Couple sings Alberta praise

RIVIERE QUI BARRE, Alta. – Farm families may feel inspired to break into song while they walk across their field or drive down the road, but few are able to write Alberta’s official song.

While looking out the front window of her Alberta farmhouse to a pasture of grazing cattle, Mary Kieftenbeld was inspired to write the beginning lyrics of the song eventually chosen by the government to celebrate the province’s 100th anniversary in 2005.

A few weeks later, while helping her son study for a Grade 4 social studies exam on Canadian history, the rest of the lyrics came to Kieftenbeld, who farms with her husband Ed, his two brothers and their families northwest of Edmonton.

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“The kids started humming it and Ed thought it was great,” said Mary, whose winning song about the province’s geography, history and promising future was chosen over more than 300 other entries.

Mary has also been chosen to record the song and possibly sing it during next year’s centennial events, although the schedule hasn’t been finalized.

Winning the song contest and travelling to promote her previously recorded CD has created a bright spot for the entire family during tough agricultural times.

Some of the money from CD sales has paid bills and the musical events take their minds off their farming troubles.

The families have a 28,000-broiler bird operation and a 350-sow farrow-to-finish operation, and grow about 1,000 acres of crop, mostly wheat and barley for the hogs and chickens.

Eighteen months ago the farm built a new hog finishing barn. Hog prices looked good and the old barn needed replacing. Hog prices dropped not long after the barn was built and few hog farmers were able to withstand the low prices. They now regret the decision to build the new barn, Ed said.

“The broiler operation has kept us alive.”

In the midst of low hog prices, the music has offered a nice diversion, said Mary, who believes it has been especially important to Ed.

“He’s now my sound engineer and it gives him a renewed sense of purpose and a recognition he can do something else. Ed is not as consumed by farming as he used to be,” she said, and Ed agreed.

“It helps me. I go farming and work, work, work. It’s something else I can think about.”

It’s not a rural version of The Sound of Music especially when they are hurrying back from chores, making supper and trying to get a reluctant family into a van and off to a local hall to perform. A decision was made earlier that singing would be a family event and the kids would come to the events and not be shuffled off to a babysitter.

“I want to make it work around our family,” said Mary, who added it’s not easy to unload equipment and sleepy kids out of the van at midnight after a concert.

“It’s not as glorious as people think,” she said, but buoyed by CD sales and winning the song contest, music will continue to be a part of their farm.

During the past year Mary has started writing more songs and will soon record her second CD.

Alberta

Flatlands, rollin’ plains

Clear blue skies, prairie rains;

A tapestry of colours in the fall.

Snow covered mountain tops,

Wheat fields, canola crops;

Alberta has it all.

Alberta is calling me.

Home sweet home, it’s where I’m proud to be.

Alberta is calling me.

I’m livin’ right and feelin’ free.