A wide range of activities will be taking place throughout the City of Weyburn during the annual Wheat Festival from Friday, Aug. 10, to Sunday, Aug. 12, including displays, activities, games, a rodeo, music and drama.

"There is lots of good entertainment. We encourage everyone to come out and enjoy," said organizer Marlene Nedelcov.

To kick off the Wheat Festival, the Weyburn Agricultural Society will be hosting a pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 10 at Memorial Park, next to City Hall. All of the proceeds will go towards a roof for the grandstands.

On Friday, Aug. 10, and Saturday, Aug. 11, the T.C. Douglas Centre will be presenting the play, "Clarence Darrow" at 8 p.m. Weyburn actor John Nolan takes on the role of one of the most famous lawyers in judicial history, Clarence Darrow.

There is limited seating for this event, and tickets are available in advance for $15 from the T.C. Douglas Centre, the Signal Hills Art Centre, Pharmasave and Superior Office Products. Tickets at the door will be $20 each.

River Park will be busy with activities on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 10 and 11. Magician Richie Roy will be opening up the entertainment on Friday. Roy will be followed by former world hoop dancing champion Terrance Littletent, who will be performing twice.

Also performing on Friday will be Floyd Shauf, Janna Dionne, Charles Zielke and Dylan Kvamme, Paige Wyatt, Meg Manko, storyteller Doug Loden, Fred and Kathryn Groshong and Yvonne McNeil.

A special performance will be given by the Weyburn Special Care Home Tone Bells from 2 to 2:30 p.m. on Friday. The Tone Bells are a group of residents from the care home who will be coming to play for this event.

"They were so excited when they found out that they were going to participate," said entertainment organizer Deborah Acton.

Richie Roy will once again open the activities in River Park on Saturday, followed by Lindsay Piel, Kendra Weimer, Sheri Roberts, Natalie, Erin and Michaela Sidloski, the Fawcett Family, the Weyburn Twirlers, Amanda Jane Duncan, multicultural musical group Skin and Bones, Kevin Cornish, Paige Wyatt, and Mel and Friends.

"We have a lot of good entertainment, a lot of local talent and a lot of great performers from out of town," Acton said. "I believe there is something for every age."

On both days, the drama group Drama Queen will be performing "Falling Into Fairy Tales" in the children's activities tent at River Park.

"That is always a hit, the Drama Queen plays," Nedelcov said. "The kids really love it."

The Weyburn Horticultural Society will be holding their annual Horticultural Show on Friday, Aug. 10, and Saturday, Aug. 11, at the Knox Presbyterian Hall.

The show will showcase a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers and house plants that are grown in the area. Everyone is welcome to bring in their produce or flowers. Judging will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 10, and the doors will be open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 11, the doors will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will also be a tea room at the Horticultural Show with a strawberry social.

Entries must be at the hall on Friday between 8 to 9:30 a.m. Anyone interested in entering the show should contact June Cull.

Heritage Village will be hosting a wide variety of activities as well during the Wheat Festival. The village will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. The activities will begin on Friday with blacksmithing from 11 a.m. to noon.

A rope-making demonstration will take place from noon to 2 p.m. and Mel and Friends will be performing from 1 to 2 p.m. Kids games will also be taking place from 1 to 1:30 p.m., with the opening ceremonies at 2 p.m. on Friday.

"This is the first year that we have had rope-making," said Heritage Village tour co-ordinator Ashley Betker. "We weren't able to have the threshing this year, but it should be back next year."

An ice cream making demonstration will be held at 2:30, the Polka Knights will perform from 2:30-3:30 p.m., rug making and kite making demonstrations will be put on from 2:30-4:30 p.m. A butter churning demo will be given from 3 to 3:30 p.m.

Sheep herding will take place starting at 3:30 p.m. and a blacksmithing demo will be given at 4 p.m. Kids games will take place at 4:30 p.m. and a school lesson will be given at 5 p.m.

Taking place all day on both days will be bread baking, a concession, a vegetable and bake sale, horse and wagon rides and fire truck rides.

On Saturday, the activities at the Village will begin with a rope making demo at noon and a blacksmithing demo at 1 p.m. Children's games will also begin at 1 p.m. There will be sheep herding at 2 p.m. Ice cream making, rug making and kite making demos will take place at 2:30 p.m.

At 3 p.m., Gary Sidloski will perform and a butter churning demo will be given. There will be a blacksmithing demo at 4 p.m. and children's games at 4:30 p.m. The activities will wrap up with a school lesson at 5 p.m.

"We are hoping that lots of people come out," said Betker. "It should be a fun couple of days."

Volunteers and baking are still needed for these events. Those interested can call Heritage Village for more information.

The Weyburn Agricultural Society will be holding the Weyburn Rodeo on Saturday, Aug. 11, and Sunday, Aug. 12, at the fair grounds. Performance times will be 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

This Canadian Cowboys Association event, in conjunction with the Manitoba Rodeo and Cowboys Association, will include bareback riding, tie-down roping, saddle bronc, steer wrestling, ladies barrel racing, team roping and bull riding. A high-point buckle will be awarded at the rodeo for the top competitor.

"We are having a competition that has been popular the last couple of years, with the motocross bikes versus the ladies barrel racers," said Ag. Society manager Sandy Bell. The top three ladies barrel racers will go up against local motocross racers for a $100 prize.

During intermission at the rodeo, miniature horses supplied by Bill Houghton will be racing. A tent will also be set up for the young and elderly to provide shelter from the sun.

Breast Cancer Action Saskatchewan will have a table set up during the rodeo with items to purchase. All of the money will go towards breast cancer research. The rodeo competitors, personnel and audience are encouraged to wear pink in memory of those who have been effected by breast cancer.

Admission to the rodeo is $8 for adults, $6 of students, $3 for children and preschoolers are free. "A portion of the proceeds will be going to the Women's Violence Intervention Program," said Bell.

An inter-denominational church service will be held on Sunday, Aug. 12, at 10:30 a.m. at the Weyburn Comprehensive School Cafetorium.

The grain show and small motor display will be at the City Centre Mall during the Wheat Festival and The Farmer's Market will also be running on Friday, Aug. 10, and Saturday, Aug. 11 at the mall.

On Friday, Aug. 10, and Saturday, Aug. 11, there will be an antique car show along 10th Avenue South. The bread baking contest will once again take place at the Soo Line Historical Museum as well as a quilt show.

A people mover will be available during the Wheat Festival to move people to the various locations with activities throughout the weekend.