St. Albert's historic grain elevators are ready to make an official grand re-entry later this month.
The Arts and Heritage Foundation of St. Albert, the Musée Heritage Museum and the City of St. Albert are hosting a Harvest Festival at the St. Albert Grain Elevator Park, just off Meadowview Drive, on Sunday, Sept. 18, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The main draw for the event will be the grand re-opening of the city's two historic grain elevators, which had been shut down for more than a year recently as they were restored and renovated.
The park houses two grain elevators. The silver elevator was originally built by the Alberta Grain Company in 1906, while the green one was built by the Alberta Wheat Pool in 1929. The Wheat Pool elevator was painted red for a time, but was restored to its original green colour during the recent renovations.
The Harvest Festival promises an afternoon of historic fun, including wagon rides, a mini market, family games and children's activities.
Several musicians will also be on hand, including St. Albertan Trevor Tchir, who released his most recent independent album, Sky Locked Land, in 2009. According to his website, Tchir “unites the sounds and images of Canada’s rural and urban spaces. ... His music tells stories of the people who work and love in its pulsing cities and austere hinterlands.”
For more information, visit the museum's website at www.museeheritage.ca or call 780-419-7354.
The winners of a national songwriting contest have been announced and, despite making the Top 10 finalists, a local contestant did not make the final cut.
The Song for Canada competition was put on by Canada's Walk of Fame and was open to all Canadians to capture “the true essence of the Canadian identity and what makes them proud to be Canadian.”
Villeneuve songwriter Sandra Brenneis — who wrote the original musicals Mary's Veil and The Park Bench — had her submission chosen from more than 600 from across the country to make the Top 10, but unfortunately she couldn't go further and crack the top three.
It was a fellow Albertan, 19-year-old Calum Graham of High River, who took home the grand prize, which consisted of $25,000 cash, $10,000 worth of recording time at Metalworks Studios and the chance to work with a panel of acclaimed Canadian songwriters.
Catherine Brenan of Oakville, Ont., and Vince Dixon from Sydney, N.S., also took home cash prizes for finishing second and third respectively.
Of the Top 10 finalists, two were from Alberta, four from Ontario, two from Nova Scotia, and one each from British Columbia and New Brunswick.
The judging panel that selected the winner included television host Rick Campanelli; Canada's Walk of Fame founder Peter Soumalias; Our Lady Peace frontman Raine Maida and his wife, singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk; singer Nikki Yanofsky, who sang I Believe, the theme for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver; and composer Stephan Moccio, who co-wrote I Believe.
Graham will now have the chance to collaborate with Maida, Kreviazuk and Moccio on an original score that will incorporate at least one line from his winning submission.
The song co-written by Graham will debut on Sunday, Oct. 1, at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto as part of the Canada's Walk of Fame induction ceremonies, which will be televised.
The sixth annual Kaleido Family Arts Festival hits 118 Avenue in Edmonton from Sept. 9 to 11 with a range of art and activities that span the entire spectrum.
One of the highlights of the festival is an appearance by playwright and author Marty Chan, who will bring stories about his cats and his childhood growing up in Morinville to the Big Sky Dome, located along 92 Street just north of 118 Avenue, Sunday at 1:45 p.m. Chan is coming off the release of the final book in his Marty Chan Mysteries series, The Mystery of the Cyber Bully, and a successful run for his play Mothership Down at this year's Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival.
Several other acts appearing at the Kaleido festival are perennial favourites at the annual International Children's Festival in St. Albert, including Grandma Willow, the Human Fountain and the National Stiltwalkers of Canada.
The festival kicks off Friday night with the No-Tie Gala Strut, which runs from 7 to 10 p.m. at four different venues along 118 Avenue: the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts, the Avenue Theatre, the Bernard Boisvert Gallery and the Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse. There will also be a screening Friday night of the classic movie Herbie in the fenced grassy area behind the Alberta Avenue Community Centre.
Admission to the festival is free, but donations are welcome at any one of the colourful kaleidoscope tubes located throughout the venues. For more information, visit www.artsontheave.org/festivals/kaleido-2011.
A pair of St. Albert stages will be busy over the next little while with plenty of entertainment rolling through.
First, at LB's Pub on Akins Drive, Bob Cook and the Mucho Nada Party take to the stage at 9:30 p.m. Friday.
Then on Saturday, LB's hosts their weekly open jam from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., after which Coaster 44 takes over the stage.
LB's is located at 23 Akins Dr. Check out www.lbspub.ca or call 780-460-9100 for more information.
Meanwhile, at Vee Lounge at the Apex Casino, Colleen Rae and Cornerstone pop by on Friday and Saturday to perform some of her country music hits, including seven singles that have charted nationally and internationally.
Then, on Sept. 16 and 17, Vee plays hosts to the Red Hotz, an all-female rock ’n’ roll cover band that plays favourites from the 1950s right up to today.
Apex Casino is located at 24 Boudreau Rd. Check out www.apexcasino.ca for more information, or call a Vee supervisor at 780-590-1128 to reserve seating.
