The 33rd Frenchman Butte Museum Festival will take on another celebratory note this year as it salutes the Royal Canadian Air Force centennial year.
The celebrations planned for Sunday, Aug. 11 will also showcase the vast collection of artifacts in some nine buildings covering the Early Settlers, Canadian Railways, the Northwest Resistance, Hudson’s Bay Company Fur Trade, North Saskatchewan River Highway, Carlton Trail, First Nations communities, and World War I & II.
Community member and volunteer, Bonnie Saunders says the museum dates to 1979. It was started in the CNR Building with exhibits from the late Lloyd Furman.
“He was asked if he wanted to contribute all of his artifacts to start a museum in our community,” says Saunders.
The celebration begins with an outdoor church service under a big tent from 11 a.m. As the live entertainment takes centre stage, preparations for the parade will get going from noon on top of the hill at the church grounds which overlooks the North Saskatchewan River. Anyone wanting to be in the parade with horses, cars, or wagons is asked to meet at that time. Motor clubs, owners of specialty vehicles, and classic cars are invited to take part.
“It’s a real highlight when people drive the six minutes off of Highway 3 to come to Frenchman Butte. The view – it’s really breathtaking.”
In 2013, the Frenchman Butte Museum won the Best Small Town Museum award in Saskatchewan by the Prairies North Magazine.
On the entertainment list, Justin and Amie Walker, Cassie Cameron, Sister Grace and the Country Folk among others will keep the music playing all afternoon.
There will be demos of vintage equipment and activities for kids including mini-golf. The parade will start at 1:30 p.m. There are tons of snacks like hotdogs, smokies, and homemade pies, with a delicious roast beef supper at 5 p.m. There is a People’s Choice Award for the parade entries, a quilt raffle, and one quilt will be auctioned.
“It’s nice to be able to celebrate something very special to Canada as the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 100th anniversary. It’s going to be a good one.”
Guests will be shuttled from the parking area to the museum grounds. For more information or to book one of the spots in the full-service Heritage RV Park you may call 306-344-4478.
The museum has lots of memorabilia and a cookbook. It will close for the summer after Labour Day, Sep. 2.
