Saskatoon was our next planned extended stop after Winnipeg. The most direct route there was to take Trans Canadian Highways 1 and 16, but we preferred a more country route, which took us north along Lake Manitoba, and had us cross at a spot called The Narrows. This sounded much more interesting, so we drove provincial highways MB 6, MB 68, and MB 5 to get to our first of two interim stops. Legend has it that the wind at The Narrows sent waves crashing against the limestone rock coast of a nearby offshore island. The sound of the waves was credited to the Manatou, or Great Spirit. In Ojibway, this is pronounced “manito-bua” and of course lives on today in the Province’s name, Manitoba. We weren’t sure what to expect, but turned out this fact was the only interesting thing associated with this bridge across The Narrows.
Our first interim stop was in Dauphin (daw-fin), MB, population 8,368. We tried to stay for three days; however, I was told only two days were available due to the big festival. “What”? We soon learned that the Dauphin Chamber of Commerce has been annually hosting the Canadian National Ukrainian Festival since 1965. The festival was moved out of town in 1984 and has been held for three days every August on a 275-acre property called Selo Ukraina (Ukrainian Village) located 12 km south of Dauphin in the northern piedmont area of Riding Mountain National Park. There was no way we’d miss spending a full day. As is my character though, I first needed to understand some history behind why so many Ukrainian immigrants ended up in Manitoba.
According to a online history by the Toronto Ukrainian Genealogy Group, there have been three Ukrainian immigrations to Canada. The first occurred between 1891 and 1914 and brought about 170,000 settlers eager to capitalize on the government offer of free homesteads. The second saw about 68,000 immigrants arrive post WWI between 1922 and 1939, and the third involved another 37,000 immigrants arriving post WW II from 1946 to 1961. These were all families looking for a way to improve their lives. Canada offered more than just hope. Today, 1.36 million Ukrainians make up 4% of Canada’s population, while the Ukrainian population in Manitoba is 15% and exceeds 30% in Dauphin. No wonder they host the festival.
Our entrance fee seemed a bit steep at $54.50 apiece, but we thought hey, you only live once! Driving in, there was a huge empty RV parking area on the right, and traffic signs directed us left up a hill to a second RV site and public parking lot. RVs in this park were packed in like sardines, and it was full. Once through the people entrance, the grounds had a 500-person Hall serving food, two large covered areas with stages and picnic-table seating for audiences and diners, multiple buildings with retail booths selling everything from ice cream to clothing to festival memorabilia. Also on this level were the gates to a 10,000-seat ampitheater (hosted the evening show) and a relatively small but beautiful memorial park. The final attraction was the historic Ukrainian village just a short walk down to the lower level.
We went first to one of the covered stage areas where a Ukrainian youth dance competition was underway. It reminded us of our kid’s competitions from years ago, since most of the audience members were parents, siblings, and relatives of the performers. We spent several hours enjoying the colorful costumes and traditional folk music. We took a lot of pictures and videos but chose these to give readers a simple basic exposure.
After several hours of watching dancers, we ordered lunch, sat down in the other covered stage area, and enjoyed some live music. We ate a traditional meal consisting of chicken pirogues, slaw, cabbage rolls, sausage slices, and sour cream. Aside from the beer, there was also a broad alcoholic drink menu that included a mixed drink called the “Paralyzer.” I shared the menu via text with son-in-law Michael, and he quickly issues a challenge to try it. Of course, I ordered one. It had an sweet, seemingly benign taste, but it was clear that three or more of these would likely lead to some form of bodily paralysis. Are you up to the challenge? Mix coke with cream and lots of vodka!
Several groups played traditional folk music while we dined and drank. I thought this video captured the moment well.
Before heading to the historic village, we paid our repsects at the Ukrainian Centennial Memorial Park. The monuments within paid tribute to Ukrainians who gave their lives for their adopted country.
On a decidedly lighter note, we took a car ride down the hill to tour Selo Ukraina. The 1920 heritage village buildings were relocated from their original site and reconstructed here. Period-dressed volunteers provided docent-like details about the facilities and people who lived there and answered all of our questions. The village is open throughout the tourist season, not just during the festival.
We thoroughly enjoyed the village, but the highlight for us was watching loaves of bread being baked in old clay ovens. Wood fires were built inside, the opening was covered, and the clay was allowed to heat to the correct baking temperature. While the ovens were heating, dough was being prepared in an adjacent building, which contained a kitchen and retail sales. Volunteers opened the ovens and cleared out the ashes once cooking temperature was achieved and called for the dough.
We didnt just watch the baking operation but participated too, at least to the point at which the volunteers allowed. Very satisfying. Of course, our interest resulted in the purchase of two beautifully browned loaves. We ate one immediately. It was so tasty, so soft, so aromatic we couldn’t resist. Before heading back up the hill, we purposely waited until we saw the driver who had brought us down. These volunteer drivers with their personal cars were dealing with hot temperatures, dusty conditions, and undoubtedly some rude and demanding passengers over the course of the day. Recognizing this, we thanked and praised our driver and gifted him our second loaf of bread. He was very appreciative.
The final event was the evening show. We entered an hour before showtime, listened to the sound system checks, and watched several of the musical groups warm up. We people watched as well. Got a big kick out of an elderly woman in a wheelchair who was brought in and placed on her own private viewing platform. And there were these three men with Ukrainian flags, who waved and shouted to the beat of every song. The show was co-hosted by two nationally-known Ukrainian entertainers. They opened with official acknowledgement of the festival being conducted on grounds originally belonging to Native Canadians; a touching consideration of human rights subsequently trampled by white men. Shortly afterward, they also acknowledged new immigrants in the audience who had only recently fled the war in Ukraine. Those asked to stand to applause included families with babies and grandparents.
While we enjoyed our hosts’ jokes and banter in the beginning, they became tiresome as the show dragged on beyond our normal bedtime. We left halfway through the program; however, not before seeing a significant number of musical groups and professional dancers proudly celebrating Ukrainian heritage. The costumes were brilliantly colored and the talent was undeniable. We left Dauphin the next morning and were very grateful for the serendipitous opportunity to participate in this truly unique festival.
Our second stop on the road to Saskatoon was the prairie town of Foam Lake, population 1,123. We chose it soley because it fit within our agreed driving distance for the day. This substantial sign greeted us just before we stopped at the Visitor Center to check-in to our campsite. Despite only staying for two and a half days, we just couldn’t agree with the bold sentiment quoted on the welcome sign. Geez, from our perspective, we didn’t even find a decent coffee shop or breakfast restaurant. Apparently our two “best in the world” criteria weren’t a part of the selection process.
Of course, I had to know how and why Foam Lake deserved such a high accolade, so I googled it. In 1996, Canada was selected for the fifth time by the United Nations as the “Best Country in the World to Live.” The UN based its annual selection on key social and economic criteria, which make up what’s called the Human Development Index. More specifically, they compared country’s life expectancy, education attainment, and Gross National Income per capita to determine their rankings. Not satisfied (my opinion), the government hired a research group to use the HDI and determine which Province was; therefore, the best in the world to live. Saskatchewan won! Then finally in 2006, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation conducted a radio search (no HDI involved) to determine which Saskatchewan city was (by misapplied logic) the best in the world. You guessed it! They’ve been riding that wave ever since, although, we had to admit they erected a very nice sign for such a small town.
We had a comfortable campsite (sans full service), remotely sited just south of town. I hiked a well-created nature trail adjacent to the park and took pictures of the beautiful canola farms near the camp ground. There were only a half dozen other campers. A family across the road from us were on only a second outing in their new RV trailer when a sudden storm blew through. They weren’t aware of needing to retract their awning for high winds, and it was badly damaged. We’re familiar with earning the hard way! I also hiked around town and got a feel for what was and wasn’t there. The town was settled in the 1890’s and had some interesting looking buildings. Oh, and where else besides Canada, and in such a tiny town, would you find a senior hockey league that’s been operating since the 1940’s?
These two stops just go to show there’s always something worth seeing if we go out and look around. We would never have known about the Ukrainian migration to Canada and the influence their rich heritage plays on daily life in Manitoba.
