It will be a fun filled weekend in Picture Butte as the town celebrates 50 years of incorporation, it’s annual Jamboree Days and the Prairie Tractor and Engine Society’s marks its 28th annual Threshing Show.
This year marks 50 years since Picture Butte went from a village to a town. The milestone has become of the theme for this year’s community celebration and windows around the town are already painted with a variety of anniversary creations.
The Aug. 20 to 22 weekend should to have something for everyone from parades and pancakes to street dances, tractor pulls and fireworks. The weekend kicks off Friday at Prairie Acres just south of town with a tractor pull at 6 p.m. followed by the family dance on 3rd street at 7:30 p.m. The fireworks, with a little extra bang for the 50th, will light up the sky at 10 p.m.
“I think it’s going to be really good this year,” said Don Becklund, secretary of the Picture Butte and District Agricultural Society which oversees Jamboree Days. Over the years a number of visitors to the community have commented about the fireworks display.
Local residents and visitors to town will have to adjust to a couple of new venues this year. With the North County Recreation Complex currently undergoing a major upgrade both the pancake breakfast and bench fair will be relocated for this year.

Saturday morning’s Lions Club pancake breakfast is moving to the Elks Hall and the Ag Society’s bench fair will be set up at St. Catherine’s School.
Becklund said the bench fair promises to be bigger and better this year as a record number of student entries have already been submitted for judging. There have also been comments from recent judges over the expansion and quality of the photography entries.
“The photography has grown over the years.”
The parade marshaling grounds has also be relocated this year back to the Dorothy Dalgliesh School as the Picture Butte High School site is currently a construction zone. The parade gets underway at 11 a.m. leaving the school and heading east down Crescent Avenue to 4th Street then south to Rogers Avenue where it turns west and heads back around to Crescent.
“Hopefully we won’t get rained out this year,” said Don Becklund.
Last year’s Jamboree Days parade was a total wash, as pouring rained not only canceled the parade but hampered other weekend activities.
Also slated for the day is the opening of the bench fair, a fun swim at the Lions Aquatic Centre, Family Fun Day in Lions Park, slo-pitch tournament and an archery shoot.
At the 28th annual Threshing Show activities run Saturday afternoon and Sunday with a special salute to the European made tractor. Activities and demonstrations this year will include sheep shearing, rope making, Dutch oven cooking, binding and threshing, heavy horse pull, tractor pull and the parade of power.
One of the features of the show this year will be a Century of Hay with demonstrations on haying from horse to modern equipment.
The highlight of this year’s Threshing Show is the official opening of the Eaton House. This 1917 home came by rail and then horse and wagon to land near Iron Springs with assemble required. Ren and Grace Housenga built the home and two years ago it was donated by Bernie and Marilyn Vander Wekken to the society.
“We’ve been working on it every since,” said the society’s Jim Asplund.
Saturday at 12:30 p.m. the newly restored home will be officially opened to the public. Asplund said a host of volunteers deserve a big thank you for all the hours donated to the project including everyone from highly skilled craftsmen to those who laboured to remove all the old flooring and wallpaper.
Financial contributions from private donors and government grants have helped with the project which has also included collecting furniture and other items for display in the home. There has been a real push on the restoration work over the last two months with volunteers working hard toward the official opening.
“We’re trying to keep our heritage alive,” said John Rudelich as he encourages visitors to come check out this year’s Threshing Show.
He said anyone who wants to see how pioneers got through the day without television they should come visit the show.
“There’s something for everybody. We’re more than just tractors.”