Elk Point: A Guest Blog By Ryan Stinn

Posted on: May 15, 2021

Welcome to the land of Elk Point, a charming small town with a lovely variety of shopping and nature to behold. This town is a great stop by when travelling out east to Fort George, WhitneyLakes, Cold Lake, or Lloydminster.

Here you will enjoy high quality food, history, and little known natural treasures.Let’s start off with a bit of shopping shall we? My First stop was at Knotty Boyz Boutique. Knotty Boyz is a wonderful shop full of fashion for the ladies. They work at keeping up with the trends, but also maintain a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. As for clothing, they have pieces for the mid 20 year olds to the mid 40 year olds, a nice balance between trend and style for their line from Elle Rain Boutique.
But much like many other small town shops, they have a bit of everything. You can get some wedding gifts here and some of your basic wedding needs. You can custom order trophies and plaques. You can even get some custom printed clothing and jerseys here. If shopping isn’t your fancy, go to the back and get a haircut or style, at Cuts ByCandace.The location has a long history of adapting to change. Knotty Boyz itself used to be a fabric store, but has recently evolved into a clothing store, and the store even got a facelift to match.
I was impressed and surprised with their modern looking renovations. The history of the location is interesting as it used to be a Coop, an arcade, and a custom trophy shop (which they still continue). Twila Stafford is the owner and operator of the store and maintains the motto “We do whatever”.Just across the way is the Book Nook. This is a charming secondhand store that contains just about everything minus clothes, groceries and a kitchen sink, (actually I think there may have been a kitchen sink). Walking in here will drive you into nostalgia land. They have fine china, antique furniture, and classic board games. Tucked into a nook in the back you will find the books, along with DVDs and VHS cassette tapes.
Go check out Dawn’s Bragging Wall, add a few pieces to the ongoing puzzle, and check out the vintage Christmas decorations in the corner. The operators of the store were very polite, but quite shy. I recommend that you checkout this store to see what hidden treasures they have that you forgot that you loved.Next on our shopping list is theSewHeavenly Quilting. The store is aptly named as the owner bought the old church that had been for sale for some time. Inside the store you will find a nice selection of fabrics.
These are mostly for quilting (surprise, surprise), but she has other fabrics that are well suited to any sewing project. The owner is also willing to order in any type of fabric that you would like, though she does recommend that you order your fabrics well in advance as shipping times have been variable. The big draw toSewHeavenly quilting is the long arm quilting machine. This long arm is set up to embroider any size of quilt that you may have. WhenI saw the machine in action it was embroidering a lovely, yet subtle flower pattern across a quilt large enough to fit a king size bed. On the other side of the building is a pretty space for gatherings that is available for rent.

The space can be used for movement based activities, like dance, for birthday parties, and other events. There is a piano, lots of floor space, and even a decked out kitchen to meet your needs.

Of course if you are passing through there is the Home Town Grocers and the local Coop for all of your basic needs.

As well they have two tire shops, a Rona, and a couple of drug stores, for all of your non basic needs.It is surprising to see the rich art that is displayed throughout this charming little town.Monuments are scattered throughout the town and recognize FNMI cultures, RCMP and veterans alike, as well as the town itself.The first art piece that you must stop at is the Peter Fidler statue. This 34 foot tall statue commemorates two aspects, the Peter Fidler Peace Park, and Peter Fidler.

 

Also, when travelling into Elk Point from the north, you quite literally cannot miss the statue. Back in the early 90’s villages, towns and cities all joined together in order to recognize all peoples and to make a stand for peace. The phrase “The Whirling Rainbow is the promise of peace Among allNatives and all people” paraphrases Jaime Sams’ teachings. Peter Fidler was chosen because of his contributions in building so many settlements and fur trading stations, as well as his work in cartography. It is hard to imagine that the statue was carved with a chainsaw. This site makes a great photo opportunity, as well as a picnic spot, not just for the statue, but for the great view just behind the statue, and the picnic tables that are shaded by trees.

 

 

The next stop will be just down highway 41 at the legion on the west side of the road. Here are two monuments that recognize the service of our veterans and our RCMP. The mounted police commemorates a century without war and with progress. The veteran’s statue was installed at the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II, and recognizes the services of our veterans throughout history in various wars and in peace-keeping.Continue travelling down highway 41 to the other end of town, and you will come across the ElkPoint Elk statue. This beautiful mascot is surrounded by well kept flowers, and is a short walk from another great lunch or picnic stop, the Iron Horse Trail head. There you will find some picnic tables, a fire pit and a gazebo. This is also the stop for the Town Information Center and the Town Map that has all of the key locations pointed out.

 

Map:https://goo.gl/maps/FeLUw72jjfeLRBaa8

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