Wes Petterson Memorial Park opens in Weldon with ceremony

By Logan Lehmann

Family members, friends, and supporters gathered in the small village of Weldon on Saturday to witness the opening of Wes Petterson Memorial Park.

Hundreds of people packed the park’s entrance, including many local dignitaries from the area and the province looking to share their messages of support to the community.

Through a sign language interpreter, Petterson’s son Wes Petterson Jr. said his father would be proud of what the community has done in his honour.

“He would be so glad that the kids have a safe place to play, and I know that my father will be watching over them and watching them play in the park,” Petterson said.

Wes Petterson was one of 11 people killed during a mass stabbing rampage two years ago. He was the only victim from Weldon, while the other 10 were from the nearby James Smith Cree Nation.

Seeing the number of people there to support the family and park opening, Chelsey Erickson, co-director of the park project, said it was shocking.

“Considering the population has doubled, probably tripled, it’s overwhelming to see the amount of support still to this day,” she said.

“It’s amazing to see so many people. We didn’t know if anyone was going to show up,” said Jamie Petrie, the project’s other co-director.

“By 9:30 there were cars coming up to the Show and Shine, and then we saw people lining up for the pancake breakfast and it was… just beyond.”

It only took around seven months for the park to be completed, from the time the idea was first brought forward. Having no money, land, or idea where to start, donations and volunteers quickly came forward.

The park was built entirely from donations by local businesses and community members, which included a $116,000 donation by James Smith Cree Nation in April. The land the park sits on was donated by the next-door Weldon Country Villa care home.

Since a vote had to be held to acquire the land from the home, Erickson said it was a unanimous decision.

“We attended their AGM in the spring and we told them what we wanted to do, and there wasn’t a hand that didn’t go up.”

“Nobody once asked us for money for it. They just all said ‘Nope, you do you’. The only thing they asked is how much land we were looking for,” echoed Petrie.

The park features a play set with multiple slides and a climbing net, along with monkey bars, a teeter-totter, jungle gym, and merry-go-round. The park also has two soccer goals with built-in football uprights, a handful of benches, and numerous flower boxes.

Six flag poles were erected next to the park that now wave the flags of Canada, Saskatchewan, the Métis Nation, and James Smith Cree Nation, while the flags of the Peter Chapman Band and Chakastaypasin Band will be raised at a later date. The flags were raised to thank those who donated and helped make the park a reality.

“It’s so heartwarming to see. They’ve done such a great job,” said Petterson Jr.