DRAYTON VALLEY, Alta. — Recitals, choral productions, dance festivals and plays used to be held in local churches, schools and community halls in Drayton Valley, Alta. Today, the Eleanor Pickup Arts Centre provides a home for these local performing arts and brings the community together. “And this is where it starts, in the little theatres,” […] Read more
Stories by Maria Johnson
Health issue forcing switch to niche crops reaps rewards
LACOMBE, Alta. — A diagnosis of severe gluten intolerance in 2003 forced central Alberta grain farmers to make some radical changes in their farming operation. Kevin Lundie and his wife, June, and son, Kole, 21, no longer grow gluten based crops on their 500 acre farm. “My family physician said I shouldn’t even be exposed […] Read more
Alberta pioneer sells fleas to supplement farm income
BLACKFALDS, Alta. — Historian Judy Carleton says the book she’s writing about Arthur Douglas Gregson is “not your average settler story.” He’s known to be the first white man to settle the area known as Burbank, southeast of Blackfalds, in central Alberta. Carleton is excited to share his story. “You just can’t make this stuff […] Read more
Alberta century home set to be hub of activity
BLACKFALDS, Alta. — For settlers on the Canadian Prairies in the early 20th century, the Eaton’s catalogue was equivalent to today’s online shopping mall. Everything needed to fill a house, and even the house itself, could be ordered from the pages of the iconic mail order catalogue. One of these homes that dot the western […] Read more
Remember when? Days of being mom relived
LACOMBE, Alta. — Doll therapy for Alzheimer’s patients can reduce anxiety, improve communication and reduce wandering. Tosha Serle, social worker and site manager at Northcott Care Centre in Ponoka, Alta., said it gives them focus and purpose. “You can have someone who is agitated and they are given a baby and it calms them,” she […] Read more
An enduring Alberta icon: Lacombe’s flatiron building
LACOMBE, Alta. — The distinctive flatiron building in Lacombe, Alta., has been a presence in the community for more than a century. Built by the Merchants Bank of Canada in 1903-04 for $30,000, the landmark sits on a prominent corner of a triangular shaped block in the city’s downtown. Such dominant architecture was preferred by […] Read more
Beef ring provided fresh meat before days of refrigeration
LACOMBE, Alta. — Edwin Pierson Woodrow travelled west in 1907 to work on harvesting crews but found his butchering skills helped supply families with much needed meat. He was among the many farm workers who boarded Canadian Pacific Railway trains in Eastern Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Before the widespread use […] Read more
Tree farm makes holiday memories
FALUN, Alta. — Pine scents fill the air as Fir Ever Green Tree Farm owner Peter Kappeler trims a few inches from the base of a balsam fir. This tree was selected by a family looking to create special Christmas memories. “Some of the trees even come with a free bird’s nest,” joked Peter. He […] Read more
Creating treasures stitch by stitch
RIMBEY, Alta. — Quilting is a way to make something practical and pretty while sewing together friendship, purpose and community. “It’s a form of art. I love to play with the patterns and feel the fabrics,” said Carol Bailey, who operates the Wildflower Creations quilting store in Lacombe, Alta. and teaches quilting. Bailey enjoys sharing […] Read more
Hearts talk the language of flowers
He loves me He loves me not He loves me. Anonymous When plucking flower petals one by one, the last petal remaining represents whether the object of one’s desire reciprocates the sentiment. This whimsical game of love is simple flower symbolism. For centuries flowers have represented heartfelt emotions. Those emotions become public on Valentine’s Day, […] Read more
