Over 500 visitors are expected to be back in Weyburn for Homecoming 2000 this weekend, August 11-13, to be held in conjunction with the many activities of the annual Weyburn Wheat Festival at the exhibition grounds.

Along with the Wheat Festival, the Weyburn Heritage Village will hold its annual Heritage Day on Saturday, and the Weyburn Horticultural Society will host its 75th annual Horticulture Show at the Weyburn Curling Rink, with many varieties of entries expected.

"I invite everyone to come out and enjoy themselves. There's lots of work that goes into it, but we like to do it. Everybody should be able to find something they would enjoy this weekend," said Wheat Festival committee member Donna Hastings.

Admission buttons are again available for $5 each at City Hall, or $7 at the gate, with children 12 years and under getting in for free.

The week will be kicked off by the Signal Hill Theatre's presentation of Soo City Celebrations on Thursday, Aug. 10, written by Weyburn's Leanne Bishop.

The musical comedy is being presented by the Crocus 80 theatre group at the T.C. Douglas Calvary Centre, and is directed by D'Arcy Megenbir. There will be evening performances on Thursday, Friday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m., and matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at City Hall or at the door.

The city will then see more than 500 people coming back for Homecoming 2000, with registration taking place on Thursday from 5-9 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Weyburn Square Mall. There will be a social time and coffee provided at the registration centre.

"It's coming along great. We have people coming from Sydney, Nova Scotia (to) Campbell River, B.C., and California, Texas and England," said Homecoming organizer Hazeldene Evans, noting the oldest registrant so far is Sam Fladager from Abbotsford, B.C., at "90 and a half." Organizers are hoping for more local registrations as well.

On Friday afternoon, there will be tours of Weyburn and area, and a social evening is planned for the Legion Hall starting at 8 p.m. If local residents want to come out just to meet and greet former residents that evening, there will be an admission cost of $10 at the door.

Those registering will be provided with admission buttons for the Wheat Festival. In conjunction with the main Homecoming event, a reunion for those who work or have ever worked at Souris Valley or Saskatchewan Hospital are invited for a social time at Souris Valley's assembly hall on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.

For the Wheat Festival, Saturday will open with a pancake brunch at the fair grounds, followed by the opening of the various activities and displays on the grounds, including educational and exotic animal displays in the Sports Arena in conjunction with the craft show and sale, and the children's activity centre in the McFadden Building. A new air tent will be available in the children's centre, along with other activities such as the bubble machine and the wheat box, said Hastings.

There will displays of antique farm equipment and tractors on the grounds, a threshing bee and stooking contest, along with a new contest this year, the Co-operative Farm Family Contest, open to any family to enter. This new contest is a form of relay involving the children and the parents, and will be held Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

A new feature this year will be a ham radio station set up on the Wheat Festival grounds by members of the Weyburn Amateur Radio Club. In previous years, the club would set up a station on an island or other remote place; this year's radio station will be set up to try and reach as many other national and international ham radio operators as possible.

A horse-drawn hay wagon will be provided by Elmer Johnson, and the people-mover will be available again to take people to other venues, such as Heritage Day at the Heritage Village.

Admission to Heritage Day will also be free with a Wheat Festival button, and runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with children's games, old-time music, butter churning, hay rides, antique displays, and the Tea Room serving Saskatoon pie and ice cream.

There will be tours of farms and grain-handling facilities on Saturday, along with an outdoor bread-baking oven, and entries for the bread-baking contest. A skateboarding demonstration will be staged on the fair grounds throughout the weekend as well.

Local talent will perform throughout both days on the outdoor stage, and the festival concert will feature Connie Kaldor in the Colosseum on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

For those attending Homecoming, the Kaldor concert will be followed at 9 p.m. by a dance, featuring Weyburn's own Bill Grohn and the Saskatchewan Heritage Band in the Colosseum.

The community church service will be held on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. in the Colosseum, featuring a choir comprised by members of various city churches along with participation by many of the city's clergy.

Homecoming visitors can take in a brunch following the service. Those who would like to attend the brunch must register with the Homecoming committee by Thursday at the latest, so they can let the caterers know of the correct numbers attending. The brunch is available at a cost of $10 for those not registered for the entire Homecoming event.

Both the Wheat Festival and Homecoming have enough volunteers lined up for their respective events, with the Wheat Fest expected to see some 200 volunteers throughout the two days helping to run the events and look after the exhibition grounds.