Congratulations to Executive Director Sarah Simison and the whole team of organizers of this year’s Festival of Words (FoW) for being innovative and providing a first-rate virtual rendition of the festival to replace what otherwise would have been a no-go because of on-going pandemic restrictions.
The Saskatchewan Festival of Words has been held in Moose Jaw for the last 24 years and is one of the leading and most celebrated literary festivals in the country. It has always been a highlight for all those who participated to come to Moose Jaw to celebrate the ingenuity in writings of our Canadian authors over the course of a week of author readings, social events, workshops and even an annual concert.
The FoW this year was provided free to all those who wished to join in and the audiences tuned in to the live stream events from literally all over the world, with some even saying hello in the chat from places like the U.K., India, the Philippines, France, as well as from all over Canada and the U.S.
It’s incredible that when the chips are down, brilliance can triumph over the odds to make a way where there seems to be no way. Way to go Festival of Words!
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As the province opens up more and more to pandemic restrictions, it’s great to see that some sports like ball are now an avenue for kids of all ages to get out to release some of their pent-up anxiety. Not only is it good for their mental wellness but also for their bottom line, if you get what I mean…
Golf is also one of those sports where individuals of all ages can maintain social distancing and still have a great time socializing, driving their frustrations around the course. For some it’s just entertainment but for others it’s an exhibition of skill.
Congratulations to Moose Jaw’s Leighton Bearchell who recently closed out the 109th annual Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur provincial golf championship with a 14th-place finish.
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The weather this year has been very unpredictable…
Has anyone else noticed that even when temperatures are seasonably warm during daylight hours, when the sun goes down sweaters need to come out to enjoy the evenings? There seems to be a big fluctuation in degrees this summer, anywhere from daytime +30 to a chilly unseasonable evening low of +10. I remember when you could sit out into the wee hours of the morning enjoying the sun’s warmth that continued long into the nite…
On another vein, on some country drives, it’s great to see flourishing crops thanks to some well-needed rain in our region. Even though we haven’t seen the rains like when I was a kid where the rain fell gently continually over the course of a few days, the brief rain showers that continue to suddenly appear have provided the moisture needed, although let’s hope and pray that hail and damaging winds are nowhere in our local forecast. Our farmers need a reprieve from all of the stress they’ve endured at the hand of a few years of drought conditions, crop prices, and pandemic problems. As the farmer goes, so goes our country’s food supply…
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
