Children gather with their parents at the annual terry bear picnic behind the Visitor’s Centre at Greig Lake last week. The special treat at the picnic was bannock-on-a-stick.
by Derek Cornet
Events in the Meadow Lake Provincial Park are in full swing with children and adults alike gathering at different locations daily to participate in games, activities and more.
Close to 30 children and their parents gathered at the Visitor’s Centre at Greig Lake July 10 to learn about camping, fire building and to attend the annual teddy bear picnic. Head interpreter Dallas Beuhr, 21, said events so far have been successful and the children have responded positively to the programming.
“Today, we decided to do survival and learning to camp displays, which show different items people can use while camping,” Beuhr said.
While the learning to camp exhibit showcased items typically used while camping, it also had different rocks used to create sparks and showed the best wood for starting fires. The survival display featured items such as a compass, First Aid kit and other emergency supplies.
“There’s a lot of stuff people overlook like survival, which is something people should know, especially if they go on our Boreal Trail,” Beuhr said. “Five days can be a long time and it’s a very long trail.”
Beuhr said many of the children who attend the events know very little about camping and wildlife. The activities the interpreters do with them are supposed to address that gap and make them more aware of their surroundings.
The teddy bear picnic was especially enjoyed by those in attendance last week. Beuhr said, on the same day every year, teddy bears gather in campgrounds everywhere to eat snacks and have fun. This year they were served fire-cooked bannock-on-a-stick because it’s a traditional food in the area.
“The picnic is a nation-wide event where the kids can bring their teddy bears and we all have something to eat,” Beuhr said.
Seven-year-old Isabelle Roters from Regina rode her bike to the picnic and brought her bear along with her. She said her family was at Greig Lake camping and she didn’t want to miss the picnic. She said the experience was OK for the first time.
“It was OK, but I didn’t like it as much because I didn’t put enough butter, and other stuff, on my bread,” Roters said.
Interpreter Lisa Brucks, 18, is working in the park for the first time this year with her sister Amanda. Both live near Rapid View and said they have so far enjoyed working in the park.
“I enjoy coming out here because it’s a lot of fun and I get to teach children,” Lisa Brucks said.
She also noted it is fulfilling work because she gets to do activities she wouldn’t normally do while educating children.
