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Ruby Elliott's
wonderful world of crafts
By David Willberg
Ruby Elliott knows all about crafts.
She started knitting when she was eight years old, and eventually learned
the arts of crocheting, cross-stitching, sewing, cake decorating and creating
items using plastic mesh. Her mother first got her into knitting, which
she's enjoyed for over 60 years, and Elliott has gradually added more
talents to her repertoire.
Elliott likes her crafts because she says it helps keep her occupied.
She can't sit and watch television without having some kind of craft in
her hands. She also enjoys seeing the finished product, and giving away
those products to friends and family.
Her crafts won her numerous prizes at the domestics show during June's
Estevan Fair. She collected seven firsts and three seconds for the 11
items she entered. Most of them had been created this year.
It was the first time she'd ever entered a contest in over 60 years, and
only did it at the insistence of friend Marie Wood.
"I was surprised," said Elliott of her awards haul. "I
just didn't expect my items to be great enough to win prizes. I perhaps
will show at the fair again next year, if I get some items ready, but
outside of that, I won't be (going to other shows)."
Her only impediment in her hobby is she's left-handed. Not that there's
anything wrong with being a southpaw, but she had to learn how to knit
right-handed because her mother couldn't teach Elliott how to do it with
her left hand. She's never tried to knit left-handed, as she's been knitting
for too long to try it any other way. However, she did teach her right-handed
daughters to knit with their preferred side.
Cross-stitching can also be a problem, as many of the patterns are designed
for right handed people.
"It's not difficult," she said. "With crocheting and cake
decorating, I just reverse it."
Knitting is still her favorite activity, because she's able to do it quickly
and she's been doing it for the longest period of time. Cross-stitch pieces
take a little longer, but she has used her talents to cross-stitch a project
for the Estevan United Way's Marathon in past years.
There are two different cross-stitch patterns: stamp, in which the material
is already stamped with the design; and counter, which requires the participant
to count the stitches. Elliott prefers the counter system.
She has also contributed items to her church, and donates shalls and lap
rugs to residents of the Estevan Regional Nursing Home.
"I think it's easier for them to pull a shall over the shoulders
than to wear a sweater," said Elliott, of why shalls can be so popular.
Elliott finds inspiration from different sources. A multi-colored sweater
that she recently created was her own idea. Many of her works are based
on the Bible, and some quote Bible verses. Other ideas were drawn from
books that her family gave her.
Finding time to get her crafts done can also be a challenge. Elliott is
the president of the High Risers Association at Trinity Tower, she is
active in St. Paul's United Church Women, and she sings in the church's
choir and in the Northwest Chorus. She also travels to Gainsborough twice
a month for meetings at the Rebekah Lodge.
Sometimes she'll spend an hour working on a craft, and at other times
she'll take three or four hours. The summer does afford her the chance
to get more done, as she has fewer meetings.
One thing she doesn't expect to do is pick up any new crafts.
"I don't think I have time for anything new," she said.
Elliott and her husband Jim have two children: Brenda, who is married
to Dave Fisher, and Shelia, who is single. Brenda and Dave have three
children: Becky, Jeremy and Cayley. Both of Elliott's daughters are active
in knitting and other crafts.
Work complete at Boundary Dam
By David Willberg
The $80 million rebuild of Unit 6 at the Boundary Dam Power Station is
complete.
The announcement was made at a September 12 press conference at the plant.
Included are boiler work, turbine and generator replacements, and the
addition of electrostatic precipitators. It should add another 20 to 25
years to the life of Unit Six, which accounts for 10 per cent of Saskatchewan's
power production.
Other highlights include a new control system and upgrades to the coal
pulverizer, feed water heaters and other interrelated components. Hundreds
of contractors were hired, and there is expected to be $50 million in
spin-offs for Saskatchewan companies.
"The rebuild is important, of course, because Boundary Dam is important
in terms of keeping our costs down and making sure we have safe, reliable
electricity in this province," said SaskPower Minister Andrew Thomson.
The renovation was initially announced last September, but work didn't
begin until March. Cracks in the new generator were detected in May, setting
the project back three weeks. Testing began in August to ensure all of
the parts would work properly. SaskPower didn't have trouble meeting consumption
needs during the peak summer season.
"At the end of the project, there is an awful lot of testing that
has to be done, tuning and setting up the controls," said vice-president
of power production Garner Mitchell. "The good news is the rest of
the coal fire units ran so well that it just about covered the lost production
that we had."
Mitchell was amongst 40 SaskPower employees and contractors in attendance.
He recognizes it has been a trying year for BDPS employees.
Earlier this year, a $62 million project was finished that saw the installation
of five new precipitators at BDPS, the largest and oldest plant in SaskPower's
fleet. It will eliminate 99 per cent of the flyash that escapes into Estevan's
air, ensuring it will meet federal and provincial standards.
Thomson, who assumed the SaskPower portfolio after Premier Lorne Calvert's
recent changes to the Crown Investment Corporations structure, said SaskPower
is continuing to use coal because it is more cost-effective than other
forms of power, such as wind and natural gas.
"It's about half the cost of natural gas, it doesn't have the spikes
in terms of price that natural gas has," said Thomson. "Wind
is something we're moving in to .. we're looking at that as an add-on
to the system, but the base load still has to be met by coal, and we're
committed to doing that. It's safe, it's cheap, it's increasingly clean,
and believe it's the right thing to do to keep the cost down and meet
our supply needs."
Youth help people
up north
A team of youth and young adults from St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Estevan
recently had the opportunity to work with youth in northern Saskatchewan.
From August 2 to 9, they were at Nemeiben Lake, about 15 minutes north
of La Ronge and eight hours away from Estevan. Every afternoon, the team
worked at a Vacation Bible School at the lake's First Nations reserve,
playing music for the youth and teaching them crafts and games. They often
socialized with the youth in the evening.
A second team of 10 from the church worked with youth at nearby Pinenettles
Lake.
Sarah and Alisha Reiley-Brokenshire headed up the team that went to Nemeiben.
They felt it helped them realize how much they have. Right away, the Riley-Brokenshires
could tell there were differences in how they led their lives compared
with their First Nations counterparts.
Both were also quite surprised at the conduct of the children they worked
with. The Nemieben youth were very open and receptive to the message the
Estevan team brought with them, and didn't make any negative comments
towards the Estevan delegation.
The team from St. Peters has already agreed to return to Nemeiben next
year.
PERRY amongst those
with West Nile
By David Willberg
Estevan Mayor Tim Perry is amongst the nearly 125 Saskatchewan residents
who have contracted the West Nile Virus.
Perry first noticed symptoms of nausea, headache and eye soreness while
working at the Boundary Dam Power Station on August 17. He finished his
shift, worked the next day and presided over an Estevan City Council meeting
August 18.
"I had what I thought was maybe the beginning of the flu," he
said. "My body was sore, I had a bit of a fever, I was hot and cold.
It's not unusual, the power plant is an exceptionally hot place, and on
that particular day, I think we were running about 68 or 70 C on the 14th
floor."
He suffered more body aches on the 18th, was fatigued on the 19th and
20th, and was covered in spots when he woke up on the 21st.
"When the spots and the rash showed up, I'd pretty much determined
that I had West Nile," said Perry. "So I made a doctor's appointment,
and the doctor pretty much agreed with my self-diagnosis."
Perry said he wasn't worried about the condition, since he was able to
continue working. He knows of others, though, who have been in worse condition.
His experience with West Nile has given the mayor a greater appreciation
for the need to combat mosquito populations, although he said he hasn't
been bitten as many times this year.
Council payment
structure set
By David Willberg
Estevan City Council accepted most of the recommendations from its remuneration
committee during a September 8 meeting.
The next council - to be determined on October 22 - will be paid on a
per capita system, based on a population of 10,242. The six councillors
will receive $10,250 each, while the mayor will be paid $20,250. The car
allowance will be tied into salaries.
Other recommendations include the publication of an attendance report
every January, out-of-city travel mileage increasing to 38 cents from
30, and members being re-imbursed $40 a day for meals while attending
conferences.
Two changes were made from the original report. Members of council will
not receive a $75 bonus for attending budget and CUPE negotiation meetings,
and they will be able to miss three open meetings before being docked
pay. After that, councillors will lose $200 for each open meeting missed,
while $400 will be deducted from the mayor.
Other highlights from the meeting:
*Saskatchewan Health has deposited $6,615 into the City's bank account
for mosquito control programs. Another $2,200 will be paid later this
year.
*Public works tenders were issued to R.S. Wilson and Son Construction
for $36,893 for earthworks; Turnbull Excavating for $167,297.76 for sewer
and water main repairs, and Mid-west Concrete and Paving Stone worth $77,944.15
for concrete curbs and sidewalks.
*Repairs to City intersections and paving of Heritage Drive won't occur
until next year. Councillor Sandy Wilson brought forward a motion to tender
out work on Heritage, but it was narrowly defeated.
*Nomination forms for those interested in running in the municipal and
school board elections must be submitted between 8:00 a.m. September 15
and 4:00 p.m. September 24.
*Only 65 of 245 notices for untidy properties haven't been responded to.
Some property owners are miffed for receiving notices, while others are
upset because they feel they've done the requested work.
*According to a report, city manager Jim Puffalt believes economic development
should be done in house. Councillor Sandy Wilson suggested hiring an economic
development officer who will receive insight from all development groups.
Wilson again criticized the $60,000 the City gives to the Estevan Chamber
of Commerce each year. Councillor Barrie Korf believes the last thing
the City needs is another management figure.
*Three readings were given to a traffic bylaw amendment to establish school
zones for the new Spruce Ridge School and the re-located Southeast Christian
Academy, and drop the one for the closed Estevan Junior High. It also
establishes a loading zone for the Estevan Day Care.
*The City will spend $144,313 on flooring and preparation costs for the
Souris Valley Aquatic and Leisure Centre's pool deck. Change rooms will
be tackled next year.
*Water and sewer breaks repairs are costing the City $250,000 a year.
Estevan is scheduled to receive $200,000 in 2004 and $359,618 in 2005
from provincial grants, and combined with City funding, that should mean
17 and 25 blocks of lines repaired in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
CHAMBER NOTES
Highlights from the monthly meeting of the Estevan Chamber of Commerce
September 10:
*Signs promoting Estevan's energy tours have been posted at the North
Portal border crossing.
*A new welcome to Estevan sign and a map will soon be installed at the
city's west entrance.
*Border crossing hours continue to be a contentious issue. Chamber president
John Empey has yet to hear back from Revenue Minister Elinor Caplan. However,
he has had conversations with North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, who said
the American customs officials are willing to make adjustments, but the
problem is on the Canadian side of the border.
*The chamber executive will meet with Estevan City Council after a new
council is elected October 22. Empey said they'd received a letter from
the City asking for a meeting, but Empey doesn't think this is an appropriate
time and he doesn't want to create an election issue.
*Plans for Showcase are continuing. Most of the booths have been booked,
and there will be prizes awarded each day. Organizers are still looking
for volunteers.
*Next meeting is October 8, with a guest speaker to be announced later.
CANDIDATE FOR COUNCILLOR
Councillor Gary St. Onge has declared his intention to seek re-election
in this fall's civic election
Two of St. Onge's goals when he ran three years ago were more efficient
use of the tax dollar and more work on infrastructure. He feels that the
City has become more efficient, as evidenced by a surplus in 2002 and
a projected surplus in 2003.
Because of the City's poor financial state, infrastructure work has had
to be put off. However, the Shirley Creek debt has now been placed in
a long-term debt instrument. This, combined with future government funding
and the last payment of one of the City's debentures, will free up enough
money to allow the City to replace 15-20 blocks of water mains in each
of the next several years.
Several personnel issues, work on the City's long-term policies, and union
negotiations with both CUPE and the Estevan Police Service have required
a lot of Council's time in this past term. St. Onge feels that the City
has started to turn around and he would like to contribute to these continued
improvements.
He feels that some mistakes were made such as a snow removal policy that
fell way short of what the citizens expected, and he is disappointed that
council still seems to be too involved in the day-to-day operation of
the City.
St. Onge and wife Connie have four children: Lee, Wade, Deanna and Lori.
He is a retired principal of Bienfait Weldon School, and he served three
terms on the Estevan Roman Catholic Separate School Board in the 1980s
and 1990s.
CANDIDATE FOR COUNCILLOR
Brian Johnson
is seeking a second term on Estevan City Council.
Johnson has enjoyed his first three years on council. He feels he has
addressed lots of concerns from the citizens, but there are a few left
to be dealt with, such as infrastructure, the truck route, drainage at
Bay Meadows, and continued beautification efforts. He believes council
should accountable and available, while keeping services affordable.
The next three years will be an interesting time for the next council,
whoever is on it.
"We have the right people in place, I think we've set lots of milestones,
I think we have a sound council that has been on for the last three years,"
said Johnson. "We have expertise there in all fields, we've worked
together closely and supported one another, and made strong decisions
for the community, we've got experts in every area that I think is needed."
Hiring new managers and releasing monthly financial statements have keyed
the improvements, according to Johnson.
"It helps us know we are financially to have a report coming every
month," said Johnson. "That helps us to make better business
decisions."
He encourages anyone interested joining council to let their name stand
especially since it appears a couple of incumbents won't be running.
An employee at the Boundary Dam Power Station, Johnson and his wife Gloria
and two children: Sienna and Landon.
CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR
A familiar face is seeking a return to the mayor's chair on Estevan City
Council.
John Empey has declared he will run for the position, which he held from
1988 to 1994. He also served as a councillor for seven years prior to
that. He lost to Tim Perry by seven votes in the 2000 mayoral election.
While the tight vote three years ago may have impacted his decision, the
motivating factors were the issues he has with the current council, and
his belief that he can make a difference and provide leadership, which
he feels he has done in the past. Empey has noticed a mood of dissatisfaction
with the city's current direction, and he had quite a few people encourage
him to run.
Division within council is one of his primary issues, because he thinks
council should be working as a collective unit.
"That requires pulling council together, and getting a common agenda
that everybody can accept, that everybody has input into formulating,
and then encouraging everybody to support that common agenda," said
Empey. "I think that's the only way you get things done, and I don't
believe that's happening."
The current condition of water and sewer mains and the streets is another
issue. He questions what's been done to improve it, and where the plan
was before this year. He senses ratepayers are more concerned with what
they get for their taxes than how much they're paying.
Some of the current nit-picking by members of council was a third factor.
Empey doesn't mind discussion based on legitimate facts, but has a problem
when members of council fabricate or exaggerate issues at election time.
Empey owns the House of Stationary and the local IKON Office Solutions
branch, and has served as president of the Estevan Chamber of Commerce
for five years.
CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR
~ Tim Perry ~
Tim Perry will be seeking a second term as Estevan's mayor.
The veteran politician spent six years as a councillor before becoming
mayor. He believes he's accomplished his platforms from the 2000 campaign:
completing more work in open meetings, modifying and enforcing the purchasing
policy, reorganizing the engineering department to make better use of
resources, and paying more attention to city cleanliness, which has been
stepped up in recent months.
While the budget has yet to be finished in January like he'd hoped, this
year's document was completed in early March. Expenditures were lower
in 2002 than they were in 2000, despite higher wages and overall price
increases.
Perry has been vocal in lobbying the provincial government for more money
in provincial revenue sharing. Estevan's portion has risen from $425,000
a year to $600,000.
Members of council have also completed a vision statement.
"One of the reason I decided to put my name back into the hat is
we have nine objectives, and we have some plans for carrying out these
objectives, and I would like to see these completed," said Perry.
As for this next term, if he is re-elected, Perry wants to work more on
department structure so that it doesn't return to the way it used to be;
incorporate more organizations, such as tourism, into economic development;
develop a long-term partnership with other organizations such as the RM
of Estevan; compile an infrastructure master plan; encourage council to
celebrate their successes; capitalize on opportunities to sell services
such as water to other communities; and implement policies when they are
lacking.
Perry is a shift supervisor at SaskPower, and while he has found it challenging
to balance his job and the mayor's responsibilities, thinks he can do
it for three more years. He and his wife Tracey have five children.
Arts Council holds
meeting
The Estevan Arts Council held their annual meeting September 3.
Reports were tabled from Stars for Saskatchewan, Koncerts for Kids, the
visual arts committee and then-president Warren Barton, who, during the
meeting, turned over the president's responsibilities to Denise Epp.
Both Stars for Saskatchewan and Koncerts for Kids had good years attendance-wise.
Stars brought in Men of the Deeps, a national group of singing coal miners,
and hosted a bonus concert with country music stars Lisa Brokop, Jamie
Warren and Steve Fox.
Koncerts brought in a variety for their four performances last year, including
vocal groups, drama and marionettes.
Visual arts offered numerous workshops throughout the fall and winter,
and hosted the adjudicated art show in conjunction with the Estevan Comprehensive
School in May.
Four performing arts scholarships were handed out in the spring.
Financial statements released during the meeting contained good news,
too. Administration, Koncerts, Stars and the visual arts programs all
showed a surplus in total income over expense, and Koncerts for Kids was
able to set some money aside for their GIC.
An unbreakable
spirit
Estevan was one of several communities in southeast Saskatchewan to host
a Terry Fox Run September 14.
Ninety-one people combined to collect $4,847 in pledges, and additional
money that had yet to come in should lift the total over $5,000. Almost
all of that money will eventually be turned over to cancer research.
Participants walked, biked, ran or rollerbladed distances of one, two,
three, five or 10 kilometres.
This year's run was themed "An Unbreakable Spirit" and it was
the 21st edition in Estevan. Over $90,000 has been raised in Estevan for
cancer research during that time.
Showcase not filled
yet
By David Willberg
There are still some booths available for Showcase, September 26 to 28
at the Souris Valley Aquatic and Leisure Centre.
Showcase coordinator Brenda Fenn didn't reveal how much room is left out
of the 92 slots at the Lignite Miners Centre. They can accommodate up
to 10 more in the Leisure Centre's hallway, and there will also be some
outside exhibitors again this year.
Entertainment has moved from the Wylie Mitchell building to the Nicholson
Centre, with musicians, singers, dancers and magicians every day. There
will be a karaoke contest and a fashion show the second day, and a scuba
diving seminar the final day.
The vegetable contest is back for another year, with prizes in six categories.
Organizers are hoping to surpass the 5,000 people that passed through
the gates last year.
"Last year on Friday night alone, we had over 1,700 people, so we're
sure that throughout the time period, we can accommodate over 5,000 people,"
said Fenn. "The only thing is, when it's too crowded, people can't
stop and look, so we're hoping people will be comfortable coming through
it this year."
Door prizes include a daily draw of $200 in Estevan Promotions Cash, and
a trip for two to the Moose Jaw Spa. The grand prize is a trip to Edmonton
for the Hockey Heritage Classic November 22, which will be played in front
of 60,000 people at Commonwealth Stadium.
"We're really working on drawing the attention of the crowd in for
the exhibitors," said Fenn. "Last year we had the one prize
for Friday night, now we have prizes for every day, and they're targeted
for all different types ... and age groups of people."
SaskTel steady
in tough times
SaskTel has managed to avoid the hardships many telecommunications businesses
have faced.
At a September 12 meeting in the Beefeater Inn's Taylorton Room, VP of
marketing Mike Anderson provided numbers that have shown growth for the
Crown Corporation.
Despite losing over $200 million in long distance business since they
started facing competition in 1996, SaskTel's value is up to $1.5 billion,
and they've posted record earnings the past two years. New features, increased
cellular service, high speed Internet, new Max television service, while
continuing to provide customer service, have helped their growth.
"If you look at particularly the last five years, the largest problem
that many of the larger companies have gotten in is ... it's a lot of
merger and acquisition activity: companies going out and paying exorbitant
prices for other companies, and not necessarily focusing their own customer
base," said Anderson.
Over $2 trillion and 300,000 jobs have been lost in the industry over
the past two years. Several companies have fallen into bankruptcy, while
others are now emerging from it.
Nortel's shares improved last week, after falling from $180 three years
ago to under a buck. Anderson thinks overall improvement in the industry
is still a couple years away.
"I think it bottomed out, but I'm not sure yet if we'll see significant
increases in either share value or business fundamentals," said Anderson.
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COACH LOOKING FORWARD
TO SEASON
By David Willberg
Estevan Bruins head coach/GM Kelvin MacKay will have a young team in his
first season with the club.
Hired by the club back in May, MacKay takes over a team with just two
returning 20-year-olds: forward Dylan Dufour and defenceman Joel Pullman.
Forward Jason Butler, 20, left the team last week.
Also back are forwards Matt Harms, Cam Jarvis and Scott Sinclair, defencemen
Chris Stubel, Kade Ellis-Toddington and Jared Mohr, and goalie Andrew
Arklie. Defencemen Ken Patzack (Moose Jaw) and Mark Vodden (Medicine Hat)
are still in WHL camps. A bevy of 18-year-old prospects - with a few 17,
19 and 20-year old SJHL rookies - round out the roster.
A captain has yet to be named for this year.
"That's a very important pick, it's like the final nail in the old
railway tracks ... it's that final spike," said MacKay of a captain
selection.
Estevan opens the season September 19 in Melville against the Millionaires,
with the home opener the following night against Melville. The Bruins
finished the pre-season with a 3-4-2 record after losing 5-1 in Yorkton
September 14.
MacKay expects all the teams in the Sherwood Conference to be strong this
year, and for the south to supplant the north as the superior conference.
"I believe our division down south here will be the stronger in the
SJHL. You'll have strong teams in the north, for sure, I think Melfort
will be strong, Humboldt, obviously, and Kindersley looks good."
MacKay is pleased with how the team has responded to his calls for hard
work, conditioning and off-ice conduct. Those who don't respond will be
gone.
Goaltending should be a strong suit, with Arklie, 18-year-old Justin Mrazek
and 20-year-old Huston Buffalo still in camp, as should the defence. However,
last year's top four scorers are all gone, and the top returning scorer,
Dylan Dufour, had 33 points, most of them with Melville.
"Your team only gets better in those 2-1 and 3-2 games, when they
have to learn from the first minute to the 60th minute," said MacKay.
"I think it'll bring our guys together, make us more disciplined,
and you have to be disciplined when you get those low-scoring games."
Trapp impressed
with Bruin prospects
By David Willberg
Barry Trapp likes what he sees from several Estevan Bruins prospects.
The director of scouting for the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs was in the
crowd September 9 when the Bruins dropped 4-1 decision to the MJHL's Portage
Terriers. Despite the loss, the veteran talent evaluator did see some
favorable things.
Two players he was paying particularly close attention to were 17-year-old
Tim Spencer and 18-year-old Kyle Pellerin. Pellerin scored the Bruins
lone goal in the Portage loss.
"Once the team is set, I'll come back and check them all over again,"
said Trapp. "I've seen them at home, I want to see them play on the
road. I'm a strong believer in watching kids play on the road, I think
I got in that habit with Team Canada (as their top scout), because we
didn't have any home games."
He was also hoping to get a good look at goalie Justin Mrazek, who was
the top netminder at this past spring's Air Canada Cup midget AAA nationals,
but Mrazek was in a back-up role that night to Huston Buffalo. Trapp expects
the Bruins to have strong goaltending.
"My other people have seen him (Mrazek), and the way he played last
year and took his team to the Air Canada Cup, there's no doubt that he's
a quality goaltender, and the guy who finished here last year is an excellent
goaltender. That's the way you build your team, you start from the back
end, and if you're strong in goal, that's a big plus for you."
CLUBHOUSE LIKELY
TO BE DELAYED
By David Willberg
Barring an influx of donations this fall, the Estevan Woodlawn Golf Course
won't begin construction of its new clubhouse until next year.
Capital planning committee chair Warren Waldegger and greens chair Jim
Wilson were the guest speakers at the Estevan Chamber of Commerce's monthly
meeting September 10. He told the members in attendance that they've raised
roughly $250,000 for the new clubhouse and back nine renovations, to go
along with $300,000 already in the bank.
The committee had hoped for $300,000 in pledges before breaking ground
on the clubhouse, so that likely means another winter of fundraising.
"It looks like now we'll probably be holding off and doing some more
fundraising for the winter months and planning to turn sod next year,"
Waldegger told Lifestyles.
The capital planning and capital finance committees have been holding
semi-annual membership meetings for the past two years, but Waldegger
is uncertain if there'll be a meeting this fall.
A renovation of the back nine has been in the works for nearly two decades.
Extremely hot and dry weather, similar to what was seen this summer, postponed
the project 20 years ago. Waldegger doesn't see history repeating itself
and a face-lift should be done by 2007.
"A lot of the plans that were put in place back in the 1980s, we
developed a water holding pond, we upgraded our irrigation system to give
us a little more leeway in times like this, and it seems to be paying
off," said Waldegger.
Saskatoon police
to race
Law and order will be present at the Estevan Drag Racing Association's
first annual Arizona Mechanical Bracket Bash September 21 at the Estevan
Airport.
The Saskatoon Police Service's Street Legal Racing Team (SLRT) will enter
three cars into the competition: a fully-marked 1981 Chevy Malibu, and
an unmarked S15 and Monte Carlo. All three are full-fledged race cars.
Local youngsters will also have the opportunity to challenge the Malibu.
Mayor Tim Perry, Police Chief Peter MacKinnon and other members of the
community have been invited to ride in the car so they can understand
how safe track racing is.
Not only does the SLRT strive to show the perils of illegal street racing
and to race at the track, they try to educate youth about the dangers
of drug and alcohol abuse and impaired driving, and they try to promote
a better understanding between the police and the communities they serve.
Retired Staff Sergeant Aime Decae is one of the SLRT drivers. He said
they race regularly at the Saskatoon International Raceway, and are one
of the quickest cars in their division. He feels the team allows the officers
to set a good example.
The three cars will be on display at the Estevan A&W before the afternoon
races.
ELECS HIT THE COURT
After two weeks of try-outs and practices, the Estevan Comprehensive School
(ECS) Elecs girls volleyball team played in their first tournament of
the year September 5 and 6.
They finished the round robin with a 2-2 record, winning their first match
25-21 and 25-12 over Rose Valley, and their fourth contest 25-7 and 25-23
over Preeceville; but losing 25-21 and 25-16 to Yorkton Sacred Heart,
and 25-22 and 25-16 to Yorkton Regional.
In the semi-finals against Montmartre, Estevan had a 21-17 lead in the
first set, but lost 25-21. ECS couldn't overcome a shaky start in the
second game and lost 25-18, ending their tournament.
This year's team is a veteran squad, with 10 returning players - seven
of them are in Grade 12 - and only two rookies.
Henderson reigns
after the rain
By David Willberg
It was a wet but entertaining weekend during the Arizona Mechanical Fall
Classic September 13 and 14 at the Estevan Motor Speedway (EMS).
Rain in the middle of the program on the 13th postponed the B-mains and
the features for all four classes to the following afternoon. When action
did get back underway, passing was at a premium, and it was mostly-clean
racing in the second set of features.
Kelly Henderson captured his first EMS IMCA stock car championship, winning
the first feature and finishing fourth in the second. He finished the
six-race series with 232 points, six ahead of defending champion Wyatt
Olson. Tony Marsh entered the weekend tied with Henderson, but didn't
compete.
Bruce Rudland won the second feature on the 14th.
The other three series - mini-sprints, hobby stocks and IMCA modifieds
- will be decided during the Season Championship September 28.
Lampman's Daryle Runge, in search of his first EMS hobby stock championship,
has a four-point lead on defending champion Try Adams, 440-436. Runge
took second and eighth in the two features, while Adams had a sixth and
a seventh. Davin Emmel's chances are only mathematical, as he sits in
third with 407 points. He finished first and second during the weekend.
Alvin Dube captured the second feature, slipping past Brandon Labatte
on the sixth lap, and holding off Emmel for most of the remaining laps.
Emmel only passed him once: coming out of turn two, a position Dube quickly
regained.
Joren Boyce strengthened his grip atop the IMCA modified division with
second and fourth place finishes for 397 points and a 17-point lead on
Steven Pfeiffer, who finished sixth and third.
Two-time defending series champion Ed Turnbull and Jim Harris, both of
Estevan, are the only other drivers with mathematical chances. Turnbull
has 370 points after taking third and 20th, while Harris has 369, stemming
from a seventh in the first feature, followed by his first EMS victory
of the season.
Harris passed Jim Barnstable on the second lap and never looked back.
He was in dominant form, lapping several cars and building lengthy leads
that were only stunted by a pair of caution flags.
Mike Hagen won the first feature.
Vern Symons of Estevan has all-but clinched the mini-sprints series. He
boasts a 25-point lead over Darcy Walker, 446-421, after finishing fifth
both races.
However, the weekend belonged to the youngest racing Turnbull, Tyson.
He squeaked past Dave Dayman the first feature, then led wire-to-wire
over Walker to become the first driver to win two features in the same
day.
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