Thursday, Jan. 30, is the kickoff to this year's Prairie Women on Snowmobiles awareness and fund raising tour, beginning in Prince Albert. While the tour doesn't have a stop in the Battlefords, a local rider will be taking part. Sancia Diebel immigrated to Canada from England eight years ago and now enjoys her Canadian life on a farm near the Battlefords. Diebel is looking forward to meeting the other women, to make a difference working together to support a great cause, raising funds for research into breast cancer, meeting people in their communities, listening to their stories, and making new friends. If you want to contribute to Sancia's efforts, visit the PWOS website and sign up. You can also help by contributing to a bottle drive with an ambitious goal of 90,000 cans. Just call 306-386-7152 to arrange pick up. PWOS is a non-profit organization whose annual tour, entitled Missions, are provincial awareness events designed to focus attention on breast cancer and the recreation of snowmobiling as well as raise money for breast cancer research. PWOS has contributed 100 per cent of the funds raised in the past 12 Missions to research, totalling more than $1.8 million to date.
It's also getting to be Mardi Gras time. The Battlefords Trade and Education Centre has hit upon a winning formula with its annual Mardi Gras Magic Dinner, Dance and Silent Auction. It's been a sold out hit in past years, so don't wait to get your tickets. It takes place Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Alex Dillabough Centre in Battleford. Tickets are $40 per person and you can get them by calling around at the centre in Riverview or phoning them at 306-445-6141. It's always a good time with great food and the proceeds go toward a new building.
This community has talent galore. You can soak some of it up Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Dekker Centre at Keys & Chorales, a performance featuring the Kamala Youth Choir as well as piano duets by Bonnie Nicholson and Dianne Gryba, Les Quatre Mains. Gryba is well known in this community as co-director, along with JoAnne Kasper, of the Battlefords Children's Choirs, including Kamala, and of the adult group, the Gallery Singers. But she is also an experienced piano performer. She and Bonnie Nicholson, a sessional lecturer at the U of S, piano teacher, accompanist and workshop clinician, have performed as a piano duo across the western provinces. Kasper says it is exciting to have them perform as a duo here in North Battleford. Kasper adds the Feb. 9 concert is a repeat of one they performed in Unity for the provincial registered music teachers convention. The curtain goes up at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20.