After many years of planning and two years of construction, the new Stepping Stones Crisis Centre is officially open in Cold Lake. The centre has emergency shelter capacity for 63 women and family members, and second-stage housing and support for a dozen families. As impressive as the physical space is, speakers at the grand opening […]
Farmers market stalls, vendor tables, food, music, and the thunder of hooves made for an exciting Fall Fair at the Bonnyville Rodeo Grounds September 6 and 7. Most of the vendor activity was on the Saturday, with vendors and exhibitors reporting brisk sales. The Indian Relay races, presented in cooperation with Kehewin Cree Nation, provided […]
Fifty-one competitors from Northeastern Alberta reached the podium at the Alberta 55 Plus Games in Leduc August 21-24. More than 100 athletes from the northeast zone (Zone 7) qualified to participate at the Games. Zone 7 fielded competitors in 15 of the 23 sports. The biggest Zone 7 representation was in pickleball. Alberta 55 Plus […]
NRA Finals Rodeo Week in St. Paul is a perfect celebration for the end of summer. Saturday was a full day with all kinds of festivities and two rodeo competitons.
Some autumns ago, I learned September Song from Willie Nelson’s highly acclaimed ‘Stardust’ record, possibly his finest work. My crackling thrift shop discovery has been spun many times on my old turntable. The imperfections on the record are somehow befitting. Willie gave one of the best concerts I ever saw back in 2014. Prolific then […]
“The hawk is aerial brother of the wave which he sails over and surveys” – Henry David Thoreau An early morning drive to a quiet rural birding location, as the sun pokes its brightness onto the horizon, surely heals the soul. So it was as Elaine and I drove to the north end of Dalmead […]
September is often seen as the beginning of a new year, as the summer winds down and various activities begin for a new season. But August has kept us hopping! Haying in the 30s is an annual highlight on the Lakeland’s summer calendar, of course; that was followed this past weekend by Open Farm Days, […]
Everybody eats. And so everybody has to buy food. But not everybody knows how their food is produced. How is it grown, how is it processed? Is it healthy? Is it even safe? This weekend’s Alberta Open Farm Days set out to put people’s minds at ease by welcoming the public onto farms and downstream […]
Haying In The 30s happens in Mallaig every year, but it never gets old. The event, which raises money to help cancer patients, celebrates everything that’s good about rural Alberta living. Hundred of volunteers contribute time, toil, and talent throughout the year and on the August long weekend to put on an event that goes […]
“Welcome to agriculture and Mother Nature,” said Janice Boden, the M.D. of Bonnyville’s manager of agricultural services. Boden was commenting on the dry conditions that have affected crops and pastures in the area, leading the M.D. to declare a state of agricultural disaster. Despite a promising spring, rainfall in the past few weeks has not […]