By Dorian Geiger
As Maple Creek gets set to host their annual Pro Rodeo on May 27-29, excitement is brewing in the Southwest as summer eases in and area residents prepare for one of the community’s premier events. In the cowboy country surrounding and comprising Maple Creek, it is of little surprise that the underground sport of rodeo-ing is a mainstay sport, hobby and pastime.
Historically speaking, the sport makes sense too – rewinding to the early years of Confederation, the Maple Creek area was of course infamous for housing Fort Walsh, …

By Dorian Geiger
The prairies have always been a hotbed for breeding professional hockey players of NHL calibre and in the past few years southwest Saskatchewan has been responsible for producing multiple players who have laced up in the NHL.
From Maple Creek’s Zack Smith who enjoyed a brief but successful stint with the Ottawa Senators this season, to Fox Valley’s Stephen Meyer, a Florida Panthers draft pick, hometown talent is anything but scarce.
Lately, Brooks Laich, whose family roots stem from Leader, has risen to prominent status for the NHL’s Washington Capitals. …

Story by Sheri Monk, Photo by Darcy Dietrich

Rebne and Pernell Lehr purchased Eagle Valley Park Campground in 2003 and since that time, have turned the dilapidated grounds just west of Maple Creek along the TransCanada Highway into a tropical paradise.
But this year, spring preparations were difference than in any year before as the family readied for possible flooding from the Junction Reservoir – known as the Dixon Dam – located one km south of the property.
“We were getting really quite concerned that the water was getting higher and concerned that …

By Francis Horton, an American soldier
Sometime in September or October, I will back myself into the economy class of a 747 and come to you. I hope I get to sit next to one of your fine citizens so I might ask questions during the flight (and perhaps not be squished by one of my own countrymen who has been cheating on their significant other with McDonalds.) There are so many things I don’t know about you that I want to find out.

By Sheri Monk
When I woke up Sunday morning, I’m pretty sure I was going to write angrily about the 40 new Super WalMarts being built this year. Or, I was going to rant about Animal Planet’s promo encouraging viewers to eat less beef.