'Weyburn Memes' have become a part of local culture, and it's clear for those who follow them that they make references you have to be local to 'get'.

Local Comedian Richy Roy is responsible for the majority of those memes, which often make reference to his father, Mayor Marcel Roy, and to his wife, Constable Melinda Mintenko with the Weyburn Police Service.

Roy said he has been unable to perform comedy on-stage for most of the last two years. 

"With the instability of the entertainment industry due to COVID, it's too difficult to maintain a high level of consistently good performances, and its extremely difficult rescheduling events with multiple clients," he explained. "So with the entertaining on the back burner, I keep working on my comedy writing skills with making Weyburn memes."

He said using local businesses, local residents, local events, and local newsworthy stories as the basis of his memes is meant to connect our community together. 

"So it's not just another funny random meme, but now it's a meme with meaning, which makes it special and actually mean something," shared Roy. "The Weyburn Mmemes started out as something to keep myself distracted, gives me something to do, but I found a lot of joy in it, because if I can make at least one other person smile, laugh, or just brighten up their day for a bit, then it's worth it."

The byproduct of giving local businesses some free marketing is a win-win, Roy noted, because when people shop local and support local, then it builds our community a little bit at a time, which makes a big difference in the end.

Earlier this week, somehow, a gothic stone image of the Grim Reaper pointing down at something specific sparked Roy to make a new Weyburn Meme, wherein he name-dropped Ryan York, Owner of York Jewellers.

"There was absolutely zero heads up on it," commented York. "That's what I love about Richy. He just finds the funniest ways, without putting anybody down at all, to come up with awesome little funny ideas."

He said he was a little concerned when his girlfriend had told him Richy had made a meme about him.

"My first thought was, 'oh no', because he can roast people pretty good," he noted. "Then she showed it to me and it was super funny and I loved every bit of it." 

"We've had a couple of people come in that said they saw the meme and it's very accurate towards like how I am at the store," he said. "I mean any shout out to local small business definitely helps, and I can't thank Richy enough for doing it for us."

york meme

York said the image of the Grim Reaper definitely speaks to his look.

"People walk in here and I got my flannel shirts on, and my backwards hat and big gauged ears. My tattoos are always hanging out," he shared. "I'm not your typical guy who you see selling jewelry most of the time. I'm more of an edgy person when it comes to the way that I dress around here. So I mean to have kind of that Gothic grim reaper looking guy. It was very suiting." 

York added Roy has known him most of his life.

Another local business oft mentioned in the Weyburn Memes is the local Co-op store.

"I grew up around the same age as Richy, so I definitely follow him. We appreciate when he mentions us," said Member Relations Manager at Prairie Sky Coop, Danielle Knoll. 

"The best part about it is, if you grow up here or you live here, it hits, and you know exactly what he's talking about," she shared. "It's like, you know, everybody goes to the Co-op, or you come home for the holidays, or whatever, and you run into somebody at the grocery store. That's why you go to Co-op for two things, and you're there for an hour."

coop meme

Enjoy a gallery below of the kinds of memes we get on a daily basis thanks to the local entertainment being kept off of the stages (for now).