This year’s Heritage Day will focus on the Norwegian heritage that helped shape Camrose.
People from many cultures and backgrounds call Camrose home today, but the community’s early traditions and development were strongly influenced by Norwegian settlers and homesteaders.

The Heritage Day Committee will host this year’s celebration on August 22, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Bailey Theatre with an opening ceremony featuring speakers LeRoy Johnson and Ingrid Urberg, both of whom are personally connected to the Norwegian roots of Camrose. Refreshments will be provided by the Lefse House and Wild Rose Co-op.

After the opening ceremony, visitors can choose between two ways to learn more about Camrose’s history.

The first option is to visit open houses at the Camrose and District Centennial Museum, where Norwegian artifacts will be on display and the Bill Fowler Centre, where Daryl Olson, president of Sons of Norway Camrose, will be sharing the history of Camrose. Food trucks will be available at both locations for those looking to grab something to eat while visiting.

The second option will be a guided walking tour led by local experts and members of the Heritage Day Committee. The walking tour will begin at noon at Messiah Lutheran Church, where Jim and Penny Malmberg will share the history of the church.

The group will then visit the Coldwell Banker building and the Servold House, where members of the Servold family will share the history of the historic home and stories about the people who grew up there.

The next stop will be the former site of Chester Ronning’s home. Ronning was a prominent Camrose educator, politician and diplomat. He served as principal of Camrose Lutheran College and later held several diplomatic posts, including ambassador to China, India and Norway.

The tour will continue to Old Main at the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus. The building was constructed in 1911 and 1912 as the first building of Camrose Lutheran College and was used for classrooms and student housing. It remains an important part of the history of the Norwegian Lutheran community in Camrose.

The final stop will be the Camrose Heritage Railway Station and Museum, where visitors can learn about the railway’s role in the development of the community.

The Heritage Day Committee hopes the celebration will give residents an opportunity to connect with and learn more about the Norwegian families who helped build the Camrose that they reside in today.

The Camrose community is invited to gather at the Camrose and District Centennial Museum on August 20, to recognize the 150 anniversary of the signing of Treaty 6.

The event will include an opening ceremony, curator talks, a camp experience, Indigenous games and crafts, an open tipi and a powwow presentation.

This celebration will also be an opportunity to explore the museum’s current exhibit, Powwow! Ochîwin The Origins. The travelling exhibit was created by Patrick and Marissa Mitsuing of Powwow Times. The exhibit explores the origins and meaning behind seven powwow dance styles through regalia and craftwork. The creators worked with Indigenous artists and knowledge keepers across North America to preserve the stories behind the dances.

“Recognizing Treaty 6 Day and the 150th anniversary of Treaty 6 is both a celebration and a reminder. It is a time to honour the histories, cultures, and resilience of Indigenous Peoples, while also reflecting on the responsibilities that come with the treaty relationship. We use the phrase, ‘We are all Treaty people,’ but those words carry meaning. They remind us that we all share an equal responsibility to learn, to understand the truths of our history, and to support the calls to action in our daily lives. Reconciliation cannot rest solely on Indigenous Peoples; it requires commitment from all of us. I am proud to see the City of Camrose continuing to embrace this journey, recognizing that education, relationship-building, and respect are essential to creating a stronger community for everyone,” said KB Dumas, co-chair for the City of Camrose Indigenous Advisory Committee.

The gathering will run from 1 to 5 p.m., with the intention of bringing people together to learn and celebrate Indigenous culture and history.

The Camrose U13 Boys Tier 3 Vikings had an incredibly successful season! The boys battled through challenging league games, tournaments, and ultimately the Provincial Championships, consistently showing determination, heart, and teamwork.

Throughout the season, the team medalled in every tournament they participated in, earning either gold or silver each time. They also finished first in league play, and earned a well-deserved spot at Provincials.

At the provincial championships, the Vikings faced some of the top teams in their age division and tier from across Alberta. They came out strong, winning their first three games and advancing to the semi-finals.

To open the semi-final, Camrose’s keeper, Silas Schmidt scored an incredible goalie goal! The game ultimately went to a shootout, where the Vikings came out on top and punched their ticket to the gold medal match.

The final match was an absolute battle. The boys fought through double overtime before the game once again went to a shootout. While the Vikings ultimately lost in the shootout, there is so much to be proud of, finishing with a second place silver medal in the province!

Even the best players in the world miss in a shootout. A shootout loss does not define this team. Their dedication, hard work, sportsmanship, integrity, growth, and determination throughout the entire season does.

These boys grew not only as soccer players, but as teammates and individuals. They showed up for one another, battled through every challenge, and represented Camrose with pride.

Their parents could not be more proud of these boys and their coaches and everything they accomplished this season. It was an incredible year for the Vikings!

It has been a decade since legendary band The Tragically Hip bid an emotional farewell to Canada. It was an extraordinary performance that bonded a nation together for one historic night.

The band is paying tribute to their lasting impact with a momentous release of their concert recording on August 21 of their final concert in 2016.

When the original concert was aired across the nation, the concert was experienced by an estimated one-third of Canadians. The Tragically Hip have a deep bond between their music and fans, a connection that remains unrivalled today.
The performance became a defining cultural moment that honoured the band and was among the biggest events in Canadian broadcasting history. The show closed, after three encores, with an unforgettable performance of “Ahead by a Century.”

With the song concluded, band members put down their instruments to stand arm in arm as they slipped into the wings as the audience bid them a farewell.

There will be an exclusive rebroadcast and global live stream on CBC of the band’s last show in Kingston, ON. What better way to enjoy the encore performance than to hear it through a concert quality sound system and watch it on the 40 foot-wide screen at the Lougheed Performing Arts Centre (LPAC).

There is no better way to recreate the concert experience of one of Canada’s most iconic bands, than being surrounded by friends and neighbours at the LPAC on August 22 at 7 p.m. with net proceeds donated to the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund.

The commercial free rebroadcast cements the legendary band’s legacy with fans across the country and around the world that still appreciate their music. Even after Gord Downie’s passing, this show at the LPAC is an opportunity to relive the band’s unifying power across Canada.

For more information or tickets, go to www.camroselive.ca

Experience Relive the Music like never before. The show now packs a bigger punch with massive ’70s rock, disco, and funk favourites. They are keeping the most popular hits from the ’50s and ’60s and adding some of the biggest songs from artists in the ’70s.

This show covers music from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s and comes to the Lougheed Performing Arts Centre (LPAC) on September 5 at 7:30 p.m. The audience will see why this performance has had over 170 standing ovations in a row across Canada.

The show consists of over 30 costume changes as the audience experiences more than two dozen tribute shows in one evening. Listen to hits from Paul Anka, Dean Martin, Elvis, ABBA and many more.

Described as a one-of-a-kind show, turn back time and walk down the memory lane of music history. Theatre-goers may learn things about the artists of these various eras they didn’t know before.

This event features an energetic live band, incredible singers and dancers that will take people on a musical journey over three decades of music.

Take a trip that is not only a musical treat to the ears, but visually stunning as well, including the trends of the day, and video imagery in the background.

For more information or tickets, go to www.camroselive.com

The inaugural Camrose Kinsmen Charity Golf Tournament is scheduled for August 21 at the Silver Creek Golf Course to raise funds to support community projects and needs. Kinsmen treasurer Scott Mitchell said, “There are a lot of golf tournaments out there, but we figured that they can be a major fundraiser for a lot of organizations.”

This tournament features two separate hole-in-one chances to win $25,000 and bragging rights for the next year. The day also includes dinner, prizes, food and drink holes and much more. Free busing is being offered from the Encana Arena to the golf course, providing safe transportation.

This should be a fun day out on the golf course supporting a great local service club. Registration starts at 9 a.m. with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. All of the proceeds from the tournament will go back into the community.

The golf tournament is a new fundraiser for the club, but it won’t be replacing other fundraisers that the community enjoys participating in like the annual radio auction, Jaywalkers’ Jamboree popular burger booth and the returning Oktoberfest this fall. Scott commented, “We often get commended by Kin Canada for how much we actually do here as an organization.”

He continued, “When you think about it, with (up to) four events every year, we are always looking at what else we can do. We’ve got roughly 30 members in our club right now, so we have the power to do things.”

The Kinsmen Club is open to accepting prize donations to go along with all the great items they’ve already collected. Scott added, “When we decided to do this, we decided to do it right and have a good time with this.” They hope to build on this year’s tournament for next year.

Currently, there is still room available to register for this event at $200 per golfer or $800 for a team of four. Bronze, silver and gold sponsorship and food/beverage hole opportunities are also still available.

For more information on the tournament, call Scott Mitchell at 780-404-6060 or Steve Blum at 780-878-4589. To register go to https://docs.google.com/forms/de/1FAIpQLScFuN2yICz_44LWoCrBGv0QeOTLLVh8NwbYclhcvDNjeMrxsQ/viewform

Surround yourself in the magic as you feel the power and experience the big sound of one of rock’s best bands, Queen. Paying tribute to the iconic work of the band and Freddie Mercury, Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic will transport the audience back to the legendary 1986 World Tour.

Fronted by Warren Vernon-Driscoll as Mercury, the audience will be transported back in time and experience all the charm and swagger of the legend himself. He will be joined by an international ensemble, as they deliver over 20 of Queen’s greatest hits live.

This show will have all the big sounds, crazy lighting and outrageous costumes setting the scene for an authentic experience. The performance will include hits such as “We Will Rock You”, “We Are the Champions” and “I Want to Break Free”.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is considered to be a musical masterpiece and one of the most influential songs in music history. In the 50 plus years since its release, this is Camrose’s moment to relive the magic of how Queen changed music and put on great shows.

This tribute band is on its fifth tour of Canada in the last five years, establishing them as one of the best, successful touring Queen tribute bands in the world.

Audiences can expect a high-energy, bona fide Queen experience that will bring a stadium-scale show to the Lougheed Performing Arts Centre on August 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at www.camroselive.ca

The annual Community Information and Registration night is coming up on September 10 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Camrose Community Centre. This event is an opportunity for local clubs, organizations and recreation businesses to showcase what they have to offer.

In addition, attendees to this event can see what arts, sports or learning activities are available in Camrose.

This is an opportunity for organizations to sign up participants and volunteers for fall programming or courses. Whether families are looking for activities for children, or seniors are looking for opportunities to volunteer or participate in the community, this event is for you.

This year there are a large variety of organizations represented that include everything from the Camrose Branch-Alberta Genealogical Society, Camrose Neighbor Aid Center, Kidsport Camrose, Special Olympics Camrose and many more.

For the last several years, this event has been organized by the Camrose Adult Learning Centre (CALC). CALC executive director Ron Baier said, “It’s the second most wonderful time of the year right after Christmas for me.” This is a passion project that Ron and his executive assistant work on for a good portion of the year on their own time.

For Ron, it’s like flipping the calendar over to a new year with fresh new opportunities to explore and get excited about. He added, “It kind of kicks off the whole year for our community.” This is the event of the year for people who are looking to engage in the community either as a participant or volunteer.

There will be food trucks available on site. Limited tables are still available for groups looking to register for this event. For more information or to register online, go to www.camroselearning.com

Kyra Thompson is well known in the Churchmice community as a wonderful singer, dancer, actor and director. Anyone that has seen any of her work, knows how talented she truly is. As the popular community theatre group gears up for its 47th season, she will be directing this year’s musical, The Wizard of Oz.

Kyra said, “We felt it quite fitting with Wicked coming out the last couple of years, little kids are getting reintroduced to the story of The Wizard of Oz, we thought it would be a good show to do.” She continued, “Plus we haven’t had a show in awhile where kids can be in the production and we’re really excited to have them.”

Auditions for this production are being held at Camrose United Church located at 4829-50 Street on September 12 and 13 between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. with call backs on September 14 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Please note that children 16 years and under are required to have a parent present. This is also a great opportunity for parents and children who all like to perform to come out and audition together.

Kyra remarked, “You don’t need to have any experience, singing in the shower counts. As long as you’re willing to come out and sing in front of a couple of people, come to auditions.” Carolyn Olson is a Churchmice member and will be the musical director. Kyra added, “If anyone can teach someone to sing, it’s Carolyn. She seems to know how people need to be taught.”

As the director of this show, Kyra encourages people to come out and audition. They need actors interested in a variety of roles. This is a show that can accommodate every level of stage confidence with many opportunities for parts with both large and small speaking roles.

Churchmice productions like to be an inclusive group and have options for anyone interested in theatre from playing the main character to non-speaking roles. If being on stage isn’t for someone, they still encourage people interested in local theatre to come assist in backstage roles.

The Wizard of Oz is such a familiar story, it’s a great time to participate in a musical that is very beginner friendly. Kyra added, “For someone who’s thought ‘I would really like to get involved, but I’m not sure how it works’, this is your opportunity.”

Kyra feels confident going into this production with a strong, experienced team around her, knowing they can support each other. With all the talent in Camrose, she will be relying on human creativity to bring the story to life from the actors on stage, to the artists creating the backdrops and sets. This will be a show that will bring the community so much joy.

There will be an opportunity to fill out the necessary paperwork during the audition process. For more information, go to their Facebook page: Churchmice Players or go to www.churchmice.ca