TISDALE 鈥� Pat Olson is stepping out of the hotel business and giving up the reins of the Beehive Hotel in Tisdale.
Born in the community, Olson moved to Sylvania, but returned to get married.
鈥淓ven though we were out on the farm, we always came to Tisdale to do our banking, doctoring and shopping,鈥� Olson said. 鈥淚 guess in other words this was my home town.鈥�
Olson didn鈥檛 stop moving, and would run hotels throughout Saskatchewan including Pleasantdale, Lac 聽Vert and Watson.
It was after she sold the Lac Vert Hotel, in the mid-1970s, that she was approached by the owners of the Beehive Hotel in Tisdale. They wanted her to manage it.
鈥淚 said no at first, but Tisdale has a way of drawing me here,鈥� Olson said. 鈥淪o I came here and managed for six months, then my brother and I took over the Beehive. We leased it. After that, my husband gave up farming and we came to Tisdale and we both ran the Beehive.鈥�
She and her husband owned the business together until a shareholder bought it from them.
鈥淚 ended up managing for him. So that鈥檚 what I been doing.鈥�
When the Beehive was in danger of being shut down, she leased it to keep the business running.
鈥淥nce a building is shut down, then most of the time it doesn鈥檛 reopen and this place has been there for a lot of years and there is a lot of history,鈥� Olson said. 鈥淎 lot of people came through the doors and I didn鈥檛 want the building to shut down. It鈥檚 part of our history.鈥�
Now the lease expires on June 2.
Olson said some high-profile people have walked through her hotel doors over the years including Brent Butt, of Corner Gas fame, who stayed in the Beehive presidential suite. In the 鈥�90s she hosted and the premier of Saskatchewan and his wife on two different occasions.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 say their names, but we had them stay down in the hideaway. We had a beautiful place downstairs. He wouldn鈥檛 stay in Melfort or Nipawin 鈥� he would stay downstairs. We had a hot tub. It was beautiful. We were very proud of it.鈥�
Olson said she loves to help people.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a part of me. I need people to live.鈥�
Some of these charity events she has put on include suppers for the North East Outreach and Support Services and suppers for children鈥檚 cancer.
鈥淚n Lac Vert we had a brunch ... and raised money for children鈥檚 cancer. Saw if you had cancer and you couldn鈥檛 afford to go back and forth with gas and everything, so I put on suppers. People supported it. Every cent went to the people,鈥� Olson said.
鈥淥ne young man that was with the Trojans was burned very badly and we put on a supper and helped him too.鈥�
One of her favourite memories from her years in the hotel business was employing university students.
鈥淭hey just wanted part time work and they were going to university, I took them on. They were like family. They learned a lot but I also learned a lot too 鈥� I鈥檓 proud of so many. We have an air stewardess. We have a nurse. We have a carpenter, an electrician. All of this I鈥檓 very, very proud.鈥�
Throughout the years she said she tried to encourage her staff to find a higher paying job.
鈥淎ll of my staff 鈥� which I had quite a few staff 鈥� I encouraged them to go to other places and better their education,鈥� Olson said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 that I fired them or they left, it was so they could get a better paycheque, a better job.鈥�
One of her other happiest moments was hosting the Tisdale Ramblers.
鈥淭hey would win the cup 鈥� Then they came here after and I made sure I had cabbage rolls, and other food. I made sure we had banners and other things congratulating them.鈥�
She said it feels scary to leave the business after so many years, but she plans to spend her retirement travelling and visiting her family.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like, this is my world and it鈥檚 hard. It鈥檚 actually, I think it鈥檚 going to be very hard at first ... But I鈥檓 looking forward to seeing my great-grandchildren and grandchildren.鈥�
On Friday, May 31 there will be a goodbye event for Olson at the Beehive Hotel. The event open to the public.
Future plans for the Beehive Hotel were not available at press time.
