Get ready for an arts and culture road trip

By Joan Janzen

The folks in west central Saskatchewan are waiting patiently for warmer weather so they can enjoy some summer activities. Art enthusiasts will be excited to hear that the River and Rail Venture has planned a road trip throughout west central Saskatchewan. A self-guided tour is scheduled for June 25 and 26, 2022. It’s the perfect weekend away for families, friends, book clubs and lovers of art. There’s something for all ages too!

The tour winds through nine communities. The community of Outlook is hosting fifteen vendors, and Broderick has five displays, all of which are rural. The communities of Tugaske and Hawarden have one venue each, while Riverhurst, Central Butte and Davidson all have two venues for tourists to peruse. Elbow has five displays, including pottery, photography and an art studio, and there are three vendors lined up at Loreburn for the two day-tour.

Altogether, there are sixty artists, artisans and agricultural entrepreneurs ready to extend their hospitality throughout the sixteen hours of touring. This year’s line-up has added seven new venues and seven new makers. Those venues include everything from painting, jewellery, sculpture, a winery, fabric art, pottery, music, writing, metalwork and agribusiness. Such a wide variety of displays, and it’s free! And you can enter online to win a voucher to redeem at any of the venues during the tour.

This event is organized by Outlook & District Arts Council volunteers, assisted by Tourism Saskatchewan. Without these faithful volunteers, this tour would not be possible. You can be sure that a warm Saskatchewan welcome awaits you and your friends or family when you travel throughout Saskatchewan.

Eli Dingle from Outlook is one of the vendors on the tour. Eli teaches Arts Education at Outlook High School and is always looking for new art mediums to introduce to his students. He decided to learn soapstone carving alongside his senior students. He began carving as a hobby, and it has turned into a passion.

Georgia Horsley from Elbow has been creating with clay for many years. Her work includes utilitarian pottery, sculptural pieces and different firing techniques.

Keith Hampton is from Central Butte. His grandfather’s woodworking influenced him at a young age. He learned the basics of woodturning from Henry Franks of Gravelbourg, and after retirement, he started woodturning full time.

This is just a small sampling of what the River and Rail Venture has to offer. It’s sure to be a good time.

Eli Dingle from Outlook creates soapstone carvings.