A few scraps of meat and some juices in the bottom of a serving tray were all that remained of four wild boars after the Battlefords Wildlife Federation finished feeding over 1,000 people at the North Battleford Civic Centre Saturday. The boars, along with yards of sausage (moose and deer), thousands of moose meatballs and many pounds of jackfish were the featured items on the menu for the 66th annual Smoker - an event which has established such a reputation in town that people were lined up outside the doors to the Civic Centre over an hour before dinner was to be served.
Rieny Bischler has been preparing the boar meat for the Smoker for 40 years, even building extra large special barbecues to cook the roasts in. His two barbeques have been in use for 20 years now and each is large enough to roast an entire pig. For the Smoker, the four boars were cut into large roasting pieces and lined up on the two rotisserie spits. Despite being 80 years of age, Rieny was on the job at 6 a.m. Saturday, preparing for the supper at 5 p.m. His work for the Smoker had actually started a week earlier, marinating the roasts and wrapping them in netting.
Before and after the meal, there was plenty to do and see. Major sponsors as well as many other businesses had exhibits to peruse. One could shop at many of the exhibitors' tables as well as at the well-stocked silent auction table.
The Smoker is an event for all ages, with a separate raffle table with many child-friendly prizes. The kids also kept busy playing fishing, shooting and other games, as well as climbing on and into the boats, all-terrain vehicles and tractors on display.
The Battlefords Wildlife Federation, Saskatchewan conservation officers and the Saskatchewan Trappers Association had educational exhibits and displays of interest to adults and children alike. Touching and questions were encouraged, making for a truly interactive experience.
Judging from comments overheard, the lengthy preparation time and long line-ups were both well worth the wait for the many diners, and a spokesman from the Battlefords Wildlife Federation deemed the evening to be a "great success."
