Rural History and Culture Association » RHCA Projects

RHCA DISSOLVING EFFECTIVE JUNE 30, 2010

Mike — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:00:32 +0000

The Rural History and Culture Association (RHCA), which was formally established in 2006, will be dissolved on June 30, 2010. The reason for the dissolution is that Mike Fedyk, the founding President, and most active RHCA member, is moving out of Saskatchewan on June 30, 2010. Fedyk formed the organization to provide an outlet for his projects such as historical re-enactments, community festivals, Saskatchewan singer songwriter concerts and similar events, and without his presence, the other RHCA members are not willing to maintain the organization.

Between 2006 and 2010, the RHCA initiated 12 historical re-enactments, community festivals and other events in 11 different communities and also published one book. RHCA events attracted over 10,000 people, major media attention and raised over $30,000 for heritage and community organizations in Saskatchewan.

The RHCA website will continue to be maintained in order that information on past RHCA events and activities will be available but no new information will be posted on the site.

Mike Fedyk is leaving Saskatchewan entirely for personal (romantic) reasons and his departure does not reflect any desire to seek the so-called ‘greener’ pastures that supposedly exist outside of Saskatchewan. Fedyk expects to continue his interest in promoting history, including involvement in Saskatchewan history, once he is settled in Ontario.

NWMP TRAIL BOOK SET FOR RELEASE IN JULY

Mike — Thu, 27 May 2010 03:35:57 +0000

The much anticipated release of Fort Walsh to Wood Mountain: The North-West Mounted Police Trail will take place in July 2010. The book is the legacy aspect of the very successful Celebrate the NWMP Trail festivals that took place during the summer of 2009 in five south western Saskatchewan communities and Fort Walsh National Historic Site. The book features 14 articles contributed by Garrett Wilson, Ken Mitchell, Thelma Poirier, Mike Fedyk and a number of other Canadian writers. Richly illustrated with over 20 black and white historical photographs, the book also includes 16 colour photographs from renowned photographer Everett Baker, who was also the person most responsible placing historic markers on the Trail in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The book is expected to retail for $14.50 and will be available at a number of bookstores as well as through the Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society (SHFS). All profits from the sale of the book will go to the SHFS’s Friends of the NWMP Trail program, which maintains the NWMP Trail markers. A complete list of outlets where Fort Walsh to Wood Mountain will be available and how to order a copy from the SHFS will be announced in mid-June along with the scheduled release date.

NWMP TRAIL PICTURES ADDED TO RHCA FLICKR SITE

Mike — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:03:10 +0000

Trail riders at NWMP Trail markers near Fort Walsh

Thirty-four pictures taken at the six Celebrate the NWMP Trail events held in south-west Saskatchewan between July 1 and August 2, 2009, have been added to the Rural History and Culture Association’s Flickr site and can be viewed there. The pictures include every aspect of the six events including “Spirits of the Trail,” the dramatic re-telling of the story of the friendship between James Walsh of the North-West Mounted Police and Sioux Chieftain Sitting Bull. Other pictures feature First Nations performances and Saskatchewan singer/songwriters.

Pictures of the T-Rex Discovery Centre in Eastend and the Eastend Historical Museum have also been added to the Museum section of the RHCA Flickr site.

A video of the highlights of the Celebrate the NWMP Trail events is currently being produced and should be posted to Youtube sometime in September.

OVER 1600 ATTEND CELEBRATE NWMP TRAIL FESTIVALS

Mike — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:23:38 +0000

Riding the Historic NWMP Trail near Wood Mountain

The sixth and final Celebrate the North-West Mounted Police Trail festival was held at Fort Walsh National Historic Site on August 2, 2009. Over 350 people took in the events at Fort Walsh, which brought the total attendance at the six festivals to over 1600 people. The other festivals were held at Wood Mountain, McCord, Val Marie, Shaunavon and Eastend starting on July 1.

The Fort Walsh event was special because of the participation of the Fort Walsh interpretative staff in the Spirits of the Trail dramatic remembering. This included six interpreters attired in period NWMP uniforms and the firing of the Fort’s cannon to signal the beginning of the Trail ride (the horses were of course a good distance away when the cannon was fired).

Pictures, videos and more information on each of the six festivals will be posted on the RHCA site later in August.

NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE SONG POSTED TO RHCA WEBSITE

Mike — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 03:23:04 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tommy-John Ehman of Craik is one of the Saskatchewan singer/songwriters participating in the Celebrate the NWMP Trail festivals that are taking place between July 1 and August 2, 2009. Tommy was inspired by the history of the NWMP Trail to write a song especially for performance at the festivals. Appropriately entitled, “The North-West Mounted Police,” the song captures the epic spirit of the Trail and is a tribute to the the NWMP officers who rode the Trail between 1875 and 1912. Tommy premiered the song at the RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina during the Celebrate the NWMP Trail media event on June 25 and performed the song at the Wood Mountain and Val Marie festivals on July 1 and July 24. The video to the right features Tommy’s performance of the song in Val Marie.

The sixth and final Celebrate the NWMP Trail festival takes place at Fort Walsh National Historic Site on August 2, 2009. The schedule includes: “The Spirits of the Trail,” a “horse opera” portraying the relationship between NWMP Officer James Walsh and Sioux Chieftain Sitting Bull written by Ken Mitchell; the History of the Trail by noted historian and award-winning author Garrett Wilson; Everett Baker Trail by the Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society; First Nations performances; concerts from Ragtime Don and the Word Junkie and Karen Blackwell Jones and a finale storytelling circle and potluck supper. All this and Fort Walsh National Historic Site will be offering its regular tours!

Over 1000 people attended the first five Celebrate the NWMP Trail festivals and pictures, videos and descriptions of the first five events have also been posted to the RHCA website. More pictures and videos will be added after Fort Walsh but if you want to get a taste of what happened at Wood Mountain, McCord, Eastend, Shaunavon and Val Marie be sure to check out the site.

MEGAN NASH & KAREN BLACKWELL JONES VIDEOS ADDED TO RHCA WEBSITE

Mike — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:25:13 +0000

Two videos featuring performers from recent Celebrate the NWMP Trail festivals in Eastend and Shaunavon have been posted in the music section of the RHCA website. The videos are by Megan Nash of Mortlach and Karen Blackwell Jones of Dinsmore, two of Saskatchewan’s most talented singer/songwriters. Megan’s song called “Sober,” is a homage to “typical” country songs and takes an amusing look at the results of over indulgence. Karen’s beautiful melodies in “Pray for Rain,” contemplated the past, present and future of the family farm.

STILL TIME TO ATTEND LAST TWO NWMP TRAIL FESTIVALS

Mike — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:48:09 +0000

Over 1000 people have already attended Celebrate the NWMP Trail festivals in Wood Mountain, McCord, Eastend and Shaunavon and there is still time to catch part of the excitement in Val Marie on July 24 and Fort Walsh on August 2. Events in Val Marie will include the opportunity to ride into town from parts of the original NWMP Trail that lies outside the town. Both events will conclude with a storytelling and sing-along circle and at Fort Walsh you are invited to participate in a Potluck picnic while in Val Marie their will be a beef and bean supper served by the local committee dedicated to saving the Val Marie elevator.

Pictures and videos from the first four Celebrate the NWMP Trail events have been posted on the RHCA website and more will be coming soon!

MELISSA WURME JOINS SPIRITS OF THE TRAIL

Mike — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:44:42 +0000

Melissa Wurme

Melissa Wurme, a young woman from the Kawacatoose First Nation joined the cast of the “Spirits of the Trail” in Eastend and will be participating in the remaining Celebrate the NWMP Trail festivals in Shaunavon, Val Marie and Fort Walsh. Melissa is a traditional First Nations singer and dancer and will also be part of the First Nations cultural performances that will also be taking place at the remaining festivals. Melissa played a small role in the “Spirits of the Trail” performance and Eastend, where she was warmly received while performing a traditional song accompanied by Elder Bob Smoker on drum. After the great reaction to Melissa in Eastend, Spirits Director Ken Mitchell promised a larger role for Melissa in future shows. The next Celebrate the NWMP Trail event is in Shaunavon on July 18 and 19.

MEDIA EVENT GETS RAVE REVIEWS

Mike — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:56:23 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

No fanfare was spared at the media event held June 25 at the RCMP Heritage Centre to formally announce the details of the upcoming six Celebrate the NWMP Trail festivals. The media event attracted a crowd of nearly 50 people who received a sneak peak at what to expect the festivals that will take place at five Saskatchewan communities and Fort Walsh National Historic Site between July 1 and August 2 this summer. Finn Anderson, the Executive Director of the Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society, moderated the event and provided background o the SHFS’s efforts to mark the NWMP Trail that was in use by the NWMP between 1875 and 1912. Special guests included Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Dustin Duncan and announced that his department was providing a $45,000 grant to support the festivals through the Building Pride Program. Historian and author, Garrett Wilson, provided a dramatic reading from his award-winning book Frontier Farewell: The 1870s and the end of the Old West and Saskatchewan singer/songwriter Tommy-John Ehman debuted a new song written especially for his appearances at the NWMP Trail events, aptly titled, North-West Mounted Police. Regina actor Geordie Grassick portrayed James Walsh of the NWMP and performed a small part of the “Spirit of the Trail” dramatic storytelling, which is a major aspect of each festival.

CTV television, CBC TV and the Leader Post were all represented at the media event. The television stories can be viewed to the right and look in the June 26 Leader Post for a picture from the media event. The Celebrate the NWMP Trail events were also featured in a Leader Post story in the June 22 edition, as well as in the most recent issue of Folklore Magazine, as well as the Museum Association of Saskatchewan’s Megaphone and Christopher Moore’s Canadian History Blog.

TOMMY-JOHN EHMAN DEBUTING NWMP SONG AT MEDIA EVENT

Mike — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:35:56 +0000

Craik’s Tommy-John Ehman will be debuting a new song at the media event being held tomorrow to promote the Celebrate the NWMP Trail festivals taking place in South West Saskatchewan July 1 to August 2, 2009. Ehman’s song, appropriately titled “North-West Mounted Police” was written especially for his upcoming concerts as part of the NWMP Trail events. The media event is 10:00 am, Thursday, June 25, 2009 at the RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina. The event is open to the public and will also include Regina actor Geordie Grassick portraying James Walsh and awarding-winning historian Garrett Wilson.