Plans are coming together for this year's edition of the Weyburn Wheat Festival, which will be held in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Summer Games on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 13-14.

"We're part of the cultural component of the Games," said tourism coordinator Donna Hastings.

In advance of the festival will be the 2004 window painting competition, with homes and businesses encouraged to take part with paintings as well as decorations.

All displays and window paintings must be registered with Donna Hastings at City Hall, by Monday, Aug. 2, with judging to take place on Tuesday, Aug. 3. Plaques will be awarded to the best window painting.

As the city is also taking part in the Communities in Bloom competition, those who are participating in the Wheat Festival window competition are asked to have the paintings in place by Thursday, July 29, which is judging day for the Bloom competition.

Meanwhile, the Wheat Festival itself will be held mainly at Heritage Village, Signal Hill and River Park. Many of the activities will be held at the Heritage Village in conjunction with their Heritage Day celebration, and the annual craft show and sale will go at Signal Hill Arts Centre. A new part of the activities at the Village includes a maze made of straw bales for children to take part in.

The children's activity centre, in the past held at the fair grounds, will be held in a tent adjacent to Signal Hill. The Weyburn Horticulture Society's annual Horticulture Show will be held at Knox Hall, and bread-baking will be done at the Soo Line Historical Museum.

Some possibilities being worked on also include a tour of old farm tractors at McTaggart and of Metheral's farm; also the city-wide worship service will take place on Sunday, but the location has not yet been finalized.

The outdoor entertainment stage will be held in the new gazebo at River Park, with entertainment all day on both Aug. 13 and 14, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the Friday, with a barbecue lunch and supper, and from 10 to 4 on Saturday.

The activities related to the Crocus Spring Festival, which had been cancelled due to rain, will be held on the Saturday, including the walk through Tatagwa Parkway, prize draws and tree planting. In addition there will be a petting zoo and pony rides also at River Park.