Saturday, at the Samboree
Foam Lake
by: Timothy W. Shire
Saturday was a rainy cold June day in this part of Saskatchewan but the Foam Lake Community Hall filled up in the early morning with Good Sam members enjoying a pancakes and sausage breakfast. At one point the line up was the full length of the huge building. But, everyone got their breakfast and were ready to deal with the day.
At 9:30 over in the lobby of the arena it was show time for the "pet parade". This years event was a canine caper with a good number of proud owners and spiffy doggies doing their stuff. As the dog show took place out in the arena it was the championship showdown for the "bean bag toss" competition.
An event like the Provincial Samboree always has a focus or culminating moment and that came Saturday evening with the banquet, presentations and the evening's entertainment.
Feeding about five hundred people a tasty meal is quite a challenge but this one was a total success. For those not familiar with this part of Saskatchewan, no special meal can exist without perogies (varenyky) and cabbage rolls. This supper included a variety of salads, mashed potatoes, meat balls, turkey and several sauces with of course the perigees and cabbage rolls. The meal was delicious.
After the dinner there were a large number of prize draws and members recognised for the numbers of Samborees they have attended. One couple have attended 80 Samborees.
Most of the chapters took the opportunity to get a picture of their group and then it was time for the evening show.
From Southern Manitoba, the evenings entertainment was "Country Blends" and they definitely won the crowd. With the two vocal leads, a solid base, drums and outstanding piano player the band played familiar favourites with perfect arrangements. From Rita McNeil songs to Johnny Cash, it was sing along time for the evening.
Below is a four minute YouTube video of the second and third songs of the evening.
