Saskatchewan!

[Mélanie Cox-Châble]

This may have been your favourite province in elementary school -easy to spot, easy to draw... in the middle of the prairies... but you may not have thought much about it since then. I lived there for 5 years as a teenager, and though I kept saying I was from BC, I missed Saskatchewan once I moved to Ontario for university. I haven't been in about a decade, but here are some suggestions.


If photography is your thing, a roadtrip through the prairies may seem monotonous and repetitive, but offers beautiful landscapes: barely standing farm buildings, patchwork fields, milk carton granaries, etc. As with other provinces, you can also make stops at some “world's largest” attractions such as: oil can, sundial, moose, paper clip... Please visit http://www.roadsideattractions.ca/ for more information.


Though the winters can be long and cold and windy... the summers can get quite hot! If winter sports are your focus, there are many parks to choose from. Lakes and cottages become the focus during the summer months. You can snowboard during the winter and sandboard (at Athabasca Sand Dunes) during the summer! Another benefit to visiting in the summer are different festivals. Here are a few recommendations for this summer:


Folkfest (Saskatoon, 13-15 AUG): a 3-day exploration into different cultures in the area. Pavilions are located around the city, with special bus routes available. Though the pavilions can vary, common “destinations” include: Ukrainian, Francophone, Métis, German, Sudanese, etc. Pavilions generally offer a variety of activities from performances to crafts to delicious foods!
http://www.saskatoonfolkfest.ca/


Mosaic (Regina, 4-6 JUN): another option to explore different cultures... I have never been, but have heard good things!
http://www.reginamulticulturalcouncil.ca/index.php?p=Home


Fête Fransaskoise (Batoche, 3-5 JUL): want to explore your francophone roots? Run into old friends (this even tends to attract crowds from across the prairies). It changes locations from year to year, allowing different communites to host the cultural event with acts from across the prairies and Québec!
http://www.fetefransaskoise.ca/


For Regina, I can mention the RCMP Museum & Heritage Centre, the Saskatchewan Science Centre and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.


In Saskatoon, you can visit Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Saskatoon Forestry Farm, Saskatoon Western Development Museum. There is also Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, plays by the Bard performed in a tent along the river and Saskatoon Soaps, an improv group with shows at the Broadway Theatre. If you find yourself on the University of Saskatchewan campus, you can also see dinosaurs or use the underground tunnels to get from building to building!