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Kamsack gardeners preparing to host Saskatchewan Horticultural Association’s 73rd annual show

In three weeks, gardeners from around the province are expected to be in Kamsack, and bringing with them the highest quality blooms, fruits and vegetables that their gardens will have produced this season.

            In three weeks, gardeners from around the province are expected to be in Kamsack, and bringing with them the highest quality blooms, fruits and vegetables that their gardens will have produced this season.

            The Saskatchewan Horticultural Association’s 73rd annual provincial show is being held August 11 in Kamsack, where the Kamsack Horticulture Society is celebrating its 70th anniversary.

            “We bid for the provincial show because of our anniversary,” said Cindy Koreluik of Kamsack, who is president of both, the Kamsack society and the provincial association.

            “We’re looking forward to a good show and the area’s gardens look to be average, despite a very dry start to the season,” Koreluik said.

            According to provincial records, which go back to only 1976, this year marks the third time that the provincial show will have been in Kamsack, having been previously held in 1997 and 2009.

The provincial show was held in Sturgis in 2015 and in Canora in 1989.

Being held in the OCC Hall, the provincial show is replacing the regular Kamsack horticulture show, Koreluik explained. Whereas the local show normally attracts around 300 exhibits, about twice that number are expected for the provincial show.

At the provincial show last year, which was held in Canwood and was hosted by the Walter Willoughby Horticulture Society, there were about 500 entries, including several from three Kamsack district gardeners.

At the provincial show in Kamsack in 2009, there were more than 800 entries.

“This year, we’d like to beat our 2009 record,” Koreluik said, adding that a committee of about 10 members of the Kamsack society is organizing and working on the provincial show, which will be distributing about $1,000 in prizes.

Judging the show will be three Saskatchewan Horticultural Association (SHA) judges Amanda Rice of Saskatoon and Karen Pfeifer of Runnymede, who is a member of the Kamsack society. A third judge is also expected but yet to be named.

The sections will be divided among the judges and each one will judge his or her areas, she explained.

The show contains several categories, Koreluik explained. In the houseplants class, there are 21 sections, including houseplants, outdoor plants and container gardens; the annual flowers class has 41 sections, from asters to zinnias, and the perennials class has 13 sections, including chrysanthemums and flowering shrubs.

The lilies class has six sections, including Asiatic, oriental and trumpets; dahlias has 16 sections, including cactus, pompom and ball; sweet peas has 11 sections separated by colour; roses have 14 sections, from hybrid tea to hardy, tender and mini, and glads have 17 sections, also separated by colour.

The floral art class has four sections, each with a different theme: Canada 150; Many Hats of Summer; Picture of Love and Down on the Farm, while the flower arranging class has five sections: lavender dreams, corsage, Orient express, unusual look and prairie wild.

The fruit class has 18 sections, each one dealing with a different fruit, and similarly the vegetables class has 44 sections, also divided by type of vegetable.

The show’s concoctions, creations and photography class has added two categories of quilts as another section and there will be three sections which are buns, breads and pies class.

The junior section is reserved for gardeners aged 12 years and under.

Anyone may enter the provincial show, Koreluik said, adding that one need not be a member of the Kamsack or any other local society in order to enter items in the provincial show.

To obtain a show book in order to best prepare an entry, one may contact Koreluik at the Kamsack Veterinary Clinic (see the advertisement in this issue) or may go to icangarden.ca and in the clubs section click onto the Saskatchewan Horticultural Association.

Part of the provincial show, which will be open to the public during the afternoon, will include a rainbow auction with items donated by area businesses and individuals, and dainties and coffee which will be served with the price of admission.

The eight members of the SHA board will be attending a meeting which will be held during the show when plans will be made for the association’s convention and the bus tour of the South Saskatchewan River area, which will have been made July 16 to 18, will be discussed.

Exhibitors will be taking their entries to the OCC hall on Thursday afternoon or for a half hour early Friday morning, she said.

“We’re hoping Joan Svenson of Madge Lake, who was the judge of the Kamsack show for the past few years, will be attending the provincial show and will be bringing some of her flowers,” she said.

The first horticulture show was held at Kamsack in 1947 when there were a total of 373 entries and $119 in prizes. Elected to the board for 1948 were: J. Lindstrom, president; Claude Parkinson, first vice-president; G. Paylor, second vice-president, and Mrs. Kraft, secretary, in addition to eight directors.