The Blaine Lake Centennial Monument Committee is pleased to announce the arrival of the legacy monument.
The monument arrived May 18 on a Neufeld Building Movers flat deck truck complete with a crane to enable workers to manoeuvre and position the monument on the prepared tiered cement foundation.
Months of preparation and many volunteer hours have been expended to ensure the site was ready for the big day. Many volunteers joined Bill Kalyn near the monument site May 15 to plant 34 trees in the three prepared sites surrounding the monument base. Kalyn, formerly from Blaine Lake, has made a career as a horticulturist working in park management in Saskatchewan. The committee is honoured to have his expertise with the project.
He designed the planting sites with four different types of trees and shrubs. A total of 10 three-foot blue Colorado spruce, three five-foot American elm, six 18-inch red osier dogwood and 15 18-inch high bush cranberry were strategically measured and planted to best capitalize on the autumn beauty of the bushes.
All the plant material was purchased from Dieter Martin Greenhouse in Langham. A-1 Trenching of Blaine Lake provided the backhoe services for digging the holes and moving the trees.
The highly visual sculpture is an artistic representation of a stook of eight wheat sheaves. The committee selected the symbolic stook as it represents the community's pioneers in celebration of the community and area's centennial.
The BL Centennial Monument Committee was the successful recipient of a federal grant, entitled Building Communities through Arts and Heritage Program-Legacy Fund, in the amount of $43,750 to assist with the building of the project.
Patricia Shiplett was awarded the contract and successfully completed and delivered the required sculpture to its permanent location just west of the junction of Highways 12 and 40. Shiplett is a prolific multi-media artist specializing in sculpture. Her works are held in public and private corporations throughout Canada, United States and Japan.
Her love for the three-dimensional architecturally pleasing structures enhances her ability to create substantial works of art that can be seen throughout Saskatoon, and now one of her art pieces adorns the community of Blaine Lake. Shiplett was able to create an artificial composite of golden wheat that bears a striking resemblance to its natural counterpart.
The site location was determined through much research and analysis. The current site is owned by the town and provided the most visible and logical site. The committee was unable to locate the monument near the town sign because that land is provincially owned and permission would not be granted. The location near the town sign would also create a safety issue as motorists may attempt to slow down to view the monument, especially in the evening when the structure would be lit up.
There are still some final touches required to complete the project, especially at the monument site. The lights must be installed and hooked up to an electrical supply and more landscaping must be completed before the project is considered complete. The unveiling of the centennial monument will take place Aug. 4 following the centennial parade.
