Leader and District Tourism introduces Larger than Life Sculptures Audio Tour
By Mallory Cawthra
The Town of Leader has recently introduced two audio tours: The Larger than Life Wildlife Sculpture Tour, as well as the Kids Wildlife Sculpture Tour. Both tours are a three-kilometre loop, self-guided with GPS maps provided, and tourists can either drive or walk the route; it takes about an hour to walk and view all the stops. Each stop has a different wildlife sculpture to discover, such as the Red-Headed Woodpecker or the Ferruginous Hawk, and each sculpture showcases an “at risk” and unique local species that inhabits the area. The Kid’s Tour has extra sound effects and uses language that will make kids laugh.
The audio tours, including GPS maps, can be accessed by downloading a free app on your phone called “Tripvia Tours,” and a QR code is located at the Tourism Caboose in Leader also, to direct everyone to the free app. The stops can be viewed in any order, and the audio will start playing as you get near the sculptures. Curiously enough, the name “Tripvia” comes from Trip and Trivia, as the tours have a fun trivia challenge question added to each stop through the app, to test one’s knowledge about the wildlife sculptures and the Town of Leader.
The audio tours were created through a joint effort between the Leader and District Tourism Committee and the Cypress Hills – Grasslands Destination Area (CGDA). Christine Broderick, Chair of the Leader and District Tourism Committee as well as the Marketing Director for CGDA, explained that CGDA paid for the first sculpture tours to help promote their community members, and now Leader and District Tourism is adding another tour that will take tourists to the rural attractions like Checkerboard Hill, Blumenfeld Church, and St. John’s Schoolhouse.
The wildlife sculptures were created by two artists, the late Ralph Berg of Cabri, and Grant MacLoughlin of Moose Jaw. The first sculpture created was the Mule Deer in 1992, which is located at the Leader Tourism Caboose. The Mule Deer was created to commemorate Leader’s 75th anniversary, and was commissioned by the Leader Tourism Committee. The sculpture was popular and over the next 20 years, seven more sculptures were commissioned (Information from Kerry Wrishko).
Broderick added that the audio tours started as a way to help people safely explore during Covid, but they are still a great way to learn some history and interesting facts about the animals, attractions, and surrounding communities.
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