Those Were The Days is back at the North Battleford Western Development Museum.
The two-day look at life in a prairie village at the turn of the last century will be held Aug. 6 and 7 at the WDM, after a three-year absence.
Due to declining attendance, the WDM switched from Those Were The Days to offering vignettes of prairie life over 10 weekends during the summer.
However, that took a toll on staff and volunteers, spreading them too thin.
"We were pulling people away from things that just had to get done," WDM program and volunteer co-ordinator Cheryl Stewart says.
So before he retired, former North Battleford WDM manager Wayne Fennig made the decision to go back to TWTD.
Aug. 6 and 7 were chosen because it's after the long weekend in August, but early in the harvest season.
"Our village really comes alive during Those Were The Days," Stewart says. "There are all sorts of games, demonstrations and interpretive events."
Events run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.
An unusual feature in the show this year is a barbecue showdown, featuring amateur and professional competitors.
Saturday, Aug. 6, there'll be a dog show at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Border City Mounted Shooting Demonstration takes place at 1 p.m.
The threshing demonstration, which occurs at 3 p.m., will feature the gamut of old harvesting techniques, including horse-powered and machine powered, treadmill, hog and shaker, and the old stooking technique.
A fashion show will be held at 3:30 p.m.
The awards ceremony for the amateur barbecue competition will take place at 4 p.m.
The ever-popular Parade of Power, which features a variety of old cars, trucks, and farm equipment, takes place at 5 p.m.
Activities on Sunday, Aug. 7 will be kicked off with a pancake breakfast at 9 a.m.
Competitive horse driving will begin at 10:30 a.m. The first dog show will be held at 11 a.m. At 1 p.m., the Border City Mounted Shooting Demonstration will take place, followed by the dog show and vintage car rodeo.
A threshing demonstration will begin at 3 p.m., featuring hand tools as well as the Sterling Thresher and the Groundhog Thresher.
A fashion show will be held at 3:30 p.m. Awards for the professional section of the barbecue showdown will be given out at 4 p.m. The Parade of Power will take place at 5 p.m.
There will be many other activities and attractions as well.
Entertainers will perform on indoor and outdoor stages. Other attractions include wagon and vintage automobile rides, children's activities, a petting zoo, light horse activities, and antique tractor driving. Also, the ever-popular WDM Calliope, a steam-powered organ, will be set up.
Stewart says space is limited for the fashion show, which was a big hit over the past three years. Because of that limited space "it's first come, first served," she says.
The light horse activities are a new feature this year.
"It's like a gymkhana," Stewart says. "There's barrel racing and pole bending."
She says the shooting demonstration should be a real crowd-pleaser too.
"They're on horseback, shooting," she says.
In years past, the Parade of Power used to be held at 1 p.m. This year, it's being held at 5 p.m.
"It's going to be like our finale, and everyone loves a parade," Stewart says with a smile.
She says the threshing demonstrations will demonstrate how the technology of threshing evolved from before the turn of the century "right up to the present day."
"Threshing and harvesting technology changed a lot, it's pretty interesting," Stewart says.
