When Bengough’s mayor Dennis Mazenc moved from Radville to Bengough in 1968, he planned to stay for a short while, but he married a local woman and has remained in the small town near the Big Muddy Valley ever since.
“I came with the idea of staying for two years, but I’m still here,” Mazenc said then described Bengough as a great town for growing families. “Bengough’s a good place to raise your kids.”
The southeastern Saskatchewan town named after the cartoonist John Wilson Bengough is 148 kilometres south of Regina and appears to exist in virtual isolation. Yet, this diminutive town has many services for such a small community. Mazenc listed Bengough’s various amenities, including the Bengough Community Centre, the Co-op Grocery Store, the Bengough Credit Union, the Bengough curling and skating rinks, the library, an outdoor pool, a nine-hole sand green, a local pharmacy and the Bengough Regional Park. Additionally, Bengough has a K-12 school.
Bengough also has medical facilities. The Bengough Health Centre has 24 level three and four long term care beds, plus two multi-use beds for respite, convalescence and palliative care with nurses available 24 hours per day. A nurse practitioner comes in from Moose Jaw on Mondays and a physician from Radville attends Bengough on Tuesdays. A second nurse practitioner in the community is currently in training. Bengough also has 28-unit senior citizen home and villas where seniors can live independently.
Mazenc said the town’s population has remained stable for several years. However, the mayor also noted how the town grows from 338 inhabitants to 4000 in a single weekend because of the outdoor Gateway Festival, where many musicians and music lovers arrive to partake in Bengough’s world famous annual event. Mazenc especially praised the town’s army of volunteers who assist in staging this popular occasion.
Mazenc further discussed some of the future challenges Bengough will be facing in the near future. For example, Bengough’s water treatment plant will be completed by the end of July. The $1.8 million plant has received 1/3 of its funding from the provincial government and 1/3 of its funding from the federal government with the community expected to cover the remaining costs of this initiative. “Another challenge is that the lagoon for disposal might have to be rebuilt,” Mazenc explained. “Our water cells will have to be larger to accommodate the reverse osmosis water plant.” Additionally, Mazenc talked about the issue of arranging a new landfill for Bengough, since the present transfer station is expected to be decommissioned by 2022.
