COOTS AND CAMERAS Fall migrations have started. In fact by mid-August some of our Lakeland songbirds, the warblers, have already flown the coop and are heading south to their other home. On dugouts and sloughs, non-descript ducks are gathering. In bullrush stands, masses of red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds, with the odd starling mixed in, […]
Operating under a new brand, in the midst of a pandemic, AgFair organizers weren’t sure what to expect this year. The Cold Lake Agricultural Society (CLAS) event, formerly known as Fall Fair, had to make some adjustments this year. These included online entries and a closed-to-the-public judging day. So how did it turn out? “I’m […]
If you think of art as a solitary pursuit, you might also think that artists are doing fine through the pandemic. But there’s a special joy in artistic collaboration, and several people in St. Paul were delighted for the opportunity to come together last week and create something for the community. Eight participants created a […]
It’s hard to imagine that the young son of a Swiss watchmaker (in fact, a descendant of the founder of the Swiss watchmaking industry) would move with his family to Cold Lake, learn the ways of the bush, work as a trapper, gain a formal education as a painter, return to the bush, move to […]
The Boards of Directors Lakeland Credit Union and Vision Credit Union have begun formal merger discussions. Vision Credit Union has its head office in Camrose, and serves 17 branches. Most of its branches are in the central Alberta/Battle River region, with half a dozen in the northwest part of the province. Lakeland Credit Union CEO […]
Diane Stonehocker presented the report “Creating an Age-Friendly Cold Lake” to Cold Lake city council on August 11. The report is the fulfillment of a project funded by the Alberta government’s Aging Well in Community grant and conducted by Cold Lake and District Family and Community Services Society (FCSS). According to the report, the project […]
Coots and Cameras Living in the Lakeland provides one with the opportunity to explore and seek out the nearly two dozen different species of warblers that migrate northward in late May and early June. It’s not uncommon for birders from different parts of Alberta to join in that migration and spend up to a week […]
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced $10.3 million in upgrades funding for the Cold Lake Fish Hatchery while in the Lakeland last week. The major upgrade will be replacing the hatchery’s “flow-through” water system with one where water is reused within the facility. Currently the hatchery draws water from Cold Lake and then returns it to […]
Tales from Fern Chapel School My Dad always talked about a story.He was about three years older than my youngest uncle, Uncle Johnny.I think Grades 1 to 9 were in the same schoolhouse. I don’t know what grade he was in, but for spelling Johnny had to get up and write on the chalkboard, “Arnold’s […]
A new company is offering home care services for seniors and people with disabilities in Cold Lake and Bonnyville. Jeff Wurzer has begun serving clients through Just Like Family, a locally-owned franchise of a company that started in Vancouver. The care model is based on the premise that for many people, the best place to […]