YORKTON — The unique scents of fresh lobster, grilled steak and gunpowder filled the air at the Yorkton Wildlife Club as the annual Lobsterfest went down with a bang. Visiting national cinematic talent experienced signature Saskatchewan hospitality on a beautiful, brisk spring evening packed with laughter, music and community fellowship.
A distinguished crowd turned out for the festivities, including Opposition Leader Carla Beck, MLA David Chan, Yorkton Mayor Aaron Kienle and several city councillors. The evening blended community dining with outdoor recreation, allowing guests to try their hand at shooting skeet on the wildlife club grounds. Proving it was a true community effort, Mayor Kienle could be seen clearing tables alongside dedicated volunteers from the Lions Club and the film festival to make sure the evening went off without a hitch.
The success of Lobsterfest mirrors the strong momentum of the wider film festival week, which has drawn exceptional engagement from both local audiences and out-of-town industry professionals.
“It's been extraordinary,” noted Randy Goulden, chair of the Yorkton Film Festival and a local city councillor. “We started out with two packed houses for our screenings, which is wonderful because we have a really good integrated mix of filmmakers and local residents who come out to watch some of the extraordinary films that we have.”
Goulden added that professional development panels featuring film commissioners from across the western provinces and the Yukon have been incredibly successful, opening up vital new discussions to foster more co-productions across the Canadian film industry.
Goulden also expressed gratitude toward the event partners and the local Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation branch for their guidance on the range.
“Tonight, at Lobsterfest, we really want to thank our partners, the Yorkton Lions, because it's just been a wonderful evening,” Goulden said. “And of course to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation Yorkton branch with the skeet shooting — the patience that they have and that they show so that everyone that's come in can experience skeet shooting, and understand the recreational use that we have here on the prairies.”
For many visiting delegates and filmmakers from across Canada, the event offered a hands-on immersion into the local culture and lifestyle of the prairies. The combination of open-air camaraderie, hearty food and a warm welcome from local leadership and residents showcased the distinct community spirit that defines the region. For creators who spend most of their time in urban studios, stepping out onto the local range provided an authentic taste of rural Saskatchewan living, grounding their festival experience in the very landscapes and traditions they came to celebrate.
Lobsterfest represents a vital fundraising partnership established years ago when the Yorkton Film Festival was in financial need. The Yorkton Lions Club stepped in to co-host the dinner to feed visiting delegates while generating sustainable revenue to keep the historic film festival operational. This year, the event targeted an estimated $16,250 in total profit to be split evenly between the two organizations.
To keep pace with the crowd of approximately 650 ticket holders, Lions Club organizer Glen Gelowitz used an efficient cooking system where lobsters are boiled for exactly 12 minutes and immediately transferred into heavy-duty coolers, keeping them piping hot.
While the event successfully helps keep the film festival thriving, the Lions Club’s half of the proceeds drives essential community programming year-round. These funds are critical to sustaining local sports clubs, educational facilities and a 20-year-old school breakfast program designed to ensure students in lower-income environments receive a healthy start to their day.
Gelowitz, a 31-year veteran of the service group, noted that recruiting younger volunteers remains a long-term challenge for the 40-member club, where the average age sits between 75 and 80.
“It's just hard to get younger people involved in service clubs,” Gelowitz said, reflecting on his own upbringing. “For me, I've always been a volunteer. My parents were good volunteers back in my own town where I grew up and basically, it just — it's in your blood. I enjoy helping out where I can.”
