After months of hard work and preparation, Mortlach residents Terry Bittles and Mike Beaudoin are pleased to announce the grand opening of Mortlach’s new Bohemian Market with more than a dozen vendors already confirming their attendance.
The Mortlach Bohemian Market will open its doors on Saturday, July 20 for a two-day event at the village entrance off Highway 1 and runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on each respective date.
The market is part of the Meet Me in Mortlach initiative, where the two residents hope to transform Mortlach into southern Saskatchewan’s must-see destination. Once established, the venue is intended to run from April to September each year.
Beaudoin said he and Bittles were hoping to open the market at least a month earlier, but the delay — which has now entered peak tourist season — has been caused by a drawn-out licensing requirement from the provincial government.
The biggest setback from the process has been the delayed potential to revive the small Saskatchewan village, and investors, vendors, and around six locals who are depending on the market for summer employment have all been left waiting.
“We’ve been called the new Dog River and stuff like that… it could be another big tourist attraction, but it’s hard to do it if we can’t open,” he noted.
Regardless, Beaudoin said the venue is already gaining traction — so much so that he spends most of his time at the site of the future marketplace and receives a steady stream of curious visitors. These visitors have ranged from Ontario vacationers all the way to members of Don Cherry’s podcast team.
“I’ve shown more people my artwork in the last few weeks than I have in the last three or four years,” he said.
To accommodate these guests, Beaudoin has washrooms, changing stations, and canopy buildings in place which have shaded people of every walk from highway work crews to cyclists.
Darren Jones, sculptor of the Don Cherry wood carving which has received national attention, will be returning for the grand opening to work on another creation before heading back to work. There’s no telling what he plans to make but guests are invited to watch as the project unfolds during the weekend.
Beaudoin said he’s also in talks with a potential investor from the area who always dreamt of setting up a space adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway, and – if all goes to plan – they’ll set up a live concert sometime in late July and again in September.
The marketplace itself is designed to help support local vendors of all descriptions, and Beaudoin’s inspiration is backed by the same sense of small-town hospitality that defines Saskatchewan’s rural communities.
To help spread awareness and build traction, each of these vendors can set up completely free of charge for the month of July. After that they’ll have a simple fee to carry them over the summer season and the permanent venue will provide a solution for anyone experiencing downtime between events.
“There’s always days in between where they’re not making money, (and now) they can just set up here and still (make a living),” he said. “And plus, we have major events ourselves, so it’s as no-brainer.
“We’ve got all these vendors that are sitting at home right now that could be parked here… until there’s another event.”
For more information about the marketplace or to apply as a vendor, call 306-355-2221 or email [email protected].
The Mortlach Bohemian Market is set up at the main approach to Mortlach, located 30 minutes west of Moose Jaw along the Trans-Canada Highway.
