By Katherine Svenkeson

Ag societies meet up in the Battlefords

Feb 16, 2017 | 11:00 AM

The Battlefords will host a convention that helps agricultural societies all over the province this year.

Coming up on Feb. 24 and 25, between 35 to 40 agricultural communities will meet up for the Saskatchewan Association of Agricultural Societies and Exhibitions’ (SAASE) 2017 convention, held at the Battlefords Agricultural Society.

Executive director at SAASE, Glen Duck, said the two day event gives agricultural societies a chance to network, learn, and see where things are moving.

“We’ve got a workshop taking place on social media and our different agricultural societies can use to help promote their events. We’ve got some round table discussions taking place,” Duck said. “We’ll be talking about social media, volunteers and youth, rodeo, entertainment for our fairs and agricultural sponsorship ideas, our safety day program, agricultural education, all kinds of different things.”

There will be a few keynote speakers at events, including one with roots from the Battlefords, Curtis Webber. Webber lost two limbs when he was 17, and suffered from third and fourth degree burns over 60 per cent of his body after an electrical accident.

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“He’s got a great inspirational message that he’s brought from it,” Duck said. “We operated a provincial safety day program. Curtis has helped us out at a couple of the events and we’re just really looking forward to having Curtis come by and talk to us.”

A few groups and individuals will be receiving awards at the convention, including some agricultural societies older than the province itself. The society of Stoughton will be awarded for its 120th anniversary, and Abernethy, honored for its 110 consecutive fairs.

Mostly, the event is an opportunity to celebrate volunteers according to Duck.

“Volunteers are what make our communities go,” he said. “Agricultural societies have long been part of the heart of communities around Saskatchewan. We have 62 of them in Saskatchewan and we’ve got hundreds and hundreds and thousands of volunteers who make our communities go and work with our agricultural societies. It’s a real opportunity for us to celebrate the people who help make our province what it is.”

Katherine.svenkeson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @ksvenkeson