By Geoff Smith

Grain elevators mark points on unique tour

Jul 20, 2016 | 1:58 PM

The wooden grain elevator is a disappearing symbol of rural life in Saskatchewan, but its image will change this weekend as it becomes a symbol of unique taste.

For its 14th year, the artisan group 12-40 and Beyond is hosting a self-guided tour through the Blaine Lake region. Red elevator signposts will mark the 14 stops along Highways 12 and 40, which is where the group gets its name.

Billy Nemish was one of the originators of the group. The owner of General Store Memories Museum and Antiques said it was a way to attract more people to the area.

“We wanted to get tourism into the area, and there was not enough people kind of surfacing around here. And we wanted to show off what we had,” Nemish explained.

His business includes selling antique items on the main floor and museum pieces on the upper floor. The self-described historian said his collection includes business calendars from Blaine Lake, Marsden, Leask, and Hafford, and everything from old tools to ancient rock carvings.

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“Lately, in my shop here especially, I’ve had a lot of younger couples that, let’s say, built a new house. And they buy grocery tins or spice tins to decorate their kitchens,” he said. He described the location as the centre of a triangle between Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and the Battlefords and said he gets visitors from all three places. He also feels the group offers the most variety of any such tour.

The area is not the usual flat prairie that comes to mind for many when they think of Saskatchewan. Nemish said the location on the edge of the Thickwood Hills surprises many visitors, including the half-mile-long incline to his location.

Lori Dyck is not originally from Saskatchewan. But as the owner of Lori Has Hives agrees that the country is beautiful and the people are “awesome.”

“I just took a trip to Vancouver and the noise drove me crazy. So the quiet is good,” Dyck said.

Originally from Portage la Prairie, Man., Dyck moved all over with her military parents, then raised a family in the Okanagan Valley of B.C. She says her products are all Saskatchewan, whether it’s her own honey, candles made from beeswax, lye soaps, or bread made from her own wheat, a neighbour’s eggs, and Saskatchewan canola oil.

People come not just from around central Saskatchewan, but elsewhere in Canada and there’s even a guestbook entry from Saudi Arabia, according to Karen Wudrich-Mattock, landscape photographer and president of the organization. She said the elevator signs do a good job attracting attention.

“So when people see them along the highway as they’re driving they’re curious, and then they follow them in and then they discover us,” she said, adding they get a lot of word of mouth as well.

Other stops along the tour include berry and apple orchards, artisans specializing in leather and fabrics, a loom, and even a blacksmith’s shop. Demonstrations are planned, along with picnic opportunities for visitors. The tour is open between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Geoff Smith is battlefordsNOW’s News Director, business and agriculture reporter. He can be reached at gsmith@jpbg.ca or tweet him @smithco.