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.

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.

A-MAZE-ing Sunflowers

Corn mazes are a popular fall attraction, but a maze made of cheery sunflowers offers a delightful alternative.

From the moment you step into the Bowden SunMaze, you can’t help but be happy. Getting lost and turned around on the winding paths seems a lot more fun when surrounded by pretty yellow flowers.


The maze has just the right amount of challenge to keep adults interested while the opportunity to run wild and hide around corners keeps kids entertained.We were a little late to see the maze in its prime (although it was still impressive). The staff suggested that mid to late August is the best time to visit.


In addition to the sunflower maze, there are two corn mazes and other mazes suitable for small children. The kids will also like seeing seeing the pot belly pig, rabbits, donkeys and chickens.

The Bowden SunMaze is Alberta’s only sunflower maze. You can find it west of Bowden, about half an hour south of Red Deer.

Not So Secret Garden

I recently discovered the Olds College Botanic Garden. What a pleasant surprise!

Wide paved paths curve by specialty gardens such as the alpine, herb, water, rose and shade gardens. Flower beds are filled with annuals and perennials suited to Alberta’s climate and some beds are devoted to single flower varieties like lilies, irises, and delphiniums.

Small gravel and stone paths tempt visitors to explore hidden corners of the garden and allow for a closer look at some of the flowers. Most of the plants have labels so you can identify what you’re looking at which is useful if you’re looking for gardening ideas.

You can stroll throughout the garden or sit on one of the many benches and just admire the beauty.

Olds College welcomes the public to visit the Botanic Garden and they’ve created a printable map that shows the various specialty gardens and landmarks.

Nearby Gardens

• The Trochu Arboretum, about a half hour east Olds, is also a garden-lovers oasis.
• The heritage gardens at the Innisfail Historical Village contain cultivars/varieties of plants that Alberta pioneers would have planted, but that are no longer typically available.