Blairmore Gazebo
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go. The festive season is upon us, including right here in Crowsnest Pass. For a while, it appeared as if we were going to have a “brown” Christmas – one without snow on the ground. They are rare and I can’t say when we last experienced this, but I remember living through one or two of them years ago while residing in the prairie flatlands east of here.
Southern Alberta lost a true gentleman and sportsman last week, with the passing of Joseph “Joey” Coccioloni, a long-time resident of Pincher Creek. Joey was born in Coleman, Crowsnest Pass on November 17, 1929, and passed away November 29, 2017. He was in his 88th year.
“Cutch,” as he was called by his friends, was the quintessential outdoorsman, and epitomized the meaning of what a real mountain man was like.
The Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery’s summer show opens on Saturday. This year’s exhibition, INTERPRETING CANADA: An Artist’s Portrait, celebrates Canada’s 150th Anniversary. The various works showcased in the exhibit are a visual representation of what Canada means to the artists who created these pieces. A variety of mediums such as acrylics, oil, mixed media, sculpture, and photography will be on display. I’m extremely pleased, and honoured, to have one of my photographs, Promising Waters, selected for the exhibit.
The art gallery is located right along Highway 3 in the town of Frank. The show runs from July 22 – August 27. Admission is free.
On Tuesday afternoon, I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. I also happened to have my camera with me and was able to get a few photos of the event. I was driving along Highway 3 toward the town of Frank, just as a Royal Canadian Pacific passenger train was travelling through the Frank Slide. Continue reading
Saturday is July 1st – Canada Day! We’ll be celebrating our 150th birthday, the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of our Confederation. Until recently, I was not familiar with the word sesquicentennial. It’s not a word you hear every day and it’s certainly not easy to pronounce, either.
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We have been receiving some nice weather over the past few days and it appears the spring snowmelt has started in the high-country. There is a lot of snow to melt in the mountains and warm temperatures are helping to get things going. Providing we don’t receive excessive rain over the next month, we should not be overly concerned about flooding on our local rivers. Continue reading
Southwest Alberta continues to dig out from a major snowstorm that occurred last weekend. Crowsnest Pass received upwards of 80 cm (36 inches) of snow between Saturday and Monday. Castle Mountain Ski Resort, west of Pincher Creek, received 112 cm (44 inches) of snow, and Waterton Park got a whopping 120 cm (47 inches). Highway 3 between Coleman and Sparwood, BC was closed for a couple of days, causing numerous motorists to become stranded. Most were able to find accommodation in the communities of the Pass. The highway reopened late Monday evening and by Tuesday afternoon everyone was on their way again. Some stores remained closed for a day or so, and students in the area enjoyed a couple of snow days at the beginning of the week. It was a good old-fashioned snowstorm, the likes of which we have not seen for a long, long time.
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If you enjoy art, you might be interested in this bit of information. The Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery will be holding their annual No Particular Topic exhibit January 28 – February 26. The opening reception is this Saturday (January 28), between 1-3 pm. There’s always some great artwork on display during this show, so you don’t want to miss it. You may also want to spend some time visiting the gift shop, while you’re at the gallery. There are lots of interesting things available for purchase here, all created by local artisans. The art gallery is located along Highway 3, in the town of Frank. Admission is free.
View of Bellevue, Crowsnest Pass
Our weather has really improved here since last week and it’s not nearly as cold anymore. The polar vortex has retreated, just in time for the arrival of winter. Today is the December solstice, the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It also happens to be the shortest day of the year, in terms of daylight hours. Continue reading
