What’s Going On In … Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

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Saskatoon in 1919. Photo from The National Archives.

 

What’s Going On In … Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

 Paris of the Prairie, The Sheepdogs, novels and letters, violet berries, archives.

 

As the largest city in the central grasslands province of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon and its culture draw in visitors, making it known as the “Paris of the Prairie.” The city is split into east and west sections by the South Saskatchewan River.

Band

The Sheepdogs are Saskatoonian rock royalty; before collaborating with The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney and Austin Scaggs to produce their 2012 self-titled The Sheepdogs, the band garnered three JUNO Awards (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy) earlier that year. The four-piece’s single “I Don’t Know,” off their 2011 EP Five Easy Pieces, was among the honored when it won them Single of the Year.

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Author

The success of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi secured the French-Canadian author and Saskatoon resident a seat at the Canada Council for the Arts’ 50th anniversary celebration in 2007. Struck with the lack of ceremonies for visiting artists, and the council’s poor funding, Martel vowed to make known the importance of Canadian authors – by mailing current prime minister of Canada Stephen Harper a novel every two weeks, accompanied by a personal letter.

Check out Martel’s blog about the bi-weekly correspondence and then listen to CBC Day 6’s interview with him about it.

Movie/director

Saskatoon-born Anand Ramayya co-founded Karma Films, through which he has directed and produced television segments and documentaries, like his 2009 documentary “Mad Cow Sacred Cow.” The film, shown at the Mumbai International Film Festival, juxtaposes the cow in Dharmic-Indian culture, where the creature is viewed as sacred, and the cow in Canadian food production, where the way it’s fed and treated often renders it ‘crazy.’ Watch a trailer for the documentary here.

Food

The city of Saskatoon is named after the sweet, violet berries that thrive in the region. The Berry Barn, a 27-acre orchard from which 28,000 berries are harvested each year, serves Hot Saskatoon Berry Cider and Frozen Saskatoon Berry Yogurt.

Neighborhood

River Landing, a section of Saskatoon’s downtown, is part of a recent initiative to overhaul the area that backs up on the South Saskatchewan River. The Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, which operates three times a week, is part of the neighborhood. Check out what goods the market culls from local farmers, bakers and florists here.

 

Former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, in Pakistan. Photo from The National Archives.

 

Politician

The 13th Prime Minister of Canada John Diefenbaker, who served from 1957 to 1963, spent his teenage years in Saskatoon. Today, the Saskatoon airport carries his name, and the Diefenbaker Canada Centre, located on the University of Saskatchewan campus, is part Prime Ministerial archives, part museum.

Audrey McGlinchy

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