The Souris Valley Antiques Association celebrated the history of farming in the area during the Pioneer Echoes Weekend in Midale.
Activities were held each day on Aug. 4 and 5, starting with a pancake breakfast downtown. But the bulk of the events each day were in the pioneer village on the edge of the town.
The daily activities included tours of the pioneer village’s buildings, live music, an antique tractor and vehicle parade through the pioneer village, a coin scramble in hay for children, and threshing demonstrations.
“It was good to see support coming from the whole community and outside of the community as well,” said Glenn McGregor, who is the president of the association. “Every year we’ve been getting bigger, and we can’t be disappointed with what we had this year.”
Since the organizers don’t charge admission, and since people come and go throughout the weekend, the association didn’t have an estimate on how many people attended. But they expect numbers will be up.
The antique parade was a particularly popular event, with dozens of classic cars and tractors rolling through the museum grounds.
New for this year was early 1949 New Flyer bus. It used to run from Edmonton to Whitehorse, and it still has the Whitehorse destination label at the top of the bus.
“I think it grabbed some people’s attention, because it’s not something you see every day,” said McGregor.
The bus had been modified into a camper since it was taken out of service. A local person donated the bus to the association earlier this year.
The threshing demonstrations also went well, with a large crowd standing and watching the old-time farming technique.
Other events were held in the community as part of the weekend. For the second straight year, a reunion was held for those who attended the Midale Central School. The Midale Bull Bash and Cabaret was held on Friday night, and more rodeo events followed, with team roping on Saturday and barrel racing on Sunday.
A show-and-shine was held on Sunday, the first time such an event has been organized in conjunction with the Pioneer Echoes Weekend in years.
“They had a good turnout for the car show, so that brought a few people out,” said McGregor.
While each event was organized by a separate committee, McGregor said all these events contribute to good attendance and a busy weekend in the town.
The Pioneer Echoes Weekend requires a lot of work each year. They spend a lot of time during the winter months fixing equipment and ensuring it’s ready for the weekend.
Leading up to the show, they’re working steadily for a month to double-check the equipment and working on the buildings. They also attended several other events to promote the activities in Midale.
