By Murray Green

 Camrose County will join forces with a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement to conduct free farm truck inspections March 25 and 26 at the east end Wildrose Co-op Cardlock bulk gas station.
County Protection Service officers have begun preparation for the annual Farm Truck Check, which is hosted by Camrose County every spring.
“Camrose County has invited officers from Commercial Vehicle Enforcement department of Alberta Transportation, to work alongside Camrose County officers,” said protective services manager, Mike Kuzio. “The Farm Truck Check will be held at the cardlock station. This venue allows the inspections to be held away from Camrose County property.”
Because this is a free farm truck check, no vehicles will be towed and no tickets are issued. Camrose County would like to encourage farmers and product haulers to take advantage of this inspection program in order to avoid any on-highway problems in the future.
Inspections will include critical safety items such as brakes, steering, lights, frames, fuel systems and drive shafts.
Camrose County performs truck inspections on an annual basis, usually near the end of March or the beginning April.
To book an appointment, contact the Camrose County office at 780-672-4449.

By Murray Green

The Camrose and District Senior Society will be holding its annual general meeting on March 28 at 9:30 a.m. in the Mirror lake Centre lounge area.
“I encourage all members to attend,” said member Iris Baker. “The society offers anyone over 50 years of age a chance to play 19 different clubs.”
The society has card games such as bridge, cribbage, canasta, stick rummy, as well as dance clubs, such as line dancing, square dancing and social dancing.
“We also have a music jam, where you can come to listen, dance, play or sing. We hold tournaments and have people participate from other areas of central Alberta. We also have the Alberta 55 Plus Club, which holds competitions for games and crafts,” explained Iris.
The activities are a great way to get out and meet new friends and people you might already know. The office at the centre is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to noon for more information.
You can volunteer or receive more information by emailing camsrsoc@telus.net or visit website www.camroseseniorcentre.com or call 780-672-7022.

By Murray Green

The Camrose and District Community Band will be holding its annual concert on Sunday, March 24 at the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre beginning at 2 p.m.
The Community Band, under the direction of Tom Spila, will be joined by musical guests, the Festival City Winds Intermediate One Concert Band from Edmonton, under the direction of Wendy Grasdahl.
A Camrose Arts Council grant has allowed the concert to be presented  as free admission.
Both concert bands will perform a variety of selections, from standard concert band literature and marches to jazz and movie themes. Highlights include Fall River Overture (Sheldon), Deep River (arr. Swearingen), and Songs of Old Kentucky (Karrick) presented by the Camrose and District Community Band, and Suite for Band “New England Sketches” (Milford) and Yesterday (McCartney, arr. Longfield) presented by the Festival City Winds. Augustana students within the Community Band will also perform a piece on their own, entitled “Dance Episodes” (Curnow). There will be light refreshments following the concert.
Since it’s inception in 1995, the Festival City Winds Society has grown steadily.  The program now encompasses groups at a wide range of experience levels from novice to advanced. Grasdahl is well known across Canada as a conductor, adjudicator, clinician, teacher and trumpeter.
Formed in 1983, the Camrose and District Community Band was started by a group of 13 interested local musicians, under Spila, for the purpose of providing a recreational adult band for the community. The original community ensemble, called the Rose City Band, was active in the 1960s, but later disbanded. The formation of the Community Band allowed former Rose City Band members, former school players and interested beginners to join together for an enjoyable evening of music every week, and to acquire and improve skills many thought they might never get the opportunity to work on again.
While the focus of the band is educational, the group provides a wonderful social outlet: members thrive musically and make new friends at the same time. Membership is open to anyone over 18 years of age and ranges from 18 years of age to 90 plus. The ensemble is governed by an elected executive with help from various committees.
Conductor Tom Spila is a graduate of the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Education degree majoring in secondary music.  He has recently retired after having taught music at the elementary, junior and senior high school levels for a total of 44 years
The band’s repertoire consists of a wide variety of styles. Performances include local trade shows and events, public concerts and festivals. The Camrose and District Community Band membership consistently totals more than 60 musicians representing a wide array of occupations and people from all walks of life. For many years now Augustana students with experience on an appropriate instrument have been able to join in the band as full members, while receiving university credit for their work.
“Community Band is a valuable experience for a university student because even though the group is recreational, as a community band they are serious about making good music. Also, it is an invaluable learning experience for every musician, from the person who plays once a week to the aspiring orchestral musician. The group strives to maintain an inclusive and warm atmosphere so that it is not long before the students feel at home in this community ensemble. It is more than just a band.  It is a fellowship of musicians,” said Augustana student Andrew  Richards.
Rehearsals are held Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Camrose Composite High School band room. The season runs from late September to late May. The band welcomes all newcomers so if you are interested, come out to the concert and feel free to talk to members of the band and the director.
Original band member Wayne Werner still performs with the band. He recalled how they used to have a kickoff party and corn roast every fall at his mother’s farm, and during the Christmas season would go caroling.
Another longtime member, Marilyn Zielke, who joined in 1984 commented that every year without fail the band performs “White Christmas.”  She also noted that the difference between the early band years and today is that with the larger more diverse group, they are able to play some more advanced music.
Wayne commented that the quality of music education in Camrose is something that residents should not take for granted. In fact, one of the reasons the band has grown is that previous music students have joined and are now performing alongside their former teachers. At one time, three generations of Wayne’s family were in the band.

By Lori Larsen

The Camrose and District Fish and Game Association has been serving Camrose and surrounding areas as a not-for-profit charitable organization that benefits its members through active socializing and benefits the communities.
“The club was actually started in the ‘20s with Farley Mowat as one of the first members,” noted Camrose and District Fish and Game Association president, Glen Hand. “It faded out and came back in the ‘70s then faded out again and we started it again in 1993.”
At its high point, nearing the end of the year, the club has up to 180 members. As stewards of land and wildlife, club members participate in a variety of initiatives and events that advocate common interests of hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. 
“We do a lot of projects including our biggest one, Pleasure Island Trout Pond.”
The wildlife and nesting area for waterfoul, consisting of 122 acres, is located approximately five minutes east of Camrose and is stocked and open for the public day use and is equipped for those who have mobility challenges.
Most recently they began working closely with Battle River Watershed Alliance, educating young people on the importance of maintaining and preserving water sources.
“They are going to be taking students out to Paradise Island for nature walks through the area,” noted Hand.
The club has also affixed a dock out onto the pond, which, among other purposes, allows local high school students to come out and take water samples for educational projects.
“We also contribute the Alberta Wildlife Trust Fund associated with the The Alberta Fish and Game Association,” explained Hand. “The funds go towards enhancing wildlife and land for wildlife. They usually buy property in conjunction with Ducks Unlimited and Alberta Conservation Association.”
The Alberta Fish And Game Association has over 25,000 members province-wide and the Alberta Wildlife Trust Fund has over 100 properties, consisting of more than 45,000 acres preserved for wildlife habitat.
“We also have a scholarship program at University of Alberta Augustana Campus, which we have been doing for 15 years,” said Hand. “And there are youth camps that we usually send four young people to each year where they learn firearms training, canoeing, boat and water safety, archery, wilderness overnight camping, practicing survival skills, swimming and fishing.”
The club hosts a trophy competition every year, which gives people an opportunity to bring in wildlife horns antlers and other items for scoring.
Members spend hours of volunteering within Camrose and surrounding areas for other community events including the Fly In Breakfast, working with local Scouts clubs, the purple martin landlord program (building and maintaining birdhouses), highway clean up and tree planting.
On March 23, join the Camrose Fish and Game Association at their 25th annual banquet and fundraiser at the Camrose Resort Casino.
The evening will begin with a cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m. including a large selection of wild game appetizers for guests to indulge in some different tastes, followed by a roast beef dinner.
Entertainment will be provided by comedian Andrew Grose with 20 years of experience making people laugh, including appearances on Just for Laughs Comedy Festival.
The evening will also host a silent auction featuring a slew of items donated by a variety of organizations and businesses, there is quite literally something for every person’s budget, raffle items and door prizes.
Funds raised during the banquet and other initiatives hosted by the CFGA are used to continue the amazing work they do at Paradise Island Trout Pond, sponsoring local initiatives and contributing to the preservation of our natural resources through the Alberta Wildlife Trust Fund.
For more information on the Camrose Fish and Game Association, visit the Facebook page. To purchase tickets to the Banquet and Fundraiser, contact Jun Mah at 780-672-2890 or Glen Hand at 780-672-2783 or any other club member.

The Battle River Community Foundation recently awarded grants of $3,400 to the Camrose Association for Community Living.
The grants are from income from the Jeff Blaeser Memorial Fund and the CAFCL Fund, both created to support CAFCL operations.
The Battle River Community Foundation exists to support projects, programs and facilities, such as those offered by the Camrose Association for Community Living, in East Central Alberta which benefit the local communities and have a positive impact on the future.
Grants from the Battle River Community Foundation are primarily made possible through the generosity of individual donors and organizations that have created endowment funds. The principal of these endowment funds are kept intact and the income is made available annually to support local projects and organizations.
Since it was founded in 1995, the Battle River Community Foundation has granted over $6,350,000 to support community facilities and programs operated by organizations like the Camrose Association for Community Living.
To learn more about the Camrose Association for Community Living contact Esther McDonald, chief executive officer, at 780-672-0257.
To learn more about the Battle River Community Foundation contact Dana Andreassen, executive director, at 780-679-0449.

By Murray Green

English and French are not the only languages taught at schools around the province.
At a roundtable with community leaders, Premier Rachel Notley announced the government will expand learning opportunities for students by developing a Filipino language and culture curriculum.
Premier Notley met with members of the Filipino community and announced development of a K-12 Filipino language and culture curriculum.
There are about 170,000 people of Filipino heritage in Alberta, and this new curriculum will help these children and youth connect with their heritage and culture. Expanding Filipino language and culture programming to students in kindergarten to Grade 12 follows community requests to improve Filipino language offerings in schools.
“Alberta is a welcoming place made richer by its cultures and languages. As one of the largest and fastest-growing populations, the Filipino community has brought essential skills to our workforce and added so much to our social fabric. Creating a K-12 Filipino language and culture curriculum will ensure this vibrant community can continue to grow deep roots and make this province even greater,” said Premier Notley.
“Providing learning opportunities for students in a variety of language programs helps youth maintain their heritage, strengthen their cultural identity and build language and literacy skills. Strengthening language programs based on local need and demand can be an effective tool in addressing racism. In fact, this is one of the ways we’re acting on the feedback we heard, and commitments we made, in our government’s anti-racism consultations and report,” added David Eggen, Alberta Minister of Education.
Filipino language and culture curriculum is currently offered at the high school level as a locally developed course in some school jurisdictions, including Calgary Catholic School District, Edmonton Catholic Schools and St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Schools. After the new K-12 Filipino curriculum is developed, Alberta Education officials will work with stakeholders and community partners to identify resources to support the curriculum.
“The official declaration of having the Filipino heritage language in the curriculum of Alberta schools is a historic gift by the Alberta government to the Filipino community. This strongly demonstrates the respect for a culture’s diversity and uniqueness through its language. Programs like this instill pride in students and their heritage, and results in active and engaged citizens,” expressed Dolly Castillo, Filipino community leader.
The K-12 Filipino language and culture curriculum will not be mandatory. School authorities have choice and flexibility in offering language programming that best meets the needs of the communities they serve.
Besides English and French, 26 languages are currently available for study in Alberta, including American Sign Language, Arabic, Blackfoot, Cantonese, Chinese, Cree, Dene, Filipino, German, Greek, Gujarati; Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Nakoda/Dakota, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Tsuut’ina and Ukrainian.

By Murray Green

Canadian icon Tom Cochrane and his band Red Rider are ready to hit the stage at the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre on March 27.
Tom will be playing his major hits, as well as some tracks of his new album Take It Home.
To quote the title of one of the songs on his anticipated new record, Tom is now “Back In The Game.” True, the Canadian rock icon has never stopped creating or performing, but Take It Home is his first album of new material since No Stranger.
His long and illustrious career, now spanning more than 40 years, has gone from early beginnings as a folk-based singer/songwriter to adventurous rockers Red Rider, prior to achieving massive international success.
Music has been in his life as long as he remembers. When he was 11 years old, he sold his train set to buy a guitar.
“There is a conditioned cycle that has been imprinted on me since I was about 26. You get out there, you read, you talk, you travel, you experience, you do this stuff that creates a life, then you write about it and attempt to record it. Sometimes that is really painful, sometimes it is really joyful. There is drudgery to it. It’s like flying an aircraft in some senses, with moments of complete boredom and drudgery and moments of complete terror, then you bring the whole thing in for a safe landing.”
The aviation analogy is fitting for this son of a bush pilot. (Tom is also a pilot, and was a proud honourary colonel for six years with the 409 squadron in Cold Lake.) He has now touched down with a 12-song collection for loyal fans.

By Murray Green

The University of Alberta Augustana Campus winter production class will be presenting two plays starting on March 21. The plays will be at the Augustana Theatre Centre.
Shows will be on March 21 to 23 at 7 p.m. A matinee will be held at 2 p.m. on March 24 and then evening shows at 7 p.m. will take place on March 27, 29 and 30.
Foreplay or: The Art of the Fugue, by David Ives will be the first play. This is a short, comic, one act play about mini-golf.
“It’s about dating on a mini-golf course. A guy is at three different points in his life on three different dates,” explained drama professor Kevin Sutley.
Chuck, a would-be Don Juan, is in three rounds of seduction with three different women.
The second play will be Concord Floral, by Jordan Tannahill.
Concord Floral is a one million-square-foot, abandoned greenhouse and hangout for the local teens.  Two friends stumble upon a terrible secret buried there.  They go looking for answers and set off a chain of events that cannot be stopped.
“This play is about high school students who have a secret. It is revealed that someone has been bullied and a body is discovered. There is a ghost and it is a mystery,” shared Sutley, who is directing the play.
Set in present-day Ontario, Concord Floral re-imagines Boccaccio’s medieval allegory The Decameron, in which 10 teens must flee a mysterious plague.
The plays will feature about 17 students ranging from first- to fifth-year students.
Tickets are available at the door. Warning: This show contains coarse language, sexual content and drug references that may not be suitable for all audiences.

By Lori Larsen

Protecting the future of our watersheds is a top priority for the Battle River Watershed Alliance (BRWA) and in doing so they engage the public in as many awareness and information initiatives as possible.
The OTIS Award, sponsored by BRWA is an initiative developed to recognize businesses, organizations, individuals and youth who go above and beyond to be stewards of the protection and maintenance of our watersheds.
The OTIS Awards are awarded based on the efforts of the nominees (subsequent winners) to bring about awareness and on-ground education on the importance of securing a healthy future of watersheds through initiatives or educational programs.  “The Battle River Watershed Alliance has a wide-variety of programs for youth, adults, families, municipal staff, community leaders, and others, to learn more about the watershed and develop the knowledge and skills necessary to make a positive impact,” explained Battle River Watershed Alliance education and outreach coordinator, Nathalie Olson.
The 2018 winner of the OTIS Award for business category was Nica’s Hair Salon in Camrose. In an effort to reduce the amount of waste, specifically harsh chemicals that would end up in the landfill or washed down the drain and into the water system, owner Lori Krushnerik got on board  with Green Circle Salon-a beauty product waste diversion company to send away foils, colour tubes, papers and plastics for recycling.
As well Lori reuses hair clipping to create “Hair Brooms,” which are used during oil spills to clean the water.
Winners of the 2018 OTIS Award individual category, Don and Marie Ruzicka of Killam, are leading by example
In 1983, Marie and Don along with their three children, moved to Sunrise Farm, north of Killam. In 1995 they took a course on Holistic Management which not only changed the way they farmed the land but their lives, believing that good land management results in healthy plant communities and nutritious products.
Don and Marie were involved in the formation of the Iron Creek Watershed Improvement Society and have also worked on many educational initiatives to connect youth to the land and to farming.  “It is a great pleasure to look around our watershed and see so many people who are taking care of our earth,” said Olson. “These are not just “environmental” people, these stewards are incorporating positive actions into their businesses, volunteer work, and everyday life for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes people think that a small action doesn’t make a difference. I feel that everyone has an impact and can decide what the impact will be.”
Working in the Battle River and Sounding Creek watersheds BRWA is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization established over 12 years ago dedicated to preserving and enhancing the land and waters in these basins.

By Murray Green

Chor Leoni Men’s Choir will be presenting a concert at the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre on March 25 beginning at 7 p.m.
Praised for its excellent intonation and wide palette of vocal colour, Chor Leoni is one of the most active amateur ensembles in North America and performs more than 35 concerts a season to over 15,000 patrons.
With stylistic grace and an adventurous spirit, Vancouver’s singing lions have enriched and transformed people’s lives through singing for more than 25 years.
Chor Leoni has been honoured with many awards at the national and international level including five first place awards in the CBC National Radio competition for amateur choirs. In July 2018, the ensemble won gold medals in the Equal Voices, Folklore and Musica Sacra categories of the Singapore International Choral Festival and sang in both the opening concert and Grand Prix performances.
A few days later, Chor Leoni won gold medals and Choir Championships in the Sacred Music and Male Choir categories of the seventh Bali International Choral Competition. In addition to singing in the opening concert and Grand Prix performances in Bali, the choir also won a special jury’s prize for outstanding choreography. Chor Leoni’s 2016 recording Wandering Heart was a featured CD for Minnesota Public Radio and WFMT Chicago, and received a perfect, five-star rating from the UK’s prestigious Choir and Organ magazine. The choir’s 2018 Christmas recording Star of Wonder was also a featured CD on Minnesota Public Radio this past December.
Chor Leoni prides itself on its musical ambassadorship for Vancouver and Canada and has performed at major festivals and concert venues across Canada and the United States.
Chor Leoni champions new music and has commissioned hundreds of pieces for male choir, ranging from pop and folksong arrangements to modern works. The ensemble has commissioned works by notable composers such as Zachary Wadsworth, Jocelyn Morlock, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Bob Chilcott, Imant Raminsh, R. Murray Schafer, Stephen Chatman, Malcolm Forsyth, Bruce Sled and Steven Smith.
Erick Lichte is the artistic director.

By Murray Green

Wilderness traveller and photographer John Dunn shared his worldly experiences with junior high students from École Charlie Killam School on Feb. 19.
Dunn has a passion for the vast and rugged landscapes of the Canadian Arctic. Born and educated in England, John graduated in geology from London University and worked in mineral exploration in the Australian Outback.
“I started on the BC coast and went northeast about 8,000 kilometres by paddling, hiking and skiing to the Arctic,” said John to the students.
After moving to Calgary and Canmore, he became a Canadian citizen and pursued his dream of exploring and photographing the Arctic.
Inspiring, informative and visually stunning school presentations are based on John’s long skiing, kayaking and hiking expeditions on Canada’s arctic islands and other wild areas of the country.
He has organized and successfully completed 20 arctic expeditions, totaling over 1,100 days in the field. For his efforts in promoting awareness of Canada’s arctic geography, John was made a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Not satisfied with over 11,500 km of sled-hauling,  he plans to be back on Ellesmere Island this year.
Dunn has completed a number of expeditions during his career. Many of them have been pioneering, being the first recorded human-powered traverses of remote areas.
In 1990, Dunn led a four-man team on the first human-powered traverse of Canada’s Ellesmere Island. The 96-day, 1,250 kilometres (777 miles) journey was conducted on skis with the team pulling sleds containing supplies and photography equipment.
In 1994, Dunn and his team completed the first human-powered crossing of Baffin Island, the fifth largest island in the world. The 3,030 kilometres (1,883 miles) journey was completed in 192 days during the northern summer.
In 1997, Dunn completed a 2,500 kilometres (1,553 miles) journey from Tofino on Vancouver Island to Fort Nelson in northeastern BC. This journey started with a solo kayak up the west coast of Vancouver Island, then became a canoe trip up the Inside Passage, and finished with a 54-day hike across the Canadian Cordillera where Dunn was accompanied by biologist Bob Saunders.

By Lori Larsen

The University of Alberta Augustana Campus has implemented new policy addressing the consumption of alcohol and cannabis in select areas on campus, that will take effect in the fall of 2019.
An advisory committee consisting of current Augustana students, staff and faculty, recommended policy based on University of Alberta North Campus policy and Camrose bylaw, an interim policy.
The committee also reviewed feedback from first-year students provided during orientation, first-year seminar courses and smaller, student-based conversation evenings that were held with second-, third- and fourth-year students.
In addition, faculty, staff and students were invited to consider current north campus policies and substance use frameworks at other university campuses. “We had long been hearing about negative unintended consequences of our previous alcohol policy,” said student life executive director of and chair of the substance use committee Randal Nickel. “Legalization and the changes to north campus’ policy gave us a reason to reconsider alcohol at the same time that another major substance with a less supportive general history was becoming legal.”
The following reflects the interim policy on consumption of alcohol and cannabis at the Augustana campus. Smoking and vaping will be permitted in designated areas.
All smoke and vape-free zones around buildings will increase from current policy to 10 metres and smoking and vaping in the quad and in front of the first year residence complex will be prohibited.
Storage of cannabis products in residence in accordance with legally allowable quantities will be permitted.
Smoking, vaping, cooking and growing of cannabis products in residence and other campus buildings will be prohibited.
Alcohol storage and alcohol consumption in personal and private spaces in residences while maintaining alcohol-free zones will be permitted.
Increased access educational resources that focus on low-risk usage and safe-consumption guidelines towards a harm-reduction approach will be available.
Sales, advertising, branding and sponsorship of cannabis and alcohol products on university campuses or at university events will be prohibited.
“The new approach acknowledges that an unfortunate side effect of the old policies was to drive consumption underground; the new policies are more realistic, with a focus on both reasonable limitations and education,” said dean Allen Berger.
For more information contact Randal Nickel at  rnickel@ualberta.ca or  by telephone at 780-679-1630.

By Murray Green

Camrose Police Service Chief Mark Neufeld will be leaving his position to assume a similar role with the Calgary Police Service.
Chief Neufeld joined the Camrose Police Service in 2017. Since then, the service has been strongly focused on both employees and community. The service is actively engaged with partner agencies and support providers to connect vulnerable individuals with appropriate resources.
In addition, the structure and systems of the police service have been modernized. These changes have enabled the service to identify crime trends and other community issues in real time, and to intervene appropriately to prevent crime, reduce repeat calls for service, and generally enhance community safety and well-being in Camrose.
This change will take effect over the next several months. Police commission chairperson Rob Ford said, “It is with mixed emotions we accept Chief Neufeld’s resignation. We thank him for his leadership and contributions and to our community.  We wish the chief and his family the best in this new endeavour.”
Chief Neufeld indicated how difficult the decision to leave Camrose was for he and his wife, Lynn. “This community embraced us warmly and we have met many wonderful people,” he said, “I am immensely proud of the work of the Camrose Police Service. The women and men, both sworn and civilian, care deeply about each other and this community. Great people committed to serving great people–I think that’s what makes Camrose so special.”

Births
- To Melissa Schmidt and Ryan Bjorgum, of Hay Lakes, a son on March 4.
- To Lindsay and Trevor Sharek, of Camrose, a daughter on March 7.
- To Heather and Devin Trenerry, of Metiskow, a daughter on March 8.
- To Nicole and Brian Nelson, of Camrose, a daughter on March 8.
- To Deanna Cookson and Matthew Thompson, of Sedgewick, a daughter on March 9.
- To Marilyn Manalo and Roland Ignacio, of Camrose, a son on March 9.

Deaths
- Connie Donna Mary Boone, of Camrose, formerly of Quebec, on March 9, at 54 years of age.
- Allan Keith Schweer, of Edmonton, on March 9, at 55 years of age.
- Darlene Ann Zimmer, of Spring Lake District Daysland, on March 10, at 83 years of age.
- Vernon Roth, of Kelsey, on March 11, at 97 years.
- Michael Niehaus, of  Camrose, on March 14, at 87 years of age.
- Hazel Alice Walker, of Heisler, on March 14, at 100 years of age.
- Thomas Clark, of Camrose, on March 14, at 75 years of age.
- Victoria Saboe, of Edmonton, formerly of Camrose, on March 16, at 101 years of age.