Local artist and educator headed to Prince Albert Women’s Hall of Fame

Jason Kerr
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Local artist and educator headed to Prince Albert Women’s Hall of Fame

A longtime staple of the Prince Albert arts scene is headed to the PA Women’s Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame selection committee named painter, beadworker, writer, and illustrator Jennifer Brown as the 2024 inductee on Monday. Prince Albert Council of Women President Chrissy Halliday said Brown is an ideal inductee due to her commitment to the community through local arts and education.

“It started when she was very young within her family, and it’s something she has continued well into her adulthood,” Halliday said.

“I’ve been part of the council of women for 15 years at this point. I’ve never seen so many letters of support from so many different people in our community.”

Brown is well-known across North America for her artwork. Her list of accomplishments includes a hand beaded hat which was presented to the Pope in 2022, the creation of two Michef language books, and several Metis colouring books.

Halliday said Brown has been a great role model for younger women looking to break into the arts.

“She’s been involved with so many things since she was young,” Halliday said. “Even just talking to her on the phone last Friday, informing her that she was our inductee, I got a real impression that she is very happy to work with younger people and get them involved in a lot of the same things that have inspired her and changed her life.”

Brown also spends large amounts of time as a volunteer. She helps maintain the ice at Parkland Hall, and volunteers her time teaching Japanese exchange students.

Brown has also served on a number of boards, including the Mann Art Gallery board, which she currently chairs.  She has also served on the Metis National Council, the Metis National Youth Advisory Council, the St. Michael’s Parish Council, the Prince Albert and Area Teachers’ Association, and is an executive member of the Northern Prairie Indigenous Peoples Collective Incorporated.

Halliday said some years there is a lengthy debate about who to induct, but this year Brown stood out.

“Some years it has been a really big discussion,” Halliday said. “This year it was like, ‘no, that’s our girl.’”

Brown will be inducted at 2 p.m. on March 10 at the Coronet Hotel. The induction coincides with International Women’s Day on March 8.

The UN theme for this year is ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate progress’. Halliday said it’s an important reminder that governments, businesses, and other organizations need to back their words up with action.

“There’s always a lot of talk about getting more women involved, getting more women into power, but there’s not a lot of action,” Halliday said. “I think the theme this year is really trying to inspire that action to keep those themes of getting women involved, getting women in higher levels of power, getting women in positions where they can support themselves, their families, their communities.”

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

‘Nobody has a list of them’: blind and low vision support group aims to reach out in 2024

Jason Kerr
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‘Nobody has a list of them’: blind and low vision support group aims to reach out in 2024

A support group dedicated to residents who are blind or have low vision hopes to generate some awareness one year after its founding.

The PA Blind and Low Vision Support Group began operating in 2023 with the goal of advocating for local residents struggling with severe vision problems. Group moderator Don Horncastle said the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) estimates there are 1,800 people in the Prince Albert area who are blind or low vision, but contacting them has been a challenge.

“Nobody has a list of them,” said Horncastle, who was forced to retire due to vision loss. “We don’t know who we are, and there’s no representative group that speaks on our behalf or advocates on our behalf.”

Since its founding a year ago, the PA support group has made presentations at City Hall advocating for more accessible infrastructure, like audible crosswalks. They’re also trying to start more recreational programs for blind and low vision residents, like blind curling.

However, Horncastle said it’s been a challenge to contact people who need the support. He said the services for blind and low vision residents are there, but many residents either don’t know about them, or can’t afford them.

“It’s being done, but at what cost,” Horncastle said. “A lot of blind people aren’t well financed. If you live in rural Saskatchewan or outside of the main cities, for just about every medical procedure… you’ve got to go to Saskatoon or wherever. Well, how are you going to get there if you can’t see?”

The PA Blind and Low Vision Support Group stepped up their advocacy efforts earlier this month to coincide with the Canadian Council for the Blind’s White Cane Week. The annual event takes place during the first full week of February, and aims to provide information about services available to residents with severe vision issues.

Horncastle said it can be tough to find out what services are available, something he knows from experience. Initially, he struggled to get involved, but soon became active in events like a local Blind Bowling League after reading media reports about it.

 “I know when I first went blind, I spent three years sitting at home going nowhere because I didn’t know about these services,” Horncastle remembered.

“All of a sudden my phone was ringing saying, ‘here’s something you can do.’ Getting tied into (blind bowling) got me tied into a whole bunch of other things. Then, that got me into the CNIB.”

Horncastle said one of the biggest concerns heading forward is public transportation. He said blind and low vision residents can ride the PA paratransit services for free if they have a CNIB card.

He said if paratransit services cut weekend or evening routes due to cost, that’s going to prevent low vision or blind residents from getting involved in the community.

“We can’t even go to City Hall and complain because the bus has been caught off by five,” he said with a chuckle. “Going down by cab is going to cost money, and then you’ve got to get home again.”

Horncastle was forced into retirement twice before age 65 due to vision issues. He said the peer support group has helped people learn from the shared experiences of other members, which allows them to stay active and social, despite their vision loss.

The PA Blind and Low Vision Support Group has had lots of success this past year, he said, and now they’re hoping to build on that for the future.

The PA Blind and Low Vision Support Group meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month at the Margo Fournier Arts Centre at 2 p.m. For more information, call Don Horncastle at 306-314-1860.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Mintos close out regular season home schedule with 4-2 win

Jason Kerr
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Mintos close out regular season home schedule with 4-2 win

The Prince Albert Mintos ended their last home game of the 2023-24 regular season on a high note with a 4-2 win over the Warman Wildcats on Saturday.

The win moves the Mintos within two points of the Swift Current Legionaires for fourth spot in the SMAAHL standings with just three games to go before the playoffs.

“It was almost into that playoff type style (game),” Mintos coach Tim Leonard said after the win. “(The) kids worked hard. We made a bad turnover in the first period to give them that first goal. After that, I thought we cleaned it up and played a pretty solid game.”

Will Whitter led the way for Prince Albert with a goal and an assist, including the game winner less than three minutes into the third period. Whitter said the club is peaking at the right time, but needs to remain focused to stay successful.

“I think we’ve been playing decent for the last few games,” Whitter said. “We cut down on the mistakes. (That) really helped us, and we scored when we needed to.

“We just need to limit the penalties. We’re all working hard. We all want it in here, and Brady (Holtvogt) played awesome tonight. If we all play good, we’ll go far.”

Taite Donkin and Konnor Watson had second period goals for the Mintos, and Abinet Klassen added an empty-netter late in the third to seal the win. Beckett Hamilton and Liam Bursaw had the goals for Warman.

Brady Holtvogt made 25 saves for Prince Albert in a winning cause, while Corben Schnurr stopped 35 shots in the Warman goal.

Leonard said the Mintos got stronger as the game went on, and were able to force more turnovers in the second and third periods, which led to more scoring chances.

With just three games to go until the playoffs, Leonard said they club’s goal remains the same: making opponents work for everything they get.

“Every game we want to get better and improve and cut down on those bad mistakes and the bad turnovers and just be tough to play against,” “If you’re tough to play against, you’re going to be tough to beat.”

Hamilton opened the scoring for Warman roughly five minutes into the first period after Cade Hynd forced a turnover at the Minto blueline. Hynd fed the puck cross-ice to Hamilton, who snapped a wrist shot over Holtvogt’s shoulder to make it 1-0.

The Mintos answered back early in the second when Donkin corralled a loose puck and slid it under a diving Schnurr to make it 1-1.

Watson put the Mintos ahead for good with less than a minute to go the second period. Whitter raced the length of the ice and stripped a Warman defenceman of the puck before feeding it out front to Watson, who was all alone in the slot.

Whitter added the eventual game-winner on the power play less than three minutes into the third. He grabbed the puck off a scrambled faceoff in the Warmen end and fired the puck top shelf to make it 3-1.

The Wildcats made it 3-2 with 13:46 to go, when Bursaw beat Holtvogt five-hole with a wrist shot, but that was as close as the visitors got. The Mintos outshot the Wildcats 18-5 in the third period, and sealed the game with an empty-netter from Abinet Klassen.

The Mintos are off until Monday when they travel to Warman for a rematch with the Wildcats. Puck drop is 2:15 p.m.

They then close out the regular season with road games against the Regina Pat Canadians on Feb. 23, and the Notre Dame Hounds on Feb. 24.

No slowing down for Canadian country music star Aaron Pritchett

Jason Kerr
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No slowing down for Canadian country music star Aaron Pritchett

After more than 20 years in the Canadian country music scene, Aaron Pritchett has no intention of slowing down.

The CCMA award winner and three-time JUNO nominee has a new album out, a new single on the radio, and a soon-to-be new member of the family. Pritchett’s son, Jordan, and his fiancé are expecting their first baby this summer, making him a grandfather.

“It’s so funny because when I think of my grandpa as a kid, I thought of him as an old guy, and he was in my eyes,” Pritchett said. “Now that I’m going to become a grandpa, I don’t see myself as that older person I saw my grandpa has. It hasn’t changed anything in me other than the fact I’m so excited to have a family member added, but I think me as a person, I’ve still not slowed me down.

“I still have so much energy for this grandchild that I’ll be a positive influence, I hope, but also, somebody who is excited as opposed to (saying), ‘well, I’m getting older and I’d better slow down.’ I don’t want to slow down at all, and I think having a grandchild is actually going to keep my energy level that much higher.”

Pritchett will have plenty of help keeping his energy levels up while he waits for his first grandchild. On Feb. 21, he’ll be in Prince Albert as part of his first coast-to-coast tour in five years.

Although he’s performed live concerts since then, including a more intimate gig in Prince Albert last year, Pritchett said nothing beats a cross country tour.

“It feels like it was only a year ago that we did the tour with the little blip that we had in between with COVID, obviously” he said. “(We) worried that we may never be able to play shows again, let alone go on a tour, so this is really exciting for all of us to be able to go travel together in a bus and be a road family again, put on shows for crowds in person one more time, and with a level of energy that’s even greater than it was in 2019 when we toured last.”

Joining him on stage are up-and-coming country stars Matt Lang and Cory Marks. Pritchett said he wanted a different type of show, instead of the traditional opening acts followed by a headliner. That means Lang and Marks will join Pritchett on stage throughout the night.

“I wanted to make it inclusive for everybody, and not just have an order that it needs to go in,” Pritchett said. “I wanted something different, so this show is amazing. Corey and Matt are two of the best live performers that I’ve seen in a long time.”

Pritchett’s newest studio album, Demolition, will be released later this year, but fans will have a chance to by copies at the Prince Albert show on Feb. 21. There will be one gold record for sale among those 300 copies. Pritchett said he’ll play a free house concert for the fan who uncovers it.

Pritchett has also just released a new single, ‘Just Wanna Feel It’, which he recorded at the suggestion of his son and fiancé.

“It’s a song that I found probably over 10 years ago through a publishing company that sent it to me,” Pritchett remembered.

“My son Jordan … along with his fiancé Danielle, they produced this record entirely, and when it came time to choose songs they were like, ‘what about that song you’ve been sitting on for so long? We always loved that tune. Why don’t you do it?’ ‘Just Wanna Feel It’ was probably the second song, I think, that we recorded in studio and I instantly fell in love with it. (I) went, ‘man, I can hear this on radio and I can hear people really loving this and singing it live at shows.’ It was just an easy fit.”

Prince Albert is one of 32 stops on Pritchett’s Tour. Even after 20 years in country music, he said his passion for performing is as strong as ever.

“For some reason I’ve just got this energy level that is just through the roof, especially at my age,” he said. “I’m getting older, but I’m not slowing down I just see so many great things in the future with music and the shows that it just energizes me. Seeing those crowds sing along to all the hit songs that I’ve had over the years, it’s an energy booster right there.”

Aaron Pritchett, Matt Lang, and Cory Marks will perform at the E.A Rawlinson Centre in Prince Albert on Feb. 21. For tickets, visit earc.ca.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Warm weather forces winter festival to cancel dog sled races

Jason Kerr
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Warm weather forces winter festival to cancel dog sled races

The Prince Albert Winter Festival will go ahead without one of its most popular attractions after organizers cancelled the sled dog races on Thursday.

Winter Festival president Bev Erickson said it the hold off making the decision until they were absolutely sure they wouldn’t have enough snow to host them.

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” she said. “We were still hoping that Mother Nature might kick in, but unfortunately she has other plans.”

Although the sled dog races are cancelled, other outdoor events will still continue. The King and Queen Trapper events will still take place on Feb. 24-25, as will the fish fry. Sleigh rides planned for the same two days will switch over to wagon rides if there isn’t enough snow. All those events will be held outside the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre.

The Prince Albert Winer Festival Family Day Sliding Party hosted in partnership with Lake Country Co-op will still go ahead too, even if there isn’t enough snow to slide down the hill. Erickson said Lake Country will still be cooking up hot dogs and hot chocolate, and attendees can still enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides.

Although the warm weather forced organizers to cancel one event, Erickson said it may prove beneficial for others.

“We’re hoping that the outdoor events will be well attended because of the beautiful weather,” she said. “It’s supposed to be -3 C on the Saturday and Sunday, so really there’s no reason why you can’t go out and enjoy the King and Queen Trapper events and the new Junior event.”

Admission is a $3 Winter Festival button, which can be purchased at any Lake Country Co-op.

Indoor events continued on Thursday with the opening of Voices of the North at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre. The show has two more performances on Friday, and another two on Saturday. Showtimes are 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on both days.

Saturday events include the Winter Festival Jigging Contest at the Metis Friendship Centre and the Prince Albert Fiddle Show at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre. Start times are 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively.

Prince Albert’s bushiest beards will be on display Sunday at 7 p.m. when the Winter Festival Beerd Derby Finale begins at the Prince Albert Wildlife Federation building.

The Family Day Sliding Party begins at 11 a.m. on Monday at Little Red River Park, while fireworks are scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

See future editions of the Daily Herald for more on upcoming Winter Festival events.

Teachers blast province on social media ahead of another rotating strike

Jason Kerr
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Teachers blast province on social media ahead of another rotating strike

Prince Albert teachers took to social media in frustration, while the head of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation blasted the provincial government during a press conference in the lead-up to another day of rotating strikes.

Prince Albert and area teachers will be in Shellbrook on Friday to protest at Premier Scott Moe’s constituency office after talks between the STF and Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee (GTBC). During a press conference on Wednesday, STF President Samantha Becotte said she was disappointed with recent comments from Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill.

“It just goes to show the level of disrespect this government continues to show teachers, and the lengths that this government is going to mislead the public about the realities of what the process looks like,” Becotte told reporters. “I would love to be at the table having meaningful conversations about finding solutions to the challenges that students and teachers are facing in classrooms in all areas of this province. Unfortunately, I’m spending more of my days sharing the realities of the situation within bargaining, and showing the misinformation that this minister continues to share.”

Saskatchewan teachers took to social media following Cockrill’s announcement on Tuesday that talks had broken down.

The list included former STF president and current STF negotiating team member Patrick Maze, who wrote that teachers were more than willing to listen.

“I was at the table. STF was there,” Maze wrote to Moe. “We cleared two full days to negotiate in good faith. Your team didn’t even enter the building today. Yesterday (Monday) they wouldn’t start until 1 p.m., and then they had no ability to negotiate.”

Prince Albert teachers also took to social media to vent their frustrations. Current St. Mary High School principal Dwayne Gareau accused the province of trying to spin the issue, writing that there is a middle ground if the GTBC was willing to meet with the STF.

Current St. Michael Community School principal Mark Phaneuf also blasted Cockrill’s response, writing that the minister provided “more rhetoric and no substance.” Phaneuf added that the province deserves better.

Saskatchewan NPD leader Carla Beck also urged Cockrill to get back to the bargaining table. During a press conference on Wednesday, Beck said the minster “spent more time making Twitter videos than he has at the bargaining table.”

Cockrill held his own press conference on Wednesday, arguing the province showed up to bargain on Tuesday at 1 p.m., but was the only group left in the room by 1:30 p.m. The STF said they received notice the negotiations were over at around 3 p.m.

Cockrill told reporters he was disappointed with how negotiations went, but remained resolute that the province was negotiating in good faith.

The Daily Herald attempted to contact Prince Albert and Area Teachers Association (PAATA) president Jean-Marc Belliveau for this story, but did not hear back by press time.

–with files from Alec Salloum/Regina Leader-Post

PAPS searching for missing sisters believed to be in Prince Albert — Updated

Jason Kerr
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PAPS searching for missing sisters believed to be in Prince Albert — Updated

UPDATE: The PAPS issued a press release on Saturday, Feb. 17 saying both sisters had been located.

Prince Albert Police have asked the public to be on the lookout for two missing sisters with ties to the Melfort area who are believed to be in Prince Albert.

McKenzie Silverhill, 14, was last seen on the 100 Block of 20th Street West in Prince Albert. Her sister, 12-year-old Alexis Head, was last seen on the 200 Block of 15th Avenue East in Prince Albert. The two sisters are believed to be together.

Silverhill is described as 5’3 and 112 pounds with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a “DOT MOON” tattoo on her right hand. She was last seen wearing a black hoody, black pants, and white Nike Airforce shoes.

Head is 5’1 and 120 pounds with black shaggy hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black hoodie with a white print on front, and black sweatpants.

Anyone who sees the sisters is asked to call the Prince Albert Police Service at 306-953-4222.

Trio of PA officers recognized for efforts in taking impaired drivers off the road

Jason Kerr
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Trio of PA officers recognized for efforts in taking impaired drivers off the road

Three members of the Prince Albert Police Service were recognized for their efforts in taking impaired drivers off the road with a special ceremony on Tuesday.

Const. Dwight Leblue, Const. Robert Lindsay, and Const. Matt Brown all received the Van de Vorst Family Award for their efforts. The award was created in 2017 to honour Jordan and Chanda Van De Vorst and their two children, Kamryn, and Miguire Van De Vorst. All four were killed by an impaired driver in January 2016.

Lindsay said he’s proud to receive the award, and grateful for surviving family members who created the award in the first place.

“Their lives have changed forever, (and) they’re trying to do some good and recognize us as officers, so we’re honoured to receive that in their family’s memory,” Lindsay said.

Both Lindsay and Leblue are multiple time winners, while Brown, a Prince Albert Police Service canine unit officer, was honoured for the first time.

Lindsay and Leblue both received gold challenge coins for taking between 17 and 40 impaired drivers off the road, while Brown and police service dog Cal received recognition for arresting eight impaired drivers.

“It’s a lot of work you put in to get this, so I always feel like I’m in good company,” Leblue said. “Rob and myself, we have come up together and we’ve picked up a lot of impaired (drivers) together, now Matt has joined us. He worked hard…. He was proud he got to be up here with us … and we’re proud to have him.

“It’s excellent, and I’m proud to be here again. Hopefully I’ll be here next year and the year after that. Regardless, I’m going out there to do what I do.”

All three officers received their awards from MADD Prince Albert president Darren Deck and vice-president Karen Anthony-Burns, whose son was killed by an impaired driver in Prince Albert.

Anthony-Burns became emotional during the presentation, telling officers she was grateful for their efforts in taking impaired drivers off the road.

While all three officers were honoured to receive the award, there was also some frustration. Lindsay said initiatives like Operation Red Nose, Ding in the New Year, and MADD Canada’s Red Ribbon campaign have made people more aware of the dangers of impaired driving than ever before. However, he said some people refuse to change.

“People are getting the message, I think, a little bit, but you know what? There’s still those ones out there who don’t, or in a lot of cases, habitual ones, and some people just don’t think they’ll get caught.”

Lindsay said stats show a person who gets arrested for impaired driving will actually drive impaired an average of 80 times a year. He said that amounts to a staggering number of incidents where impaired drivers don’t get caught.

Leblue remembers one incident two years ago when he caught an impaired driver speeding at 170 km/hr near Duck Lake. He said the incident was scary, since he had to travel at such high speeds to catch the suspect. He also shudders to think what might have happened if a police officer wasn’t nearby.

“It’s bad enough the guy’s driving drunk, but he’s doing insane speeds, like dangerous,” he said. “It just makes a guy sick to think about it, that he’s sharing the road with other people—innocent people.”

The Van De Vorst Awards are handed out based on data from April 1 to March 31. Blue and Lindsay both won the award last year too, along with PAPS Const. Curtis Stasiw.

Council votes 6-3 in favour of borrowing $18 million to assist with rec centre fundraising project

Jason Kerr
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Council votes 6-3 in favour of borrowing $18 million to assist with rec centre fundraising project

Prince Albert City Council voted 6-3 in favour of borrowing $18 million as part of a plan to raise money for the Aquatic and Arenas Recreation Project, plus a new 4,500 seat WHL arena.

Mayor Greg Dionne said they expect plenty of donors to come forward and support the project, but most donors spread their donation over a multi-year period. Because the City rarely receives large donations as one lump sum, Dionne said, it’s necessary to borrow $18 million to cover costs today.

“If we get all the money upfront, we’d be in a (better) position,” Dionne told council. “That’s why this loan is only for five years, not like the rest of the loan for 30. This loan is only for five years to help us raise the money to finish paying off these projects, so that’s why I support it and for that amount, if the fundraising group comes through and raises the $50 million as they mentioned, the amount that we’re paying then is pretty cheap.”

The City originally anticipated borrowing $16 million for the project, but council later voted in favour of a $30 million loan. In 2024, the City of Prince Albert will pay $1.8 million in loan interest.

Dionne said he’s confident this form of financing will work because it’s how the City built the E.A. Rawlinson Centre and the indoor soccer centre at the Alfred Jenkins Field House.

Couns. Terra Lennox-Zepp and Charlene Miller were the most vocal councillors who voted against the project. Lennox-Zepp said paying $1.8 million in interest is already hitting the city hard, and increasing that amount would be poor financial management.

“That’s not a piece of lumber in the ground. That’s not an hour of labour,” Lennox-Zepp told council. “That’s just the interest we’re currently paying for one year only. It would be financially irresponsible of us as a city to incur a further $18 million loan on this project.”

Lennox-Zepp told council the City has already committed $4 million for architecture work on the 4,500 seat event centre. She said borrowing anther $18 million will leave the city with little wiggle room should an emergency hit.

“We have absolutely no financial capacity, no plan, to pay for and to build that 4,500 seat event centre,” she said. “(It’s) a major concern here. It would absolutely be financially irresponsible of us to incur more millions onto this debt, and we have no capacity to pay for it. It is obvious that we would put a hold on this project until we are in a position where we are able to pay for it.”

Dionne responded that he wasn’t concerned about emergency funding because the City has access to a $12 million overdraft.

Coun. Don Cody made the motion to borrow $18 million. Cody said the loan was “just good business” and argued the projects were a necessity.

“Bridge financing is done all the time,” he told council. “Let’s face it, when you are getting large donations—maybe $10 million, $5 million, or whatever have you—you don’t expect that they’re going to pay the whole thing in one year.”

Cody added that he was “disturbed” by comments that the City should put the project on hold. If the community doesn’t build a new event centre, Cody argued, the City may lose the Prince Albert Raiders. He also came out swinging against councillors who, in his opinion, were portraying the project in a negative light.

“We continuously talk about this and make it look as though this is a real bad project, and the public listens to some councillors, albeit they shouldn’t,” Cody told council. “Some of the facts aren’t there, and some of the facts that they try and espouse are wrong, and we need to straighten those things out from time to time.”

Couns. Darren Solomon and Dennis Ogrodnick also spoke in support of the $18 million loan. Ogrodnick told council it would be financially irresponsible to put the project on hold now. Solomon expressed disappointment that the City needed to borrow another $18, but said it’s not an unusual practice when the City is launching a fundraising campaign.

Solomon added that if council stopped the project now, the entertainment district would become the new La Colle Falls.

The $18 million loan must be paid off within five years. Administration needs to draft a short-term debt bylaw for council before the City can officially take out the loan.

‘Cowboy Campfire’ a tribute to ranch life

Jason Kerr
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‘Cowboy Campfire’ a tribute to ranch life

Local country music legend Larry Krause is teaming up with one of Saskatchewan’s top cowboy poets for an evening of western entertainment at the Prince Albert Public Library Theatre.

Meadow Lake’s Linda Nadon will join Krause for ‘Cowboy Campfire Evenin’ on Sunday, Feb. 11. Krause said he’s crossed paths with Nadon at numerous shows across Western Canada, but they’ve never performed together until this string of performances.

“We just figured this would be a good opportunity—it’s just before calving season for her—and gives us a chance to get out there, put our heads together, and put together a kind of mini-cowboy poetry event that not only will satisfy the wants of the people who enjoy that type of stuff in our area, but also possibly create some interest and possibly get some new people roped into hearing what in fact it is,” Krause said.

“We’ve threatened to do it for years. We’ve been good friends for years, but her being in Meadow Lake and me being down here, we weren’t quite sure how we could put the whole thing together. Earlier this winter, we decided, why don’t we go out, put together a package, find some places to put it on, and just see whether in fact it will get up and go.”

Nadon is an award-winning poet who has performed in New Mexico, Nevada, and across Western Canada. Her work reflects all aspects of the ranching lifestyle, and is inspired by her work as a horse breeder with her husband in Meadow Lake.

“This is the real thing…. We know the lifestyle inside and out,” Krause said.

“Sometimes things are happy and sometimes not so much, but it’s a very accurate description of what goes on and she does it incredibly well. She paints a picture that almost feels like you’re sitting on the horse next to her.”

Krause said poetry and song have been major parts of the cowboy lifestyle since it began. He said cowboys would sing and recite verses to help stay awake while on watch, settle restless cattle, or just entertain themselves while on a trail ride.

Krause and Nadon performed ‘Cowboy Campfire Evenin’ in Big River and Rapid View before stopping in Prince Albert. Krause said the style of entertainment is very popular in southern Saskatchewan, and so far, it’s been well received up north too.

For his own musical performance, Krause plans to return to dip into a part of his repertoire he doesn’t regularly use.

“It’s songs that most people won’t normally hear me do when they come to my regular concerts,” he said. “I’m very much shifting back into the cowboy and the western type of genre. It’s storytelling songs, and the singing cowboy, that goes back to as early as they were recording.”

‘Cowboy Campfire Evenin’ begins at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 11 at the Prince Albert Public Library Theatre. Tickets are $20 at the door for adults and $5 for children under 12.

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