Some fun Things to See and some questions to answer as you tour parts of Wascana Centre should take about a half hour as part of the path around the Wascana Centre is still one way. There many places to park for free however no one parking spot will get you all of Memorials or works of Art at one go without doing a lot of back tracking. If you like to bike you should be able to get to all of the Wascana Centre as there is very good bike path and roads to all the stops to find and answer the questions (4 in all some easy some hard but not that hard). Please send answers to the geocaching email, if answers are not submitted, your log will be deleted.
Lakeshore Park Totem Pole The Totem Pole, located in Lakeshore Park within Wascana Centre, was a gift to Saskatchewan from the British Columbia government in 1971. It commemorates the centenary of the union, July 20, 1871, of the province of British Columbia with the Dominion Canada. The Saskatchewan totem pole is one of 12 presented to Canadian Centres.
British Columbia's gift of a Totem Pole to Saskatchewan was hewn from Western Red Cedar by Mr. Lloyd Wadhams of the Nimpkish Indian Band. It is 16 feet high, three and a half feet in diameter, and weighs approximately 3,500 pounds.
In 2016 the Totem Pole was removed and restored after years of aging and damage. Master Carver Lloyd Wadhams Jr., son of the original carver performed the extensive work. Along with restoring the entire Totem Pole, new wings and antennae were also built and installed.
The Totem Pole is of the Kwakiutl Nation design. The predominant feature of the pole is the large Thunderbird which in Indian mythology is the noble and omnipotent ruler of the skies and master of the elements. It is the Great Eagle, respected throughout the area by all the coastal tribes. For the Kwakiutl it is particularly a symbol of family solidarity, the supernatural power that helped man build his first house. The human form on its breast signifies supernatural and human attributes. With many pinic tables and washrooms good place to sit down and rest while watch some birds and rabbits chase each other around.
What are the colours under the chin of the human form carved on the Totem?
A Better Place. It is consistent with past EVRAZ community interests involving environment and families, particularly children. Wascana Centre approached Douglas Park School to involve its students with developing a story about the lake edge and the water pipe. Several students submitted stories and the final selection was developed by two student’s whose story is about four creatures and how they made this spot a better place. The story took a permanent form by way of a brass plaque attached to the public lake overlook and boat dock (officially known as the Spruce Island Overlook; substantially completed in 2001). The overlook is contiguous to the pipe – actually looking down on it. There is a high mast spotlight which illuminates the pipe and boat dock. The implementation stage involved the last cutting of ¼” steel ‘characters’ and waves (the supply of new pipe which was engineered from a working model, with baffles to create a waterfall effect), welding, craning the complete unit into place, connecting to the existing buried AC pipe, painting with pigmentized epoxies and finally, the installation of the ‘story plaque’.
" There was once a tiny squirrel named Frank. He and his friends, Camillo and the minnows, Barnaby the rabbit, and Lori the salamander, liked to play in Wascana, a lake in the middle of our big city. But a steel flow pipe that they lived near was very loud and ugly. It was always soaking the animals with its splashes. The animals all agreed that they would make it a better place. Not only for the animals but for all the people that came down to the lake. The next day they had a meeting and decided what they were going to do. After putting a fresh coat of paint on the pipe, they decided to cut the pipe so it would flow like a waterfall instead of splashing and gurgling. By the next week their waterfall project was complete! Soon people starting coming to see what the amazing little animals had done to make their home beautiful. The folks at Wascana Centre were so impressed that they decided to place little figures of the animals on the pipe in their honour. Now the pipe is a great place for Frank, his squirrel family, and all his friends! " Here you can see some of the live animals while they swim around.
How many squirrels do you see on the steel water pipe down the ramp to the water?
Fafard Cows Three of Joe Fafard's sculptures (Potter, Valadon and Teevo) from the MacKenzie Art Gallery collection, are part of an outdoor installation on the corner of Albert St. and 23rd Ave. A pastoral setting is created by placing a cow, a bull and calf upon a landscaped urban meadow. Viewers are reminded of a quieter more serene place free of the hustle and noise of urban life.
"As a young child naturally I was discovering the world and the world was our farm, and it was the animals, and it was the people of the community, and it was the work and also the play." - Joe Fafard.
The cow (Valadon) and bull (Potter) are named after historical painters who Fafard admires, Suzanne Valadon and Paulus Potter. Paulus Potter was a seventeenth century Dutch artist who painted rural life and animals and was influential in developing the style of imagery that Fafard uses in his work. Suzanne Valadon was a woman artist in Paris during the impressionist years, and was best known for her strong and vital depictions of the female nude. These two sculptures were a gift from Clair Kramer and made in 1990.
Teevo was made from bronze in 1993 as part of a collaboration. The calf's name was the suggestion of a student, through a competition. The suggestion (Teevo) was based on the French language words "petite veau". Translated the words mean "small cow". There is also very nice Art gallery short walk east from Teevo. MacKenzie Art Gallery
What is the height and length of the calf Teevo?
Burmese In 1969 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police gave Queen Elizabeth II a Saskatchewan born black mare named Burmese, which she rode for The Trooping of Colour in 18 consecutive birthday parades. During a visit to Saskatchewan in 2005, the Queen unveiled a bronze statue of herself riding Burmese sculpted by Saskatchewan artist Susan Velder. The statue can be found in the Queen Elizabeth II Gardens, north of the Legislative Buildings which has very tour and place to get of the rain or the hot sun.. .
Is Queen Elizabeth II ride the black mare named Burmese caring a riding crop or a sword?