The Weyburn Wheat Festival will be taking place from Friday to Sunday, Aug. 5, 6 and 7, with many events planned.

This year the Wheat Festival is in conjunction with the Centennial Homecoming Week and organizers are looking forward to large crowds.

"We are really excited about it and should enhance everything going on," said Wheat Festival Chairman Marlene Nedelcov.

The festival kicks off on Friday with a pancake breakfast at Memorial Park, next to City Hall, running from 7 a.m.-10 a.m.

A major event for the Wheat Festival will be the grand opening of the Northwest Mounted Police building in the Heritage Village on Friday, Aug. 5 at 1 p.m.

"It is something we have been working a long time for," Nedelcov said. The building was largely the project of retired RCMP officer Ed Kuhn, who is also on the village board.

Along with the grand opening will be the Heritage Village Days from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and a sheep herding demo at 4 p.m. on both days.

The Chamber of Commerce will be holding a Street Fair on Friday only, from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the downtown area on Third Street. A Sidewalk Sale will run at the same time as the Fair.

A Craft Show and Sale will take place at the Signal Hill Arts Centre on Aug. 5 and 6. It will run from 1-8 p.m. on Aug. 5 and 10-5 p.m.

"There will be lots of action going on the first, second and fourth floors at the centre," said Alice Neufeld of the Signal Hill Arts Centre.

They will be featuring all kinds of jewelry, painting, painted animal bones and antlers. There will also be a show and demonstrations of pottery work, seed heating and cooling pads.

Also on Aug. 5, the Weyburn Arts Council will be holding a dinner with the main course being homemade chili and coleslaw. On Aug. 6, Signal Hill will be treating the visitors for dinner.

"On Saturday, Signal Hill will be doing hot dogs for dinner," Neufeld said.

A wide variety of artists from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will be showing art at the show.

Also on Aug. 5, a former one-room school, Marmora School, now the home of Brian and Audrey Binns, will be open for a tour for any former students or teachers. The Entertainers will be on hand at 2 p.m., and a tour will follow with cake and refreshments. The school building residence is located four miles east on Highway 13 from the Zippy Mart.

There will be outside entertainment at River Park, running all day on Aug. 5 and 6; the drama production called "You're Simply Too Munsch" will be held in the Children's Activities tent. You're Simple Too Munsch acts out stories written by the famous children's book author Robert Munsch.
There will also be a petting zoo.

A bread baking contest will be on display on Aug. 5 at the Soo Line Historical Museum from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Also taking place throughout the weekend will the Quilt Show at the museum.

One of the major attractions at the Wheat Festival is the rodeo at the Exhibition Grounds. There will be 240 cowboys and cowgirls competing in events such as Saddle Bronc, Bare Back, Bull Riding and Barrel Racing.

This year, the person with the highest points after their ride will win a $2,000 Billy Cook Saddle.

There will also be entertainment for the kids. The rodeo will include Mutton Busting and a rodeo clown.

"We have Lee Bellows as the rodeo clown," said Sandy Bell from the Weyburn Agriculture Society.

A new event this year will see the top three barrel races go up against motorcycles. The event is sponsored by Terry's Cycle and the winner will receive $100.

Valerie Pringle, from CTV Travel, will be on hand and learning a few cowboy moves from Canadian Cowboy Association President Jonathan Kmita.

The rodeo runs on Aug. 6 at 5:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Aug. 7. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for students, $3 for children and free for pre-schoolers.

Pringle will also be at Heritage Village on Aug. 5 for the Threshing Bee. The event begins at 5 p.m.

A farmer's market starting at 9:30 a.m., the grain competition and displays will be at the City Centre Mall both days. A wheat recipe food tasting booth will also be set up on Aug. 6 at the mall.

At the end of the day on Saturday, a fireworks display will go off at the Exhibition Grounds.

On Aug. 7, their will be a non-denominational church service at the Colosseum starting at 10:30 a.m.