You are cordially invited to the Historical Hanson Happening in Sheho, Saskatchewan on Saturday, June 6, 2020 in the Cenotaph Park. Show up any time after 15:00 and leave when you want.
The 18 months gives you lots of notice so you can organize your life accordingly. 
The committee
Laurel from Kamloops, Cindy from Invermay and Jody –currently living in Arequipa — decided it would be interesting to have a Hanson tribal gathering so we can tell stories and create some memories.
That said, none of the above take any responsibility for the totally unorganized gathering. Whoever shows up is there. Whoever doesn’t isn’t. No RSVPs required.
The food
Cindy declared that a potluck is a good idea. Okay. So, who is going to rock up with a
five-gallon pail of perogies like Grandma Annie used to make? After taking it under discussion, the committee speculated that Arlene – possibly Faye – and/or Gloria and Jamie are the best hopes.
Laurel stamped her foot and declared that she didn’t want any raspa-klubb, even though we found recipes on the Internet — https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/142760/potato-klubb-norwegian-potato-dumplings/ She has too many recollections of those “glue-balls” as she refers to them from childhood.
My plan is to raid my mother’s basement-cellar stash. The calculation is that I will be able to find some buns or bread, enough jams and preserves to feed the army along with lots of other treats.
And there are always take-aways from Willy’s restaurant on Main Street in Foam Lake if you are in doubt about what to bring.
Because this is all unofficial and adhoc, you are also responsible for bringing your own plate/bowl/knife/fork/spoon. No mommies there to look after you.
The drinks
Cindy is the designated finder of pure, clear Ukrainian homebrew. Yes, yes, of course we will burn some to make sure it has a blue flame. Uncle Walter would expect no less.
The hooch-making-still that Grandpa Hans and Uncle Lorne had wasn’t all that far from the house on the home quarter, but Cindy hasn’t been able to find it. Should have been a designated family heirloom.
If you want Fanta or Mountain Dew or Tang like Grandma used to make, you had better show up with it. The rest of us will be swilling back beer, wine or whatever – after appointing a designated driver.
According to Cindy, the RCMP don’t patrol Sheho all that often so we likely won’t get busted. A brown paper bag will do in case they appear.
The activities
Take a preview of the village of Sheho in the – gasp, shock cold winter — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05IO5vHjErA – and figure out why 6 June 2020 is the date.
How about digging around to see if we can find the old water pump in the park? Remember that the running water from Hoffman’s slough was yellow cow piss?
Maybe Billy Hoffman will let us tour the house. Cindy will check.
Another idea is to bring a lawn mower to cut the grass in the park like Grandma used to do.
How about a family photo at the prairie chicken statue? 
At the “Steaked Out at the Queens Hotel in Sheho” gathering my mother headed a tour of the cemetery. Hope we can talk her into doing it again. Until then I didn’t know that my brother’s second
name of “Andrew” came from our great-grandfather Woodhal.
The memories
Do you recall Grandma Annie whacking off the heads of a few more chickens because an additional unexpected six people had shown up for lunch?
How about the massive meals for the threshing crew? Or sit-down lunches for 47 at Thanksgiving?
If anyone is sick, we can get out a bottle of Vick’s Vapour Rub, make a mustard plaster, and pour some hospital brandy. And don’t forget the final swipe of Vick’s under the nose.
Laurel and Cindy recall long walks with Grandpa Hans. And he would buy them pink popcorn at the Chinese Café.
My memories of him are crawling up on his lap and listening to his stories about travelling across Europe, going to South America and then on to Canada. I got the spoon from Neksel — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neksel%C3%B8 – so I really need to quit whining about not scoring the pink popcorn.
Other grandchildren just remember him as a grumpy old man who stood in front of the television.
How he ended up marrying our grandmother when he was 39 and she was 19 may remain forever a secret. The Hanson history is what it is.
The plan is to record our memories of the grandparents, the parents, and the neighbours down the road. Anyone else remember Lee Halverson? Whether or not the future generation will ever listen – or care — doesn’t matter. We will have fun producing it.
Now mark Saturday, June 6, 2020 in your diary and start thinking of the stories you can contribute.
