Samboree -0 Foam Lake

Provincial Good Sam "Samboree"
at Foam Lake

Foam Lake
Friday, June 13, 2014
by Timothy W. Shire

There are seventeen chapters of the huge Good Sam Club here in Saskatchewan and their annual major get together is taking place this week in Foam Lake. Our chapter, Wheatland Sams, from Tisdale, Melfort, Nipawin, Carrot River and Hudson Bay and area, set off on this adventure Monday at noon, as it was our chore to be involved in registering the participants who would arrive Wednesday. As it turned out, more than two hundred RVs have showed up, representing all of Saskatchewan's chapters but also representatives from Minnesota, Manitoba, North Dakota, Alberta and British Columbia.

Foam Lake is hosting this year's camp out and have turned their fair grounds into a giant RV park with electricity available for about half of those in attendance. You can see the larger area that is the fair ground in the aerial image below. Our eight rigs are parked on the extreme east side of the field along the west side of the race track.
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For me and Judy this is our first experience of being at a large provincial gather of this kind and the logistics of it are staggering. It was on Tuesday that electricians and the "wagon master" team set to work setting up the electrical service and laying out the parking for this large number of recreational vehicles.

Below is the provincial executive of Saskatchewan Good Sam as they met in their final meeting for this year's Samboree.

Wednesday with a team outside parking the vehicles, we were at the registration desk checking off the arrivals and providing them with name tags and a package to introduce them to what would take place over the next five days. Without a doubt, Wheatland Sams had the best experience possible as we had the chance to meeting and greet the five hundred or so people who had come to share this time together.

It was truly fun to meet each contingent as they tended to arrive in their respective groups; a significant bunch from Sherwood Park near Edmonton, folks from Kamloops, a Manitoba group who had just had their Samboree in Carmen last week, Prince Albert, Swift Current, Battleford, Moose Jaw, Regina and Saskatoon all blending in with Yorkton, Weyburn and Swift Current.

To open the event the assembled campers were addressed by Jim and Marilyn Brady the provincial president of Good Sam Saskatchewan, both the Mayor and recreation director of Foam Lake said a few words but the main event was the memorial service for those Good Sam members who had passed on this past year included in the list was the name of Gerald Crawford whose Greenwater Report has been such an important part of this web site over the years.

Most Good Sam members, where ever they come from, are retired, but there are some who are still in the work force, but the important thing is, they come from all walks of life, with backgrounds and stories from every profession and trade. It is the main feature of the Samboree, meeting and sharing in the experiences of this huge wealth of people and their interesting lives. With that in mind, so many of the activities focus on and are directed toward, giving everyone a chance to mingle and share time with one another.

Below are some scenes Judy Shire captured looking around the Samboree.

It is Friday evening as I put these pictures together for you and there are still two more days left. Tomorrow begins with a pancake breakfast and the whole events wraps up early Sunday morning with an interfaith worship service and the closing ceremony.

Earlier today there was a remarkable craft and vendor sale. Below are some picture of the displays and the folks involved.

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