STURGIS — The Town of Sturgis Rec Department was proud to be able to be part of Culture Days, the national celebration of arts and culture that takes place each Fall. Since Culture Days launched in 2010, thousands in Saskatchewan have taken part and tried out new creative and cultural activities.
Residents and surrounding area members were exposed to the power of storytelling, various workshops, and creative ethnic dances of many different cultures.
The second annual culture days in Sturgis welcomed everyone from residents to the Sturgis Composite School students from Grades 1-12. The program kicked off in the morning with a welcome speech by Andrea Sopel, Rec Director.
“Culture Days means different things to different people,” she said. “We have a wide variety of national ethnic cultures that live in Saskatchewan.”
The morning and afternoon sessions focused on workshops that featured making bannock, making lefsa, perogy making, learning how to decorate a Ukrainian Easter Egg, learning about the Irish culture, Indigenous symbols and art, and some seniors from the Sturgis READ Club instructed students in the art of playing cribbage. The Bear Claw Dancers also performed.
Lunch featured a meal of perogies and a piece of homemade chicken or Irish Stew with soda bread and a slice of Irish chocolate cake made with Guinness beer.
The evening kicked off with a wing supper featuring different spices from across the world. The supper was well attended and enjoyed by everyone in attendance.
The entertainment portion featured Mitch Samuels and Jerry Steciuk followed by a Filipino song, a Jamaican Parkland Association performance, a performance by Stanley Prokulevich, followed by the Barveenok Ukrainian dancers showcasing some more traditional dances.
The evening concluded with Dean Kush, singer-songwriter, performing for everyone in attendance.
“Sometimes it is hard to express the gratitude that is felt. We are so thankful for all the support for our first Culture Days. The amazing volunteers, the entertainers the community support were beyond all expectations. I am beyond grateful. Thank you again. Now on to the next event, which is the Haunted Forest Crawl, October 18th from 8 p.m. to 11:30 and October 19th for the little ones to do a walk through,” said Andrea Sopel, Rec Director.
