On a cool, cloudy autumn afternoon Sept. 26, many of the Borden Threshermen’s Club members gathered at the threshing site four miles north of Borden to dig potatoes and reminisce on earlier threshing days.
On the drive out to the site visitors passed by a slough just north of the cemetery with many geese and ducks swimming or resting on the bank, and the trees were coming out in their fall splendour.
Sept. 26 would have been the day that Borden would have held their annual Threshing Day and harvest roast beef supper, but due to COVID-19 this was all cancelled for 2020. This past spring the members had planted potatoes, beets, corn and pumpkins at the site with the corn and pumpkins sold at the farmers market.
Saturday, with Dalyn Matechuk driving his 1940 John Deere BR tractor hitched to a Hoover potato digger, newly painted in yellow and black by Ed Neufeld and Archie Wainwright, the digging began. Handling the controls of the potato digger was Cyril Saunders who dug up five long rows of spuds. The 30 or so present were able to pick up burlap sacks and gather as many potatoes as they wished. Ron Tumback was on hand with his wheelbarrow to haul the sacks to the participants’ vehicles.
The Borden Farmers Market is drawing to a close for the summer with only two weeks.The last Friday sale will be Oct. 9. We have had good attendance at the market with visitors from Saskatoon, Langham, Dalmeny, Speers, Sonningdale and many other surrounding communities as well as visitors from Alberta. We have been holding 50/50 draws each week and since the last time I reported the following have won: Beth Usselman, Brenda Tumbach, Karen Kerr and Lynette Zilenski (Wensley).
The market is taking bookings for their Christmas sale to be held in the Borden Community Centre Dec. 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and we hope to go ahead with it following COVID-19 safety protocols. It is likely no lunch will be sold. Call Lorraine at 306-997-2159 or Karen Kerr at 306-997-5600 for further information or to book.
Borden Lakeland Library is now open with only two people allowed in the library at one time and safety protocols are being followed. Library hours are Tuesday 3 to 6 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday 1 to 4 p.m. Librarian is Beth Usselman and assistants are Gayle Wensley and Eleanor Walton.
Nominations are open until Oct. 7for reeve and councillors in Division 1, 3,and 5 in the RM of Great Bend No. 405 and for councillors for the village of Borden.
B & N Metals has a bin in Borden adjacent to the village office for people to bring in any type of metal until Oct. 1. There is an electronics drop off in the village shop from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday until Oct. 9.
The Borden Dance Club has started dance lessons again and they meet in the Borden Community Centre on Mondays 4 to 8:30 p.m. and on Tuesday from 4 to 7:30 p.m.
If you are a sports fan like your correspondent is, I hope everyone is rooting for the Blue Jays as they go into the playoffs this coming week against Tampa Bay. I also watch basketball and was pulling for the Raptors until they lost out, so hope they are all back next year.
Harvest around Borden is getting close to wrapping up and if the weather holds this coming week most of the farmers will be done with their harvest. The yield has been pretty good this year. Keep safe for the rest of your harvest.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and remember to follow the guidelines set out by health officials to keep safe from COVID-19.
