Over the summer, researchers at Carleton University launched a national survey to understand why people are so keen on doing genealogy research, what they find and how, and what they do with all that information once they have it. More information and a link to the survey can be found at http://www.cusurveycentre.ca/gensurvey/.

Please note that the survey ends on November 30, 2011 so make sure you get your observations in before that time!

It's the time of year to re-read one of these ghostly volumes:

Ghost Stories of Saskatchewan

More Ghost Stories of Saskatchewan

Ghost Stories of Saskatchewan 3

All three books are by Jo-Anne Christensen.

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Want to read more about paranormal activity on the Prairies?

Check out the blog Prairie Specters, with photos and ghostly information for many Saskatchewan locations, like:
The Assinboia Club
Government House
Kerrobert Court House
and many more.

Everyone is invited to
Regina Transit's 100th Anniversary Celebration
in front of City Hall (2476 Victoria Avenue in Regina)
on Thursday, July 28
at a come-and-go event
from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

There will be displays of buses from the past to the present, transit memorabilia and refreshments.

Dress in clothing from your favourite era and become part of the festivities.

Mayor Pat Fiacco will be speaking at 1:30 p.m.

* * *

Check out this page on the City of Regina website for history and photos of Regina Transit.

the above photo: The inauguration of the Regina Municipal Railway in front of the City Hall on 11th Avenue, July 28, 1911.
Catalogue Number: CORA-RPL-B-0179 (City of Regina Archives)

In honour of the Saskatchewan Roughriders' centennial, the Fall 2010 issue of Saskatchewan History magazine is completely dedicated to the history of the team and its fans. Loaded with colour and black & white photographs, with interesting and compelling human stories about the Rider experience, is a must for any Rider fan!

To purchase a copy of the Rider issue of Saskatchewan History, call 306-933-8325 (Saskatoon) or 306-787-5792 (Regina), or pick one up in person at the Saskatchewan Archives's Reference Services reading room in Regina, at 3303 Hillsdale Street.

Price: $10.00 plus GST (shipping extra; shipping free for purchases of 10 or more.)

Where else can you buy the Rider issue? Visit these Regina vendors:

* Cumberland Gallery, Sask. Legislature Building
* Lakeview Fine Foods (Regina)

Note: Everyone who purchases a copy of Saskatchewan History can enter to win an exclusive Rider history prize donated by Partners in Motion. "Each issue has an entry form, and the winning entry will receive a boxed DVD set of the Partners in Motion documentary film, On Roughriders: A Century of Saskatchewan Roughrider Football -- plus a replica Riders jersey, specifically created for the dramatic recreations in the film." The prize will be drawn on January 16, 2011.

Fourteen videos, providing highlights of the six ‘Celebrate the NWMP Trail” festivals, have been added to the Rural History and Culture Association website. The videos feature:

* Spirits of the Trail, the dramatic re-telling of the story of James Walsh and Sitting Bull
* portions of historical presentations made by Garrett Wilson
* First Nations cultural performances
* cowboy poetry
* songs from Saskatchewan singer/songwriters including Jeff Straker, Carrie Catherine, Tommy-John Ehman, Karen Blackwell Jones, Megan Nash and Ragtime Don and the Word Junkie.

To check out the videos, go to http://www.rhcask.ca/nwmp-trail/.

A Saskatchewan Regional Dialect Study is being carried out by McGill University with assistance from the University of Saskatchewan. The study is examining the changes in Saskatchewan dialect over time. A major part of the project is a survey located at www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ATj7tw30zyFOgYKjCW1z9Q_3d_3d. The survey should take no longer than 5 minutes.

Like many of our counterparts across Canada, the first Monday of August is set aside for a public holiday. Here in this province, our August holiday is called Saskatchewan Day, which naturally celebrates everything and everyone that makes Saskatchewan so special.

But how much do YOU really know about this great and wonderful province of ours? Up for a trivia challenge?

28 questions to baffle, stimulate, provoke, confuse, educate, and entertain you. Don't believe me? Check out the quiz for yourself.

The back cover of the current issue (June 2007) of the Manitoba History magazine shows a great old postcard of Winnipeg buildings, circa 1914. The person who can identify the most buildings in the postcard, before November 1, 2007, will win a prize (to be disclosed at deadline date).

To enter, go to the Manitoba Historical Society's contest page.

Need some help with the answers? Then check out the following resources available in the PHR room:

* John W. Graham's A Guide to the Architecture of Greater Winnipeg.

* Murray Peterson's Winnipeg's Landmarks.

* Murray Peterson's Winnipeg's Landmarks: Volume II.

* William Paul Thompson's Winnipeg Architecture: 100 Years.

For your amusement, check out pages 30-38 of the February 2007 edition of the Manitoba History magazine to read up on historical 3-D images called stereoviews. By using the 3-D glasses that have been thoughtfully provided by the magazine's editors, readers will get the unique opportunity to see how these fascinating images look.