Sask. man turning small hamlet into tourist destination
One Saskatchewan man is striving to keep his small town alive by turning it into a tourist destination for people across Canada and the USA.
The hamlet of Clair, located two and a half hours north of Regina, is home to nine people, according to resident Randy Woolrich.
“When you live in a small town, you get that comfort of quiet,” he said.
The population of Clair used to be in the hundreds but as the years went on, the town started down sizing.
Woolrich decided to revive his hometown by transforming it into a hunting outfitter. He bought 80 per cent of the houses in the community and turned them into lodges.
“I started buying up the houses to accommodate my hunters and it started working really well that way. They like the houses, it’s like their own little timeshare,” he said.
Ace Outfitters has accommodated six US Senators, Peter Folger of Folgers coffee, and various Americans from states like California and Florida.
“It’s a lot of tourism dollars from out of the country that we try spend back into small towns,” he said.
Woolrich said he takes his guests to the local businesses in the neighbouring towns and often hears compliments on the small town hospitality.
He said guests come for the small town experience. They stay at the lodges in Clair and during the day, hunt birds on farmland in the area.
To thank the farmers for letting him hunt on their land, Woolrich hosts an appreciation supper each year. The fall supper is held in the 100-year-old community hall, with more than 100 people in attendance.
“Having over 100 people in Clair is kind of a big deal,” Clair resident Natalie Young said.
The supper held on Sunday night had 17 courses of wild meat including sand hill crane soup, pheasant pot pie, and blueberry goose sauce.
“These people just love it. We’ve had so many compliments and it makes us feel good,” Margaret Bowman, who helped cook the meal, said.
Clair is named after the train conductor’s daughter, and now one of the local farmers named their daughter after the town.
“My name is on the elevator and I get to see it everyday,” Claire Kapeluck, 9, said.
The town is a special place for both young and old.
“It means a lot to me, its home,” Jack Evans, who lived in Clair for 70 years, said.
While the population is under 10 people, Woolrich said Clair is like a second home for many.
“I’ve been all over the place,”Woolrich said. “But when you come home, it’s the same as when you left it.”
He hopes his children will one day take over the family business and keep the spirit of Clair alive.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.