Sports tourism is big business for municipalities both large and small. Single-sport tournaments and big multi-sport events like the Alberta Winter Games are important economic drivers. They help pay some of the bills for building and maintaining recreation facilities, but even more important is their power to build a community’s reputation. And nothing reflects a […]
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, […]
Jeff Gaye, editor of the Cold Lake-based Respect newspaper, was awarded a Golden Dozen award for outstanding editorial writing by the International Society for Weekly Newspaper Editors (ISWNE). ISWNE holds an annual competition for editorials and opinion columns, with the top entry receiving its prestigious Golden Quill award. ISWNE members and non-members are eligible to […]
The colours, the lights, the music, the dance—Christmas is when the arts come alive. Or is it? Maybe it’s more accurate to say Christmas is when we open our eyes to all the ways art enhances our lives. Because art is always there. It surrounds us every day, in ways we may take for granted. […]
I can’t believe we’re doing this again. Or perhaps more accurately, that we’re doing it still. At the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, sickening horror stories emerged about how cruelly residents of some continuing care and long-term care facilities were being treated. When Canadian Armed Forces personnel were called in to rescue residents in the […]
A lot of us can remember setting up a lemonade stand or a Kool-Aid stand as kids. I don’t know if anyone else ever made any money at it, but I know I didn’t. There wasn’t a lot of foot traffic on our out-of-the-way residential street, and not a lot of potential customers. But it […]
Upstairs, it’s beautiful finished pottery and paintings. Downstairs, there’s tools and equipment, unfinished pieces, freshly-thrown pots, and hard-working artists. The St. Paul Visual Arts Centre has occupied an old school building (which had also served as the county offices) since 1977, when it was established as the first rural art gallery in Alberta. Since 1983 […]
Another New Years Eve, and I’m not going dancing. Which is fine—I don’t like dancing. I don’t think there’s been half a dozen occasions where Sherry and I have gone to a big New Years do. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any. We usually stay home, snack all night while […]
It’s said that music is the universal language. This probably is true as far as it goes—like other languages, it is a way to communicate ideas and emotions using sounds and symbols. But nothing breaks down barriers like sharing food. We may invite a friendly neighbour over for a simple lunch, or connect with friends […]
I was raised to respect veterans. My grandfathers were veterans of the First World War. During the 1930s my Grandpa Gaye owned a general store in Wynyard, Saskatchewan. During those hard times, many men travelled from town to town, looking for work. With no work to be had, they would rely on a handout before […]