost control of her car in loose gravel, flipped into a slough, and lost her life. She was an honour student and planned on furthering her education this fall.
The drainage problem at the Do Drop In is being dealt with as the old sidewalk has been removed and replaced with a new one, with weeping tile to go in yet. This is to prevent the formation of ice freezing in front of the area, creating a dangerous situation. This will increase the safety of everyone using the building or the neighbouring houses.
Arie Breeschooten and Pearl Hawkins enjoyed the company of her mother Eugina Swayze from Saskatoon, for her annual summer holiday in Meota. She is keeping well and is always happy to spend a week here.
The improvements to the ball diamonds continue with the new fence posts being painted these days. They are looking quite fine.
The duplicate bridge club, after their last games, agreed to donate $2,000 to the Do Drop In to help out with the new improvements. The village is not helping with this project. The winners at bridge July 5 in Meota were Margaret Dyck and David Sharpe. Second high were Maureen Campbell and Eric Callbeck and third were Vernon Iverson and Gerry Fernandes.
Fort Fest is slated for July 16, with entertainment, demonstrations and free kites to the first 50 kids under 12 years of age. There will be bouncy castles, a petting zoo and wagon rides.
Ken Tucker accompanied his son Alan and his wife Laura to Edmonton on July 5 and 6. They took their daughter Becky and her friend Amanda to the international airport where they flew out to Iceland and then on to Italy. While in Edmonton, Ken, Alan and Laura visited with Ken’s cousins Lloyd Brown and Alice Vance. They are in their 90s and doing well. They were both excited to see Ken and a lot of reminiscing was done.
Watch for posters of times for the upcoming Saskatchewan Handcraft Festival. It is always amazing to see the items made by people and the food is always good. It is on July 15, 16 and 17.
Remember the Kids Day Camps at the Western Development Museum July 18-22. For more information call 306-445-8033.
The Canadian Legion of Riders held their annual Ride for a Vet gathering in Meota at the Community Complex through the day and at the tent-covered skating rink at night for their dance July 9-10. The tent was still up on Sunday, so must have been put up well. It appeared to be under water, all around the outside surely was. The dance should have been over by 4 a.m. so maybe they made out OK. The extra folks in town meant every spare space was filled with big and small campers, the odd tent and many big rigs, not to mention the many boats around, too.
The three children of Scotty and Coleen Shepherd — Ryan, Riley and Rhonda — held a surprise 50th birthday party for their mother, who was away at work Saturday. She came home at 4 p.m. to find a shade set up in her front yard, with tables and chairs and many folks waiting to call out “happy birthday.” She was surprised and pleased. Various games were played and then they cooked steak and chicken with salads for supper. A beautiful birthday cake was enjoyed at the end of the day. The little folk seemed to have a fun day, as one played out and fell asleep right there.
A birthday garden party was held June 26 honouring Ken Tucker on his 90th birthday in his granddaughter Becky Tucker’s back yard. He was born June 26, 1926. Ken grew up on his parents’ farm at the east end of Murray Lake and continued farming in the district until he retired. The party was hosted by his sons Alan and Laura, Gary and Karen and Gordon and Kim, his four granddaughters Alanna, Becky, Diana and Meghan, grandson Bruce and Natasha and four great-grandchildren Rio, Eve, Trenton and Kinley. It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon for the many friends and relatives attending. Everyone also got to view the garden Ken has planted in Becky's yard. After the tea, a family supper was held with 35 people attending.
