Winter 2010
a rural hip lifestyle magazine
TRACKING
Terry Grant with
A rural hip lifestyle magazine designed for the Foothills region, including: Black Diamond, High River, Longview, Nanton, Okotoks, Turner Valley. PM 41979554
4 Marvelous History 11 Gift music series
The WALES Theatre
ideas
contents Winter 2010
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32 14
Features
10 Fit to Ride
Off with the cowboy boots and wranglers! A Nanton fitness centre is keeping fit for an active life.
14 Tracking With Terry
Wrap you rself
in the war mth
Terry Grant makes a big impression as he jumps from humble beginnings in small town Ontario, to wilderness tracking on the big screen.
18 The Wales Theatre
of High River
This charming High River landmark has morphed its way through many eras and is once again set to advance with the times.
Departments
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12 Activity Feature
Marvelous Music: Take note! Great music series happening all around you!
20 Arts and Entertainment
Holiday events, town lightups, special film and loads of live music all at your doorstep.
23 Spotlight on Talent
CD: Hatred Burns Hope – Heavy metal teens from Okotoks. Book: The Dewpoint Show – A young adult novel.
26 Shopping
Something for everyone on your list.
24 Fiction
28 Professionally Speaking
Pets: Veterinarian Dr. Shannon Budiselic offers tips for overall good pet health.
28 High River Rocks
Health: Don’t let the winter blues get you down.
A short story by Lee Kvern.
Alberta Men’s Provincial Championship comes to High River.
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30 Food
Stuffed Pork Loin and Blueberry Pudding by Little New York Bistro, Longview
NEW! Chef Feature by Stirr! Adventures in Food, Black Diamond
Winter 2010
a rural hip lifestyle magazine
34 Financial Column
36 Family: The Motherload
January 30, 2011
www.highrivertourism.ca
$35 + GST 7:00 PM
High River Full Gospel Church
To purchase tickets for Outerbridge or William Joseph call the High River Culture Centre at 403.652.4668
Clearly for You: Insurance for children
February 12, 2011 $25 + GST 7:00 PM
Highwood Memorial Centre
4 Marvelous music series
History The Wales Theatre
11 Gift Ideas
TRACKING
Terry Grant with
A rural hip lifestyle magazine designed for the Foothills region, including: Black Diamond, High River, Longview, Nanton, Okotoks, Turner Valley. PM 41979554
On the cover: Terry Grant photographed at Anchor D ranch, Turner Valley, by Neville Palmer.
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A hopeful shift from clutching the parental reigns to assembling a safety net.
38 Detours
A comparison of old news and present times.
routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
Editor’s Note 4
Music is an outburst of the soul.” ~Frederick Delius
E
very issue this letter feels a bit like a “what I did last summer” essay. Fortunately, while seeking out what great things to bring to our readers this issue, the routes team discovered a lot of interesting people and great local talent along the way We discovered new restaurants, new musicians, and fundraising events that felt like a party with friends. During the last couple of months we have been exposed to some talented young people, like the band members of Hatred Burns Hope. Ok, heavy metal is not for everyone but admiring the skill and dedication of youth is always worth celebrating. We were entertained by The Travelling Mabels, Tim Williams, Lunch at Allen’s, and some of us were even lucky enough enjoyed a few drinks at the Black Diamond Hotel with Terry Grant. We also discovered another side to local country singer George Canyon at his photo exhibit at Carlson’s on Macleod during Alberta Arts Days. Our small towns are alive with talent! Did you know that CBC Radio named High River Cultureville for being the coolest cultural community in Alberta based on the numerous events it hosted (per capita) in September for Alberta Arts Days. If arts and music isn’t enough, we (routes enthusiasts) also get to experience great cuisine by hardworking and talented chefs. Over the past two years, readers have expressed their appreciation for the recipes we feature from local restaurateurs. As an independent publisher and business owner, I understand the challenges of being your own boss. Our local restaurants deserve much support for their entrepreneurial spirit in such a challenging occupation. We are pleased to be able to continue to print great recipes from local, independent restaurants and now we will also be delighting you with a regular chef feature from Stirr! Adventures in Food, offering cooking classes in Black Diamond.
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One of the highlights of putting this issue together was tracking down reality TV host, Terry Grant. Not only did the routes team track him down, we captured the man (literally) and writer Mary Savage captured his story. Please let us know what you like, what you love and even what you don’t like – we always want to hear from our readers. Many blessings to all of you this coming holiday season, relax, eat and enjoy all that the foothills has to offer, and … don’t forget your routes.
Sandra Wiebe Executive Editor/Publisher
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From Our Readers Dear Rural Hipsters, I am thoroughly enjoying the fall issue of Routes Magazine that appeared in my mailbox. it is a fabulous way to keep informed about what’s happening in the arts world of the Foothills”
Sheila Sepkowski Photography 403.601.2077 403.585.8398 sheila_s@telus.net www.sepkowskiphotography.ca
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OKOTOKS Contributors
Winter 2010 Issue #9
Publisher: Routes Media Inc.
Natural Foods Come In and Taste the Goodness
Executive Editor Sandra Wiebe Copy Editor Pat Fream Art Director Sharon Syverson Feature Photographer Neville Palmer Contributors Pat Fream Mary Savage Peter Worden Lee Kvern Blair Braitenbach Sandra Wiebe Advertising sales@routesmagazine.ca
(left to right)
routesmagazine.ca
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Peter Worden fancies himself an ardent newspaper aficionado. He often resurrects old archives both for humour, material and posterity. He publishes a miniature newspaper in Nanton called The Experiment, based largely on the principles of Bob Edwards’ 100-year-old satirical paper The Eyeopener. Mary Savage has been observing, talking to and writing about people, places and things in southern Alberta for 25 years. She has always been one to look at the world with a slightly different skew and she would rather create the trail than follow behind. Mary holds a degree in journalism and visual communications. She resides in Turner Valley with her husband and two cats, and never tires of watching the nighttime sky.
winter 2010
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Sandra Wiebe, Alison Laycraft, Terry Grant, Mary Savage, Sharon Syverson.
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Routes Magazine Office: 19 – 3 avenue SE, High River 403.880.4784 info@routesmagazine.ca Mailing address: 541-7 St SW High River, AB T1V 1B7
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At Anchor D ranch in Turner Valley, the ladies of Routes caught their man!
Large Selection of Gluten Free Products www.okotoksnaturalfoods.com
Pat Fream is a freelance writer who has been writing for various Alberta businesses and publications for more than 18 years. In addition to her penchant for words, Pat is passionate about fitness, travel and all things related to her husband and three kids. Although work and activities often take her to the city, Pat enjoys acreage living in the DeWinton area, where soaring hawks, rolling hills and the distant Rockies are a constant source of awe and inspiration. Blair Braitenbach is a freelance writer, originally from Saskatoon. Blair enjoys finding the heart of the story in every topic he covers. Making his home in the foothills for seven years, Blair finds no shortage of pertinent and fascinating stories to cover.
Routes magazine is published seasonally, four times per year. We print 10 000 full colour, glossy copies. They are distributed throughout the foothills region of southern Alberta via Canada Post admail, local retailers and by subscription. We want to hear from you. Please post a comment on the weblog at www.routesmagazine.ca Printing by McARA Printing For permission to reprint articles, excerpts or photographs, please email info@routesmagazine.ca Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
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Sport Feature
w w w.h ig hwo o dg olf .c om By Blair Braitenbach
A different kind of rock star will descend upon the foothills region as High River prepares for the Alberta Men’s Provincial Curling Championships.
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oothills residents can thank their lucky stars that this province is home to literally the best curlers in the world as High River prepares for the Alberta Men’s Provincial Championships. As the 2011 Boston Pizza Cup approaches, anticipation is growing throughout the area. Fans of the increasingly popular sport will be treated to stellar efforts by curlers at the top of their game both in our province and worldwide. All of this and the action will be right here, February 9 – 13, in our backyard. Already confirmed is Edmontonion and 2010 World Champion, Kevin Koe, and in all likelihood, 2010 Olympic gold medalist Kevin Martin (Martin and his teammates must still qualify for their spot in the tournament). “Northern Alberta has been a curling powerhouse for years in the world, never mind just in Canada,” explains Janice Stark, co-chairperson for the 2011 Boston Pizza Cup. “We’re just really lucky High River gets to host something of this magnitude and lucky to have a World and Olympic champion together. You’re not likely to get that at a provincial level. With such a high level of competitors vying for the provincial title, there is no doubt the economic spinoff for the host town and surrounding region is going to be significant. Local businesses can expect visitors from all of Alberta coming down for the event while dining at local restaurants, staying in hotels and boutique shopping in High River.
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winter 2010
With such a large influx of potential event happen. dollars, Stark says she and her committee Once the Highwood Curling Club are doing everything they can to spread applied to the Alberta Curling Federathe word of the prestigious event. tion to host the event, the committee was “There are 20 organizing committee awarded three other tournaments to host groups who are all collectively trying to as a kind of test: the provincial mixed talk the event up,” says Stark, noting that curling championships in 2008 and the it will require about 200 volunteers to Provincial Masters in both 2009 and make the event a success by helping with 2010. the set-up, selling tickets, hosting and The Boston Pizza Cup will see the other activities. entire rink of the recreation complex Stark is hoping the entire town will turned into four curling sheets for the 12 show its spirit by getting behind the event. teams participating, and a small arena will She foresees a parade, particularly if be converted into a beer garden. CapacMartin’s Olympic team is in attendance, ity at the rink will be approximately 1,000 as well as banners, storefront paintings per draw with 12 draws for the event and and other events to spark interest. organizers are expecting sell-outs for each “Our purpose in hosting (the event) draw. is to showcase our community and also Billed as Rock for STARS in High River, to bring awareness to our sport. We want a portion of the proceeds from the event people outside of the club to get involved, will go to the lifesaving air ambulance get excited and maybe pick up a rock and organization. In addition, a portion of get curling,” says Stark. the money raised through 50/50 ticket Highwood Curling Club manager sales will go to the High River Minor John Steel agrees that while the event is Hockey Association to help cover some going to be beneficial to the town, ultiof the costs incurred while the ice is used mately he hopes to see greater interest in for the curling championship. the sport generated. “We hope that the event itself continues to be a great success for the clubs who choose to run it and that it will expand the interest of non-curlers everywhere it’s held in the province,” Steels says. Acquiring the provincial championships didn’t happen overnight – it’s taken more than five years and countless hours of Kevin Koe, pictured above, work from volunteers to make the
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and with his team, right.
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winter 2010
Feature
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Fit to Ride It’s a bit of a mindbender – cowboys in sneakers and sweats – but at a Nanton gym it’s the norm: boots and wranglers in the lockers, Stetsons at home on the shelves. 10
By Pat Fream Photos by Neville Palmer
routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
Pictured above and right is Nanton area rancher Wayne Schlosser.
hat do you get when you cross a hurt’n cowboy with a fitness savvy Frenchman? If you’re in the vicinity of Nanton you get the door code to a gym and a fitness regime designed to restore balance and flexibility that’s tailor-made for ranchers and avid horse riders. “Aches and pains are what brought me to this gym,” says 75-year-old Wayne Schlosser, a 50-plus year ranching veteran and former manager of the Cross family-owned A7 Ranch. “I think it’s the same with most of us who come here. In ranching you take a lot of hard knocks. Eventually it all catches up with you.” Ranchers in the Nanton area were first introduced to the unconventional techniques of fitness expert Christophe Labrune of K32 Fitness Studio in 2006, when Labrune held a clinic for cowboys in the home of well-known southern Alberta horseman, Sid Cook. There, Labrune launched his specialized rider fitness program, born out years of weight training in France, and redefined by months of riding and studying horses under the tutelage of Cook, here in Alberta. “When I came to Canada from France (16 years ago) there were two things I wanted to do; learn the language, and learn how to ride a horse,” said Labrune. “I started out as a fitness trainer in Vancouver, but then I completely left that field and for a while I just worked on a guest ranch in southern Alberta.” Labrune spent months studying the physical motions of horses and relating them to the movements of the human body. He learned and integrated a variety of muscle control techniques taught in Yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates, and the Alexander Technique. Gradually, he reinvented his craft to meet the specific physical demands of avid horsemen. “I came to understand why ranchers are always hurting,” said Labrune. “They spend most of their time on horseback. In this exercise, the muscle responsible for posture is very strong, but the exercise requires a short range of motion, and over and over, year after year, the body gets stiffer and stiffer. Add to that ranchers are often wet and cold, and they get bucked off on occasion. All of it wreaks havoc with the body’s natural state of balance.”
Schlosser and his wife Maxine relate well to Labrune’s theory. The couple, now retired, spent the better part of their married life working, living and raising their five kids on a ranch in southern Alberta. Some days Wayne was on his horse for 14 or 15 hours at a time. Both husband and wife have also endured significant physical injuries from being thrown from their horses. One such incident happened to Maxine just a few years ago when she was in her early 70s (see sidebar). Labrune began working with the couple three years ago, when they moved off the ranch and into Nanton. Within weeks, they were committed to Labrune’s program of weight training and stretching to rebalance and restore flexibility. “Instead of moving the body by forcing or straining, I teach the natural way your body wants to move; by expanding,” says Lebrune. “The only way you can rebalance your body is by breathing properly and expanding – from the inside to the outside.”
Labrune’s goal when he works with ranchers is to help them re-establish their full range of motion so they feel comfortable both on and off their horses. He sets up a program of weight training and stretching to rebalance and restore flexibility.
I’ve trained every kind of person – businessmen, boxers and ballerinas, but what I really love is working with riders.” Today, Wayne and Maxine work out at K32 Fitness three times a week and enjoy the benefits of being fit and centered. “When you’re not hurting, you just feel better all around,” says Schlosser, adding that his brother and sister-in-law, and his son Blake (a professional rodeo pick-up man) are also regular patrons of the fitness studio. In fact, there is a steady stream of cowboys who make their way to K32 Fitness and take their hats off to Labrune for bringing them relief and comfort. The other 50 per cent of the studio’s clientele are professionals of all sort – people looking to manage the everyday stresses that that take their toll on the body; all people who embrace the ‘Labrune’ method of finding your center. “I’ve trained every kind of person – businessmen, boxers and ballerinas, but what I really love is working with riders,” says Labrune. “My two main interests are horses and fitness, so when I work with ranchers and cowboys one (hobby) feeds the other.”
Chills and Spills About 10 years ago, Wayne Schlosser was crossing a creek on horseback. When the horse went to climb up the bank, the bank gave away and the horse came over backward, landing square on the late 60s ranchman. For months, Schlosser suffered with back and sciatic nerve pain. He managed to get some chiropractic relief but subsequent spills and the ongoing physical demands of his work left him in constant physical pain. Schlosser’s wife Maxine also suffered a serious fall just three years ago in her early 70s. A bull charged her horse and she was thrown over the horse’s neck – landing hard on her neck and knocking her out. With no EMS around the corner; the couple had to walk for miles, hitch up a team and wagon, then take a truck to the Black Diamond hospital. Maxine made out okay, but like her husband, she was left with lingering aches and pains. Thanks to Christophe Labrune at K-32 Fitness Studio, today the couple are comfortable in and out of the saddle. routesmagazine.ca
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winter 2010
Activity Feature
MARVELOUS MUSIC In the foothills, small groups of music lovers work hard to bring talented musicians from across the region and from outside Canada to intimate venues through these four concert series.
Bragg Creek Performing Arts
Gift of Music Concert Series
Beneath The Arch
Bragg Creek Performing Arts is celebrating its 30th year of providing high quality entertainment at affordable prices. The series is run by a small non-profit group that sponsors two quality concert series each year. Main Series has concert style seating and caters to a general audience. Dinner Series is geared to an adult audience and dinner is served before each concert. All concerts are held on the main stage of the Bragg Creek Centre. Tickets are available online: www.braggcreekperformingarts.com or by calling 403.949.4114.
The Gift of Music Concert Series is a volunteer run group of dedicated music lovers and musicians who strive to inspire and encourage youth and the public to discover, or to renew their love for classical music. The Series began three years ago, in partnership with the High River United Church, a venue of professional calibre that provides an acoustically sound hall for intimate or large performances. The group blends music opportunities with education in the form of pre-concert talks. The talks set the stage for the students and the audience to learn more about the composer and history pertaining to that era of music. From September to June the series is host to six concerts ranging from a performance of Messiah to guest appearances by choirs, instrumentalists, chamber orchestras and young musicians from around the world. All concerts are family friendly. Tickets are sold by the concert or by the season by calling 403.652.3168.
Beneath The Arch is a renowned music series run by a non-profit society out of Turner Valley. Each season, September through April, Beneath the Arch features a broad spectrum of national and international musical ensembles of various styles and influences. Past performers include country, bluegrass, blues, klezmer, prominent singer-songwriters, classical music, comedy performers, dance troupes, and more. Concerts are all held at the Flare & Derrick Community Hall in Turner Valley. Beneath the Arch sells season’s passes that include admission to all seven concerts, as well as rush tickets for individual concerts. For more information or tickets: www.beneaththearch.org.
2010 – 2011 Concert Line-up October 2010: Marc Atkinson Electric Project with Emily Jill West opening - Main Series November 2010: Mary Lou Fallis with Peter Tiefenbach – Dinner Series November 2010: Delhi 2 Dublin - Main Series February 5, 2011: Paul Rumbolt – Dinner Series March 4, 2011: Youthtopia April 2, 2011: Suzie Vinnick and Rick Fines – Main Series May 7, 2011: Dala - Main Series May 28, 2011: Joel Plaskett - Main Series
2010 – 2011 Concert Line-up September 2010: Heidelberg Youth Chamber Orchestra. October 2010: Jacqueline Serpas, soprano, & Michael Angell, piano. November 2010: Heather Henderson-Hyrhoriw Musical Theatre & Opera/Operetta January 30 2011: Trio Lajoie; Arianne Lajoie, violinist; Chloe Dominquez, cellist; Akiko Tominga, pianist. April 2, 2011: Georgy Tchaidze, pianist
2010 – 2011 Concert Line-Up September 2010: Jesse DeNatale October 2010: Sam Baker and Tim Lorsch November 20, 2010: Dustin Bentall Outfit January 16, 2011: Bow Valley Brass Ensemble February 12, 2011: Twilight Hotel March 12, 2010: Oh My Darling April 16, 2011: “The Gift” - a tribute to Ian Tyson.
Centre Stage Series The Empress Theatre in Fort MacLeod has always played an important role in the community. Since its opening in 1912, it has served as a vaudeville house, concert hall, lecture hall, live theatre, and now as a movie theatre. Through the Centre Stage Series, the Empress celebrates the performing arts with an exceptional line-up of live music and musicians, festivals and special events from around the globe, to our corner of Alberta. www.empresstheatre.ab.ca 2010 – 2011 Concert Line-up September 2010: Marc Cohn October 2010: Emily Smith
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November 19-20, 2010: Chic Gamine December 11-12, 2010: Tom Jackson February 3, 4, 2011: The Lost Fingers March 17, 18, 2011: Carlos Del Junco routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
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Cover Story
vacant houses. As he watched their new home come to life, he developed a real interest in carpentry – an interest-turned-hobby that he still enjoys today. When he wasn’t pulling nails, Grant was down the road at his cousin’s ranch where he and his friends helped with chores, rode horses and roped. At 17 Grant traded his hammer in for the open road and headed west to see the Rocky Mountains. He started working at the Bar U Ranch in 1976 and shortly thereafter, he crossed the road to work at J. Allen Baker’s place (originally part of the Bar U). “By the time I got to Alberta, I had the basic roping and riding skills, but I started working with the good cowboys: I watched their technique, I learned from them and I started to make a living at it,” says Grant. “I’ve been a cowboy for 30 years and no matter the weather, I’m happiest when I’m on a horse.” Grant has worked on ranches throughout southern Alberta, moving cows with some of the best cattlemen in the area: Warren Zimmerman, Bert Sheppard, Steve Hoar, Gaile Gallup, Rich Roenich and Bob Spaith. “They moved cows the old way: you had the point, the lead, the swing, the flank and the drag and everybody knew their job,” he explained. “We could move 600 cows about 10 miles in four to five hours. Nobody moves cows that way anymore.”
I’ve been a cowboy for 30 years and no matter the weather, I’m happiest when I’m on a horse.”
with TERRY
So what does moving cows have to do with tracking prey? Grant spent many seasons tracking big game in the Yukon and Territories in Northern B.C., but his expertise comes largely from being a cowboy because, as he explains, a tracker, like a cowboy, is always watching the environment: the land, the weather, other animal tracks and how the herd moves; always tracking something. “If you look in front of your horse and you see bear or moose tracks, it might not be a good time to have a snooze on your horse – you might want to hang on a little tighter and pay closer attention!” In the early 90s, Grant became involved with a group of people in Turner Valley who were interested in forming a search and rescue organization. “At the time, there was nothing in the area – no Calgary search and rescue, the closest one was in Rocky Mountain House,” says Grant.
By Mary Savage Photos by Neville Palmer
With just a ball cap and silver beard, he would likely blend in - simply another face in the crowd. Swap the ball cap for a signature black cowboy hat, keep the beard and now he’s an easy mark for Terry Grant, the face of the popular reality show, Mantracker. Grant is a cowboy to the core and it’s a way of life he has chosen because of his passion for animals, land, people and Mother Nature’s unpredictable presence.
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erry Grant and his three sisters had a typical life growing up in Creemore, Ontario and their homestead, surprisingly, was not a ranch. They did, however, have two ponies, and his earliest memories of riding were on the backs of those ponies - learning to ride and honing his roping skills on everything from cattle to cowgirls, but life back then wasn’t just about aspirations of riding the range. While his peers were enjoying the carefree days of summer, Grant’s teenage years were spent helping his stepfather build a new family home. He spent many a hot summer day pulling nails from wood plank siding that had been salvaged from a local motel and
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Cover Story
“Guy Kerr, a search manager with the City of Calgary Police Department, was instrumental in helping us get the permits in place. It took us about one year to get 20 to 30 members trained and then we started getting calls.” Grant adds that the team has to be called out by the RCMP, and they find most, but not all, of their missing people. During the winter months, when Grant wasn’t moving cows or on a search and rescue mission, you would find him working with wood – as all things, for this cowboy, lead back to the land. His early years have served him well and fostered a love of carpentry: building custom furniture or working on renovations projects.
Terry Grant, pictured above on location at the Anchor D ranch in Turner Valley.
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In early 2005, along came an opportunity that seemed almost surreal to Grant; his life was about to become something far beyond ordinary. “It was one of those rare moments in time when life presents you with a chance to do what you really love - while being paid to do it. Toss in a little fame and now you’ve got something that most people only dream about,” says Grant. As the story goes, Grant’s cousin Dewey called him, having just returned from the Toronto Sportsman’s Show where he ran into a colleague, a producer from the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), who was scouting talent for Manracker. Dewey suggested the producer contact Terry and about a week later, Grant found himself, riding horse in front of a camera. “During the test shoot, I saddled up the mare and rode around and then the producer asked me to track something. I asked him to give me track, so he stepped in the snow.
I walked over and got off my horse, looked down and played with the track. By now, the horse had come over and had placed her head over my shoulder, and I looked around and said, ‘Well horse, we’ve got company.’ I stood up, got back my horse and rode away,” says Grant. A few days later the producers called and said, “We’ve got our man!” They knew what they were looking for and found it in Terry Grant: he was the one and only test shoot to fill the role. Now in his sixth season with the show, Grant has traveled all over North America tracking human prey. The show takes two people, known as “prey” and drops them into the middle of nowhere. They’ve got two days to travel about 40 kilometers, through seemingly rough terrain in order to reach the finish line. The goal is to get there before Grant finds them. There’s no prize money – it’s just for the thrill of the challenge. Grant’s stoic demeanor is not just for the show, it is who he is. He takes the job very seriously and admittedly he hates to lose, but he doesn’t always get his prey, in fact about 30 per cent get away. When he’s not on location, Grant calls High River home and is never at a loss for things to do. If he’s not in the woodworking shop, there’s a good chance you’ll see him at a charity event. He manages to pack about 20 events into a four-month period every year. He still helps his neighbours move their cows and takes on the odd renovation project, but he finds a great deal of satisfaction in building custom furniture. “I like being in the shop: you have to think and plan and figure out your joinery,” says Grant. And when he gets a call from Search and Rescue, he joins the search team whenever he’s in town.
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BUSINESSES IN
Diamond Valley routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
History Feature
Eastern Slopes Centre
Temple of Refined
Entertainment and Education
Reflect your life and your style in one-of-a-kind jewelry.
By Sandra Wiebe Photo by Neville Palmer
The Wales Theatre in High River has seen it all from the primitive storeroom theatres and early films, through the silent movies to the talkies and Technicolor, cinemascope to wide screens. Now with an impending move to digital and 3D, this charming landmark will once again leap forward in time.
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101 - 3 Street NE Black Diamond Nature Arranged floral
Jordon Wiebe, pictured here in the concession area has been the projectionist at the Wales Theatre since 2007.
O
n the third floor, tucked away in a dim and almost windowless, fireproof attic room, a young man peers through a 12-inch square hole in the wall for his cue. He flips a switch, and a familiar ticking sound begins as 1,000 feet of 35mm celluloid tape projects a colour image and Dolby sound surround pulls its 325 viewers into another time and place. The 1920s, in an era of Art Deco architecture, flapper dresses and a post-war energy and optimism, everything seemed possible. Modern technology was bringing the automobile, radio and moving pictures to a large part of the population. The Highwood Theatre was built in 1927. The owner, sparing no expense, made the theatre one of the most luxurious and best equipped in the province at that time. It was complete with imported leather upholstered chesterfield chairs, chromium and plate glass tiles in the foyer, a freestanding balcony, an ornate ceiling, air conditioning and hardwood floors. It originally housed up to 460 patrons for live theatre, concerts, silent pictures and vaudeville shows. In 1933, S. R. Tyler purchased the theatre, enlisted the population in a contest for a new name (prize money - $5) and dubbed the theatre: Temple of Refined Entertainment and Education. Tyler enforced a moral standard. Every film was pre-screened and censored. Any objectionable material was removed for the viewing and meticulously sliced back in before shipping the film on. The theatre was renamed Wales to honour Edward, Prince of Wales. Throughout the 1920s the Prince often represented his father, King George V at home and abroad. The Prince had recently acquired the EP Ranch, near Pekisko. When Syed Kidwai purchased the theatre in 2000 he chose to retain the retro charm of its original interior. Thankfully a previous owner chose, at great expense, to save the decorative ceiling. Kidwai updated the washrooms, screen, stereo, and installed new seating, now accommodating its 325 viewers more comfortably. Ever evolving technologies will once again launch The Wales Theatre forward with the installation of digital and 3D projectors. Screening movies this way will eliminate a need for a trained projectionist. Pre-movie trailer selections and feature films will be available with a computer Internet connection and the click of mouse. Gone too will be the stage, once home to vaudeville dancers and musicians, to accommodate a digital screen that will be twice the size of the existing one. The young man spits the film from its trailers, places the reels back into their cumbersome steel cases for shipping to their final resting place in a storeroom amidst other such discarded relics and pieces of our past.
boutique
plants fresh flowers decor 403.933.4446 www.naturearranged.ca
103 3rd Avenue W, High River 403-652-1162 austenjewellers.com
Where the
Diamond Oasis
CLASSICS
Salon & Day Spa 403.933.3535
Hang Out
www.diamondoasis.ca hair manicure pedicure massage facial
Dr. I. Rozema Dr. J. Verhoeh
Open: 9-5 Mon, Tues, Fri 9-8:30 Wed, Thur 9-3 Sat 403.933.3532 www.easternslopesvet.com
19 wall decals, clocks, t-shirts, lunch boxes & much much more!
403.603.0583 2125 20 St Nanton
routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
Arts & Entertainment
The Pines November 19 Gitter’s Pub
This folk-rock group, inspired by artists such as Lucinda Williams, Chris Issac, and Ryan Adams, will be bringing you the covers and the originals, the happy and the sad, and the Wide Awake and Drunk. www.gitterspub.com [HR] Christmas Market November 19 - 20, 5 pm - 9 pm November 21, 9 am - 3 pm Aspen Crossing
what’s
happening
in your town
Held in our greenhouse, come see tables with local photography, knitting, children’s clothes, and more! Saturday all day buffet in the Dining Car, evening seatings will also be available. Reservations are required for dining car. Toll free 1.866.440.3500 or www.aspencrossing.com [MS] Foothills Film presents Wasteland November 25, 7:30 pm (tickets $10) Wales Theatre
Film selection from the Toronto International Film Festival Circuit. www.walestheatre.com [HR]
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Art Show by Lou Ross-Johns November 1 - 30 High River Library
Lou’s goal is to give hope to others who have mental illness through her art and poetry, an expression of personal experience and struggles. www.facebook.com/doggiebreath [HR] routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
His performances draw from a rich tradition of country blues, as well as his own contemporary songs infused with wit and a large dose of humour. www.carlsonsonmacleod.com [HR] Jonn Einerssen and Vance Theoret November 25 – 29 Altitude Art Gallery
Work exhibited by both artists. Jonn will host an artist’s workshop from Friday evening through to Sunday. Over the weekend Vance will demonstrate the art of stone carving. email Gallery@altitude-art.com [OK]
2nd Annual Distinctly Nanton Market November 27, 10 am - 6 pm Nanton Community Centre
If you are looking for unique gifts and want to enjoy a day in the country, then the Distinctly Nanton Market is the perfect place to wrap up your Holiday shopping with items from artisans, crafters and local Nanton businesses. Event is in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce “Nanton Lights the Way”. www.DistinctlyNantonMarket.webs.com [NT]
Murder Mysteries November 25 - December 18 Aspen Crossing
December
24th annual parade and Christmas craft fair from 2 pm - 9 pm [HR]
Please join us for a delicious tea, to view the angel displays and do some shopping. There will be a bake table, book table, re-gifting table, tickets for Gary Fjellgaard and local vendors. Wheelchair accessible. [TV]
This is not your run-of-the-mill “all girl” band. Described as “flirty bluegrass” and “the mischievous Andrews Sisters”, the Toronto-based trio of Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough, and Sue Passmore rely on unerring three-part vocal harmonies, clever songs and, onstage, convulsively funny repartee. www.highriver.ca [HR]
Gary Fjellgaard and Friends Concert December 4, 7 pm United Church
Small Works Show November 20 - December 31 Bluerock Gallery
29th Annual Santa Claus Parade November 27 Fort Macleod
Winter Festival December 4, 10 am – 5 pm December 5, 10 am – 3 pm Aspen Crossing
Welcome Wagon Baby Show November 20, 9 am – 1 pm Foothills Centennial Centre (free admission)
Are you a new mom, or expecting a baby? Come and join us, along with various local businesses and civic organizations, and learn about new products and services available to you. Gift bags for the first 100 moms, door prizes drawn throughout the morning and Santa will be stopping by with goodies for the kids. www.havingababy.ca [OK]
A winter tradition in Fort Macleod, this Santa Claus parade is the largest of its kind in western Canada. Floats galore, marching bands, street entertainers and Santa himself bring in the Christmas Spirit! www.fortmacleod.com [FM] Light Up Black Diamond November 27, 5 pm - 9 pm Main Street
Pictures with Santa, real reindeer, skating, shopping, gingerbread competition and much more. www.town.blackdiamond.ab.ca [BD]
Tom Jackson December 11 & 12, 8 pm Empress Theatre
Juno Award winning musician and actor well known to Canadians for his humanitarian work. www.empresstheatre.ab.ca [FM]
Carlson’s on MacLeod
“If you haven’t been to Carlson’s you haven’t been to High River”
Community Christmas Party December 13, 4 pm – 8 pm (free) Bob Snodgrass Recreation Complex
live music
Bring your family for an afternoon of fun on the ice. Warm up with free hot chocolate and hot dogs. Skating indoors with an outdoor atmosphere is lots of fun for the whole family. A food bank donation would be nice! 403.652.4042 [HR]
AltaGraphic December 15 - January 25 Leighton Art Centre
High River Santa Claus Parade December 3, 6 pm High River
All new artwork by our regional artists. www.bluerockgallery.ca [BD]
Cowboy singer/songwriter/extraordinary. www.gitterspub.com[HR]
Matinee and evening performances. www.carlsonsonmacleod.com [HR]
Tickets must be purchased in advance Reservations are required for dining car. www.aspencrossing.com [MS] Tim Buckley & the Tim.buck.two November 26 Gitter’s Pub
Jim Peace December 10 Gitter’s Pub
Paul Rumbolt Christmas Concert December 19 Carlson’s on Macleod
The Good Lovelies November 26, 7 pm (tickets $25) Notre Dame Collegiate
“Angels Amongst Us” Christmas Tea and Shopping Spree November 20, 1:30 pm – 4 pm United Church
In celebration of the month of Halloween we’ve invited our artists to submit new works that include crows, ravens or ‘other black things’. We have some surprise artists that will delight! www.bluerockgallery.ca [BD]
Morgan Davis November 25 Carlson’s on Macleod
An energetic mash-up of Bhangra, Celtic, Dub Reggae and Electronica with scorching club beats. www.braggcreekperformingarts.com [BC]
Eddie Whiskey December 3 Gitter’s Pub
Holiday tree lighting and Christmas singing, wagon rides, fire pits, entertainment, live reindeer, Santa, craft sales. Late night holiday shopping. www.okotoks.ca [OK]
Crows, Ravens and Other Black Things October 23 - November 19 Bluerock Gallery
www.carlsonsonmacleod.com [HR]
Delhi 2 Dublin November 27, 8 pm (tickets $27, senior $25) Bragg Creek Centre
Tim Buckley and the Tim.buck.two features the powerful writing and singing of Tim Buckley and the solid double bass playing and killer harmony vocals of Derek Pulliam. www.gitterspub.com[HR]
Light up Okotoks November 19 – 20 Olde Towne Okotoks Plaza
November
Amos Garrett with Keith Smith and Greg Carroll November 20, 8 pm (tickets $20) Carlson’s on Macleod
www.gitterspub.comm [HR]
Tickets available at Bluerock Gallery or call Ida 403.938.7713 or Elinor 403.933.2167 [TV]
Market with vendors with only hand-made/ home-made products, Christmas trees available, sleigh rides, petting zoo and much more. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Reservations are required for dining car. Toll free 1.866.440.3500 or www.aspencrossing.com [MS] Highway 3 Roots Review December 8, 7:30 pm (tickets $15) Carlson’s on Macleod
Featuring: Dave McCann, Leeroy Stagger & John Wort Hannam www.carlsonsonmacleod.com [HR]
coffee
An exhibition curated for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts travelling exhibition program. Featuring 15 drawings by various Alberta artists. [MV] Fiddlers Green: Special Christmas Show December 17 Gitter’s Pub
Some of Calgary’s finest players and singers have come together to create a magical, spontaneous sound that has thrilled audiences from Folk Clubs to pubs, from Casino’s to Concert Series’, and everywhere in between. www.gitterspub.com [HR]
fine wine
Okotoks Kids’ New Year’s Eve Party December 31, noon - 3:30 pm Okotoks Recreation Centre
Free swimming, skating, activities in the gym and lots of other types of family orientated activities. Email mcox@okotoks.ca [OK] New Year’s Eve Celebrations December 31, 6 pm Turner Valley
Skating on the outdoor rink, hay wagon rides and fireworks. The festivities begin at 6 pm with the evening concluding with a fireworks display at 8 pm. www.turnervalley.ca [TV]
[OK] Okotoks
[FM] Fort MacLeod
[MS] Mossleigh
[TV] Turner Valley
[LV] Longview
[BC] Bragg Creek
[NT] Nanton
[DV] Diamond Valley
[HR] High River
[DV] Millarville
For event submissions email to: entertainment@routesmagazine.ca
good food 129 3rd Avenue SW High River, AB
21
403.601.8774 www.carlsonsonmacleod.ca routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
Arts & Entertainment
Transcendent Passage February 5 to March 5 Leighton Art Centre Opening Reception February 5, 2 pm -4 pm
Spotlight
Featuring Edith VanderKloot, she transforms primary materials such as her photography or a base medium such as raw slate into unique and original artworks. www.leightonartcentre.org [MV]
February
happenings
“Rock for Stars” Partnered with STARS. Janis Stark 403.652.2155/402.836.9040 www.highwoodcurling.ca [HR]
Crystal Plamondon February 12, 8 pm (tickets $20) Carlson’s on Macleod
Valentines Sweetheart Evening featuring: Andrew Glover on piano. www.carlsonsonmacleod.com [HR] Ted and Marion Outerbridge February 12, 2 pm – 9 pm (tickets $25) Highwood Memorial Centre
Ted and Marion Outerbridge have combined real life experiences with a unique fusion of magic, dance, and theatre. This world-class illusion show has played to sold-out crowds and standing ovations across Canada and in Europe, reaching into the minds and hearts of audiences and taking them on a magical journey. Email kwillard@highriver.ca [HR]
January Health and Wellness Fair January 15, 12 pm - 5 pm (free) Highwood Memorial Centre
Health and Wellness is everything! Many things can make us feel good about ourselves physically and mentally, from doctors to massage; fitness to meditation. This is an excellent way to get to know what is available in the town and surrounding areas. Call to book a table 403.652.4042 [HR] Foothills Film Series January 27, 7:30 pm (tickets $10) Wales Theatre
Film selection from the Toronto International Film Festival Circuit. www.walestheatre.com [HR] William Joseph January 30, 7 pm High River Full Gospel Church
Spend an evening with a world-renowned pianist. Call for tickets at 403.652.4668 [HR] routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
Bow valley Brass Ensemble January 16, 3 pm (tickets $25) Flare n’ Derrick Community Hall
Relax to selections from the classical repertoire plus some joyful jazz to launch 2011 in this great concert called “No Strings Attached” www.beneaththearch.org [TV] The Gift of Music Concert Series presents Trio Lajoie January 30, 2:30 pm United Church
Trio Lajoie has played in festivals and halls to great acclaim throughout Quebec. Violinist, Arianne Lajoie, cellist, Chloé Dominguez and pianist, Akiko Tominga, all perform internationally as soloists, recording artists and chamber musicians. Their Western Canadian début will be here in High River when they perform an afternoon of hauntingly beautiful French chamber music by Debussy and Ravel. Call 403.652.3168 [HR]
Twilight Hotel February 12 (tickets $25) Flare n’ Derrick Community Hall
Brandy Zdan and Dave Quanbury possess an elusive chemistry featuring sublime harmonies, stellar song writing and haunting melodies. www.beneaththearch.org [TV] Foothills Film Series February 24, 7:30 pm (tickets $10) Wales Theatre
Film selection from the Toronto International Film Festival Circuit. www.walestheatre.com [HR] [OK] Okotoks
[FM] Fort MacLeod
[MS] Mossleigh
[TV] Turner Valley
[LV] Longview
[BC] Bragg Creek
[NT] Nanton
[DV] Diamond Valley
[HR] High River
[DV] Millarville
For event submissions email to: entertainment@routesmagazine.ca
onTalent
Next fall, Hatred Burns Hope will begin production of its second CD, beginning with the first single produced by The Beach Audio – Calgary’s worldrenowned recording studio. To read more about this local band and find out when their next gigs are, go to: www.myspace. com/hatredburnshope
Men’s Provincial Curling February 9 – 13 Bob Snodgrass Recreation Complex
more
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Okotoks Band Takes a Run at the BIG LEAGUES
Hatred Burns Hope is a metal band that formed four years ago when its young members met through Music Centre Canada’s Extreme Rock program in Okotoks. Today the band is rapidly gaining momentum and exposure as tenacious members Jon Rae (17), Colby John (17), Dawson Treadgold (14), and Matt Cobb (16) work hard to promote their sound and style. Over the past year, Hatred Burns Hope saw the production of its first self-titled CD, and performed several shows – both sponsored and independent. This past spring the band competed in The City of Calgary Toast n’ Jam 2010 Competition – an under 18 battle of the bands, and won the top prize! The band has also been featured on X92.9 FM – Calgary’s Alternative Radio Station, and on CJSW 90.9 FM University Radio.
The Dewpoint Show
-Young Adult Novel By Barb Howard Leonard prefers to watch the world around him - he doesn’t want to ‘engage’ himself, as his controlling mother would put it. His observations lead him to discover that we all have our personal obsessions: he watches his mother struggle for control over her home, her family and her garden; he watches his father grasp at the last vestiges of his youth (with some help from a swanky Corvette). But an unlikely friendship with Vivian, the old lady next door with the hot tub, teaches Leonard that sometimes his obsession with watching people prevents him from experiencing his own life to its fullest. Barb Howard is a celebrated Alberta author, as well as an editor, a creative writing instructor and a workshop facilitator. In 2009, Barb won the Writers Guild of Alberta Howard O’Hagan award for her short story “Mrs. Goodfellow’s Dog”. Her work has been published in variety of anthologies and periodicals across Canada. The Dewpoint Show is Barb’s third novel. Her first book, Whipstock, was nominated for a Henry Kreisel Award. Her second novel, Notes for Monday, came out in 2009. Before receiving her MA in creative writing from the University of Calgary, Barb worked as a lawyer in Calgary. Barb has lived in Bragg Creek since 1993.
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routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
White W
Fiction Feature
By Lee Kvern
24
e pull up in our Honda Odyssey, park beside the barrage of half-ton, one-ton, two-ton trucks at Lake Byrne. Not a lake found on any map but a trout-stocked irrigation pond on Byrne’s back forty near Caroline; Byrne, the brother of my girlfriend’s husband. We go despite the flat white on the horizon, the glittering ice crystals in the still, sunless air, the hard cold of a minus 20 day, frost clinging to the looped barbwire around the perimeter of the lake to keep the cows or the RCMP out, we don’t know which, the pungent odour of pot lingering in the air as my husband unsnaps Jaxen and Chase from their car seats, the large bonfire on the edge of a mapless lake, the smash of white strangers around the fire we don’t know save for my girlfriend Ella and her husband, and barely-the-brother Byrne. Nary the hint of colour beneath their skin, thirdgeneration yellow beneath ours. We pass a running Plymouth, the windows dressed in rime. Inside: two steamy, half-dressed teenagers ravaging one another. My husband raises a brow at me. Avert, avert, I want to say to my boys: Chase, who is two, Jaxen, four. Avert your eyes; turn away, this knowledge not yet for you. Instead I point toward the frozen lake where a group of boys are ice fishing, a crack-the-whip line of girl skaters fishtail by us, some older boys playing hockey. “We should have brought our skates,” I say, lifting Chase in my arms because the snow is two-feet deep and he’s three-feet small. Jaxen in his orange fluorescent parka and Buzz Lightyear boots stomps the ground in anticipation of ice and augers, metal hooks and cutthroat trout. “Mind if we fish?” my husband asks Byrne, locating him in the crowd around the bonfire by the Daliesque handlebar moustache that is his moniker, a cattle buyer by trade, man of few words in his off time. “Have at ’er,” Bill says, sweeping his fleshy hand over the frozen vista. “Mind the other end.” He points to the far end of the lake: black open water, the chug chug chug of a pump. Faint trace of alcohol about him, the sharp scent of pot on Byrne’s mackinaw too, and him some fifty years old. “Busted for dealing,” Ella told me years back. “He spent some time away.” “Hmm,” I said, having stopped all that nonsense decades ago. “Makes you kinda thick, don’t you think?” Ella didn’t reply. She still smokes pot with her husband who doesn’t drink anymore because he’s a recovering alcoholic. Recovering from what? I’d like to ask but don’t. Life likely. Ella wanders down to the ice with us, a beer bottle hanging loosely from her left thumb. Byrne’s two razor-eared Dobermans run sideways along the shore, zigzagging up and down the bank and around to the far end of the lake where the pump is – black open water. “Stay away from there,” I point, pinpointing danger’s exact location. Chase pushes his cold nose into my cheek, tightens his Winnie-the-Pooh mittens around my neck. Jaxen is pulling at the canvas bag with the hand auger that my husband brought along. “Slow going,” my husband says after fifteen minutes work, his breath corporeal, a pallid cloud expanding around his head. He turns it over to Jaxen who turns turns turns the red-handled auger on the white waxy ice in his blue mittens with all his four-year-old might – the surface barely scratched. Ella takes a long swallow, wags her empty beer bottle. “Want one?” she asks. My husband declines, I shake my head. She goes off in search of Byrne’s gas-powered auger, another beer. Byrne and some of the men come down from the bonfire: faces unshaven like stubble wheat, their eyes distant, dark like the open water beyond, dead-
routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
serious like Byrne, a funeral of men. Beside Byrne, a six-foot-five Goliath with a shaved head and the incongruity of Bic blue-lettered L O V E etched into the scabbed knuckles of his gloveless hands. He eyeballs us. Him I could imagine burning white crosses on his back forty in Caroline. Goliath and the men stand as a city crew, watch Byrne position the gaspowered auger on the ice. My husband holds Jaxen back by his shoulders. Byrne pulls the cord and pushes down on the auger. At first the ice resists, bold retaliation, causes the auger to buck and rear under Byrne’s sizeable weight like an edgy steer. And for one splendid moment between the awful rip of noise in the otherwise silent air, amid the burly-shouldered men of few words, between the white spray of impenetrable ice and the purple wheeze of farm gas, when it seems neither one will give way, then the frozen lake relents, groaning uncle as it gives in to the auger making headway, tossing shards of ice like incidental shrapnel at the lot of us. And in the shatter of a moment, it’s done: two dark-mouthed holes in Lake Byrne, one for Chase, one for Jaxen. I smile; my husband shakes Byrne’s reluctant hand. Chase squirms from my arms and on hands and knees, tiny face pressed to the ice, peers down into the black holes. The men, Goliath and Byrne, retreat back to the bonfire. No words exchanged. My husband ties J-curved hooks on strands of invisible fish line, so that when Chase and Jaxen raise their poplar branches, the metal-barbed hooks hang in the air as if suspended by magic, by mind freak, some freak of mind you couldn’t otherwise imagine. On the horizon the sky is white, the white air the same temperature as the ice, the white strangers around the fire – enough to turn the rose of your flattish cheeks, the tips of your exposed fingers white white white, frostbite white. While the boys fish, I go ashore to the bonfire, the smash of people I don’t know save for Ella, her husband, barely-the-brother Byrne. She links her arm in mine, lights a cigarette. The teenage boy and girl finished ravaging one another emerge from the steamy Plymouth and stand dishevelled, replete in their open Hurley/Nikita hoodies around the blazing fire. The boy tosses in bits of wood, wrecked lawn furniture, and as the day progresses/digresses, something inappropriate like a car or one of the broken-down quads will also end up in the fire. There’ll likely be a fight afterwards. The boy’s mother in the crowd is easy to pick out; she looks exactly like him except for the hailed-out look on her face. The boy rummages through her purse for a lighter but finds an aerosol can of Final Net instead. He looks at his mother before tossing it into the fire. The crowd steps back. No one says anything. The mother draws on her filterless Player’s between the straight lines of her wordless lips. I glance at Ella. She’s filling a red plastic cup with hot chocolate, the piquant pulse of peppermint schnapps. No words, no raised brow for her. The worlds we straddle for one another. I go back to my husband. My yellow boys are curled around black holes, poplar sticks with line flashing visible/invisible in the murky light, gold-barbed hooks beneath the surface, danger for the trout below. Then a whoop and a holler from a boy in a black jacket, his over-large jeans cinched around his groin, grey tartan boxers, age ten at most. He’s caught a cutthroat. The boy pulls it out, red and yellow-green, silver, the only colour of the day. The fish lands on the ice with a dull meaty thud, thrashes wildly until Byrne comes down and thwacks it on the head with his beer bottle: Canadian I am, he is, fish wasn’t. The boy grins. The other kids squeal in mock horror, but Jaxen’s shock is unfeigned. “Better that way,” my husband explains to Jaxen’s sickened face. “The water their air, our air their demise.” Chase, too young or unfazed, goes over to admire the swiftly fading colours on the cutthroat along with the crack-the-whip line of girls. The teenage hockey players swoop in for a look, then blur off across the ice. Jaxen stands apart. “Home?” I ask my husband. “Not yet,” he says.
And indeed, despite himself, Jaxen can’t help but be drawn into the circle. He leans down to examine the silver-dead mercury of the cutthroat’s eye. The razor-eared Dobermans come barrelling across the lake to the circle of children. My husband blocks the black, lean-muscled animals, tries to shoo them away. The dogs stand ten feet out, watch the children, but mostly the whereabouts of the fish that the kids pass back and forth amongst themselves like a treasure, the younger ones running their bare fingertips over the slick silvery scales, awed by the red violent slash like blood beneath the cutthroat’s gills. The Dobermans tire of waiting and lope off to the other end of the lake where they wrap themselves in the fishing line of an elderly woman in a blue parka with matching hair. No doubt Byrne’s mother from the dire expression on his already-funeral face as he sprints past us, surprisingly agile for a man his size. He loses his beer bottle in the process. Byrne bellows at the dogs that immediately cease their whinging, their brutish jumping about. The dogs lie at the feet of Byrne’s mother while Byrne expertly cuts the tangled fishing line from around his mother’s legs with a bowie knife he produced from the shank of his left boot; the knife’s end is curved up, dangerous-looking, designed to finish more efficiently. The mother straightens up, smoothes her parka over her body. The Dobermans take off, running the quarter section that is Byrne’s, and soon they are only two black dots/dogs on the white horizon. Byrne gathers his mother and on the way past us retrieves his beer bottle/fish killer, which he hands over to the tenyear-old boy in the black jacket like a rite of passage. The kids scatter back to their respective holes. And while Chase can’t see beneath the surface, he knows the fish are there from the yelps of the other children, the despondent dance of coloured fish caught in the air that is not theirs. The hockey players rip over, stopping precariously close, snowing the children in a spray of white in order to witness the number of thwacks required to make a fish say uncle. Jaxen averts his gaze from the other children, fixes his eyes on the hole cut into the ice just for him, maintains the law of himself. Chase jerks his poplar stick in and out of the hole. His eyes burn with anticipation. “Patience,” I say. “Neath?” he asks. I nod. He gets down on his belly to check the hole once more. After a moment he jerks his head up. “Neath!” he yells. A cutthroat must have swum past. He looks confused, too young yet to comprehend the dark live things that swim beneath the surface. The hockey players flash past too close, then seeing no fish, continue on. “Watch out,” I warn Chase. “Stay close.” Chase grins up at me from the ice, two tiny rows of white teeth. I nudge him gently with my Sorrels across the surface like a curling rock. Then Jaxen yelps, his face ablaze. My husband goes over and tests the line. “Yeppers,” he confirms.
Jaxen tugs the poplar stick once, twice, five times and out comes the cutthroat, its body ablaze with hoary-steaming colour. My husband removes the J hook from its mouth with a pair of needle-nose pliers; the fish falls the short distance to the ice and thrashes about. Jaxen’s grin broad on his small face. “Wait,” my husbands says. “We need a picture.” He looks around; we left the camera in the van. He heads towards the shore. The three of us stand, watch the fish hammer about on the ice. No Byrne in sight, no beer bottles, nothing but the dilemma of fish versus fate versus cruelty versus kindness. The smile on Jaxen’s face ebbs and flows as the cutthroat struggles. Regardless, he and Chase dance on the surface of Lake Byrne in their small booted feet, no weight to speak of yet, barely a footprint on this immense, round earth. They take turns petting it, Chase speaking softly in his two-year-old gibberish, Jaxen laying his mittened hand on the flank of the fish as if to keep it warm, ease its suffering. Gradually the thrashing subsides, the colours fade to silver, and it looks then as if made of metal, a metal cutthroat, invincible, indestructible, can swim through the muddy heart of the underworld earth and rock and soil. Jaxen picks up the fading fish. He’s taking it back to the hole. “Neath?” Chase asks, ruddy child-cheeks. Jaxen looks at me, searches the shore for his father. He wants a picture but he wants even more to take the fish back. I nod. Beaming, Jaxen starts towards the cylindrical hole in the ice, the underworld below, and the fish flops in his hands, one final attempt. Jaxen loses his grip. The cutthroat drops neatly to the ice like a puck, like Hockey Night in Canada in slow-mo replay, perfectly timed for the show of white, the glint of steel blades, the wooden sticks of the hockey players. Up close: their teenage faces intense, pimply, a film of freezing sweat on their brows, faraway eyes already marked by life. Fish on the ice, fair game – the dark of their pubescent laughter. In the splinter of a second they whiz across the ice, passing the still-live cutthroat efficiently back and forth between their sticks. Jaxen in his Buzz Lightyear boots, Chase in his matching Pooh Bear hat and mittens watch as the teenagers spread out to the far side of Lake Byrne. In the distance we can see the Dobermans running towards them. “Hey!” my husband shouts across the ice. Chase and Jaxen look up at me: grave, funeral faces. We stand in the still sunless air of a hard, cold minus 20 day, surrounded by roiled barbwire, the flat horizon on the white prairie, the still-flat earth of white Caroline. We witness fish/live/puck. Jaxen’s eyes well up, Chase’s too – even he understands there is no taking it back now. I pick up Chase. My husband gathers Jaxen. We walk to the shore; find Ella in the smash of people. I lightly brush my wordless lips against her cheek; my husband declines the peppermint hot chocolate she offers. A collective cloud of smoke, pot, filterless Player’s, the cold breath of white strangers hangs tangibly in the air above the fire. Someone has thrown something in the fire, not a car or a quad but a winter boot so that the smoke blackens, smells like burning soles.
Looking to get published? Routes magazine is having a short story contest! Prize: $1,000 plus a one-year subscription to Routes magazine Story length: maximum 2,000 words Entry fee: $30 Deadline: April 15, 2011
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Writers 18 years and older are invited to submit a family-friendly short story. Award winning story will be published in Routes’ summer 2011 issue. Entries may not be previously published or submitted for publication elsewhere until the winning story is published. For contest and entry details go to www.routesmagazine.ca
routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
Fo r
Bluerock Gallery
“Fleurabella” by Groovy Girls, $19.99 Monkey Mountain Toys & Games, 30 McRae Street, Okotoks
A Gift
For Everyone
on Your List By Alison Laycraft Photos by Neville Palmer
For a Be st
r
hero r e p Su
Fr n ie
Friendship ball by Abbott, $21 Pixie Hollow Bookshop
For Yo u
Li tt
a ur Fas r Yo hi o F on
Penguin of 24 ct gold and Austrian Crystals, South Africa, $46 Heartwood African Gallery
r
e bl Watch by Suzie Legault, $100
l l e c t or
d Superman cuff links, $42, Batman belt buckle, $31 Eras & Icons, 2125 – 20 Street, Nanton
Swan teapot by Abbott, $27 Pixie Hollow Bookshop, 417 – 1 Street SW, High River
h eT ea Lover
Shopping
th
Co
d m ot h e
Fo r
e
an Gr
le
s rl i G
r Fo
t
Fo rt he s tes os H
For the Di va
r Fo
Raku Fish by Patricia Hartnagel, $64 Bluerock Gallery, 110 Centre Avenue W, Black Diamond
Christmas party dress by Julia Lee, $90 Baby Boutique by McArthurs, #1 North Railway Street, Okotoks
th eA rt Collector
Convertible necklace of quartz and plated gold by Erin Merrill, $140 Deava Beads, #4 Elma Street E, Okotoks
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Porcupine pattern dishes, South Africa, $16-$31 Heartwood African Gallery, 2110 - 17 Street, Nanton
er o yg t r Pa For the Little routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
Professionally Speaking
SAD
Coping with the Dog Days of Winter
Winter Blues Be Gone!
S
Research indicates that SAD is more common in northern countries where the winter day is shorter; hence, Canadians are more susceptible. People who experience less exposure to natural light (i.e. shift workers, or people who work indoors all day) are more susceptible. To be diagnosed with SAD, a person has to experience the symptoms for at least two consecutive winters, without any other explanations for mood changes. There are many useful strategies to alleviate the symptoms of SAD: Alter both home and work environments to get full exposure to natural light. Move furniture so you can sit near a window, remove all obstacles that block light from windows, and install skylights. Get regular exercise, particularly outside in natural light. Noon hour walks or breaks outside are best as this is the lightest time of the day. Book a winter vacation in a sunny destination. Try light therapy - which involves sitting beside a special fluorescent light box for several minutes a day. Review your diet and increase oily fish, such as sardines and mackerel.
Vitamin D, Vitamin B complex, and Omega 3 6 9 have proven to be successful in decreasing SAD’s symptoms. Check with your physician and request to have your Vitamin D levels checked. Seek out advice from a health professional. If you suffer extreme symptoms, your doctor may recommend you take an anti-depressant and/or embarking on more intense therapy for SAD. Counseling in conjunction with other therapy can help to distinguish symptoms of SAD and/or any other issues that prevent you from having wellness and quality of life. Kim Rieger is the director of REAL Consulting Family & Business Counseling & Mediation Services, a private practice operating in High River since 2002. In addition to receiving a B.A. in community education, Kim is a certified counselor, literacy tutor and trainer. She is also a registered family and divorce mediator, and has more than 25 years of experience, specializing in high conflict family issues. Kim is married with four children and five grandchildren.
• For every $1 you spend on wellness, you are likely to save $5 on the costs associated with illness.
By Shannon Budiselic, DVM, CERT, CVA
By Kim Rieger B.A. Com.Ed. R.F.M.
easonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a condition with symptoms that arise typically in November, peaking in January and February, and subsiding during the sunnier days of spring and summer. Symptoms of SAD include: loss of energy, fatigue, social withdrawal, little interest in activities once enjoyed, appetite changes, weight gain, oversleeping, depression, anxiety, mood swings, increased PMS in women, and in severe cases, suicidal ideation. Unmanaged, SAD affects quality of life and general sense of well-being. Some of my clients who suffer from what they call “the blahs”, or “winter blues”, complain of the above symptoms. Many are aware of how they are feeling and actively seek help. Others feel guilty for feeling “down” and are not always aware that there can be physiologic reasons for their state of mind and that there is help for the condition. In Alberta, SAD affects between two and five per cent of the general population, with up to 20 per cent per cent of people experiencing less severe symptoms more characteristic of the winter blues.
Now, more than ever, Curves is worth every penny.
pets
health
D
ogs and humans have been coevolving with one another for possibly for thousands of years and no other season accentuates this special relationship more than winter. Winter is often a time of inactivity and close-quartered living with our pets. As a result, this season, (holidays in particular), can challenge a dog’s mental and physical balance with periods of stress, inactivity, rich foods and other hazards. Add to that, many suffer from extreme boredom when they are forced to stay indoors for long periods of time. Although dogs are not known to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), they do pick up on our human emotions, and one wonders if they empathically understand and sense when we suffer from the ‘winter blues’, or other types of depression. What we know for sure is that dogs understand our behaviour. They know what it means when we are putting on our dog-walking shoes, and they have an inner clock that says, “Let’s get out of here and find some adventure!” The long winter seasons are no exception to a dog’s need for physical and mental stimulation. Like us, they need extra care and attention to help them through the months of cold weather and limited daylight. As a vet, and canine fitness enthusiast, I study behaviour as one means of advising clients on preventive health issues. The following tips are designed to
help you and your pet stay physically and mentally fit through the winter season. These tips may be modified for cats, who also find winters a challenge: During winter, stick to a routine as much as possible. Avoid over-feeding or sharing holiday food, and weigh-in regularly. Offer chopped apple and carrot as a reward; or better yet, skip the treats and go for a brisk walk in the sun. Enjoy indoor fitness together by unfurling your yoga mat and tossing a ball for your pet. Perform a few crunches or squats while you wait for the retrieve. Set up a living-room obstacle, or laser-course for your pet to follow and navigate. Book regular play dates with other canines, hit a gym for obedience training or other fitness activity. Buy an interactive puzzle toy, especially good for senior pets that need stimulation to keep their brains fit. I would bet that by boosting your pet’s activity levels, chances are you’ll breeze through winter with a fresh perspective of your own. Dr. Shannon Budiselic is a veterinarian and owner of Equilibrium, a wholistic physical rehabilitation and preventive wellness practice based in Okotoks. She works on a referral basis and cooperates with your regular DVM to provide your horse or dog with an integrative health care plan.
ormals
28
403.652.4993 110 3rd avenue SW, High River
www.cottonwoodbridal.ca
Big City Selection with Small Town Service routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
• The American Institute for Cancer Research reports obesity plays a key role in increasing the risk for many cancers. Regular exercise can help you avoid the disease and its costs. • Exercise directly reduces stress and can help your mental performance at work. • Every hour you exercise adds two to your life. So keep up the good work and keep coming to Curves three times a week.
Bring in this ad and get 3 FREE workouts with a trainer!
curves.com 000-000-0000 000-000-0000 403-652-3222000-000-0000403-995-0065 #5, 609 Centre St. S.Local Address #1,1100 VillageLocal Lane Address Local Address High River, AB T1V 2C2 Okotoks, AB T1S1Z6 Local Address Local Address Local Address THE WORLD’S LEADER IN WOMEN’S FITNESS ©2010 Curves International, Inc.
Gift of Music Concert Series 2010/2011 SeaSOn TiCkeTS now available
Heather Henderson-Hyrhoriw, Musical Theatre and Operetta Sat Nov 6, 2010, 2:30 pm Master-class Sat Nov 6, 2010, 7:30 pm Concert
Trio Lajoie
Sun Jan 30, 2011, 2:30 pm
Georgy Tchaidze, Pianist First Laureate, 2009 Honens Piano Competion Bridal Gowns
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• Regular exercise can boost your immune system and dramatically reduce your risk for chronic disease.
Bridal Gowns
Bridesmaid Dresses
Bridesmaid Dresses
Spring Ball Gowns
Tuxedo Rentals Special Occasion Dresses
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Sat April 2, 2011, 7:30 pm
Calgary Girls Choir May 2011 Details TBA
For season tickets or more information, please call 403-652-3168
29
Providing access to musical arts programming in High River and surrounding area.
routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
Food
StuffedPork
Ingredients: Serves 6 1
Blueberry
with Mango Ginger Sauce
-Coconut Bread & Butter Pudding
pork loin
Ingredients: Serves 6
¼ lb spinach ½ cups of pitted Spanish olives
¼
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1¼ cubed bread
¼ cup of olive oil 1 tbsp of grated ginger root 1
cup cubed butter
tsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic
½
cup blueberries
2
large egg yolks
2
large eggs
1/3
cup sugar
1¼ cups 35% cream 1¼ cups coconut milk
30
1
one inch piece of ginger minced
1 shallot finely diced ¼ cup white wine ¼ cup chicken stock
olive oil
salt and pepper
routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
¼
cup sweeten coconut flakes
• By Jamal Malih and Madja Ourahma Photos by Neville Palmer
Mango Ginger Sauce 8 oz mango pulp
tbsp Malibu white rum
Method:
Method: • Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. • For the stuffing, place the spinach, garlic, breadcrumbs, olives, ginger and half the olive oil in a food processor and pulse to blend roughly. • Take the pork loin and make a long incision from the head of the loin to the butt of the loin. Rub the stuffing in the inside of the created pocket. • Brush the loin with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. • Place in the oven and roast for 40 minutes.
Ingredients:
4
Method: • In a saucepan pour enough oil to glaze the bottom of the saucepan and bring to moderate heat. Add the shallots and ginger and soften until aromatic. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce by half, add the chicken stock and mango pulp and simmer lightly to desired texture. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. • Pour over pork loin and serve with steamed carrots and green beans.
The Little New York Bistro, owned and operated by Jamal Malih and his wife Majda Madja Ourahma, draws its inspiration from Longview’s historic past when it was known as Little New York. Mimicking the vibrancy and diversity of the Big Apple, Jamal breathes life into the quaint bistro with his savoirfaire and his new age Mediterranean style cuisine. With an extensive background of fine cooking that extends from Greenwich, Connecticut to Montreal to Manhattan, this extraordinary chef and sommelier brings a new level of culture to southern Alberta. For more on Jamal’s impressive chef endeavours, visit www.routesmagazine.com
• •
•
•
•
Place butter and sugar in an oven proof dish. In a large bowl mix together the cubed bread, butter and blueberries. In a separate bowl beat the whole eggs, yolks and sugar until thick and creamy, then whip in the cream, coconut milk, rum and coconut flakes. Pour the egg mixture into the bread and butter and mix. Let stand for 20 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the custard. Preheat the oven to 350°F Boil some water. Place bread butter mix into the ovenproof dish with all the custard, then stand the dish in a roasting pan and surround it with boiling water. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 40 minutes until golden brown on top. Allow the pudding to cool slightly prior to serving.
routesmagazine.ca
31
winter 2010
Food
Photos by Jill Marie Calitz
For Your New Home Needs
Roasted Whole Chicken with Roasted Vegetables Ingredients: Serves 4 1 whole fresh chicken (4-5 lbs) sea salt freshly ground pepper olive oil
Chef Jason Rossington is a regular chef at Stirr! and the owner of Dude with Pig, a full custom catering business in Calgary. How long have you been a chef? It’s been 17 years. I attended a culinary school in Kelowna, B.C. I have worked all over western Canada, most notably at Emerald Lake Lodge, and at Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing Lodge.
What would you say are your specialties? I do love pork and Barbeque! But I am very diverse, I prefer to focus on sustainable local cuisine.
What is your favourite dish? It is really whatever I find fresh at the market that day.
Method: • Rub chicken all over with olive oil. • Sprinkle generously with sea salt and black pepper. • Pre-heat BBQ to 350°F. • Fill a smoke pellet container and place on BBQ (or make a foil pouch for the smoker pellets being sure to poke a few holes into the foil for the smoke to escape). • Place chicken over indirect heat and cook for 45 minutes to an hour (A probe thermometer in the leg of the chicken should read 160°F.). • Choose 3 or 4 different vegetables (onion, zucchini, peppers, garlic cloves, mushrooms, eggplant, etc...) and toss with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. • Wrap in foil and cook on the BBQ for approximately the same time as the chicken. They should be nicely roasted and tender crisp.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing? I am actually studying to be a massage therapist.
32
Homes that think ahead.
Box 5173 High River, AB T1V 1M4
Smoked & Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
403.201.5210
#101, 416 Centre St SE, High River
farrellyhomes.com
with Garlic Allioli Ingredients: Serves 4 - 6
403-652-7771 | highwoodnaturalfoods@telus.net
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4/29/10 7:15:41 PM
1 lb fingerling potatoes
olive oil
(enough to lightly coat potatoes)
2 eggs 5 cloves garlic ½ cup olive oil 1 lemon
(Juiced)
1 tsp pimenton
(or smoked paprika – hot)
smoked olive oil
salt and pepper
Method: • Boil potatoes until just tender then toss with the olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. • Preheat BBQ or smoker to 350°F. • Place potatoes in a smoke pouch then cook in a smoker or BBQ 15 minutes or until skins are crispy. • While the potatoes are smoking, make the sauce in the blender by combining and mixing eggs, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. • While the blender is running slowly drizzle in the ½ cup olive oil – not too fast or the sauce will break. • Right before serving, drizzle the potatoes with the smoked olive oil and serve with the garlic allioli.
PROGRESSIVE FAMILY DENTISTRY
Invisalign Zoom Whitening Digital X-Rays Crowns/Bridges
New Patients Welcome
BUSINESSES IN
Evening And Saturday Appointments Available
High River
White Fillings Bonding & Veneers Implants Root Canals Conscious Sedation
403-603-3364
201 - 103 3 Avenue SW, High River
www.signaturesmilesdentistry.ca
Dr. Vicki McMullen
33 33
Stirr! Adventures in Food is owned and operated by Clayton Foster and Lainey Minardi. The gourmet specialty kitchen shoppe is located in Black Diamond, and can host corporate or private functions. They offer cooking classes five times a week drawing from an array of 10-12 chefs. There’s always something new stirring at Stirr!
routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
routesmagazine.ca routesmagazine.ca
winter winter 2010 2010
ome people believe children do not need life insurance, that they can purchase it when they are adults. But what about events in childhood that could alter their lives completely? The most obvious reason to insure children is funding in the event of death. The loss of a child is devastating. Children are not supposed to predecease their parents, whether they are age five, 19, or 28, but every day they do. Should this tragedy occur, final expenses can be costly and many of us don’t have extra money on hand for these kinds of emergency expenses. By insuring our children, this financial burden is eliminated.
When dealing with the emotional impact of losing a child, would you be able to return to work after only a week of bereavement leave? With the death benefit of a life insurance policy, you could take an extended leave to grieve and cope with your loss. When children reach adulthood, their eligibility for additional coverage is guaranteed if they are insured. We can’t predict the future and a rosy-cheeked child may not necessarily enjoy good health as an adult. With a guaranteed insurability option on a child’s policy, he/she has the contractual right to purchase additional insurance without providing evidence of insurability. When needs change, poor health isn’t a deterrent to purchasing more coverage, since their health at the time of the original purchase has been locked in. Permanent participating life insurance also has a cash value, which can be borrowed in an emergency. As well, you can use the policy values as collateral for a loan to finance post-secondary education, a new apartment, a bright, shiny sports car, or to start a business.
BUSINESS Directory
Mary Kay
Finance
Clearly For You:
Insurance for Children By David and Heather Meszaros
S
Norwex Enviro Products
Highest quality microfiber and silver – nature’s antibacterial for a chemical free, family safe home. Tammy Meadows 403-684-3616 tammym@platinum.ca
Gifts for everyone on your list pampering products, fragrances, and more at your convenience! Tamra Axley 403-938-3700 www.marykay.ca/taxley
Relaxing and fun Christmas shopping! The ultimate home shopping experience. New: Winter/Spring Catalogue! Nancy Belsey 403-703-9261 www.partylite.biz/nancybelsey
The Pampered Chef 34
Quality kitchen tools at your door. For a catalogue or business opportunity information. Gaylene Sweet 403-651-8908 gaylene.sweet@shaw.ca
routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
their insurability has been guaranteed).
For more information about how you can provide this for your family, please call David or Heather at 403-652-3233. Husband and wife team, David and Heather Meszaros believe in providing a holistic approach to financial advising, providing solutions to their clients with life and health insurance, and investments. David is a Certified Financial Planner who has been with Sun Life for 17 years and specializes in dealing in dealing with business owners and wealth management. Heather has been with Sun Life for five years and holds a Registered Health Underwriters designation. Heather mainly deals with the needs and concerns of young families. David and Heather Meszaros are licensed with Sun Life Financial and Sun Life Financial Investment Services (Canada) Inc.
An hOuR wITh uS COuld Be The BeST InveSTMenT yOu’ve eveR MAde Cindy L. Boldt, CIM
Safe Wickless Candles Partylite
Since there are so many things over which we have little or no control, it’s wise to take control wherever we can. As the Boy Scout motto says: “Be prepared”. By insuring children, you help set the stage for their future financial plans (especially if
Flameless, smokeless and soot-free candles. Scentsy’s 80 unique fragrances in candle bars and electric warmers
Financial Advisor ATB Securities Inc. Ph: 403-995-3229 cboldt@atb.com
Michelle Barratt 403-938-9633 www.freshlyscented.scentsy.ca
for saving money and living eco-friendly 1. Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). They cost more but use 75% less energy and last longer. 2. Turn it off. Remember to turn off the TV, computer, stereo, DVD players and lights when you’re not using them. Install a power bar with an integrated timer to shut off all your devices at the end of day. 3. Unplug appliances and electric equipment when not in use. Mobile rechargers waste a considerable amount of power anytime they are plugged in. 4. Run your dishwasher, washer and dryer early in the morning or after 8 p.m. when electricity demand is less. Use a clothesline and let the sun and breeze naturally dry your clothes. 5. In stall a low-flow shower head and cut back your shower to five to seven minutes. Also, turn off the water while shampooing your hair, brushing your teeth and shaving. Outdoors, use a soaker hose instead of a sprinkler. 6. Replace your fridge or freezer if it is more than 10-years-old. Older models use two to three times the energy of newer models. 7. Install a programmable thermostat and turn the heat down a few degrees in winter and up a few degrees in summer. To cool your house down in the summer, install ceiling fans – they are much more energy efficient than stand-alone fans.
Jewellery Sales Opportunity NEW line to Canada... trendy and very affordable! Work from home, set your own hours, earn great money. Christina Spackman 403-889-4521 www.liasophia.ca/christina
7Tips
ATB Securities Inc. (Member, Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada; Member, Canadian Investor Protection Fund) is a wholly owned subsidiary of ATB Financial and are licensed users of the trademark ATB Investor Services. ® Registered trademarks of Alberta Treasury Branches.
35
Sources: www.bemoreeco.com www.green3dhome.com www.ecofriendlyideas.com
routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
5Fantastic
The Motherload:
Festive Family
Family
Let Go
Activities
and Let Grow
T
I can’t remember at what point it dawned on me that to survive this turbulent parenting journey, we (parents) need to surrender just a smidge. The world is going to have its way with our kids – teach them lessons they won’t get at our dinner table. This is both tough to witness, and indisputably essential. They need these forces to push against – to help them form, measure, and affirm who they will be and what they will stand for. If we’ve done our job well, their roots will anchor them, and as my friend of faith tells me – all will be well. As my kids get older, I realize it’s time to let go just a bit. I can’t censor out the Cinderellas or the Xbox games, but I can hold fast to the values I believe in, be the best role model I know how to be, and do what we moms do best - dispense a steady flow of unwavering love. For me it’s time to replace the worn and tattered ‘mother screen’ with a new kind of buffer – a safety net to catch them when the world lets them down. Thoughts or comments? Email pat@routesmagazine.ca
NEVER MISS AN ISSUE! Summer
a rural hip life sty
le maga zin
e a rural
36
info@routesmagazine.ca www.routesmagazine.ca 541-7 Street SW High River, AB T1V 1B7
2010
zine
ga le ma
sty hip life
Na
ipes
Gnocc di Patate Savourhi y Summe r Salad HIST ORY
The Cowb
7 Great Wo
oy Trail
A rural hip lifest Black Diamond, yle magazine designed High River for the , Long Foothills view, Nanto n, Okoto region, includ ks, Turne ing: r Valle y.
PM 4197955 4
winter 2010
magazin
Holiday tree lighting and Christmas singing, wagon rides, fire pits, live entertainment, live reindeer, visit from Santa, craft sales. Great holiday shopping and entertainment, stores open late with sales. Light Up Black Diamond November 27, 5 - 9 pm Main Street
Pictures with Santa, real reindeer, skating, shopping, gingerbread competition and much more.
quality built
Distintive Jewellery
Open: Thursday to Saturday 12-5
#4 Elma Street E, Okotoks 403-938-6168 www.deavabeadz.ca
“The builder that actually builds your home ... what a concept!”
Chris Morrill - Owner, 403-860-1895
Santa Claus Parade November 27 Fort Macleod
The largest parade of its kind in western Canada. Floats galore, marching bands, street entertainers and Santa himself bring in the Christmas Spirit! Santa Claus Parade December 3, 6 pm High River
24th annual parade and Christmas craft fair from 2 - 9 pm. High River Community Christmas Party December 13, 4 – 8 pm Bob Snodgrass Recreation Complex
Fresh Hand Made Meals ∙ Gluten Free Options Gourmet Food Shop ∙ Dine in/Take Out/Catering
A family indoor skating event with free hot chocolate and hot dogs. Please bring an item for the food bank.
pushes
e food featur p Company Route 40
e
HIGH RIVER
OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND 5 DAYS A WEEK COMPETENT AND FRIENDLY STAFF PROVIDING YOU WITH:
A complim entary magazi Black Diamon ne featurin d, High River, g Longview,the foothills region includin Nanton, Okotok s, Turner g: Valley.
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PRES ERVI
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37
PERSONAL, BUSINESS AND FARM TAX RETURNS
The Art
nders RIGHT HE IN ALBER RE TA
routesmagazine.ca
2009
N ABO l A SZ ic hopefu LISnto n’s Olymp for Gold & Soul of Paul Rasp orich 2Great Rec
Light up Okotoks November 19 & 20 Olde Towne Okotoks Plaza
Fall 2009
a rural hip lifestyle Winter
ROUTES in your mailbox for only $14 a year.
Woodcraaft HOMES ...
(say that 3 times fast!)
By Pat Fream
he other day I overheard a conversation in the gym locker room. It was two young moms discussing the perils of their 10-year-old daughters idolizing unworthy stars. They were genuinely concerned that Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan are endangering their girls’ perceptions – modelling self destruction as an acceptable, if not enviable path. I remember when my daughter was that age. I refused to own Disney movies that depicted women as weak mindless objects waiting for strong men to validate them. No Snow White or Cinderella in our house. I banned other negative forces too; anything I believed could corrupt my kids’ values – hijack the strong sense of self worth we were endeavouring to create. Still over the years, dozens of unsavoury influences have made it past my ‘mother screen’ and with great gusto, taken a role in shaping my kids’ perceptions. The culprits come in many forms; mean-spirited friends, harsh coaches, biased media messages, violent video games, status quo, and so on. At times it seems like around every corner, there’s an obstacle set to trip us up – undermine our noble intentions – test our kids.
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BUSINESSES IN
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routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
What’s OLD is
Detours
NEWS AGAIN
–A century’s compendium of comparison in local newspapers.
By Peter Worden
“IT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO HUSBANDS TO KNOW THAT THE PARIS DRESSMAKERS ARE TO MAKE FASHIONABLE GOWNS THAT BUTTON DOWN THE FRONT.” — from The High River Times, December 1, 1910.
It’s 101 years later and frankly I think we’re all still baffled by women’s attire. It may be of interest to husbands nowadays to know that their wives’ avantgarde frocks replete with doodads (god bless them) or any sort or muumuu (to which there are no fastening devices) simply cannot be learned. A century’s worth of trying confirms it. ................................................................
“REPORTS OF A COAL SHORTAGE ARE COMING FROM SEVERAL POINTS.
That it has not yet been felt in Nanton is due to the large number who stored up a supply last summer and fall.” — from The Nanton News, February 2, 1911.
38
A century older as a civilization and there remain few feelings more gratifying than being slightly better off than the next person. Take ice-fishing. Who wants to sit in a freezing cold hut without a propane stove, hot paws or worse still, beer? Years ago I ran out of propane then accidentally dropped my mittens down the hole. They floated under the ice until I managed to retrieve them–the only thing I caught. To this day I always bring lots of beer. ..............................................................
routesmagazine.ca
winter 2010
“The debating club was well attended last night. Single Tax was discussed and the judges decided in favour of Single Tax.” — from The Nanton News, Feb 2, 1911.
_________________________________________________ I can’t tell you how many times I have this argument with friends these days. Not that Single Tax is a superior economic ideology, but that the debate club was once well-attended. _________________________________________________
.................................. “FRIENDLY ADVISOR – Why don’t you marry the girl? She’s a real pearl. THE OTHER –
Yes, I know, old man; but I don’t like the mother-of-pearl.”
— from The Stavely Standard, January 26, 1911.
..................................
While there’s nothing new about the general distaste for one’s mother-in-law, there have been tremendous advancements in our palate for humour since the early 20th century. If you don’t believe me, try this joke next time there’s a lull in the conversation. By nature people will laugh. But not because it’s funny, because they feel sorry for you. I guess what I’m saying is today there are funnier jokes about one’s in-laws.
____________ “So many hunters have been shot of late having been mistaken for game, that a law should be passed to compel hunters going into the woods to wear a bright red coat.” _________________
— from The High River Times, Dec 1, 1910.
One century on we’ve truly seen great advances in the shooting of animals for sport while avoiding the shooting of fellow hunters. Sadly, last summer I saw a woman in Okotoks wearing a camouflage bikini. There is grave concern that she will be mistaken for a deer in the wild.
___________________ “Several local nimrods spent Monday afternoon chasing coyotes, and even
with the aid of a spy glass, they did not succeed in securing any of the prairie wolves that make this locality their rendezvous. As a result of the chase, Mayor Blake, G.J. Anderson and J. Stiers were incapacitated from work the following day.”
Homes so spacious, your king will look like a single.
— from Blackie News in The High River Times, January 10, 1911.
Let me just say one thing about human nature. Some things never change. _______________________________
“Claresholm’s 1911 needs: Regular meetings of the council on stated nights and not when the councillors happen to feel like it.
______________
from The Claresholm Review, January 5, 1911.
____________________ Surely, one can lead a horse to water but not make it drink. Isn’t that why truisms are truisms –because they’re true? I have to say, I much rather preferred old-fashioned small-town politics, which was to stuff pipes, drink brandy and the coherent-most man or woman could call the shots. That’s democracy.
Visit penncrosscondos.com to see how much you get for so little. Enjoy the amenities to match your lifestyle at Penncross at Crystal Green. • Elegant & spacious floorplans
• Onsite fitness facility, games room and library
• Easy access to golf courses
• Expertly landscaped courtyard and walking paths
• Maintenance-free lifestyle
• Minutes from a variety of shops and restaurants
TWO BEDROOMS STARTING IN THE VISIT OUR SHOWHOME & SALES CENTRE TODAY AT: 129, 1 Crystal Green Lane, Okotoks, AB Mon-Thurs: 1-7pm, Fri, Sat & Sun: 12-5pm
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