Last full day of our two weeks in and around Grasslands National Park. Grey day, 'rain-on-a-wind' kind of morning. We are planning a trip to Climax, SK, to attend worship with a UCC congregation. Then back here, read, pack, dinner with our hosts, and off early in the morning. If the sun shows its face, perhaps we'll hit a trail this PM. Time will tell us.
When I started researching this trip, discovering the Park and it's offerings, we noted that it was "near Val Marie." Val Marie? Who's that? Nothing significant or important to our visit, we were sure. I'd worked in small towns before in Alberta - 650-800 people. How could a hamlet of 137 people have an impact on us?
Over the two weeks of our stay we have learned that this place packs a significant wallop and has been at the core of our lovely visit to this blessed land. Val Marie sits at the bottom of Saskatchewan, only a short drive to the US border. It has the 'small town look:' street as wide as the main boulevard in Beijing, China (a common prairie feature); shabby old building, some of them closed or abandoned. Trucks parked here and there, most of them, like our car, covered with beige mud. But life sparkled in a few places. There's a hotel with a steady custom of drinkers and eaters. Plans are made in that smoky and run-down place; jokes are shared. Locals know it as a sort of home. Then we discovered, across the street, a small grocery store. Again, steady custom. And we learned that local investors keep it healthy and providing it's vital service to the town and Rural Municipality. It's a good long drive to any other grocery! Nearby, one of the village's gems: The Harvest Moon Cafe. Sounds wonderfully prairie, doesn't it? In many ways it is, but it's also a surprise. Run and staffed by young people who are making a commitment to the community, it serves a menu of really good food, well prepared, and served in 'Saskatchewan servings' - large. The desserts are made on site, but smack of the fancy cuisine of the big city: white chocolate cheesecake with Saskatoon topping; homemade rhubarb, or green tea or Honey Betty ice cream! Where else would I find that for a few bucks?
The folks who cook and serve are cheery, friendly and competent. (One of the cooks recognized Beatrix when we ere shopping in Swift Current (130 km away), and stopped to speak to us! The Harvest Moon may not qualify as 'fine dining' in Toronto, but it comes pretty darn close in the ways that count.
Down the street there is an Art Gallery featuring work by 24 artists, most of them local, some from as far away as Swift Current or Regina. It's actually the best Art Gallery collection we've sen so far in a small town - a really small town. We dropped some serious money there!
On the corner sits the old brick school building. In other nearby towns, the same type of building sits, gone to rack and ruin, broken windows, sagging roof and dereliction. This old school is buzzing with life. A credible museum, soon to be upgraded with help to an Eco-museum. A huge mounted bison head dominates the entrance: you know where you are! An historic quilt hanging before you tells personal stories of the old timers.And then there is "Prairie Winds and Silver Sage," a combination souvenir store, incredibly rich book collection about the region, the park, the animals and the people who have lived on this land over the eons. The Prairie Ground Espresso Bar I have mentioned before - best latte south of Swift Current!
Across the grass, and on the same large lot as the PWSS, sits the Val Marie School. Maintaining a school in a village of 137, even with kids from the RM, is a tough task. But the school is clearly a multi use facility. A day care centre lives there, the Prairie Learning Centre - a unique educational venture by the Chinook School Division, the Grasslands Park, the village, and a handful of other supporters. Outdoor education on this land, about this land. A fitness program utilizes the facility as well. The school sounds like a hub, very busy hub!
A regional economic development council contains a number of Val Marie residents, and works hard to shift provincial money and interest into better roads, Internet, and other services for this deep south region of the province. One hundred and thirty-seven people? Wow! Imagine if they were 500, or 850, what might happen here in the south. Fact is, it's happening with 137!
When I started researching this trip, discovering the Park and it's offerings, we noted that it was "near Val Marie." Val Marie? Who's that? Nothing significant or important to our visit, we were sure. I'd worked in small towns before in Alberta - 650-800 people. How could a hamlet of 137 people have an impact on us?
Over the two weeks of our stay we have learned that this place packs a significant wallop and has been at the core of our lovely visit to this blessed land. Val Marie sits at the bottom of Saskatchewan, only a short drive to the US border. It has the 'small town look:' street as wide as the main boulevard in Beijing, China (a common prairie feature); shabby old building, some of them closed or abandoned. Trucks parked here and there, most of them, like our car, covered with beige mud. But life sparkled in a few places. There's a hotel with a steady custom of drinkers and eaters. Plans are made in that smoky and run-down place; jokes are shared. Locals know it as a sort of home. Then we discovered, across the street, a small grocery store. Again, steady custom. And we learned that local investors keep it healthy and providing it's vital service to the town and Rural Municipality. It's a good long drive to any other grocery! Nearby, one of the village's gems: The Harvest Moon Cafe. Sounds wonderfully prairie, doesn't it? In many ways it is, but it's also a surprise. Run and staffed by young people who are making a commitment to the community, it serves a menu of really good food, well prepared, and served in 'Saskatchewan servings' - large. The desserts are made on site, but smack of the fancy cuisine of the big city: white chocolate cheesecake with Saskatoon topping; homemade rhubarb, or green tea or Honey Betty ice cream! Where else would I find that for a few bucks?
The folks who cook and serve are cheery, friendly and competent. (One of the cooks recognized Beatrix when we ere shopping in Swift Current (130 km away), and stopped to speak to us! The Harvest Moon may not qualify as 'fine dining' in Toronto, but it comes pretty darn close in the ways that count.
Down the street there is an Art Gallery featuring work by 24 artists, most of them local, some from as far away as Swift Current or Regina. It's actually the best Art Gallery collection we've sen so far in a small town - a really small town. We dropped some serious money there!
On the corner sits the old brick school building. In other nearby towns, the same type of building sits, gone to rack and ruin, broken windows, sagging roof and dereliction. This old school is buzzing with life. A credible museum, soon to be upgraded with help to an Eco-museum. A huge mounted bison head dominates the entrance: you know where you are! An historic quilt hanging before you tells personal stories of the old timers.And then there is "Prairie Winds and Silver Sage," a combination souvenir store, incredibly rich book collection about the region, the park, the animals and the people who have lived on this land over the eons. The Prairie Ground Espresso Bar I have mentioned before - best latte south of Swift Current!
Across the grass, and on the same large lot as the PWSS, sits the Val Marie School. Maintaining a school in a village of 137, even with kids from the RM, is a tough task. But the school is clearly a multi use facility. A day care centre lives there, the Prairie Learning Centre - a unique educational venture by the Chinook School Division, the Grasslands Park, the village, and a handful of other supporters. Outdoor education on this land, about this land. A fitness program utilizes the facility as well. The school sounds like a hub, very busy hub!
A regional economic development council contains a number of Val Marie residents, and works hard to shift provincial money and interest into better roads, Internet, and other services for this deep south region of the province. One hundred and thirty-seven people? Wow! Imagine if they were 500, or 850, what might happen here in the south. Fact is, it's happening with 137!
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