St. Albert is the place to be over the next week as two major events roll into town.
For starters, the Alberta Indigenous Games kick off Sunday with an eagle staff run to Poundmaker’s Lodge from Westmount Mall in Edmonton. Opening ceremonies will follow, then four days of competition in eight sports involving four local venues.
This bi-annual gathering will attract hundreds of aboriginal athletes from all over Alberta.
The games have the laudable aim of providing these young aboriginals the opportunity to engage in activities that are physically beneficial, but also beneficial from an emotional and mental standpoint.
What makes the games unique from other sporting events is that they combine competition with personal growth seminars. The focus of these seminars is the Circle of Courage, a school of thought that espouses the value of belonging, mastery, independence and generosity. The games infuse these concepts into physical activity, in the hope that nurturing these values in youth will steer them away from risky behaviours.
While the sporting events themselves are great to have in our city, the games’ higher purpose makes the event that much more important. We wish all the participants and volunteers well.
Another major event, the 17th annual Rock’n August festival, kicks off on Tuesday. This event is a celebration of vintage cars, rock ’n’ roll and people. More importantly, it’s a fundraiser for the Alberta Diabetes Foundation at the University of Alberta, and aims to raise $150,000 this year.
This team effort has been a great contributor to the battle against diabetes, a disease that will affect one in four Canadians in the next three to four years.
All week there will be pancake breakfasts, show ’n’ shines and dances. There will even be a drive-in screening of the classic highway caper Smokey and the Bandit. You can’t go wrong with an event that features vintage Burt Reynolds.
Historically, attendance at Rock’n August numbers in the tens of thousands. The Indigenous Games are expected to draw about 1,000 athletes. Hosting such events showcases our city, brings significant economic benefits and sets the stage for the hosting of other major events in the future.
So let’s greet these out-of-towners with open arms, ensuring they find St. Albert to be hospitable and leave the city with fond memories. Beyond that, let’s make an effort to take in these worthy events ourselves.
The Indigenous Games provide an opportunity to witness some good competition and experience some cross-cultural growth. Rock’n August provides fun times for families and couples. Even if gleaming chrome and spotless paint aren’t your cup of tea, attending a show ’n’ shine is sure to be good fun. There will likely be at least one vehicle that makes you grin with delight or green with envy.
Info for the Indigenous Games can be found at aig2013.org. The Rock’n August website is at http://www.rocknaugust.com.
