It's always great to have support in a tough time, especially for those who dedicate their time to provide a better Estevan every day.

This was recently exemplified, as the Estevan Arts Council received a $2,000 donation from Golden West Broadcasting, the parent company of CJ1150, Rock 106 and Sun 102.

Originally, the amount was expected to be $1,000, however, the surprise addition to the sum was welcomed.

"It was a wonderful surprise. We belong to an Arts fest, and what we collect in our community in donations becomes doubled. It's great, because money is hard to get at and we do a lot of programming," expressed Wilma Mantei, who's the president of the Council.

She noted that the current times pose some challenges, as support waxes and wanes with the economy.

"We rely on donations and community grants to fulfill all our needs."

Melissa Deitz, the Station and Sales Manager at Golden West Broadcasting's Estevan location said that the increase was a surprise for her as well.

"Even though we were able to donate from a business perspective, it looks like those donations are matched."

"As a part of our commitment to local communities, we're delighted when we can help local organizations develop and promote local musical talent. We're very pleased to give towards the cost of the programming at the Estevan Arts Council," she added.

Wilma Mantei revealed that, while they don't have a lot scheduled for the summer, they will resume in September and variety of musical entertainment will then ensue. This will include a tribute to Fleetwood Mac, some celebration of Canada's 150th birthday, a jazz pianist and a ballet.

"Most of those are pretty big ticketed concerts, so we hope to get our community out there."

"We're starting another new program, kind of coinciding with Stars For Saskatchewan, called Spark. It's bringing in the youth to help plan concerts pertaining to their interests," she noted in addition.

Mantei concluded by pointing ahead to a Concerts for Kids program is coming up, lasting for a whole week in September.