Mortlach Saskatoonberry Festival

July 4, 2009

Last year, more than 2,500 people attended the first Mortlach Saskatoonberry Festival. It is an event for the entire family with great entertainment, events, a parade, and of course, saskatoon berries! 

Saskatoon berries have a long history in Saskatchewan. Here are a few little known facts about saskatoon berries:

They are not from Saskatoon and have nothing to do with Saskatoon as a 'Place Name' as such.

They are more commonly known as the serviceberry or juneberry and are native to northern North America.

The Cree Indians called the berry "misaskwatomin" or "missakqhahtoomina", meaning "fruit of the tree of many branches", which got anglicized to "saskatoon". The word sounded a lot like "saskatoon" to John Lake, a Methodist minister of a group that had settled on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River in 1882-1883.

So saskatoon berries are actually misaskwatominberries... and to top it all off, they aren't a berry at all, but a kind of very small apple. Maybe that is why they make such great pie!

On Saturday July 4, 2009, from 9am to 9pm, the town of Mortlach welcomes all visitors to enjoy a full day of fun and food. Admission for the day is $5 per person or $15 per family. For more information about the Mortlach Saskatoonberry Festival phone 306-355-2773 or visit their website.  

Recipes
For saskatoon berry recipes, click here. 

Mortlach Saskatoonberry Festival & Spa Package
Enjoy two nights' accommodations at Temple Gardens Mineral Spa Resort in Moose Jaw and one family pass to the Mortlach Saskatoonberry Festival. Mortlach is just a 22-minute drive west of Moose Jaw. 

Package Details:
$ 298 per person, based on double occupancy
Available from July 3 to 5, 2009
To learn more about this package or to book your rooms, click here.