When people drive through town, municipalities hope they will stop in to buy from a local business; or they may visit, look around and maybe even consider moving in. Municipal development is the goal of councils, economic development personnel, business owners and residents to help their town thrive.
It’s great to look to the future and develop an economic plan that will bring people in as it enhances the town and brings much needed financial benefits.
Tourist attractions like museums, pools and skating arenas are good examples of ways to bring people to your town, but are they what is needed for the average traveller heading down the Yellowhead Highway?
Langenburg is in a very unique location as it is almost the halfway point between two major prairie cities, Saskatoon and Winnipeg; this makes it a perfect spot for a rest stop on the long eight-hour trip.
It is also the last town before the Assiniboine River valley, just across the Manitoba border and a great layover spot for a fair number of truckers (especially when the valley has been shut down).
Many-a-day you can see decent numbers of semi-trucks parked by the rest stop. Truckers rest from their journey and often visit many of the local businesses located just across the road. Countless travellers have been seen by “Goliath”, a swing built by Les Mack, a long time Langenburg resident.
Photo credit: Charlee Mitschke
Many people comment on “how cute the [Volkswagen] Beetle flower bed looks” when asked what they thought of the rest stop.
The “Friends and Family” sign has brought comments such as “this must be such a close community to claim it’s all friends and family”.
“Not many rest stops are right beside the highway, let alone in the middle of a town and close to the stores” is another common comment from travellers who have stopped at the Langenburg rest stop.
“It would be nice to have a covered picnic table and water to refill water bottles”, was about the only advice given when asked what visitors would do to improve the rest stop.
This rest stop is right across the highway from many of the town’s businesses, but is located on the Saskatchewan Department of Highways as well as CP Rail land. To date, this has not been an issue as the structures are not permanently placed there with foundation or walls.
With various logistical issues, the dynamics of the rest stop could be touchy; even with a small-scale rest stop built on location. This does however seem like the best spot to have travellers stopping in the town to benefit the local businesses as well as the community.
Would adding a wonderful tourist attraction jeopardize this working relationship with the Saskatchewan Highways Department and C.P. Rail, possibly losing the ability to sustain a rest stop right in the heart of the community?
Is the rest stop a concern for local residents, or would the residents of the area enjoy establishing a new tourist attraction to possibly bring not just highway travellers, but tourists specifically coming to see the new attraction?
Tax dollars from the town itself would most likely come into play to help fund the projects.
What the general public within Langenburg wants to see in their town will be the biggest question yet to be fully answered.
By Gary Horseman
(Local Journalism Initiative Reporter)
garyfourtownjournal@gmail.com
Four-Town+ Journal
Cover photo credit: Charlee Mitschke