1- Enjoy a bbq on the deck.
2 - Write a letter letting your family know you love them.
3 - Grab your chess or checker set and play a game at one of the board tables around the city including the Gallagher Centre, Patrick Park, and City Centre Park.
4- Go through your clothes and donate the ones you don’t wear anymore.
5- Play a game of tennis at the courts behind the Western Development Museum as well as at Heritage Heights Park and Knights of Columbus Park.
6- Take in the Crops of the Parkland Walking Tour, a few steps from the Visitor Information Centre on Highways 9 and 16.
The plots include cereals such as wheat and oats, oilseeds such as canola and flax, and legume crops such as field peas.
The crop plots are a volunteer-led project to give people going through Yorkton a chance to see what’s grown here and get a closer look at the agriculture of the Yorkton area.
7- Play a round of golf at one of our local courses.
8- Check out the Centennial Legacy Art piece at Shaw Park. Lionel Auburn Peyachew’s centennial art piece entitled “Doorways to Opportunity” was installed as a centennial gift from the province. As one of four centennial artworks to be installed in gateway communities, “Doorways to Opportunity” draws on many characteristics of the province and surrounding communities.
“Doorways to Opportunity” is an installation measuring approximately eight feet high and 20 feet in diameter. It is a piece that invites people to walk around it, examine it in detail, and even walk right through it.
9- Check out the local cemetery. A self-guided walking tour of the City of Yorkton Cemetery gives visitors a chance to experience the unique history of the area. It guides visitors along the pathways of this beautifully treed 10.5 acres; a book containing 28 sites has been prepared and can be purchased for $3. The complete tour will take about one hour and a half, but can be shortened. Stroll at your leisure, as you follow the trail outlines on the book’s map. There are benches at various locations in the cemetery where a visitor can rest. On the tour you will meet many of the early pioneers, and some of the more contemporary figures of Yorkton and area; all interesting and colourful personalities. In the process, much of the region’s history will be revealed.
10 - Try out Footgolf at York Lake Golf Course.
11 - Give pickleball a try. Heritage Heights Tennis Courts have pickleball court lines.
12 - Go canoeing on a local river or lake.
13 - Go fly a kite in a city park.
14 - Go fishing at the trout pond. If you want a leisurely time tossing a few hooks in the hopes of enticing a trout to take a bite, then head over to the Logan Green Fish Pond in Yorkton.
The area has been developed as a fish pond, in cooperation with the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation as it fits with the organization’s mandate “to create new fisheries in urban areas.”
The pond is catch and release, with signage on-site detailing specific rules.
15 - Wash the car.
16 - Enjoy the thrills of skateboarding.
Yorkton boasts one of the premier outdoor skateboard parks in the province. It is an ideal place to show off skills in a sport with a growing base and increased recognition of what it takes to be great at the activity.
The park, situated right off Broadway Street in the city, is part of the Brodie Recreation Corridor that includes a paved walking path, which connects with Patrick Park Disc Golf Course.
The park is concrete and includes a range of jump elements which are sure to be both a challenge and a thrill for users.
17 - Experience nature at the Ravine Ecological Preserve.
The Preserve offers a diverse 2.8 km hiking trail, which includes a floating boardwalk across the marsh, and then works its way through grassland, and aspen parkland habitat.
Located just off Crescent Avenue and west of the Gallagher Centre, the park is designed to allow people to connect with our natural world through an abundance of birds, plants and animals.
18 - Take an online class at Parkland College.
19 - Try a locally produced craft beer at Back 40 Brewery.
20 - Enjoy the new playground installed adjacent to the old hospital property at Tupper Park (100 Tupper Avenue). The Tupper Park playground addition was part of an overall plan for the city that included a wheelchair accessible play structure at Weinmaster Park (just off Morrison Drive, in northeast Yorkton). The universally accessible playground is a play environment created to be wheelchair accessible throughout the entire structure and surrounding play area with more challenging paths of travel or activities along or beside the wheelchair accessible routes. The accessible play structures also allow parents and caregivers to be nearby and play with their children.
Overall, there are more than 35 parks and greenspaces in Yorkton, and if one includes sports fields (ball diamonds and soccer pitches), and buffer/pathway areas, this number jumps to more than 75 individual areas, totalling more than 500 acres.
There are eight current playgrounds; one dog park, one skate park, three natural areas, two disc golf courses, eight tennis courts, five outdoor basketball nets, three spray parks, nine ball diamonds, four soccer pitches, and over 10 kilometers of pathways, including paved, gravel, and grass pathways.
21 - Go for a bicycle ride around the city. Be sure to wear your safety helmet.
22 - Grab some take-out and take your family to a park for a picnic.
23 - Buy a hummingbird feeder and install it near a window so you can watch them feeding.
24 - Take your camera or cellphone and take photos around our city. Be sure to share on social media and to send your best to editorial@yorktonthisweek.com
25 - Buy a set of horseshoes and set up a pitch in your yard to start playing this vintage sport. You might even get involved in an e-tournament through the Canadian Horseshoe Association (www.horseshoecanada.ca ).
26 - Buy five herbs or spices you don’t currently have at home and then undertake to try recipes using them for family meals.
27 - Throw some hoops at local outdoor courts such as those at Dr. Brass School.
28 - Build a bee hotel in your yard to help wild bee populations. Plans can be found online at sites such as www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/how-build-hotel-wild-bees
29 - Buy a wine kit and try making your own libation.
30 - Visit Tourism Yorkton to borrow geocaching equipment, then trek the city in search of hidden treasure. The office is at the Junction Hwy 9 & 16 in the city.
31 - Feel like some good film, the best of short film through recent years are available to borrow on CD at the Yorkton Film Festival office at 49 Smith Street E., or call (306) 782-7077.
32 - It’s never too late to get involved in Pokémon Go. It uses the mobile device GPS (cellphone) to locate, capture, battle, and train virtual creatures, called Pokémon, which appear as if they are in the player’s real-world location. Yes there are critters in Yorkton to be wrangled. The game launched with around 150 species of Pokémon, which had increased to around 500 by 2019.
33 - Install a bird bath in your yard, access a species book online and start your birdwatching.
34 - Dig up your ball glove and play catch at a park with the kids.
35 - Start a window sill herb garden so you can add some fresh summer flavour to your meals.
36 - On a hot evening head out for an ice cream cone, or bowl of frozen yogurt.
37 - Visit the Yorkton branch of the Western Development Museum and get a selfie with the old steam engine in front of the building and ring the bell.
38 - Dig into the closet for a well-loved board game from your childhood and teach it to the family.
39 - Doing a puzzle is always a good family activity.
40 - Go berry picking, in the wild or at Prairie Dome.
41 - Put your shoes on, go for a jog, a great way to keep in shape.
42 - Get a team and play volleyball in the sand courts.
43 - Enjoy bird watching in and around the Parkland area.
44 - Enjoy a nature walk behind Ducks Unlimited.
45 - Get up early and watch the sunrise.
46 - Make your spouse breakfast in bed.
47 - Take time to smell the roses in your garden.
48 - Visit Kinsmen Park at York Lake.
49 - Visit the driving range to improve your game.
50 - Play mini golf at an area course including Par-Tici-Putt Mini Golf & Rental.
51 - Play a musical instrument.
52 - Go inline skating.
53 - Take a yoga class.
54 - Visit the Yorkton Gardeners’ Market open Saturdays starting July 18th.
55 - Get a massage.
56 - Pamper yourself with a manicure.
57 - Tired of social distancing? Hug a tree.
58 - Play tetherball.
59 Take an historic walking tour. There are actually two written heritage walking tours for downtown Yorkton: “Promise and Potential - Yorkton in the Early 1900’s” and “Pioneers Ways and Bygone Days”. Both are available from City Hall and Tourism Yorkton. “Pioneer Ways and Bygone Days” is a close-up of the old town centre of Yorkton and is available for $10.00 at City Hall.
60 - Learn some words in a new language.
61 - Blow bubbles with the kids.
62 - Do some home repairs you have been putting off.
63 - Try a new food at an area restaurant.
64 - Nap in a hammock.
65 - Go camping at one of our local campgrounds.
66 - Have a water balloon fight.
67 - Watch the sunset.
68 - Go for a round of disc golf at Patrick Park in the city, or at a number of courses in region including; Sun Hills Resort, Carleton Trail, Churchbridge, Bredenbury, Melville Regional Park, Good Spirit Provincial Park, Kamsack, Whitesand Regional Park, Springside and Sandy Beach on Good Spirit Lake.
69 - Visit the shops in downtown Yorkton.
70 - Go for lunch at a local restaurant.
71 - Visit the Orkney stones located approximately 7 km northwest of Yorkton.
72 - Play a game of road hockey.
73 - Camp in the backyard. Don’t forget the smores and bush pies.
74 - Stay up late and gaze at the stars.
75 - Run through the sprinklers at home or in the park.
76 - Organize a scavenger hunt.
77 - Create a new cocktail.
78 - Pickle or preserve something from your garden.
79 - Go kayaking.
80 - Make a Covid-19 pinata, fill it with candy and whack the heck out of it.
81 - Take family photos at your favourite scenic location.
82 - Sit in the hot tub.
83 - Go for a swim.
84 - Make a robot and take it for a walk.
85 - Read Yorkton This Week, either online at yorktonthisweek.com or purchase a subscription.
86 - Take a book from the ‘Tiny-library’ at City Hall Park, and sit in the peaceful area to enjoy the first few chapters.
87 - Make homemade bread or buns.
88 - Get a pedicure.
89 - Trim the hedges.
90 - Binge watch a tv show.
91 - Set up an outdoor movie with a projector shining on the garage.
92 - Make a bird house and set it out.
93 - Take your dog for a grooming.
94 - Do a good deed and mow your neighbours lawn for them.
95 - Recycle all your bottles and cans from the last few months.
96 - Make homemade butter with your kids.
97 - Wax your car.
98 - Check out the downtown murals. The metal, cut-out mural on the north wall of the former Liquidation Store building was the first major piece in the city, followed by the more traditional painted one of the west-facing wall on the Liquor Board Store.
99 - Play some video games.
100 - Take your dog for a walk at Wiggly Field.
101 - Cool off at the local spray parks installed at Heritage Heights Park, Silver Heights Park and Ukrainian Pioneer Park. The spray parks include geysers, spinners, high features, low features and make the spray parks accessible and enjoyable by everyone.
