Submitted by:
Debbie (Bell) Soloway |

It was a hot sunny day for the 16th annual Renwer Fisher’s Siding old fashion picnic.

The lawn chairs were being set up as the Canadian flag was raised up the pole.


Click any picture for a larger version.

Friends greeted each other with hugs and smiles, so blessed to be together again as so much can change in a year.

There was one surprise guest who made it all the way from Alberta, Betty (Hayward) Hurrell looking good as always, so wonderful to have dedicated fans, thanks to Ann (Harris) Galay for bringing her to Manitoba.

While everyone chatted with each other the games got under way, they had races of running forwards and backwards, three legged race, the balloon toss and a team relay race of carrying water in a can with many holes in it, as they ran trying to fill a bucket at the finish line with the most water.

The water games were a hit due to the heat and the participants felt refreshed when they got wet.

Before supper was served two young ladies dressed in RCMP uniforms carried flags and saluted during the singing of O Canada while two young gents also held flags as honor guards. Grace was said by six participants reading a tribute to the word RENWER and names of family, friends and committee members that have passed on before us were said out loud in honor of their memory. We sang happy birthday to Tony Baschak (96) and Tony Semeniuk (94) both of Pine River and both having wonderful stories of their connection to Renwer.

The delicious potluck supper and tasty desserts had everyone saying it was so good and I shouldn’t have eaten so much.

But then Evelyn brought out the watermelon and called for those wanting to compete in a watermelon eating contest.


It wasn’t a surprise to see only the children could handle that task.

As the watermelon juice was being wiped from their faces a Black Bull with horns and a ring in his nose came dashing into the crowd, the children ran in shock and surprise. Joe Dushanek had an eye to eye stare down competition with the black bull.

Then the bull turned and sauntered through the crowd. Thanks to Tasha Chartrand for bravely wearing the bull costume.

While our supper settled the draws for the silent auction prizes were made and congratulations to Florian Yakelashek the 50/50 winner. A big thanks to the committee members for continuing with this wonderful picnic, as our committee gets smaller it means we are getting older and the work much harder.

Thanks to all that look forward to meeting here each year and for all the praise; thanks for travelling (near & far), for bringing the wonderful stories and pictures of now and then, to the Lewicki family for the use of the old Fisher’s Siding School and grounds and doing all the maintenance work. We will see you again next year on Sunday July 22nd. 2018 so bring your family and tell a friend, Renwer has Old Fashion Fun at an Old One Room School.