Endiang was a busy berg on Canada Day with the 12th annual Wade Buchwitz Memorial Gymkhana taking place at the Endiang Riding and Roping outdoor arena.
The area was packed with contestants, spectators, horses, horse trailers and motorhomes. There were 90 entries in the gymkhana this year, down a bit from other years, but entries were affected with Canada Day falling mid-week this year.
The high point winners included: Tiny mite — Wyatt Elder, Peewee — Reid Heilman, Junior — Madelyn Schauer and Senior — (tie) Quinton Van Straten and Adam Jones.
Top Hand award went to Caleb Fawcett.
The Hanna Pro Rodeo Queen was on hand to make some of the presentations.
The day concluded with a spectacular set of fireworks set off at dark.
Terry (James) Gallant, along with Patsy (Smith) Burton of Rimbey, traveled to Mayerthorpe for a surprise 70th birthday visit with Betty (Walker) Meier. The girls were all former classmates at Endiang, a few years ago now. It was a good time of laughs and reminiscing.
Congratulations to Albert and Jean Mappin and Ron and Marguerite Brown on their joint 50th wedding anniversary celebration held in Byemoor on Saturday evening. Albert and Marguerite are brother and sister.
A large gathering of family, friends and neighbours enjoyed a roast beef supper followed by an open house and dance — the dance music supplied by “Country Friends” of Hanna.
We wish both couples many more happy years together.
Further to the news last week of the Endiang –Byemoor ladies trip to Penticton, B.C. for the Elvis Festival, some of the group also managed a visit with another of their former classmates, Sandy (James) Fehr who also lives in the Okanagan Valley. They were also happy to visit one day with another classmate, Dolly (Ackerman) Argyle of Victoria who was in the area with her husband for a classic car show.
Robert and Sheila Buchwitz, Kirk and Twila Buchwitz and family, Lane and Bobbi Buchwitz and family and Jesse and Brittiany Hebert and family attended the Spence family reunion at Dorothy, Alberta on the weekend. Sheila’s mother Rita McDonald was a Spence. The families all camped at Dorothy for the weekend.
Congratulations to Garry and Shirley Keibel of Stettler on celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on the weekend at Haunted Lake Golf Course and Campground near Alix. Garry was raised at Endiang and Shirley (nee Harvey) was from Scapa.
Jack and Yvette Hayden are home from spending a few weeks in the North West Territories. They attended the graduation of daughter Teala Gonzalez at Yellowknife. They also moved Teala to Edmonton where she has summer employment before enrolling in university this fall.
Ken Schultz will be the guest of honour at an open house to celebrate his 80th birthday at the Endiang Hall on July 25. Everyone is welcome to join Ken in marking this milestone birthday — the social goes from 1 to 3 p.m.
Mark and Julie Jones enjoyed a fishing and camping trip to Pierce Lake, Sask. recently.
Ryder, Bronc and Colter Buchwitz are spending a week with their grandmother Sandi Hodgson in Melfort, Sask.
Thought for the day — “One of the most profoundly human things you can do is to talk to someone, instead of about them.”