June 3rd or 24th (one day tours)
September 2 & 3 (two day tour)
COST: Day tour $50/person
Two day tour $80/person
Our tour guide, Kerry Wrishko, spent 22 years in Leader, and between his job as a Conservation Officer and his involvement as part of the local tourism group, he is extremely knowledgeable about the entire area. The tours are done on a mini-bus that holds 20 people. Kerry will spend the entire day talking about the various stops and what you can expect to see at each upcoming stop. In addition, he will tell local interest stories or stories from his job.
Here is what you will see:
-Sceptre Museum: an old school that has been converted to a local museum, with each classroom depicting different local historical artifacts. So one classroom is the doctor’s office, the next one is the dentist office, the next one is the blacksmith shop, one classroom has church artifacts, the next one is a family home from 100 years ago and so on.
-The Great Sandhills: a vast tract of 1900 square miles that is recognized as the largest tract of sandhill complexes in southern Canada. The entire area is not open sand dunes, but our stop allows you to walk to the top of a sand dune. It is a large native grassland area that allows people to see some unique species. Hopefully something for the bird watchers…
-Blumenfeld Church: a large Catholic church built 102 years ago. Its weekly use was discontinued in 1960 and as a result, the altar is still set up pre-Vatican 2. (You have to be Catholic to understand that). A walk back in time to the homesteaders of the area. On the grounds, there is a stone grotto and a unique cemetery. On the September 2-3 tour dates, there is an ‘interactive’ theater play at the church that will allow the tourists to get more of the story. The play is only about one hour long and included in the tour costs.
-The Estuary Hutterite Colony: learn how this German based group live a communal way of life, as they share everything. About 100 people live here, and you will see their church, state of the art kitchen (where they eat together), the barns, and school. They left Germany in the 1800’s and moved to North America. There are many Hutterite Colonies in Saskatchewan, but not many open their doors to allow tourists to see their unique way of life.
-South Saskatchewan River: the most ‘wild’, natural river in Southern Canada, unaltered in this area from any dams or major obstacles. Cross the River on a 6 car ferry, another unique Saskatchewan culture. Another bird watching opportunity…
-Sagebrush Studios Art Gallery: an artist who moved 3 old country churches onto his property and planted 10,000 trees to create a magical place. The churches are his art galleries and are simply stunning. The grounds are a bird watching haven, as you can wander the grounds in a most peaceful state. Check out this web site, and make sure you click on all the tabs at the top: https://deanfrancis.ca/gardens/
-Other things: lunch at the local golf course; tour Leader to see their 8 larger than life wildlife sculptures; shopping in Leader, including a quaint antique store, and a couple other small town stores; the tourist information center in Leader is an old railway caboose, and you will learn the story how that caboose does not belong in Leader.
In the attachments, you can see the details on the tour, the cost and how to register. There are single day tours on June 3 and June 24. Both will run from 8:00 am until about 5:30 pm, so you will likely need to arrive the night before. There is one bed and breakfast in Leader (Grandma Shirley’s 306-628-3726) and the local hotel (the Leader Inn 306-628-3854) is probably the next best place. There is one motel (The 4 L Motel 306-628-3834).
On September 2-3, there is another tour. You will see all the same attractions, but the tour starts at 9:30 am on Saturday, and will end at 3 pm on Sunday, to allow people more local shopping time and an opportunity to golf at the local course. On Sunday, it will start again at 8:30 am, and will include an interactive play at Blumenfeld Church at 1:00pm on Sunday. The tour will end at 3:00 pm on Sunday.
Here are some comments from last year’s bus tours. I am providing this for your information only, if you are looking for something to do in Saskatchewan.
Comments from 2016 bus tours:
I gained a new appreciation for Leader and tourism destination. I will definitely be back with friends this summer!
Thanks again for making this such a wonderful bus tour Kerry. Your expertise and commitment to this area is outstanding
Given the rain, this tour was excellent no matter! I truly enjoyed learning about the area as well as being able to explore! This is a wonderful tour that I would recommend to anyone that is remotely curious about any aspect of it.
Kerry, you really have some great stories. We cannot think of anything negative to say – so just THANK YOU very much. You have been very professional.
A great tour! One of the best tours I have been on in Saskatchewan. Thank you so much. The best part was the ongoing commentary: a very knowledgeable guide!!!
For more information and to register call 306-628-3860.
TO REGISTER:
Leader & District Tourism
Contact; Debbie Hintz
(306) 628-3860 (Monday – Friday)
