The Kamsack Power House Museum board and volunteers once again hosted an opening event for the facility on May 19.
The day began with a pancake breakfast including sausages, strawberries and whipped cream, and refreshments.
Volunteers flipped pancakes and fried sausages for close to 135 people who attended the event.
Entertainment was provided by the Polka Pals and the Benito Vesselli Ukrainian dancers.
Local members of the Polka Pals, were: Bill Zbeetnoff, Al Makowsky, Brent Toporowski, Danny Horkoff, Peter Cherkas and Allan Kondratoff.
Kristin Harness and Andrea Keller brought three members of the dance group, Jacey Harness, Ady Blosha and Ava Keller, who performed two dance numbers for the audience.
The first presentation was a Poltava dance, and, after a quick costume change, the girls came back to perform a Bukovynian region dance.
A happy reunion occurred when two childhood friends met up for the first time since their high school graduation, a number of years ago, in the late 1960s.
Tannis Warriner of Kamsack, a Museum volunteer, spotted old friend Gloria Stesenko of Benito. The pair once rode the school bus from Togo to Kamsack together, but lost touch after graduation, said Betty Dix, Stecenko’s sister. Although Kamsack and Benito are not too terribly far apart, the pair just never met up again until the Museum opening event on May 19.
A new member of the Museum board, Ken Thompson, Kamsack’s fire chief, was on hand to help with the event.
Lydia Cherkas, president of the Museum board, was emcee for the program.
Tours of the Museum were available in the afternoon, and pie and ice cream was available.
Jenae Berndt of Saskatoon, a student at Brandon University who is studying psychiatric nursing, is in her second year as the summer student co-ordinator supervisor of the Museum.
“I take people on tours, modernize and digitize the history of the Museum on the computer, do general cleaning and share the history of Kamsack,” she said.
Saying she is very impressed with the layout of the Museum, she said her favorite display is the child’s bedroom titled “Pioneer Bedroom.” The bed is brass and originally belonged to Metro Dichko, and the bedspread is handmade and dates back to the early 1900s.
On the back wall is a quilt which was a project of the Harmony Centre. It was made for display at the Yorkton Thresherman’s show. Members of the club, using materials purchased through a new horizons grant, made blocks which were put together into a quilt by J. Chepil and A. Lyshynski, said information about the display.
An Artists Day is upcoming, sponsored by the Museum, to be held on July 13 at the OCC Hall, said Berndt.
Ray and Marlene Kostiuk of Raymar Farms, an organic operation, of Aaran and Benito enjoyed their tour of the museum grounds. Ray seized the opportunity to sit on an IHC WD6 tractor that is on display, saying he used to farm 1500 acres with a similar tractor many years ago.
“I just finished seeding organic oats yesterday,” he said.
Draws were made for donated door prizes.
