By Murray Green

Andrew Johns gives you the ultimate Elton John tribute in his The Yellow Brick Road Experience concert.

Johns is backed by the nine piece band called The Jets during his Alberta tour. They will be on stage at the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre on Monday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m.

“Andrew was in the ‘80s band, Boulevard from Calgary, with Mark Holden (they released two albums and had eight hit singles with “Never Give Up” reaching number 23 on the Canadian charts). He has been doing a tribute as a solo act, he sounds exactly like Elton from the ‘70s and ‘80s,” said promoter Mike Schell, president of LMS Entertainment.

You can experience first hand how Andrew commands the stage with his spot on piano and vocal skills that take you back to Elton John in his prime.

“We put this show together two years ago and he has been playing western Canada with sold out shows. I built this band specifically for this show. The majority of musicians are from my Elvis shows. I hired Julie Masi from the Parachute Club and she has won four Junos. She will be on backing vocals and the Uptown Horns, who have played in Camrose before, are also part of the band,” revealed Mike.

With over 250 million records sold worldwide as well as holding the world record for biggest selling single of all time with “Candle In the Wind,” Elton John’s timeless musical catalogue will be celebrated.

He performs hits such as “Yellow Brick Road,” “Your Song,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Saturday Night’s Alright” and many other popular tunes.

“He will be playing all of the big hits. However, it is not just about the songs. Andrew is a complete showman and is funny. He calls out for songs from the audience to play. It shows that he can sing any song,” said Mike.

“The show is a full multi-media show as well, capturing most of the photos from Elton’s career. It is visually stimulating. Andrew will play some songs on piano and then the full band joins him on stage,” added Mike.

“We are doing some pretty big music festivals as well. He will have a Rockin’ Retro Fest in Kamloops and Glen Sather, former Edmonton Oilers coach and GM, just hired us for his 81st birthday party.

By Murray Green

The Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre has a great line-up still to come this season.

The returning Summer Series will have four dates this year: Wednesday, July 31; Thursday, August 8; Thursday, August 15; and Wednesday, August 21. The shows begin at 7:30 p.m.

The summer season launches with the Juno nominated John Reischman and the Jaybirds band on July 31.

They offer a stylish sound of bluegrass for everyone to enjoy. The group is doing a song-residency prior to their performance, so look for some fresh new material.

“We have grown this series by one show and starting earlier. The first one is on the Wednesday before Big Valley Jamboree, before people leave town,” laughed manager Nick Beach. “John  Reischman and the Jaybirds have been around a long time. They offer a west coast sound with a bluegrass style. We got them to come here between festival dates.”

The band will also stay an extra day to do a residency at the Lougheed centre.

The Carolines are returning to Camrose and they feature three Alberta singers who love old-time country tunes. They are playing on August 8.

“They are so talented and we wanted to bring them back and outside in the summer,” said Nick.

Travis Dolter, from Hay Lakes and former Augustana student, will be playing on August 15. He will infuse his energy, humour with his songwriting and vocal talent.

“We told him it was time to play at the Lougheed. He has been very busy,” added Nick.

Blue Moon Marquee, who just happened to be named the 2024 Juno Award winning Blues Album of the Year, will wrap up the summer series with an outdoor concert on August 21.
Not only are the vocals strong, but the jazz will pour down on you like rain.

“Timing is everything. Blue Moon Marquee won the 2024 Juno award for Blues Album of the Year. The couple have added a keyboard player so they are a trio. He leads the band with vocals and guitar, while she plays stand-up, plays drums with her feet and sings. Watching her is mesmerizing, that she can play so much together at the same time. It is hard to do it well,” said Nick.

They will also be holding a residency at the Lougheed during their stay.

By Murray Green

The City of Camrose has activated Stage 2 of its Water Shortage Response Plan, instituting mandatory water restrictions effective immediately to ensure sustainable water usage during current conditions.

Under Stage 2, residents are required to adhere to specific watering schedules.

Lawns may only be watered between 6 to 9 a.m. and 7 to 11 p.m.
Odd-numbered houses may water on odd-numbered days. Even-numbered houses may water on even-numbered days.
Hand watering only is permitted for flower and vegetable gardens.
Vehicle washing is restricted to using a bucket and hand hose; pressure washers are prohibited.

Failure to comply with these restrictions may result in fines.
“It’s crucial that everyone does their part to conserve water now, before it becomes critical. Small actions today can make a big difference in preserving our water resources,” said Malcolm Boyd, city manager.

In addition to residential guidelines, restaurants and hotels are encouraged to voluntarily adopt water conservation practices.
City initiatives to reduce water usage include utilizing grey water for watering trees and new sod in the mornings and limiting sports field irrigation to three times weekly.

“The City of Camrose is committed to leading by example in conserving water resources and it’s crucial that we act now to ensure the reliability of our water supply,” Boyd said.

For further information and updates on water restrictions, visit www.camrose.ca/WaterShortage or contact the engineering department at 780-672-4428 or at engineer@camrose.ca.

By Murray Green

It is down to the final four teams in the Powerline Baseball League playoffs.

If needed, Game 3 of the Armena Royals and Rosalind Athletics semifinal series is slated for July 23 in Rosalind.

In the other semifinal, The Rivals are playing the Vegreville Blue Jays. If Game 3 is necessary, it will be on July 23 in Vegreville.

Rosalind bounced back with a 14-2 victory over Tofield on July 4.
Rosalind led the pack with nine wins followed by Vegreville with eight and The Rivals with seven, Camrose and Armena had five wins in the battle for playoff spots.

The playoffs started on July 11 with a play-in game with Armena at Camrose. Armena won 7-5 for the right to move on.

By Murray Green
 

The Camrose Heritage Railway Station and Park will be hosting a Family Train Day on Saturday, July 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The event will be a day of train-themed fun for the entire family. The Percy-like speeder will be running all day, with rides boarding from the Station platform.

A smaller Thomas and Friends train will be running on the Morgan Garden Railway, which features replicas of historic buildings in Camrose, Meeting Creek and Big Valley.

There will be many activities for children and families to try together. Old-fashioned games, including a bean bag toss and horseshoes, will be set up on the lawn.

A scavenger hunt will be available, with many things to spot around the grounds. The Children’s Secret Garden will be open and there will also be a variety of train sets to play with. Crafters can enjoy creating a family tree out of sticks and natural items. Inside the station, families will be able to meet the agent and tour the historic station building.

Hot dogs and light refreshments will be available to purchase in the Community Room inside the station. Entrance to the event is by donation. The event is weather dependent.

By Murray Green
 

The UFA Agricultural Community Foundation launched its new $100,000 rural communities grant program.

The name is slightly different, but UFA’s commitment to rural communities has stayed the same. The Foundation announced a $100,000 rural communities grant program.

“UFA has a long history of giving back to our members and agricultural communities. The UFA ACF will help further enrich these communities by supporting impactful projects,” said advisory board chair, Jennifer Wood.

For the past five years, the former UFA Rural Communities Foundation delivered a total of $500,000 to 20 community capital projects.

The new UFA grant will continue to provide $100,000 in annual funding through the Rural Communities Grant program to projects that enrich education, recreation and culture for the betterment of agricultural communities.

Charitable and nonprofit organizations, along with community service-oriented co-operatives, are invited to apply for a minimum of $10,000 up to a total of $100,000 for capital projects that support recreational, education and cultural facilities and programs in agricultural communities.

“We will be building on the success of the Rural Communities Foundation,” said Kimberly MacDonald, UFA community investment manager. “The continuation of the grant program is only one part of the new foundation. We will be announcing further components that will make up the new UFA ACF in the near future that we’re really excited about.”

Applications for the rural communities grant program will be accepted until August 31. The projects must be within 200 kilometres of a UFA location. To learn more and complete the on-line application, visit www.acfufa.com.

By Lori Larsen

They are slimy, slippery and somewhat satisfying, for birds anyway, however, soil invertebrates consisting of worms, flatworms, snails, slugs, nematodes and arthropods also play a vital role in the soil subsequently stimulating plant growth.

On July 25, join others at the Stoney Creek Centre (5320-39 Avenue) at 7 p.m. for the seventh presentation, What’s In Your Soil, of the Camrose Wildlife Stewardship Society, in partnership with the City of Camrose, Environmental Education Program series.

Presenter Jessica Lario will share her knowledge on the diversity of the soil invertebrates that can be found in Alberta and their importance for a healthy environment.

Did you know that soil is one of the world’s most diverse and important ecosystems? A small amount of soil can be home to millions of different organisms, including fungi, bacteria, plants, and soil invertebrates. During this presentation, student Jessica Lario will look at the diversity of the soil invertebrates we can find in our backyards here in Alberta, and how important they are for a healthy environment.

For more information on the CWSS Summer program email at wildlife stewardship@camrose.ca or visit the website.

By Murray Green

Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) in Alberta took a big step forward as the Atlas project signed a carbon sequestration agreement with Alberta’s government.

The Atlas carbon storage hub, a partnership with Shell and ATCO EnPower, is the first hub project to convert Phase 1 of their evaluation agreement into a sequestration agreement. This allows them the right to inject and store captured carbon dioxide on their lease, from Round Hill north.

Alberta already produces the most ethical energy in the world, but this is a critical milestone for Alberta as the province works to decarbonize the industry. CCUS projects in the province have already sequestered carbon dioxide equivalent to taking more than 2.5-million cars off the road. This project, when complete, will accelerate the province’s goals.

“This is a historic agreement for CCUS development in our province. We’re moving as quickly as anywhere in the world to develop CCUS, which is a critical tool in meeting our emissions targets. I am confident other hub operators won’t be far behind Atlas to get their projects moving in this new and exciting energy sector,” said Brian Jean, minister of Energy and Minerals.

With the agreement in place, Atlas can now apply for necessary regulatory approvals, including Directive 65 project approval from the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) for carbon capture, transportation and subsurface injection activities. Part of this approval process also includes addressing concerns from potentially impacted stakeholders. The AER only approves projects that meet Alberta’s rigorous safety and environmental standards.

“Carbon capture and storage is a key technology to help reduce emissions from our own operations. Alberta is a leader in developing regulations to support CCUS development and investment, and this leadership was critical in reaching today’s agreement which enables us to take the important next steps in advancing the Atlas carbon storage hub along with our partner ATCO EnPower,” added Susannah Pierce, president and country chair, Shell Canada.

“Carbon capture and storage is vitally important in ATCO’s pathway towards net zero and advancing the Atlas Carbon Storage Hub is proof that Alberta is leading a progressive and balanced energy transition. The ongoing support of the Government of Alberta and the deep expertise of our partners at Shell underscore the joint dedication needed to actively create a lower carbon future,” said Bob Myles, chief operating officer, ATCO EnPower.

When fully developed, sequestration hubs will allow operators to safely collect, transport and permanently store captured carbon dioxide. Carbon storage hubs will help diversify the energy sector, including development of clean hydrogen, support a shift towards a cleaner electricity grid and help Alberta reach the goal of a carbon-neutral economy by 2050.

Carbon storage hubs also support plans to reduce emissions in oil sands operations and other industries such as power generation, petrochemical manufacturing, cement and steel manufacturing, biodiesel production and natural gas processing.

In 2022, the government selected 25 projects to begin exploring how to develop environmentally safe carbon storage hubs.
All projects have signed evaluation agreements to determine the suitability of their locations to safely store carbon dioxide.
Alberta is also exploring other carbon storage scenarios and is now accepting applications for small-scale and remote carbon storage projects.

By 2035, CCUS development is expected to generate approximately $35 billion in investment in Alberta and add up to 21,000 jobs. In November 2023, the government announced the Alberta Carbon Capture Incentive Program (ACCIP) to help businesses in multiple industries, such as oil and gas, power generation, hydrogen, petrochemicals and cement, reduce their emissions by incorporating CCUS technology into their operations.