The village of Limerick is 21 kilometres west of Assiniboia on Highway 13. Although the village had its heyday prior to the Second World War, the village is attracting people from other parts of Canada, including the Borkwoods, who originated from British Columbia.
The Borkwoods are avid gardeners. 听
鈥淲e鈥檝e tried growing things in straw bales,鈥� said Don Borkwood, when he described his gardens in Limerick. 鈥淲e鈥檙e vegan, so we like to have vegetables.鈥�
Don and his wife Lee built two greenhouses and several gardens at their home in the village. Despite the 麻豆传媒AVwest Saskatchewan鈥檚 erratic weather throughout all seasons, they鈥檝e grown a tremendous selection of fruits and vegetables, including squashes, peppers, cucumbers, swiss chard, raspberries, plums and apples.听
Their house in the village of Limerick dates to 1925 and used to be the village鈥檚 hospital and doctor鈥檚 residence.
鈥淲e grow a lot of plants in the greenhouse, because the weather is so unpredictable out here,鈥� Borkwood said as he walked through their lengthiest and most substantial greenhouse made from recycled car tents. 鈥淚n this climate, greenhouses work very well,鈥� Borkwood reaffirmed.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e committed to not leaving a footprint,鈥� village councillor Lorelei Rogers explained, further describing how the Borkwoods even recycle their water and pay low sewage fees.
Rogers is one of the village鈥檚 two councillors. Limerick鈥檚 current mayor is Robert Smith. The village uses the RM of Stonehenge鈥檚 office on Main Street as a centre of governance and the village and the RM of Stonehenge Number 73 also share an administrator. However, Limerick is independent of the encircling rural municipality.
鈥淟imerick is not part of the RM, it鈥檚 an entity in its own right,鈥� said Rogers.
Although Limerick鈥檚 population of 115 (according to a 2016 census) is relatively small, the village has noteworthy facilities. For example, the community鈥檚 water plant is run with efficiency and care.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very proud of our water plant,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥淲ater is tested on a daily basis and the results are sent to Regina.鈥� 听听听听
鈥淲e make efforts to keep our water bills low. We make efforts to keep our taxes low,鈥� Rogers added.
Limerick鈥檚 current water plant manager, Mark Bratton, is set to retire soon 鈥� he鈥檒l be replaced by Dean Kinchen after the village鈥檚 newest employee completes his training.
In similarity with communities worldwide, the emergence of COVID-19 dramatically altered day-to-day living in Limerick, such as the imposed limitations of group gatherings accompanied with social isolation.
鈥淭hose who are missing church are really missing church,鈥� Rogers said, also saying the Trinity United Church in Limerick is set to reopen on September 13.
Usually, Limerick's United Church holds celebrations for the high school graduates connected to the community.
Since large indoor gatherings were outlawed to by the provincial government to prevent transmission, the church decided to hold an outdoor celebration on June 25 to honour their graduates.
Rogers described an open-air event held on Main Street attended by people who remained in their vehicles during the ceremony to respect social distancing.
She said nearly 25 cars arrived on Limerick鈥檚 Main Street. In total, about 50+ people attended.
There was a sound system, children鈥檚 art decorated the sidewalks and the minister read a bio of all the graduates in attendance.
鈥淓ver word meant something to them,鈥� Rogers asserted.
Although the village is relatively close to larger communities such as Assiniboia, the business community has blossomed in Limerick.
There鈥檚 the Grassroots Co-op on Railway Avenue. On Main Street, there鈥檚 a Canada Post outlet, a grocery store, the Limerick Community Hall, the RM of Stonehenge Office and the Limerick Hotel.
鈥淭he hotel is an important business in this community,鈥� Rogers said.
Limerick鈥檚 newest business is a hair salon owned by Amanda Ruzicka. She operates the salon two days a week in the Limerick Community Hall, providing hairstyling for men and women.
Summer events have either been cancelled or adjusted to refit the 2020 COVID-19 protocol in venues across Saskatchewan.
Nevertheless, Limerick planned a celebration for families on August 3.
鈥淎ugust the third is Family Day here in Limerick,鈥� Rogers concluded. 鈥淭here鈥檒l be games and activities for the kids and fireworks.鈥澨� 听
Public events in the summer are important for Limerick鈥檚 growth and development, but COVID-19 has challenged gatherings throughout the world, including concerts and sporting events.
Usually, Limerick has held annual Slo-Pitch tournaments at the end of June. This tournament is known for drawing people across the province into Limerick and has proven to be a great source of income for the village.
This year, the 36th Limerick Slo-Pitch Tournament didn鈥檛 happen.
Limerick Slo-Pitch issued a statement on May 20, 2020 saying their tournament planned for June 26, 27 and 28 was cancelled because of social restrictions.
But the next Limerick Slo-Pitch Tournament will shine through in June 2021.听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听
听
