| Samboree See's Almost 500 Rvers |
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| Posted by Kyle Yocky |
| Monday, 22 June 2009 00:00 |
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Almost 500 RV enthusiasts traveled from far and wide to attend the 2009 Saskatchewan Provincial Good Sam Samboree in Nipawin last week. With 242 RVs registered for the event, the campers transformed Central Park overnight as they settled in for the five day event, which started with the opening of the gates on Wednesday morning, June 10. In addition to the many activities that took place at the Centennial Arena, participants also had time to explore the services and recreational activities provided in and around Nipawin. Their program included a tour of the murals around town, visits to the museum and the art display by local artists in the town library, a golf tournament at the Evergreen golf course and house boat river cruises. Many local businesses also tried to make the shopping experience a pleasant one for the visitors by posting welcome signs in their windows. Norman Swinnerton, the provincial director of the Saskatchewan Provincial Good Sam Club, described the event as a great success. I don't think there was a complaint," he said on Sunday morning after the closing ceremonies. "I think everybody thoroughly enjoyed themselves." For almost a third of the participants it was their first experience of a Samboree, as 77 RVs were there for the first time. According to Swinnerton, it was one of the largest groups of first timers they ever had at a Samboree. Although Bob and Maryann Latty from Cold Lake, Alta., have been camping for many years, it was their first Samboree. Maryann, whose maiden name is Blair, grew up on a farm in the Choiceland area. She said they decided to attend when they heard the Samboree would be in Nipawin. With her sister and two brothers still living in the Garrick and Choiceland area, their trip to the Samboree also became a visit the family. On Saturday morning they went on one of the river cruises, which took them upstream from the dock in the Regional Park to just beyond the old bridge. During the cruise she shared her knowledge of the area with others, as she told them how her father waited with his wagon and horse on the other side of the river for supplies to be taken across the water in a cable car. Frank and Judy Ries from Regina camped at Nipawin for many years, but after doing their first Samboree they started travelling elsewhere. According to Judy they have done 37 Samborees since 1995 and traveled from coast to coast in their RV. Like quite a few campers at the event, they are attending the provincial Samborees in all four western provinces. After the Manitoba and Northwest Ontario Samboree, which took place from June 3-7 in Gladstone, they are traveling from Nipawin to Tofield for the Alberta Provincial Samboree from June 17-21 as onwards to the British Columbia Samboree in Midway from June 24-28. In addition to Good Sam members from all 14 chapters in S a s k a t c h ewa n , people from Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia also travelled to Nipawin for the Samboree. Duncan and Pat Summers from Nova Scotia, who are moving to Saskatoon, also attended. A number of attendees also travelled from the United States. Bill and Joyce Holmberg from Aztec, New Mexico, have been regular visitors to the province. They have attended the provincial Samboree in Saskatchewan for the past 10 years. Joyce said they attended their first one on a whim while they were travelling through the province, as they wanted to see what it was like. "The people were open and friendly, and we've been coming back ever since," she said. She suffers from motion sickness, but keeps it in check by driving their 36 feet long RV, which has their Jeep wagon attached behind it. Fortunately husband Bill enjoys reading the maps and acting as their navigator. T he many activities at the campground included card games, beanbag baseball and beanbag toss, a pet parade for campers who brought their dogs along and a jam session for the musically inclined. On Wednesday evening there was an old time dance, with music provided by Bob and Betty Hay. The golf car relay on Saturday afternoon provided great entertainment as blindfolded drivers tried to follow the instructions of their passengers to complete a set course. The Samboree's official opening ceremonies took place on Thursday afternoon, with local dignitaries welcoming them to Nipawin. Carrot River Valley MLA Fred Bradshaw brought greetings on behalf of Premier Brad Wall and the Minister of Tourism Dustin Duncan. "It's great to see all the people from all across Canada and the United States actually coming up here to what I've always said is the best constituency in all of Saskatchewan," Bradshaw said to great applause and laughter. "We really appreciate you people coming up here. ... Nipawin is ... a great place to be." After inviting them to stay as long as they like and to return when they can, Mayor Glen Day told them how impressed he was with all the vehicles he saw in the camping area. "There should be a prize for the biggest motor home around, because there are some beautiful units out there I've noticed," he said. Jesse Kitchen, the president of the Nipawin and District Chamber of Commerce, thanked them for coming to Nipawin. "I'm sure you'll find Nipawin is a great place to be," he said. "I invite you to see what our community has to offer." On Friday afternoon students from the Nipawin School of Dance entertained the visitors with their dancing skills. This was followed by an address by the special guest speaker - Dr. Lynda Haverstock, the President/ CEO of Tourism Saskatchewan. She highlighted the diversity of Saskatchewan's landscape and people and shared many interesting facts about the province with the audience. "I'm convinced we're as intriguing as anywhere in the world," she said. "There are marvels everywhere in every different season of the year." Another highlight followed on Saturday evening with the banquet and century patch awards, which was attended by 468 people. The century patches were awarded to people who have attended 10 or more Samborees. One couple - Pat and Norma Korpatt from Cranbrook, B. C. -received a patch for attending 69 Samborees. They attended their first provincial Samboree in Saskatchewan in 1994 and have not missed on since. With Nipawin marking their 70th Samboree, they were already looking forward to their next two in Alberta and B. C. over the coming two weeks. "It just sort of snowballed," Norma said about their many Samborees. "It was something to do, to see what was going on and to meet people." Norma grew up in the Tisdale area and her brother still lives there. She got her first job as a nurse at Nipawin's old Lady Grey Hospital. The Samboree was their first trip to Nipawin in over 25 years and they also drove around town to look at how things have changed. To read the complete story at The PeterBorough Examiner, click here. |
| Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 June 2009 18:08 |
