MADGE LAKE — Local residents gathered over the weekend to support the Duck Mountain Revitalization fundraiser. The fundraiser, organized by Jessica Kwas, Amy Oswald, Joni Petrychyn, Taunya Kondratoff, Wayne Sas, and others, took place at the hill and featured live music, a full shishliki supper from In Good Taste Togo and Smoker Broker, and drinks.
“We’d like to thank everyone who came out,” said Jessica Kwas, who emphasized the importance of the ski hill for the community. “We love it out here. Our kids use the hill. It's not just Kamsack, or Madge Lake, people. This serves our whole area. And so if we lose this hill, we all lose it. So it doesn't just take the ski board to keep this hill running. It takes all of us.”
The event included a performance by the band Seven Levels, which Kwas noted had been pulled "out of retirement" to entertain the crowd.
The Importance of Community Support
Wayne Sas, who has been involved with the ski hill for over 30 years, gave a heartfelt speech about the significance of the fundraiser.
“There's a real passion for the area and it's really, really nice to see everybody come out to support it. They put some energy back into the ski hill. We had a real tough year last year. It was lacking some snow, and of course Mother Nature dictates a lot of this stuff. But you know, the maintenance has to be done out here. I don't know where to start thanking everybody, between the guys that are out cutting the hill, and the guys that are volunteering their time with it. This whole new foundation is amazing. So I just can't say enough and I want to thank all of you for coming out here. And we really wanted to have this at the hill to really enjoy the whole scenery. This time of the year is so amazing a lot of you haven't been here before. So the whole thing is beautiful when you see it, you don't expect this to be in Saskatchewan.”
Moving Forward
The fundraiser was a success, with plenty of laughter, music, and community spirit throughout the evening. The evening concluded with a live auction and raffles, providing attendees with the chance to further support the foundation while taking home some unique prizes.
“We appreciate all of you for coming out and showing your support,” Kwas said in closing. “It doesn’t just take a ski board to keep this hill running—it takes all of us.”
Local Contributions
Amy Oswald took a moment to acknowledge Teddy Hudye, who donated tents, chairs, and tables for the event. “Teddy Hudye donated all the tents for tonight,” Oswald said.
Affinity Credit Union received recognition as the one of the organizations to grant funds for the event, helping set everything in motion. Other key contributors included Chris Bear of Bear Electric, who ensures everything mechanical runs smoothly during ski season, McTavish Concrete and E & H Ready Mix, who donated the new concrete fire pit pad, In Good Taste Togo for donating the supper that included, shishliki, potato salad, beans, and a variety of desserts, Nathan Hudye owner of Smoker Broker for bringing out smokers to help cook the large amount of shishliki, Seven Levels for the music, Chris Curry for setting up the new signs that lead people to the Duck Mountain Ski Hill, TD Bank for a donation towards the signs, TDX contracting who will be donating a day of their time to the hill, Scott Tibble who donated his time as the auctioneer for the night, TDX Contracting, P & J Plumbing and Heating, and Kreg’s OK Tire in Kamsack, all of whom and others made generous donations to help keep the ski hill operational.
