It sounds like the start of a joke: a man walks into a museum.

In reality, it shows exactly how communities can plug into museums and it’s the way Saskatchewan Archives Week is supposed to work. 

During last Thursday’s Open House at the Humboldt and District Museum, visitors were greeted with cake, refreshments and the smiling faces of the museum staff. They were also greeted with a series of reproduced photos to glean through and pencils scattered around on a table. Patrons were asked to take a look through the photos and write down any information about people, dates, places, artifacts or any other pertinent details. 

Near the photo table was the “Lake Life” exhibit chronicling the vibrant shore side denizens at Stoney (Humboldt) and Waldsea Lakes.

A silver-haired gentleman pointed out the image of a young man with a shock of black curly hair profiled against a milling drop of cars, boats, and beachgoers.

“That’s me,” he said.  

That someone was Clarence Saretsky who had been caught on film at Humboldt Lake’s regatta in 1962. 

Saretsky detailed the event, “Every year they used to have a water event; they called it a regatta. There were boat races and skiing and all kinds of stuff.”

He explained that the event had gone on for a number of years before it folded up leaving the old clubhouse on the shore. In the day, he recalled that the clubhouse contained a beachside store for all the boat racers and water skiers. Saretsky recalls that many of his summer months were spent at the lake and that he had even dared to swim the width of the lake on one occasion. The picture testified that hundreds of people attended the annual regatta. 

Saretsky was 22 years old when the picture was taken.

Saretsky chatted and shared reminisces including a commentary on all the now vintage cars in the photo’s background. Clarence’s story was just one of many that emerge when people connect with their history through the province’s museums. If the photo jars any memories, drop by the Humboldt and District Museum and help contribute to documenting Humboldt’s history.