Enjoy a Candlelit Walk at Luminaria

During Luminaria thousands of candles line the paths of the Kurimoto Japanese Garden, part of the Devonian Botanic Garden southwest of Edmonton. This weekend my boyfriend and I braved the chilly weather for a candle light walk through the snowy gardens.

The candles illuminated the graceful, artistic curves of the paths and the candle light reflected off the snow making it seem to glow. Fire pits along the way helped us to stay warm as we strolled on the many paths.

Although there were many people enjoying the event, the garden still seemed peaceful and serene, due in part I think to the darkness, soft candlelight and blanket of snow.

It was a walk to remember.

Christmas Festivals to Spark Your Christmas Spirit

Tis the season to enjoy all the fun things that are part of an Alberta Christmas like twinkly Christmas lights, sleigh rides and visits with Santa.

Over the next couple of weekends, a number of communities near Edmonton are hosting Christmas festivals that are sure to get you and your little ones in the Christmas mood.

Morinville Lite Up the Nite Christmas Festival (Nov 26-28, 2010)
Breakfast with Santa, family crafts and activities, parade, craft fair, skate with Santa, Lite up the Nite in St. Jean Baptiste Park and fireworks.

Josephburg Christmas in the Heartland (Nov 27, 2010)
Christmas market, sleigh rides, hundreds of nativity scenes on display, skating, visit with Santa, ice carving and lighting up a 60 ft. Christmas tree.

Devon Christmas in the Park (Nov 27, 2010)
Candle luminary, Christmas lights parade, hay rides, Santa and his reindeer, maple syrup taffy and more.

Redwater Kris Kringle Festival (Dec 4, 2010)
Skate with Santa, sleigh rides, hot chocolate, carolers and a live nativity scene.

Bon Accord Winter Wonderland (Dec 4, 2010)
Pancake breakfast, visit with Santa, crafts, Christmas skate, live entertainment and fireworks show.

Supper at the Footloose Caboose

If you’re seeking a unique and unusual dining experience, you have to visit the Footloose Caboose. It’s your chance to dine in a rail car without having to take a train trip.

Meals are actually served in the Mount Lefroy dining car built in 1909 by Canadian Pacific Railways. The cabooses on the property are used as rooms by overnight guests.

The dining car is spacious and simply furnished and the owners are down to earth people who want to make sure your visit is enjoyable. They offer ample portions of a range of main dish selections including beef, pork, chicken and fish. A variety of appetizers and deserts rounds out the menu.

In addition to the cabooses and historic dining car, a Grand Trunk Pacific Type E train station once located in Duffield stands on the property. The station has been restored and serves as the owners’ home.

A trip to the Footloose Caboose is an interesting break from the ho-hum. It’s been more than a year since I heard about the restaurant and I’m so glad I finally had the chance to visit. The Footloose Caboose is approximately half an hour from the eastern city limits of Edmonton just off Highway 14 near Tofield.

Alberta's Ghost Towns

What would Halloween be without a post about frightening things to do in Alberta? I’m taking a different spin on the scary season however and writing about Alberta ghost towns.

The Ghost Towns of Alberta website gives a comprehensive overview of many abandoned or slowly-dying towns.

The ghastly thing about many abandoned towns is that they were once thriving centres. A great many are old coal-mining towns such as Anthracite, Bankhead, Nacmine and Cadomin. Others like Bezanson City were abandoned because the railway never made it to the community or because of drought like Travers or Grantham.

Ghost towns appeal to me because I imagine what life was like when these towns were bustling and busy places. The bigger draw is the chance to photograph the remaining buildings without pesky people getting in the way.

Some ghost towns have restored or maintained many buildings and open their doors to the public. In Rowley, tourists can visit the Railway Museum, Prairie School Museum, Sam’s Saloon, Bank, and Pool Hall and in Wayne, visitors can still have a drink in the hotel’s Last Chance Saloon.

So this year, overcome your fears and explore Alberta’s ghost towns.

Off-field action at Edmonton Eskimos Games

At this weekend’s Edmonton Eskimos game, I was joined by someone who’d never been to a live football game before. As I was describing what kind of atmosphere to expect at the stadium, I was struck by the number of activities that occur at an Eskimos game. Even if the football game isn’t your thing, there is sure to be something for you to watch.

The crazy antics of the Eskimos’ mascots Punter and Nanook are always entertaining, especially when they are body slamming stuffed animals that represent the other teams’ mascots into the turf. There’s nothing like seeing a stuffed gopher or horse get jumped on. Take that!

Speaking of jumps, you’ll be surprised at the gymnastic and acrobatic skill of the Eskimos Cheer Team, considered to be one of the best squads in North America. It’s not unusual to see one of the guys balance one of the girls on one hand or a couple of guys throw a girl so high in the air she can do multiple flips and twists on the way down. I can’t help but watch in amazement.

The mascots and the Cheer Team encourage the crowd to get involved in special cheers and everyone sings the Eskimos fight song between the third and fourth quarters. There’s also wacky competitions hosted by sponsors, the cheesy sounds of the Pep Band and the mini footballs that get launched into the crowd when the Eskimos score.

Add all of these off-field activities to the action of the football game and you have a winning combination.

I'm thankful for...

Since today is Thanksgiving, I started thinking about the Alberta tourism attractions, destinations and events I’m thankful for. Here’s my list:

• Art Gallery of Alberta for exposing me to art I wouldn’t have otherwise sought out
• small town museums for keeping history alive through the hard work and dedication of volunteers
• Alberta’s many choirs for revealing the passion and joy of choral music
• our province’s national parks for preserving some of Alberta’s wondrous wilderness
• Calgary Zoo for reminding me that you’re never to old to enjoy the zoo
• Chinook Arch Meadery for giving me another reason to like honey
• music festivals like the Edmonton Folk Fest and Labatt’s Blues Festival for luring me outdoors to enjoy Alberta summers to the sound of great tunes
• hiking trails throughout the province that show the beauty and diversity of our landscapes
• Slave Lake Sand Castle Competition for reminding me that Alberta does have beaches
• biplane rides at the Reynolds Alberta Museum for giving me something to look forward to

What are you thankful for?

Smashing Pumpkins

No, not the band. Actual smashing pumpkins.
That’s part of the attraction at the Smoky Lake Pumpkin Festival.

The festival’s finale entails dropping pumpkins from a very tall crane. At this year’s festival, three pumpkins were dropped. Two “smaller” pumpkins were dropped first (and by smaller I mean bigger than the wheel on a Hummer). Then a gigantic pumpkin was dropped onto a car. I must admit, the destructive side of my personality was cheering. Oh who am I kidding, you don’t even have to like destruction to enjoy the complete demolition of a car by a giant, falling pumpkin. It’s something you likely won’t see anywhere else in Alberta.

These photos are not of the car being destroyed but show the before and after photos of one of the pumpkin drops.

Before




After


In addition to the smashing finale, an important component of the festival is the competition for the largest pumpkin. This year, the winner weighed in at 987 pounds. Yes, that’s correct. It was enormous.

The festival offers plenty of activities for kids such as a midway and crafts as well as activities for adults like the beer gardens, farmers’ market and classic car show and shine.

The Smoky Lake Pumpkin Festival is a fun day trip out in the country, but…if you go, beware of falling vegetables.