I read with great interest Tammy Donahue Buziak’s letter in the Oct. 16 Regional Optimiston historic St. Vital Church in Battleford. I’m from Baljennie and have always been interested in our local history including Battleford. We all should be trying more and more to preserve as many of the old historic buildings and sites as possible. These areas do mean a lot to the community.
St. Vital Church has been held as a Municipal Heritage Property since 1985. It represents a wealth of history for the younger generation. Hopefully it can be restored and kept for many years to come.
Over the years we have lost so many of our historic buildings due to demolition and fire. At least we have the old post office open again. I just hope St. Vital Church does not end up like Government House. A big thank you goes to Tammy for her letter.
There are some good museums in the community, too, such as Fort Battleford, Fred Light and the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. My husband Stanley Mills recently made a donation of an antique barge that his grandfather and father used at the farm in Baljennie for years to the Eagle Hills Blacksmith Shop at Fred Light Museum. We also made a donation to the Western Development Museum in North Battleford of a riding saddle and bridle plus some odd pieces of old harness.
My husband volunteers nearly every day at the North Battleford Western Development Museum. He spends most of his time in the workshop, along with other volunteers. They are restoring some antique gas tractors, some at least 100 years old and even older. There are only certain tractors they can repair. Others are artifacts and cannot be worked on. Some of the parts needed must be fabricated at the museum shop. It’s exciting to hear a tractor running again.
Children in England celebrate Guy Fawkes Day Nov. 5. Some Englishmen unhappy with their government hired Guy Fawkes to kill the king and all his officials using gun powder. His assault failed and he was arrested. The children dress up and light bon fires and set off firecrackers. They also make effigies of Fawkes and set them on fire. There is a recipe to make a special cake for Guy Fawkes Day.
Make me a sandwich on Nov. 3, as it is John Montaqu’s birthday. He invented the sandwich. His full name was John Montaqu Fourth Earl of Sandwich.
What a wonderful change in the weather to some lovely clear sunny days. It has made it possible for the farmers to get back to finishing the harvest. The fields are alive with many combines as well as swathers. It’s a big rush now to get done before the next change in the weather. Some days there is a little wind that has helped dry crops. The forecast sounds good for a while yet. Good luck to all.
The warm sunny days have brought out the fall pest of the maple bugs. They are everywhere. A big nuisance, but at least they don’t seem to harm much of anything.
Happy Halloween to all.
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