By Mallory Cawthra

On Friday, June 24th, the Town of Leader celebrated the much-anticipated Grand Opening of the Sandhills Credit Union Marketplace. The successful implementation of the Marketplace is the culmination of numerous individuals and businesses in the Leader community coming together to see the project to completion. The opening ceremonies got underway at 6:30 p.m., with speeches from Becky Ellis, Manager of the Sandhills Credit Union and President of the Leader and District Chamber of Commerce, Christine Broderick, Secretary and Member of the Board of the Leader and District Chamber of Commerce, and Mayor Aaron Wenzel.

Following the speeches, the Sandhills Credit Union presented a $10,000 sponsorship cheque to the Leader and District Chamber of Commerce for naming rights for the marketplace for the next ten years. The ribbon cutting ceremony was then performed by Lee Elsasser, Chamber Development Officer, with the assistance of Becky Ellis.

The weather was a little brisk that evening, so it was encouraging that approximately 150 people attended the event. Alan Hudec serenaded the attendees with musical entertainment, as everyone visited and enjoyed various food vendors and complimentary refreshments (pop, water) donated by Sandhills Insurance. Some of the vendors included the Leader Liquor Mart, The Big 10-4, Dry Land Butchering, the Estuary Colony and Shy’s Food Stand. There was everything from spicy tacos and Bannock burgers, to iced coffee and cinnamon buns available for cash purchase. Lee Elsasser explained that, “The whole reason behind the Leader and District Chamber of Commerce developing this project was to help not only our larger businesses, but also the smaller businesses and to give people opportunities to test the waters on future business ventures, by having the ability to try out pop-up shops.”

There will be upcoming markets every Thursday starting on June 30th, with the occasional Saturday added in until August 27th. The Chamber’s plan is to have rotational vendors each week. Additionally, there will be two “Young Entrepreneur” Markets on July 11th and 26th to encourage youth aged 18 years and under to get creative and try their hand at a business venture. If anyone is interested in more information on booking dates for the booths, they can contact Lee Elsasser at 306-628-7887.

(Left): Gord Kuntz, Sandhills Credit Union President of their Board. (Right): Christine Broderick, member of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce as well as the Secretary.

Estuary Colony

Musician Alan Hudec

(Left): Lee Elsasser, Chamber Development Officer with Becky Ellis, Manager of the Sandhills Credit Union and the President of the Leader and District Chamber of Commerce.