I came across this post from the 2003 Big Beaver homecoming event back in 2003 after chatting with my brothers Ron and Colin and sister Connie on the topic. I had vague recollections of the homecoming, but thankfully I had taken enough pictures to give me a few good memories.
Big Beaver is a tiny hamlet in Southern Saskatchewan just north of the Canada – U.S. border. Two of my Uncles had farms there, and the town was a regular part of my childhood summers up until I was about 12 years old. I think the last time I actually visited the area would have been over a decade ago now for a cousin’s funeral. At the time of the homecoming there was still a general store: Aust’s, and a dozen or so people lived in the town proper. But a hundred or more showed up for the homecoming, which included a parade and celebratory softball game.
One amazing fact that I am still wrapping my head around: the Big Beaver Homecoming Celebration in 2003 was to celebrate the town’s 75th anniversary. It is now almost 100 years old: I have no idea if there will be a 100th anniversary or not, but I do know that seeing that it is almost 25 years since that 2003 blog post leaves me gobsmacked.
The Gallery for that event is still functional so I’ll see if I can embed it here:
