No bees. No work. No honey. No money. That age-old quote is never truer than today with North America and Europe facing an unprecedented colony collapse.
Sturgeon County beekeeper Patty Milligan, known across the local honey world as Lola Canola, has taken an extra step and invited Saskatchewan author Candace Savage to give an open talk about bees.
“It’s what I’ve wanted to do for a long time. My goal is to offer more places where people can talk and learn about bees,” Milligan says.
Author of 16 books on natural history, Savage has just written Bees: Nature’s Little Wonders. “I’ve read quite a few books on bees and this is one of the best. It’s funny. It’s accurate. It’s very informational.”
Savage, who is in the area as a special guest writer at LitFest: Edmonton’s Non-fiction Festival, will lead a small, intimate discourse accompanied with four different honey-based sweets and Alberta-based mead.
The talk is Sunday, Oct. 24 at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $30. The discussion is being held in a private home and Milligan will release the address at the time of ticket purchase. Reserve early as there is limited seating. Email [email protected].
There is a torrential downpour of alternative rock slamming into The Taphouse this coming Saturday.
The Raptors headline the space with opening acts Take With Audio from Brandon, Man. and Edmonton rockers The Boudoirs.
The Raptors, a band with St. Albert connections, have fought long and hard to win loyal fans and the title Sonic Band of the Month. “Stylistically they are an alt-indie rock band. They have original melodies and interesting chord structures,” says Yvan Scheremetieff, lead singer and keyboardist for The Boudoirs.
As for his own band, Scheremetieff says The Boudoirs play alternative rock with a psychedelic and world beat. “The thing that makes us different is that we have a Chapman Stick player. It’s played by tapping instead of plucking. It’s got a punchy sound that makes a more aggressive, distinct sound.”
He adds that although the night is billed as a rock show, it will morph into a dance show. “There’s an emphasis on beat and it’s very high energy.”
Show starts at 9 p.m. Advance tickets cost $7. Email [email protected].
Italians have always revelled in stories of tragic love and none has the romantic purity quite like Giaccomo Puccini’s La Bohème.
Edmonton Opera stages this most tender of operas on Oct. 23, 26 and 28 at the Jubilee Auditorium. In a gritty Parisian ghetto, Rodolfo, a young poet, has his world turned upside down by his passionate love for the fragile and doomed Mimi.
La Bohème is sung in Italian with English surtitles. Ticket costs range from $35 to $175. Call 780-451-8000 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca.
Caution: May Contain Nuts, a series with St. Albert’s Matt Alden and Jeff Halaby, has been renewed for a third season on APTV.
“I think this is a huge accomplishment for us Nuts, and for Edmonton-made television and comedy. Three seasons strong, this home-grown show is here to stay. I'm so proud to know that it is possible to make it in Edmonton and I'm so grateful for all our fans and support,” says Aimee Beaudoin, media contact for Nuts.
