Life on a Service Rig
Part 3
Highlights from Swift Current :
Cabarets. A small town Saskatchewan event involves community dances in a cordoned-off main street. Thousands of people come from all the surrounding communities and dance to a live band, drink together, and associate. The minors have similar events for Halloween that are completely community run with chaperones and medical clinics set up.
The streets of Swift Current are very easily laid out with convenient one ways downtown and almost random cheesecake cafes and coffee shops. The city lines the streets with flowers in the summertime and actively plows in the winter. The police are friendly and the theatre is classic. The churches as well as the bars are always full and happening places. Farmers donate farmland leases for community fundraisers and nothing seems to go to much underfunded.
There is very little violence, most of it is just barroom disputes and jilted lovers. Drugs were not apparent to be pervasive, nor was thievery.
Lots of big trucks and generally happy people. The occasional Hutterite bus bringing all the women to go shopping at Walmart and the competing Mennonites.
Most of the time when I was spotted walking somewhere (before my truck) I would be offered a ride by mere associates - and on occasion, strangers!
Cabs were brutally expensive though, and when it was windy it was insane.
I miss Swift Current.