'A very rewarding experience'

If you ask Cory Christopher, the countryside in the Capital region is more like a treasure map filled with buried wonders. The Country Soul Stroll is the perfect opportunity to get out of the house, go for a nice drive and see things that you've never seen before, he says.

The creative director and in-house designer at First Choice Tree Nursery and Garden Centre located northwest of Morinville calls the countryside a wonderland of discovery filled with beauty, excitement and art.

"It's the little hidden gems that you don't know about. I'm always looking for new places to be inspired, to find great new ideas. You can't just be a part of the community and not support it."

This is the nursery's third year as a venue with the six-week long Country Soul Stroll, an initiative of Edmonton Regional Tourism. Edmonton's Countryside is a collective of 24 municipalities, dozens of members and an umbrella for more than 200 events, all taking place in the Capital region including Sturgeon, Parkland, Strathcona, Leduc and Lamont counties. This year's event is different from last year by returning to the larger area, instead of just focusing on Sturgeon County.

Even though First Choice is a major nursery, there is still plenty of room to expand its market and reach new audiences. Christopher sees all kinds of benefits out there to be had, and they aren't all cultural either.

"It's a means of gaining more recognition in the Edmonton countryside and area. It allows us to promote our business within a larger group of businesses."

The event provides a noticeable growth in visitors, he adds.

"It really breeds awareness, even if it's not necessarily people coming out that weekend in particular. You hear it later down the line, 'I saw you because I read something about the Soul Stroll' or 'I was looking at the brochure and I decided to look at the website.'"

"I do see a constant increase and a constant building of awareness," he says.

Good culture, company

Christopher isn't the only one who sees the benefits to the bottom line. Randy Harvie, co-owner of R&R Delights in Bon Accord, had his mind already set on participating with this event even before he opened his business last fall.

The stained glass, crystal and wellness product store has already been very well received.

"Considering we're slowly getting the word out, we're not doing too bad.

Harvie knows how this kind of grassroots promotion can help bring people together and nudge fledgling businesses to success at the same time. He even went to some of the venues in previous years and experienced it for himself.

"I was aware of the Country Soul Stroll. It was something that [partner Rick Romanko and I] thought of in talking with a couple of people around town. I mentioned to Rick that one thing that we could do for advertising — and to get our name out — is the Country Soul Stroll."

"We're pretty sure it will [help]. We've already been getting inquiries."

The Sturgeon County players

There are nine more affiliated locations and events to explore in St. Albert and around the county. This list includes Rock'n August, the Alberta Railway Museum, Country Clay and Garden Works, Pottery by Heather, and Toula's House of Clay. (A full listing is available on the website and in the guidebook).

Naturally, there are many, many other things to see and do elsewhere in the region. You can watch the famous sheep grazing in Fort Saskatchewan, get lost in a number of corn mazes and even take in a fishing adventure north of Stony Plain where you can also pan for gold or just snap a few pics of local wildlife.

Soul Stroll organizers even have some suggestions for day trips if you've got a lazy Sunday coming up and don't want to miss out on the summer by watching TV, even if it looks like there might be a touch of rain according to the forecast.

Christopher suggests Alberta's unpredictable weather really shouldn't hinder visitors at all.

"Because you're in the country, people might have the misconception that everything is outdoors. [First Choice] is a greenhouse; we have a store and we have a cold frame that people can look in."

"We also have umbrellas for customers if they want to walk around in the rain — which is quite pleasant — they can do so as well."

Sparks of creativity

Sandi Lavigne, the publicity co-ordinator for Soul Stroll, loves how vendors are able to showcase their talents in unique ways. She was enthusiastic about Christopher's upcoming displays opening Saturday at the greenhouse, even though they are just a little bit unseasonal: it's called Santa's Summer Party and Santa Claus' Picnic.

"Every year he's gone with this Christmas sneak peek and this is the first year that he's adding in other family fun activities. We are running it the same as last year [with the kick-off weekend], we are doing some special hands-on activities."

As far as Christopher is concerned, he gets as much out of being creative as he does out of just being one of the crowd at other venues.

"It's a very amazing experience. For me, being an artist is the ability to share my creative energy and my creative juices with other people. By being involved with something like the Country Soul Stroll, I'm breeding awareness and allowing them to experience my work, which is a very rewarding experience.

"It's something that brings me great pleasure and pride that people can have a reaction to it. To be able to do that and give something besides just a buying experience to someone is very meaningful for myself and for our business."