lacombe express, december 03, 2015

www.lacombeexpress.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015

FUNDRAISER: Central Alberta author pens new book in support of the Ellis Bird Farm – PG 3

CLASSIC: Country legend Mel Tillis is bringing his latest tour to a Red Deer stage – PG 15

NEW CLUB: For outdoor enthusiasts, a new cross-country ski club forms in Lacombe – PG 17

OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS - Mrs. Claus reads a classic Christmas story to Gage Vercruysse, 11, and Luke Vercruysse, 9, at the Michener House’s Old Fashioned Christmas during the Light Up the Night events. Sarah Maetche/Lacombe Express

2 LACOMBE EXPRESS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015 LACOMBE EXPRESS 3

Myrna Pearman pens new book in support of the Ellis Bird FarmBackyard Bird Feeding: An Alberta Guide arrives in time for Christmas

BY SARAH MAETCHELACOMBE EXPRESS

Alberta experiences four seasons, despite strong evidence that says we only have two - winter and

construction season. One may think at-tracting and watching birds may be best suited for the warmer months, but with Myrna Pearman’s newly released book Backyard Bird Feeding: An Alberta Guide, we learn that it is possible to attract and enjoy backyard birds all throughout each season.

Author Pearman is the long time site services manager and biologist at Ellis Bird Farm (EBF), located southeast of Lacombe. She said the book is an exciting new resource for bird enthusiasts across the province, designed for novices to veterans.

”Basically it’s an expanded and revised version of the very fi rst book that I wrote,” she said. “The fi rst edition was printed in 1989 and then the second edition was in 1991.”

Due to the popularity of the fi rst back-yard bird feeding book, Pearman was asked to craft a new expanded version this past year.

“It was time to upgrade,” she said. “What this book is about is what you should feed, the history of bird feeding and the emphasis of naturescaping. That’s what EBF demonstrates - butterfl y gardens and hummingbird gardens. This gives infor-mation about what you should feed, how to put it out, the different types of feed, how to feed in the summer and what to do with challenges like what happens when the ravens, crows, magpies or rac-coons show up.”

The writing process was going along well until Pearman realized they were short of some photos to include in the book.

A call out was then made, fi rst on Facebook, followed by an agriculture newspaper, for photo submissions from across the prairies.

“That generated around 800 submis-sions,” noted Pearman.

Pearman then put working on the book on hold this past summer, due to the opening of the bird farm for the sea-son. She was then approached by a new corporate sponsor, who offered to help fund the printing of the book. By July, the rush was on to have the book ready for November for the holiday season.

“So I basically went into hibernation for four months and here it is,” said Pearman. “It’s been a full year. From the middle of July to the middle of October, it consumed my life. It’s just such a big project.”

A true labour of love, the new book features over 60 photographers and illus-

trations by Alberta artist Gary Ross. The last portion of the book details the actual types of birds you can attract into your backyard like hummingbirds and orioles.

“It was kind of a community effort and all the proceeds support the education, research and conservation efforts of the bird farm,” said Pearman of the book.

Pearman added that EBF plans to em-phasize the educational use of the funds, leaning more towards supporting the ed-ucational programs offered at the farm.

Throughout the three decades, Pearman has penned several nature-related books. As the site manager of EBF, she has over-seen the centre’s development into the very popular and respected education and research centre it is today.

Although it’s closed for the winter sea-son, the EBF was a hub of activity this past year.

This past May the farm opened again to visitors, welcoming them into the brand new visitor centre. The bright red building

was constructed last year. It was used for gathering and teaching over the following months, but this May was the fi rst time it opened offi cially to the public.

The new centre boasts large windows, many displays that have incorporated local refurbished wood and a gift shop. The older building that previously housed the visitor centre is still in use but will be treated as a self-guided facility and for workshops.

Now that the visitors’ centre is fi nally a reality, EBF organizers plan to enjoy the new facility that has opened up the doors up for more education and research op-portunities.

“We have a few more plans for tweaking areas around the site,” said Pearman. “But this (the visitors’ centre) was a big effort, so we are just going to go a little easier for a couple of years.”

This coming year, the bird farm will be welcoming a new tenant to to the sur-rounding land around the farm, which is

a big change for the organization.The farmer will no longer be growing

canola and will be switching over to more sustainable agriculture practices. The sur-rounding fi elds will be switched over to pasture and forage for cattle, which will help improve the biodiversity of the farm and surrounding area.

Another change on the way to EBF is the change over of the tea house operator. EBF is currently seeking a new operator.

“It’s a really unique opportunity,” said Pearman. “It’s a very successful operation. We just need a new operator that fi ts with our ethos and who we are.”

Backyard Bird Feeding: An Alberta Guide is available at all Peavey Mart stores across Alberta. The book is also available online and at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre in Red Deer.

For more information, visit www.el-lisbirdfarm.ca or contact [email protected].

[email protected]

NEW PROJECT - Ellis Bird Farm Site Manager Myrna Pearman has penned a new book about year-round bird feeding in Alberta. All pro-ceeds from the sale of the book go towards education, conservation and research efforts at the farm. Sarah Maetche/Lacombe Express

Tell us what you think

about the City’s regulations

on builiding in Lacombe!

The Land Use Bylaw is being updated and we want to hear from you! The Land Use Bylaw

contains the rules and regulations for building in Lacombe. It identifies things like setbacks

from property lines, parking needs, infill and secondary suite regulations, landscaping and

site development. The responses from the survey will be used to update or create new

regulations for all new development in Lacombe.

If you are unable to access the internet, there are paper copies of the survey available at the

Planning Department at City Hall. Please return your surveys no later than December 13,

2015 at 11:59 pm. The online survey will close at this time too.

If you have any questions about the survey or the Land Use Bylaw Update, please contact

Lyla Peter at 403.782.1238 or at [email protected]. You can also check out the Update’s

webpage at: http://lacombe.ca/doing-business/planning-and-development-services/land-use-bylaw-review

Check out the City’s Land Use Bylaw Survey at:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BuildLacombe


The CP Holiday Trainis on the way

BY SARAH MAETCHELACOMBE EXPRESS

The Canadian Pacifi c (CP) Holiday Train will once again be passing through the Central Alberta region this season.

The train with lots of holiday cheer will be stopping in Blackfalds and Lacombe on Dec. 8th.

The classic red train will be decorated with bright, festive lights and will be pulling a boxcar stage for a concert.

How the holiday train experience works is the train with 14 cars will pull up to the designated location. The door on the boxcar that contains the stage will be lowered and slowly the performers are revealed. They will start off the show with one Christmas song. Then a brief presentation will be held with representatives from the local food bank and other dignitaries.

Following that, the performers will resume the Christmas concert, playing a mix of traditional and classic holiday tunes. The entire experience lasts around half an hour, and once the performers complete their set, up goes the boxcar door and the train will be rolling on to the next community.

The railway company has two holi-day trains - one travelling west through Canada, that started in Quebec at the end of November, visiting communities all the way to Port Coquitlam, B.C through-out December. The other train fi rst began through the United States, in the northeast and midwest and will return to Canada for

fi nal shows in Saskatchewan and Alberta.CP organizers encourage attendees to

bring food and monetary donations for the local food banks. The donations collected at each stop stay in each community and are not collected by the train. Across Canada CP works with local food banks and food pantry groups in order to collect donations for each community.

According to CP, the holiday train program has been in operation for 17 years and has raised over $10.6 million and around 3.6 million pounds of food.

For the Lacombe and Blackfalds stops, Devin Cuddy and Kelly Prescott will be the on board performers. Cuddy is the son of Jim Cuddy, of Blue Rodeo fame, who is an enchanting Canadian singer-songwriter in his own right. Prescott is a third generation country singer-songwriter originating from Ottawa.

In Lacombe, the train will be stopping at the gravel parking lot along the CP tracks, between 46th Ave. and Hwy. 2A around 7:15 p.m. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. and then the train will be heading on down the tracks.

Once in Blackfalds, the train will stopping at Gregg St., between Broadway Ave. and East Ave around 8:20 p.m. The performance will begin at 8:30 p.m.

Donations to the Blackfalds Food Bank can be dropped off at the gazebo in Tayles Water Spray Park.

Broadway Ave. at the railway crossing and Gregg St. at East Ave. will be close to traffi c from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. for the concert.

[email protected]

WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT - Residents of Lacombe attempted to set the world record for the largest human snowman at ME Global Athletic Park in Lacombe on Friday, Nov. 27th. Just over 90 people turned up for the event. Zachary Cormier/Lacombe Express

City makes world record attempt

BY ZACHARY CORMIERLACOMBE EXPRESS

The City of Lacombe no longer holds a Christmas-themed world record.

After setting the world record for the world’s larg-est human Christmas tree during last year’s Light Up the Night festivities, the City decided to attempt to repeat the feat this year by making the world’s biggest human snowman.

It was not to be, howev-er, as just over 90 people turned up to ME Global Athletic Park on a chilly evening last Friday to be part of the project.

“In the end I think ev-erybody that came out still had a good time and I think everybody was still in the festive spirit,” said Event Organizer Guy Lapointe.

The City’s initial goal for the event was 1,500 people, but as time ticked by it became clear that it just wasn’t going to happen.

By 7:30 p.m., event or-ganizers decided to call it and build the head of the snowman anyways.

“All we can think of is that everybody else must have had something else to do this evening,” Lapointe said, adding that

plans for next year’s Light Up the Night may not include a World Record attempt.

“Maybe people thought we had done this before and maybe they’re waiting for a new idea. We’ll take a look at some options and we’ll come up with some-thing bigger and better.”

Even with the small turnout, Lapointe said the City is still taking an optimistic view on things.

“The Mayor said it best. He said there’s only one thing worse than not achieving it and that’s not trying it, so we did that.”

[email protected]


Off-leash dog park re-opens in LacombeThe Len Thompson Off-leash Dog Park,

located at 5363 Len Thompson Dr. in the Len Thompson Industrial Park, is now open and can be accessed from Len Thompson Drive via Wolf Creek Drive.

“The City is pleased to re-open the dog park at a new, permanent location and we are entirely grateful for people’s patience,” said Director of Community Services Brenda Vaughan. “The west side of the park was seeded in the fall and will be reseeded in the spring to promote grass growth.

“Additional features the public had re-quested such as benches, trees and gravel pathways will be added to the park as budget funds become available.”

The off-leash area features a parking lot onsite and is fully fenced with two entry gates - one located at the parking lot on the west side of the facility and the other on the east side that opens onto an un-fenced environmental reserve. A storm-water detention pond is also located on site, a feature that park users asked for.

Pet owners are advised that the ice surface is currently not thick enough for dogs to run on. ‘Thin Ice’ signs have been placed around the stormwater pond to warn dog owners to keep their pets away. City staff monitor the ice thickness and will remove the warning signs when the pond surface is safe for use. Those using the pond surface are advised to beware

that the ice may become unstable at any time and that the ice thickness may change any time for a variety of reasons, some of which are unpredictable. Anyone using the stormwater pond does so at their own risk.

Dog park users are asked to observe the following rules of etiquette so that their time at the off-leash area is a pleasant and safe experience for everyone – people and dogs alike.

Please ensure that:your dog has up to date licenses and vaccinations, does not chase wildlife, interacts well with dogs of all sizes, is not in heat, sick or aggres-sive and will come to you immediately if called.

Please ensure that you keep your dog on the leash until it has fully entered the fenced area, have a leash in your possession at all times, keep your dog within sight and under verbal control at all times, clean up after your dog and dispose of all waste in the receptacles provided, fi ll any holes the dog might have dug, remove your dog from the park at the fi rst sign of aggression and that you do not bring glass containers or food into the off-leash area.

Users of the Len Thompson Off-leash Dog Park do so at their own risk. The City of Lacombe is not liable for any injury or damage caused by any dog in the dog park.

- Maetche

Citizen disappointed with the end of photo radar in City

In regards to council’s de-cision to remove photo radar from the city - what are you thinking? Wow, the City gets $325,000 in revenue in one year because people ‘broke the law.’ It’s as simple as that - they broke the law. Over 10,427 tickets in one year? People what are you think-ing? Rules are put in place for a reason, speed zones are put in place for a reason. If said citizen got a ticket, it was because they broke the law, no other reason.

I heard one citizen com-plain because he got three speeding tickets in one week, to a total of $600-plus. Why? because he broke the law. He actually went speeding through the same playground zone three times, twice in one day. This zone is very well marked and is used by a lot of kids.

So in that respect, where does this leave the safety of the rest of the citizens of Lacombe? Council obviously is not too concerned about their safety. Instead they are going to cater to the ones who broke the law, even going against law enforce-ment’s recommendations.

If this many citizens broke the law last year by speed-ing they should pay the consequences. This is no

different than any other law infringement like running a red light, break and enter, arson or manslaughter. If you break the law, you pay a fi ne and or go to jail. A law is a law!

I hope that council revers-es their decision on this issue. So you say it isn’t working, well you can bet that if there were 10,000 tickets issued, there were at least 10,000 not issued. If it is an embarrassment to the City this many dol-lars has been collected, the statistics are still there. Hiding our heads in the sand is not going to make them go away. Potential use of said $300,000-plus could be cutting our taxes, help-ing the food bank, repair-ing infrastructure, hiring a couple more police offi cers, running a defensive driving courses. When someone complains about the City’s ‘cash cow’, as I’ve heard it referred to, hand them a form that entitles them to a free defensive driving course that has in big bold letters across the top - ‘YOU BROKE THE LAW.’

Sorry council, in my opin-ion you get two thumbs down on this one.

Laverne JonesLacombe

Reader displeased with parking during parade

As a home owner on the Tim Hortons Santa Claus parade route, I just want to express my disgust with the people who parked their cars, trucks and SUVs along both sides of the street on the designated route.

The parade turned by my house and it was very dif-fi cult for the larger vehicles to make the turn without damaging these parked cars. I was impressed by these professional drivers.

I made sure my own vehicles were off the street hours before the parade.

Rod VandaelleLacombe

Letters to the editor

Have you seen one? It looks like a big bird house but on closer inspection you see books inside and you fi nd that it is actually a ‘Little Library.’ The sign invites community members to swap books, taking any they are interested in and putting their own books in for others to read.

The idea for these little libraries began in Hudson, Wisconsin in 2009 when Todd Bol made a wooden box to look like a one room school. He put it on a pole in his front yard by the sidewalk and he fi lled it with books that might interest others. With a big sign he invited people walking by to take and read the books.

When Bol’s neighbour, Rick Brooks saw it he saw an opportunity to build com-munity. Bol and Brooks worked together to build several more little libraries and put them up around their neighbour-hood. Soon the idea took off as others heard and made their own little libraries. Eventually the concept became the Little Free Library movement that has at last count resulted in over 30,000 popping up all around the world (even in Sri Lanka and Ghana). To use a modern term – it has gone ‘viral.’

I fi rst saw one at my pastor colleague Dale Mellenberg’s house in Calgary. Calgary has hundreds of little libraries (just check the Little Free Library web site). Mellenberg shared that he had put one up by his house and that he was fi nd-ing it to be a nice way to interact with the people along the street and in the area. They were having great fun exchanging books and getting to know each other.

This got me thinking about maybe mak-ing one.

Next, I learned that there was an old piano being discarded so I thought that I could make it useful again by making it into a little free library. I carefully took it apart salvaging all the wood and screws and hinges. From there I designed a little library that looked like a piano with some of the keys on the front and the music stand on top. I had just enough material to make a nice looking box and the heavi-er boards from the sound board made a nice post to set it on. In the end I did not need to buy any extra material. It turns out that an old piano makes a very nice little free library.

I set it up in front of the church on a heavy metal base that we had used this past Easter to hold a large cross. It stands nicely under the lit sign of our church so that in the evening people can still access the library as there is light available. I registered it with the little free library organization so it will be on their map of locations. I think it might be the fi rst in Lacombe – at least the fi rst to be regis-tered. Since installing it and fi lling it with books, there has been steady usage by people in the neighborhood. It has been fun to see which books are gone and check the new ones people have left.

I want to challenge others in Lacombe to make their own little free library and put it out in their neighborhood. You can fi nd more details at the Little Free Library web site. If you want to check out ours you can fi nd it in front of Bethel Christian Reformed Church (5704 - 51st Ave). Become

part of this organic, local and free ‘book swap’ and get to know your neighbours. We can learn a great deal about those who live around our neighbourhood through sharing the books that are read.

Mike Vandyk is the pastor at the Bethel Christian Reformed Church.

January 1, 2016 will see increased fees for City of Lacombe Planning and Development Services

The fee increase is to ensure that the City is competitive with surrounding

municipalities. You are encouraged to submit your application prior to January 1,

2016 for consideration under the old fee schedule. Any permit applied for PRIOR

to January 1, 2016 will be charged under the old fee system.

City Council is exploring an increase to the Safety Codes Fees (building, electrical,

plumbing and gas permits). Proposed changes can also be viewed at the website

listed below and you are invited to provide comment to the City by emailing Lyla

Peter at [email protected].

For more information on the proposed fee changes, including a full list of the fee

changes, please see the ‘What’s New’ page under the Planning and Development

Department’s webpage: http://lacombe.ca/doing-business/planning-and-development-services/what-s-new

MARK YOUR CALENDARS


Little free library in LacombeIn Good Faith with Mike

VANDYK

COMMUNITY SPIRIT - Located along 51st Ave. in front of Bethel Christian Reformed Church is a free library, a community space for those to take or leave a book. Sarah Maetche/Lacombe Express


OPINION

“Getting to see all the trees and watching the parade.”Erin Heslop, 13, Lacombe

“All the lights and music.”Brooklyn Dunn, 13, Lacombe

“The parade so far. It was really good.”Heather Williams, Lacombe

“The food is always good.”Mia Belbeck, 13, Lacombe

What was your favourite part of Light Up the Night?Yourself!Yourself!Asked at the Lacombe Memorial Centre by Sarah Maetche

Copyright. No material - news, photographs or

advertising - may be reproduced without the express written consent of the Publisher. Failure to obtain such consent may result in legal action

without further notice.

5019A - 51 StLacombe, AB T4L 2A3

403-782-5303

The Lacombe Express is a proud newspaper of

PublisherTracey Scheveers

[email protected]

Customer ServiceHilary Stone

[email protected]

ReporterZachary [email protected]

EditorSarah Maetche

[email protected]

Canadian Media Circulation Audit

The value of photo radar in the CityLast week Lacombe City council

voted to terminate the Automated Traffi c Enforcement Program (ATEP), also known as photo radar. Residents and visitors to the city saw the end of the program this past Monday.

The photo radar program was initiated by the City in October 2013 and ran for two years. It was administered by an independent third party contractor, Independent Traffi c Services Ltd. The idea behind the program was to, combined with other speed enforcement methods, reduce the number and severity of collisions on the road, not to neces-sarily stop all speeders in the city.

According to the 2015 Automated Traffi c Enforcement Year End

Review, 28 locations in the city were approved for enforcement, chosen for high pedestrian volumes, school zones, high collision areas and other spots that are frequent for speeders.

From the review, several statistics were generated which include an estimation of 5.8 tickets per hour during enforcement hours and a grand total of 10,427 tickets issued from November 2014 to November 2015.

The net revenue to the City for the ATEP in 2014 was $428,175 and in 2015 was $395,134.

One of the things the review did reveal, other than the astounding amount of tickets given out, was

that over the two year period, Lacombe residents did seem to be learning from the program as the amount of resident tickets had de-creased. Around 53% of the tickets given out over the last year were to non-Lacombe residents.

Although it was recommended by administration, the Traffi c Safety Committee and the Lacombe Police Commission for the program to continue on for another year, council based their decision on other factors such as the real value to residents and the effectiveness of the program in actually deterring speeding in the city.

Again, the review detailed that the city had a 26% drop in collisions from 2013 to 2014. The number has

remained consistent in 2014 and 2015, both with 131 reported colli-sions, although this was during the two years the ATEP was in operation.

Whether council made the correct decision in eliminating this program is up for debate. Either way, they will have to account for an estimated $325,000 missing from the budget.

Councillors will have to re-evaluate the upcoming 2016 budget. They will be discussing the implications of the 2016 Capital and Operating budgets from the feedback garnered during the recently held budget open house and the decision to terminate ATEP at their next committee meeting on Dec. 7th, followed by decision at the next council meeting.

Cultural appropriation in the current digital ageThe line between inspi-

ration and cultural appro-priation seems to be paper thin, especially in 2015.

Concerns around cul-tural appropriation - the act where elements of a distinct culture are used or borrowed by another culture or group - have become front and centre yet again.

Last week, it was report-ed that a free weekly yoga class held at the University of Ottawa was cancelled due to ‘cultural sensitivity issues’.

The yoga instructor told CBC News she’s been teaching the class for the past seven years and after cancelling the class, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa said some students and volun-teers were uncomfortable with the concept of the class. To keep the class going, the instructor sug-gested changing the name to ‘mindful stretching’, as to not pay any tribute or association to the spiritual practice that originated in

India thousands of years ago. That idea was also nixed. The class remains cancelled but the situation has opened up a dialogue about what exactly is cul-tural appropriation and when is it permitted.

While some may agree with the university’s de-cision, noting that it is long overdue for an orga-nization to acknowledge how western culture has appropriated the practice of yoga, others may be scratching their heads ask-ing, “Don’t many of us, all across the nation, from all different backgrounds and origins, practice yoga and have allowed the physical and spiritual practice to become part of our lives?” Is this indeed a case of cul-

tural appropriation or just another case of someone calling cultural fowl?

The way yoga is prac-ticed throughout western culture can be seen as cul-tural appropriation, but it doesn’t have to be seen as a negative. The fact that people in the west enjoy practicing yoga in their own way is defi nitely not a bad thing. As long as the essence, or the tribute rather, is there and it is not done in a unsavory way, it should be permitted.

An example of nega-tive cultural appropria-tion can be easily found within our Canadian cul-ture. Canadian designers Dsquared2 have come under fi re earlier this year for being ‘culturally in-sensitive’ after the launch of their women’s fash-ion collection they titled ‘#Dsquaw’.

The designer brothers Dean and Dan Caten stat-ed on their web site the collection was inspired by, “The enchantment of Canadian Indian tribes.

The confi dent attitude of the British aristocracy. In a captivating play on con-trasts: an ode to America’s native tribes meets the noble spirit of Old Europe.”

After an uproar regard-ing the derogatory and negative connotation in the reference to ‘squaw’, Dsquared2 quickly changed the name of the collection to ‘#dsquare’ and removed all referenc-es to #Dsquaw from their web site and social media feeds. The collection still remains and appears to be an appropriation of indig-enous designs mixed with colonization.

The brothers also re-ceived fl ack for a photo of a handbag they designed, captioned as ‘Twin Peaks goes eskimeaks’ on their Instagram account. Here, they again reference an aboriginal group through ‘eski’, short for Eskimo, a term that is no longer accepted in reference to Inuit people.

While there is no excuse for derogatory language,

anyone supposedly in-spired by a culture should familiarize themselves with said culture fi rst. Designers, as artists, are permitted to appropriate ideas but they should do it better taste and a more respectful manner.

In the end, the line be-tween positive and nega-tive cultural appropriation seems to be thin and in discretion of the beholder.

If there are no original thoughts or ideas left, then there must not be an original ideas or concepts out there. All ideas, how-ever original they appear, must now just be inspired or appropriated from somewhere else. So ev-erything must have some aspect of appropriation in it. Where the trouble lies is when this thin line is crossed, whether know-ingly or not.

In the end, we must ask - is this an original thought? Did I pay proper tribute to the culture? Other than that, appropriate away.

[email protected]

Sarah

MAETCHE


fyifyi Your weekly Community Events Calendar

The FYI, Community Events Calen-

dar is a free-of-charge service

for not-for-profi t organizations

and upcoming community

events within the Lacombe and

Blackfalds region. To submit

your information, please

email news@lacombeexpress.

com, call 403-782-5306 or fax

403-782-5344. If you would

like your event or organization

to be included, please sub-

mit your information to the

editor by noon, the Monday

before the publication date.

Lacombe Community Refugee

Effort meeting for all interested

persons on Dec. 6th, 7 p.m. at

St. Cyprian’s Anglican Church

Hall at the corner of Hwy. 12

and C and E Trail. For more info,

email marleneironside@gmail.

com or phone Betty at 403-782-

5357 or Rod at 403-782-1842.

Christmas Craft Fair: The Black-

falds Community Arts Group is

hosting another handmade craft

fair just in time for Christmas,

Dec. 10th from 5 p.m. to 9

p.m. at After the Grind, 4911

Broadway Ave., Blackfalds.

Calling all musicians! A jazzy

new place to blow your horn

or strum your strings - A jam

session every second and fourth

Thursday from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

at the Lacombe Legion. $2 a

person. For more information,

call Rod at 403-782-1842.

Come join us for an old-fashioned

Christmas hymn sing, Sunday,

Dec. 13th, 7 p.m. at Parkside

Alliance Church, 5846 – 50 Ave.,

Lacombe. Christmas goodies

will be served and we welcome

donations for the food bank.

Amnesty International “Write

for Rights” event on Dec.

13th from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at

St. Andrew’s United Church,

5226-51 Ave. Lacombe.

Bring paper and pen. Coffee

provided. Contact Therese

Thompson at 403 782 3671.

Day of Remembrance Tea to hon-

our someone who has passed

away. Sunday, Dec. 6th 2:30 p.m.

– 4 p.m. at St. Andrew’s United

Church, 5226 – 51 Ave. May bring

a personalized ornament to

add to hospital Christmas Tree.

Everyone welcome. Hosted by

Lacombe Palliative Care Society.

The Tees Christmas Concert and

Carol Festival will be held on

Thursday, Dec. 10th from 7 p.m.

until 8:30 p.m. at the Tees Hall.

Please join us for an evening of

Christmas entertainment. Par-

ticipants welcome, contact Carla

Kenney at 784-3055 to be includ-

ed in the program. Santa will

be attending for the children.

Beverages and potluck lunch

which will follow the program.

The Lacombe Christmas Farmers’

Markets will be held every Friday

morning from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

starting Nov. 13th to Dec. 11th at

the Lacombe Memorial Centre.

Also there is a special Moonlight

Madness sale on Thursday Nov.

26th from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. It’s a

great chance to do your Christ-

mas shopping with a hug variety

of baking, homemade crafts, lo-

cal honey, perogies, woodwork,

jams, fall veggies, meats, cloth-

ing, Philippine spring rolls, jewel-

lery and lots more. Call 403-782-

4772 for more information. Our

vendors are proud to make it,

bake it and grow it just for you.

The Arrogant Worms in concert,

Saturday, Dec. 5th, 7 p.m. at

St. Andrew’s United Church,

5226 - 51 Ave. in Lacombe. The

Arrogant Worms are a Cana-

dian musical comedy trio that

parodies many musical genres.

They are well known for their

humorous on-stage banter in ad-

dition to their music. Tickets are

$35 and are available at Sunny

94 in Lacombe, United Church

offi ce, or call Tom at 403-341-

9348 or Donna at 403-782-2032.

This is a fundraiser sponsored

by the Friends of Guatemala.

Elnora Christmas Market, Satur-

day, Dec. 5th from 11 a.m. to 4

p.m. at the Elnora Community

Hall. Table rent $10. For more

information or to book tables

call Lynne at 403-773-2269 or

Gwen at 403-773-2270. Lunch

available all day. Items for the

food bank will be appreciated.

The Pine Lake Singers Christmas

Concert will be held Sunday,

Dec. 13th at 2:30 p.m. at the

“Hub” Community Centre.

Admission $5. Lunch and

visiting. Everyone welcome.

The Lacombe Legion is hosting

a tour for adults of Canadian

battlefi elds in Holland, Belgium

and France from March 25th to

April 3rd, 2016. Highlights will

include tours of Amsterdam,

Brussels, and Paris as well as

Vimy Ridge, The Juno Beach

Center, the Normandy beaches,

the home of Anne Frank, Ypres,

Passchendaele, Flanders Field and

much more. A detailed itinerary

including cost is available at the

Lacombe Branch of the Legion

or you can request one to be

e-mailed to you at the e-mail that

follows. For more information

phone Corvin at 403 357-0377

or email [email protected].

The Parkland Classical Singers,

a community choir based in

Lacombe, is looking for more

members. If you like to sing,

please join us. Rehearsals are

held on Thursdays from 6:30

p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wolf Creek

Community Church, beginning

Oct. 15th. Two performances:

Christmas 2015 and Spring

2016. For more information,

call Carolyn 403-782-7365.

The Red Deer Legion Pipe Band is

actively recruiting experienced

and inexperienced people from

the Central Alberta area, who

are interested in joining the

pipe band. Anyone with piping

or drumming experience, or if

you would like to learn piping or

drumming, are asked to please

contact us at 403-782-7183.

Practices are held at the Red

Deer Legion on Tuesdays at 7:00.

St. Andrew’s United Church

youth choir for ages fi ve to 18.

Meets Thursdays 5:30-6:30 p.m.

contact Jessica at 403-352-5486

or [email protected].

St. Andrew’s United Church Adult

Choir for those 18 and old-

er. Practices on Wednesdays

from 7:15 – 8:30 p.m. Contact

Roberta at 403-782-0443 for

more information. Cost is free.

Invitation to join CNIB Peer Sup-

port Group: The Peer Support

Group is a program dedicated

to helping CNIB clients adjust

to vision loss. Feelings of fear,

anxiety, intimidation and anger

are extremely common in adults

who are diagnosed with vision

loss. The goal of the group is to

help transform these feelings

into those of confi dence and

independence through educa-

tion and group discussions. The

program is facilitated by a vol-

unteer who has gone through

the process of adjusting to a

life with vision loss. The group

offers seniors a way to connect

to others experiencing similar

challenges. Participants receive

empowering, practical and

useful information about vision

loss and how CNIB services can

help, as well as suggestions

from other participants on

how to reduce the impact of

vision loss on their daily lives.

There is no cost to participate

in the program which will meet

once per month. The group

meets at the Spruce Terrace

located at 5002 – 51 Ave.

Lacombe Walking Group

Wednesdays from 12-12:30

at Medcombe Walk-In-Clinic.

No Registration required.

Kozy Korner — Tuesday Dinners

every week at noon. The hot

meal includes dessert and

coffee at the Senior Centre.

Lacombe Dance Lessons – social

and choreographed ballroom

dancing. Traditional Two-step

or Cha Cha/Jive. For details

phone Cliff at 403-782-4094.

Quilting and crafts held at Black-

falds United Church on Mon-

days at 9:30 a.m. Help make

quilts or bring your own quilt/

craft to work on. Check out

our website at blackfaldsunit-

edchurch.com or call 403-885-

4780 for more information.

The Lacombe Legion has bingo

on Mondays at 7 p.m. in the

upstairs hall. Coffee time runs

Wednesdays from 9:30-11 a.m.

($2 for coffee, tea and cookies).

On Fridays, there are four meat

draws and tickets are $2/set

of three tickets. Draw starts at

6:30 p.m. On Saturdays, there

are four meat draws which

start at 4:30 p.m. Chase the

ace starts after meat draws.

Parkinson Alberta Education of-

fers supports groups for persons

with Parkinson disease, family

members and caregivers at

the following Central Alberta

locations: Red Deer, Lacombe,

Innisfail, Olds, Three Hills and

Castor. Visit www.parkinsonal-

berta.ca for more information.

New to Lacombe? Contact La-

combe Welcome Wagon for

free maps, information about

the City & area, as well as free

gifts from local businesses. New

baby in the family? Contact

Donna Korpess with the La-

combe Welcome Wagon at 403-

782-0475 for free information,

baby product samples as well as

free gifts from local businesses.

This valuable space is now available – call the Lacombe Express today!

403-782-5303

If you are reading this, so are your

potential customers.

EVENTS


Light Up the Night - an annual holiday traditionPHOTOS AND STORY BY SARAH MAETCHE/LACOMBE EXPRESS

With snow fi nally on the ground and much warmer weather than the previous year, residents enjoyed all that Light Up the Night, the City of Lacombe’s premiere holiday festival, had to offer this past week.

From Nov. 25th to Nov. 29th, the city was bustling with communi-ty events. This year the festival expanded into fi ve days of fun and included a parade, Selfi e with Santa, skating, a Jingle Bell Run and a Christmas brunch.

On Thursday night, the second day of the festival, crowds fl ocked to the streets of downtown Lacombe to watch the Tim Hortons Santa Claus Parade roll by and to sneak of peek of the jolly man himself. The parade featured many fl oats from community groups, dignitar-ies and local businesses.

After the parade, a tree lighting ceremony was held in the LMC park. Mayor Steve Christie, Santa and a representative from Stantec fl ipped the switch on more than 50,000 lights on this year’s display.

On Thursday night, Moonlight Madness was also in full swing, with businesses in the Lacombe Centre Mall and downtown Lacombe opening their doors for the evening, featuring many deals for holi-day shoppers.

The Lacombe Christmas Farmer’s Market also was on in the LMC, for an extra evening of shopping. The Michener House was open for the evening for Old Fashioned Christmas. Mrs. Claus could be found reading Christmas stories to the visiting children.

On Friday, the Christmas Farmer’s Market continued for a second day and the City made another world record attempt, this time to create the largest human snowman.

This year’s Light Up the Night also featured the annual Lacombe Christmas Faire for more holiday shopping on Saturday along with a free Christmas swim at the Kinsmen Aquatic Centre and the Jingle Bell Run around Cranna Lake.

On Sunday, the celebration wrapped up with a Christmas brunch, Selfi e with Santa, hay rides and a Christmas skate at Barnett Arena.

[email protected]

CAROLS IN THE NIGHT - A choir from Ecole Lacombe Upper Elementary School sang two Christmas carols at the tree lighting ceremony.

LIGHTS IN THE NIGHT - City of Lacombe Mayor Steve Christie and Santa prepares to turn on the lights of the City’s magical light display at the LMC park.

MAGICAL - Santa Claus himself brought the Tim Hortons Santa Claus Parade to a close last Thursday evening.

SHOPPER’S DELIGHT - The Lacombe Christmas Farmer’s Market was a popular location for shopping during Light Up the Night festivities.

HEARTWARMING - A magical fl oat rolls by in the Tim Hortons Santa Claus Parade during Light Up the Night last Thursday.


City Pagelacombe.ca

The City of Lacombe has identified Storm Water Ponds

that you may USE AT YOUR OWN RISK during the

winter months for recreation. Please watch for signs

around Cranna Lake, Royal Oak, Iron Wolf and Les

Walker ponds indicating that the ice is a suitable

thickness to go on.

All other storm water ponds are NOT designated for

recreational use. The Outdoor Skating Rink behind the

arena is also open during the winter months.

Please be aware that ice conditions on the outdoor

ice can change quickly and without warning, creating

potentially hazardous conditions. Use the designated

ice surfaces only when safe to do so and obey all posted

signs.

DANGER

THIN ICEStorm Water Pondd

DANGER

USE AT OWN RISKStorm Water Pond

Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIESBoards and Commissions The City of Lacombe is currently seeking to appoint a

number of community-minded citizen to serve on the

Affordable Housing Steering Committee.

By volunteering on this committee for a two year term

you will obtain new skills and insights into the

Affordable Housing Strategy as it relates to City

housing needs. This Committee works toward ensuring

all citizens of Lacombe have access to adequate and

suitable housing. You will make a positive difference

by advising Council on affordable housing issues. To

find the best people for each role, the City of Lacombe

is committed to encouraging a diverse workforce and

supports employment equity through policy, welcoming

all applicants.

If you can contribute to a committee with a broad

cross-section of interests from both social and business

backgrounds, request an application using the contact

information below.

P: 403.782.1287

5432 56 Avenue

Lacombe, AB T4L 1E9

E: [email protected]

Garbage and Recycling Holiday Schedule

Garbage/Recycling normally picked up on Thursday, December 24, 2015 will instead be collected on Tuesday, December 22, 2015.

Garbage/Recycling normally picked up on Friday, December 25, 2015 will instead be collected on Wednesday, December 23, 2015.

Garbage/Recycling normally picked up on Monday, December 28, 2015 will instead be collected on Tuesday, December 29, 2015.

Garbage/Recycling normally picked up on Friday, January 1, 2016 will instead be collected on Thursday, December 31, 2015.

Visit www.lacombe.ca/solid-waste for more information.

If you want the ease and affordability of small monthly payments, sign up

for the pre-authorized Tax Installment Payment Plan (TIPP).

Eliminate the chore of writing cheques, setting payment reminders, dealing with postage costs, or worrying about late fees. There are no service charges or fees for enrolling in this pre-authorized payment plan – plus setup is easy!

1 Complete and submit the Authorization Agreement for the plan, along with a void cheque. The form can be picked up at City Hall (5432 56 Avenue) or accessed on-line at www.lacombe.ca/living/taxes-assessment.

2 Payments will be withdrawn automatically from your bank account on the 16th of each month.

Ease your pain with the Tax Installment Payment Plan. For Information Contact: Marc Perreault 403-782-1257 [email protected]

Annual property tax bills can be

a real pain in the neck!Residential Grand Prize: $500 in Lacombe bucks, redeemable at Passport to Christmas

participating businesses + an official Moose Mug Punch Bowl like the one from Christmas Vacation (value $175)!

Commercial Grand Prize: ½ page colour advertisement courtesy of the Lacombe Express

Retail Value: $650

**There are also three random draws for $100 grocery cards**

Vote for your favourite before Dec 15 at www.lacombetourism.com

LIGHTS CONTEST

It’s time to channel your inner Griswold and

decorate your house!

DEVELOPMENT PERMITSCurrent to December 3, 2015

Permitted UsesTake notice that the following development permits have been approved as PERMITTED USES in that they conform in every respect to the Land Use Bylaw.

DATE PERMIT# LOCATION DEVELOPMENT

December 3 61/253.47 4450, 4456 Hwy. 12, Automotive Sales & 4510 50A Avenue Service, Vehicle Storage

Documents pertaining to the development permits may be inspected at City Hall, 5432-56 Avenue, during regular business hours. Anyone claiming to be affected by the approval of the Permitted Uses with Variances of Discretionary Uses may submit an objection within 14 days from the date of notice. The appeal must be in writing, accompanied with a $50.00 fee and be directed to: Lacombe Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, Attn: Secretary to the SDAB, 5432-56 Avenue Lacombe, AB T4L 1E9.


City Pagelacombe.ca

The City is pleased to announce that the Len

Thompson Off-leash Dog Park, located at 5363

Len Thompson Drive, is now open and can be

accessed from Len Thompson Drive via Wolf Creek

Drive.

The off-leash area features a parking lot onsite and

is fully fenced, with two entry gates: one located

at the parking lot on the west side of the facility,

and the other on the east side that opens onto

an unfenced environmental reserve. The west

side of the park was seeded in the fall, and will be

reseeded in the spring to promote grass growth.

Additional features that the public had requested,

such as benches, trees, and gravel pathways will

be added to the park as budget funds become

available. A stormwater detention pond is also

located on site, a feature that park users asked for.

Pet owners are advised that the ice surface is cur-

rently not thick enough for dogs to run on. “Thin

Ice” signs have been placed around the stormwa-

ter pond to warn dog owners to keep their pets

away. City staff monitor the ice thickness, and will

remove the warning signs when the pond surface

is safe for use. Anyone using the off-leash dog

park does so at their own risk.

Dog park users are asked to observe the follow-

ing rules of etiquette so that their time at the

off-leash area is a pleasant and safe experience

Len Thompson Off-leash Dog Park now open

for everyone – people and dogs alike. Please ensure that your dog has

up-to-date licenses and vaccinations; does not chase wildlife; interacts

well with dogs of all sizes; is not in heat, sick or aggressive; and will

come to you immediately if called.

Please ensure that you keep your dog on the leash until it has fully

entered the fenced area; have a leash in your possession at all times;

keep your dog within sight and under verbal control at all times; clean

up after your dog and dispose of all waste in the receptacles provided

(please use them); fill any holes the dog might have dug; remove your

dog from the park at the first sign of aggression; do not bring glass

containers or food into the off-leash area.

You are required to clear away snow and ice within 48 hours. Snow, ice, sand and other debris cannot be shoveled into a nearby gutter or onto any other portion of a public roadway. As well, water dripping from an awning, eavestrough or other part of a building onto a public roadway or sidewalk must be removed by the owner or resident, in order to prevent ice buildup and safety hazards.

Electrical extension cords must not be placed across public sidewalks or driveways, as they create a dangerous trip hazard. If you need to plug in your vehicles or trailers, please ensure that the extension cord is suspended 8 feet (2.4 metres) above the sidewalk. This requirement is in effect all year round.

The City has also placed a self-serve salt/sand box for free public use on the east side of the main entrance to the Infrastructure Services yard (5444- 56 Ave), in front of the sliding gate.

Sidewalk snow removal a community safety issue

Enforcement Services would like to remind everyone that it is the responsibility of all residents, whether they own or rent their home, to keep all public sidewalks adjoining their property clear of ice, snow, sand or other debris.

Lacombe City Council Meetings are open to the public and all are encouraged to attend. Meeting agendas are posted online at www.lacombe.ca by 3 p.m. on the Friday before every Council Meeting.

The next scheduled Council Meeting dates and times are:

• Monday, December 7 , 2015, at 5 p.m. (Committee)• Monday, December 14 , 2015, at 5 p.m.• Monday, January 11, 2016, at 5 p.m.

Annual Pool Shut Down - December 20, 2015- January 10, 2016. Season or term pass holders can use their KAC passes at either Ponoka Aquaplex or Burman University during this time.

PD Toonie Swim -Friday, December 4 from 1p.m. -3 p.m. at the Kinsmen Aquatic Centre.

Movie Night at the Pool- Friday, December 18 from 7pm - 9 pm

December is Draw and Save for all passes at the pool. Get 5%, 10% or 15% off when you purchase a membership.

Kinsmen Aquatic Centre will close at 4pm on Saturday, Dec 12 for their staff Christmas Party.

Holiday Garbage and Recycling-please go to www.lacombe.ca/living/infrastructure-services/ solid-waste to see the holiday pick up schedule

Echo Energy PromotionSign up and we will donate $20 to your choice of participating charity or community group. Power your home; Empower your community. To sign up or for more info call 403.782.1263 or go to: www.echoenergy.ca.

Winter Registration for all swim programs has started! Call403.782.1275 to sign up.

www.lacombe.ca

What’s Happening?

City Council Dates

Upcoming Events

Reminders

The City of Lacombe is currently seeking a number of community- minded citizens to serve on the Affordable Housing Steering Committee and the Art Collection Committee. Request an application by calling 403.782.1287 or email [email protected].

Volunteer Opportunities

MAN CHARGED FOR ROBBERY

An 18-year-old Rimbey man has been charged with 14 offences following a string of armed robberies in Alberta. The robberies occurred between Nov. 17th and Nov. 19th and include one in Lacombe.

On Nov. 17th, at 9 p.m., a masked male entered the La-combe Husky gas bar along Hwy. 2A. The suspect carried a baseball bat and demanded cash from the attendant after smash-ing the store debit machine with the bat. The suspect fl ed in an older model two-toned brown van after grabbing a quantity of scratch lottery tickets and cigarettes. The Lacombe Police Service responded and distrib-uted surveillance pictures of the van and suspect to area RCMP detachments.

Stony Plain RCMP respond-ed to a complaint of an armed robbery on Nov. 18th at 5:50 p.m. at the Fas Gas located at 4402-48 St. in Stony Plain. It was reported that a male sus-

pect entered the store with a brown baseball bat and de-manded money from the staff while smashing the glass cover to the scratch lotto tickets. The suspect obtained an undisclosed amount of money and scratch lottery tickets before leaving in an older model two-tone brown full size van.

Later that same evening at 7:10 p.m. RCMP were called to an armed robbery at the Shell gas station in Onoway at 4921-49th St. A male suspect and a female suspect entered the Shell gas station. The male was carrying a brown baseball bat and demanded money and lot-to tickets from the employees. The suspect again obtained an undisclosed amount of money and scratch lottery tickets, then fl ed with the female suspect in an older model two-toned brown full size van.

On Nov. 19th, at 5:45 p.m. Evansburg RCMP received a complaint of theft of fuel at a gas station in Entwistle by an individual driving a two-tone

brown older style van.Edson RCMP then members

observed a two-tone brown van matching the description of the suspect vehicle and attempted to initiate a traffi c stop, but the van did not stop. RCMP pursued the vehicle, however, due to the concern for public safety, the pursuit was terminated.

Edson RCMP advised the Mayerthorpe RCMP detachment of the suspect vehicle approach-ing their area and the suspect vehicle was located in a rural location by Mayerthorpe RCMP who succeeded in stopping the vehicle and apprehending the male suspect, Wesley Hassle-burger-Wright, along with a female youth.

Hassleburger-Wright has been charged with robbery with a weapon, wearing a disguise with the intent to commit an in-dictable offence, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, fl ight from a peace offi ce and failure to

comply with an undertaking.The female youth who was

also in the vehicle at the time of the arrest is facing charges for possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and pos-session of a controlled substance. She cannot be identifi ed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

MEN ARRESTED AFTER RURAL BREAK-IN

The Blackfalds and Red Deer RCMP with the assistance of police dog services and air ser-vices have arrested three men as a result of an investigation.

On Nov. 22nd, Blackfalds RCMP were called to a rural property at approximately 4:19 p.m. about a break and enter to a residence. The suspects were seen leaving the residence in a truck which was involved in a single vehicle collision a short distance away. Reports of pos-sible gun shots were heard in the area. The suspects fl ed from the vehicle and the area around Hwy. 11 and RR 26-5 was con-tained for a period of time. No one was seriously injured in the collision and the RCMP arrested three suspects.

Recovered during the subse-quent investigation were two stolen vehicles, three shotguns as well as other stolen property.

The RCMP have charged 26-year-old Danny Bergeson of no fi xed address with pos-session of stolen property, break and enter and several fi rearms offences.

In addition, 43-year-old Billyjack Williams of Red Deer and 36-year-old Steven Jones of no fi xed address have been

charged with possession of sto-len property and several fi rearms offences.

The investigation is ongoing and information relating to the possible shots fi red has not been confi rmed.

The investigators are asking

anyone who may have informa-tion regarding this occurrence to contact the Blackfalds RCMP at 403-885-3300. Those wanting to remain anonymous can con-tact Crime Stoppers by phone 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or at www.tipsubmit.com.

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IN MEMORY - The fl ag outside the Lacombe Police Service and Lacombe Fire Department building was set at half-mast last week in honour of Calgary MLA Manmeet Bhullar who was killed during a snow-storm helping a motorist along the QE II Hwy., near the Blindman River, just north of Blackfalds on Nov. 23rd. A state memorial service was held for Bhullar in Calgary last Sunday. Sarah Maetche/Lacombe Express

POLICE BRIEFS by Sarah Maetche


ComingEvents 52

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Eclipse Pork Ltd.15 minutes SE of Lacombe,

AB (SW 26-39-25 W4) requires Swine Technicians

(NOC 8252/8253) for its swine operation. Positions

are full time. Duties will include feeding, record

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and have 2 years experi-ence working with livestock.

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Auctions 1530UNRESERVED

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ARTS & LEISURECountry legend Mel Tillis includes Red Deer on current tour

One of country music’s most prolif-ic and respected singer-songwriter’s, Mil Tillis will be on tour in Saskatchewan and Alberta this winter with a Red Deer stop slated for Dec. 19th.

Showtime is 7 p.m. at the Memorial Centre.

The concert will cover several of Tillis’ hits from over the years, with some Christmas tunes sprinkled in as well. “I’ll also tell a few stories along the way,” he said during a recent interview. “And sometimes I go out in the audience with the people. And there’s request time, too. If I can remember them, I’ll do them,” he says with a chuckle.

Tillis, whose name is synonymous with country music has penned over 1,000 songs in a career that has spanned six decades. With more than 60 albums to his credit, as many as 600 songs covered by other recording artists, and more than 30 Top 10 singles, Tillis can be counted amongst the great country music legends.

Detroit City, Ruby, Coca Cola Cowboy, Southern Rains, I Ain’t Never and I Believe in You are just a very few of the songs that make up Tillis’ immense catalogue of hits. Interspersed with seasonal favour-ites, Mel Tillis & The Statesider Band have put on one of the most in-demand con-certs touring this winter. His latest CD, You Ain’t Gonna Believe This, was released in 2010.

Through it all, he’s had to deal with a stutter since childhood. But he’s never let it get in the way of anything that he’s wanted to do.

His stutter developed during his child-hood. A few others in his family strug-gled with the same problem, so at fi rst, he recalls not thinking too much of it. “I started school and I came home that fi rst day, and asked my mom if I stuttered. She said, ‘Yes you do, son’. I said, ‘Mama, they laughed at me’, and she said, ‘Son, if they are going to laugh at you give them something to laugh about’.

“So I went back to school - and that was my fi rst day in show business,” he said, adding he learned about utilizing humour to engage others.

Meanwhile, music was also a part of the family. “My mother had eight sisters and one brother, and all of them could play some kind of instrument,” he explained. “We’d have family reunions, and I always liked to hear them sing.

“We were Baptists, and there was little Assembly of God Church - they put up a tent not to far from our place. We knew they’d have some good music, so we went up there with those banjos and all those instruments - I thought it was the grand-est thing in the world.”

He also noticed at this time that when he sang, he didn’t stutter. “It hasn’t hurt me at all.”

Indeed. Tillis has enjoyed enormous success over the years. He started per-forming in the early ‘50’s with a group called The Westerners while serving as a baker in the United States Air Force, sta-tioned in Okinawa.

In 1956, Webb Pierce recorded a song written by Tillis entitled I’m Tired and it launched his musical career.

After leaving the Air Force in 1955, Tillis returned to Florida where he worked a number of odd jobs, eventually fi nding employment with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in Tampa. He used his railroad pass to visit Nashville and eventually met and auditioned for Wesley Rose of famed Nashville publishing house Acuff-Rose

Music. “I’d go to Nashville and knock on doors.”

His songwriting ability was noted right away. So Tillis moved to Nashville and began writing songs full-time. He wrote I’m Tired, a number three country hit for Webb Pierce in 1957.

In the late 1950s, after becoming a hit-making songwriter, he signed his own contract with Columbia Records. In 1958, he had his fi rst Top 40 hit, The Violet and a Rose followed by the Top 25 hit Sawmill.

In the mid-1960s, Tillis switched over to Kapp Records, and in 1965, he had his fi rst Top 15 hit with Wine.

“I signed with a publishing company and they got me an audition with the A&R man from Columbia Records. I went up to his suite and auditioned, and there were lots of other acts up there,” he recalled. “I sang and they liked it. Don Long looked up and me and said, ‘Well Melvin - you’ve done good. How would you like to be on Columbia Records?’

“I really began to write songs then. And the next thing I knew I was on the Porter Wagner Show, the Glenn Campbell Good

Time Hour - I was a regular.”Tillis has indeed enjoyed a storied ca-

reer - he has been inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, is a winner of the much-coveted Country Music Award for Entertainer of the Year and in 2012 received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama.

Tillis has also appeared in numerous feature fi lms including Every Which Way But Loose with Clint Eastwood, W.W. & The Dixie Dancekings, Cannonball Run I and II, Smokey and the Bandit II with Burt Reynolds and the lead role with Roy Clark in Uphill All The Way.

Eastwood called him after a show and told him he had a couple of songs for a movie he was working on called Every Which Way But Loose, and would Tillis con-sider being a part of the project?

He also starred in several television movies as well including Murder in Music City and A Country Christmas Carol.

For tickets, call the Black Knight Inn Ticket Centre at 403-755-6626 or visit www.bkticketcentre.ca.

[email protected]

BY MARK WEBERLACOMBE EXPRESS

CLASSIC - Acclaimed country star Mel Tillis has enjoyed a long and successful career in country music. He brings his current tour to the Red Deer Memorial Centre on Dec. 19th. photo submitted

Whether it’s a formal champagne event or just a get-together with loved ones, tasty appetizers are a must for any successful holiday season party. In today’s market place, there are so many outlets for one to buy appetizers pre-made from the freezer section, but this eliminates all the fun and creativity. Preparing for an evening of guests should be enjoyable and what you prepare should be an ex-pression of your personality. There are numerous options that are not only delicious, but easy as well.

For fancier events, it is nice to have small morsels of food that people can manage with one hand to ‘pop’ into their mouths. This is extremely helpful when a drink is being

held in the other hand and there is an abundance of standing and socializing.

A perfect example of this would be canapés. Don’t let the fancy French name scare you. They are simply pronounced (can ah pays) and are defi ned as bite-size open-faced sandwiches. Most canapés consist of a base, a spread and a garnish. Get the bakery to slice your bread lengthwise and toast these sheets of bread in the oven. Then symmetri-cally place small dollops of spread on every square

inch and cut the bread into the squares that are now mapped out. Garnish each one and place them on a platter. An example of a spread and garnish would be horseradish fl avoured cream cheese with small pieces of thin beef and a parsley sprig.

Chicken wings are an ex-tremely popular appetizer and the price of ones that are already ‘fl avoured and cooked’ compared to raw ones is drastic. A simple marinade or sauce can be made from ingredients you most likely have in your refrigerator already like bar-becue sauce, ketchup, or hot sauce, mixed with a variety of other ingredients. Half the fun is creating something uniquely yours. Nothing is

more satisfying than hear-ing someone say, “Wow, have you tried Katherine’s wings? They’re incredible!” The other half of the fun is all the money you will save.

A very extraordinary ap-petizer would be an Italian antipasto platter. This can be easily assembled as a last minute dish with a col-lection of morsels normally found in an Italian pantry. Make a quick marinade of equal parts of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil for artichoke hearts, tomatoes, grilled asparagus, roasted peppers, or any other vegetables you prefer. Arrange these marinated veggies on a platter along with sundried tomatoes, melon pieces wrapped in prosciutto, roasted garlic

heads, chunks of Parmesan cheese and slices of ba-guette, for example. The possibilities are endless, so be creative. The options to choose from for the ap-petizers you are going to serve are immeasurable, but hopefully I have given you some ideas. Food is a great social aspect of bringing people together and even more wonderful when you have made it from scratch.

Dear Chef Dez,I like to make nachos

as an appetizer, but they always seem to be lacking something. Do you have any suggestions?

Sherri D.Abbotsford, B.C.

Dear Sherri,In order to make some-

thing taste great, you have to stay focused on fl avour

when you are assembling it. Some simple changes will help you with this. The two main ingredients in nachos are tortilla chips and cheese. Make sure that the chips are lightly salted and of high quality, and if using cheddar, choose the extra-old variety for the most fl avour. Then add tasty morsels on each layer such as spiced chicken, black olives, diced tomatoes, green onions, and chilies for example. Most importantly season each layer of cheese with chili powder, salt, and fresh cracked pepper to help bring out the fl avours of everything. Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole and enjoy!

Chef Dez is a food colum-nist, culinary travel host and cookbook author. Visit him at www.chefdez.com.

LacombeChristmas

Farmer’s MarketChristmas Crafts,

Baking and much more!

Every Friday9:00am - 1:00pmNovember 13th

to December 11th

403.782.4772At the Lacombe Memorial Centre


Appetizers for the holiday season

Protein - a few things you may not knowFads in clothing come and go. Women’s

skirts go up and then get longer. Men’s pants get wide and then narrower. Fads also occur in medicine.

In the 1980’s it was ‘low fat’ for packaged foods and weight loss diets. Later on the buzz word was ‘low carb’. Now, walk down the aisle in supermarkets or health food stores and it’d hard to miss the protein content in foods, or protein added to cereals, granola bars or shakes.

So today ‘P’ is popping up everywhere. But what is so special about protein?

In the past it was recommended for athletes who only wanted larger muscles. Now, it’s also for those who want to lose weight. But a report from the University of California says that protein has fallen vic-tim to Marketing 101. In effect, protein sells because consumers believe it to be ‘healthy’.

So, are North Americans consuming too little or too much protein? According to University of California researchers, most people are getting more than enough protein. This amounts to 47 grams for a

130 lb. person and 67 grams for someone weighing 185 lbs.

The exception is people over 65 years of age who may not be getting enough dietary protein. Some of these people have dental problems and fi nd it diffi cult to chew pro-tein such as meat. Seniors also tend to lose muscle tissue due to age. And they have to be reminded of a basic physiological fact, that although protein is essential for healthy muscles, it’s not protein that builds strong muscles. Rather, it’s getting out of the chair and incorporating exercise into the daily routine.

Today, many seniors are in chronic care facilities because they’ve developed sarco-penia, weak muscles. The tragedy is that their leg muscles have become so weak

they’re unable to get off the toilet. Or they fall, causing hip fractures which can mean ending life in a wheelchair or death. So you’re a vegetarian? Does this mean you may be lacking in protein?

It could be, if you’re not eating a varied diet and neglecting dairy products and eggs. But veggie lovers can also get protein from nuts, grains, beans and even vegetables.

For those who want to lose weight, is protein Marketing 101 fact or fi ction? The majority of studies show that adding pro-tein to a calorie restricted diet can promote loss of a modest amount of weight in the short term.And consuming extra protein tends to quell the hunger refl ex unlike low protein diets.

But high protein diets usually have the same outcome as other diets, the short term effect is positive, the long term a failure. The failure rate would be less if more fi ber was consumed along with extra protein.

Since hypertension remains one of the big cardiovascular killers, extra protein can be helpful. For instance, in 2014 The

American Journal of Hypertension analyzed data from the long-standing Framingham Heart Study. It reported that people with the highest protein intake were 40% less likely to develop hypertension.

Readers often ask me if high protein diets can cause kidney disease. According to the University of California, research has shown that this is not the case if the kidneys are healthy. But today one in nine adults have chronic kidney disease (CKD).

So if you decide to go on a high protein diet be sure to check with your doctor to make certain you do not suffer from CKD. This is particularly important if you are over age 60, have diabetes, heart problems, hypertension, obese and a family history of CKD. Most people get more protein than they think. A 4 oz. chicken breast, and the same amount of tuna, shrimp and a can of sardines all have 30 grams, yogurt 17 grams, a slice of bread three grams, an oz. of cheese seven grams and a cup of ice cream three grams.

See www.docgiff.com for more.

Dr. Gifford

JONES

Season’s GreetingsTake this opportunity to wish your clients

& customers aHappy Holiday

To book your space call Hilary Stone @ 403-782-5303 or email: [email protected]

Have your Season’s Greetings delivered to over 8,000 homes in the City of Lacombe & Blackfalds.

December 17th the Express will publish a special greeting section for businesses to thank their clients, customers and friends for their support in 2015 and to send out their special wishes for a Safe and Happy Holiday Season.

Booking Deadline is Dec. 9th

Save The StampsSave The Stamps

from your from your favouritefavourite

local businesseslocal businesses

Chef

DEZon Cooking

ARTS & LEISURE

Send contact info, rosters and schedules to

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COACHES Do you want your team covered?


SPORTSCross-country ski club forms in LacombeCross-country skiing is coming to

Lacombe.The Lacombe Cross-Country Ski Club

held their fi rst meeting last Monday to make plans to start building a cross-coun-try ski track in the city. “We’re looking to draw in as many people as possible to come be a part of it and to work along-side of us,” said Club President Brent Bouwsema.

The new track will be built on the course at the Lacombe Golf and Country Club with the full cooperation and back-ing of the Club itself.

“One reason they’ve been so amicable to us using their land is there are areas of the course that are more sensitive to having people ski all over it. So the hope is that if we can build a track skiers will stay on the track,” said Bouwsema.

The track will be made entirely by vol-unteer members of the Club and will have a focus on being something both experi-enced skiers and newcomers will be able to enjoy.

“It’s not only just a community club, it’s a family club also,” said Larry Michielsen, the Club’s vice president.

“I have two small kids and we cross-coun-try ski. In order to go cross-country skiing on a track we actually have to go to Red Deer, that’s the closest. So I thought why not have it here?” Bouwsema added.

According to Bouwsema, the idea to have a cross-country ski club has been fl oating around the City for years but it wasn’t until now that someone decided to put it into action.

“I noticed a number of years ago when I started cross-country skiing there were trails through the golf course but nothing was advertised,” he said.

So Bouwsema contacted the golf course, who told him they let skiers use the space as long as they stay off the greens and out of the sensitive areas of the course.

“They allow anybody to use it but not very many people knew that.”

So he started skiing the course a couple of years ago and he said that while for the most part the skiing wasn’t too diffi cult, a big snow fall could make it pretty tough.

“It didn’t make it unenjoyable but I thought this is a beautiful space, let’s make this enjoyable for more people. Let’s get something started.”

So he grabbed a couple of people

he knew would be interested and the Lacombe Cross-Country Ski Club was born.

Now, he said, the only barrier to actual-ly getting started on construction is the snow itself.

“We’re just waiting for enough snow to actually start doing what we’re doing,” he said.

This year, they said, the tracks will be pretty simple in design. But as the Club learns more about track setting and gains more confi dence, they’ll begin to add pieces.

“We’ve got some expertise on our com-mittee but we’re all kind of easing our way into it because we don’t know 100 per cent what it’s going to be like,” Bouwsema said.

“We kind of are going to start with a perimeter trail, because that kind of creates the maximum length and then once we’re kind of used to doing track

setting we are actually going to start cre-ating trails through the middle of the golf course.”

One trail the Club wants to build in particular, he said, is a short trail with gradual inclines that is aimed at families.

“We want to encourage families to come out and teach their kids.”

According to Michielsen, cross-country skiing is a great way for families to spend time together.

“Cross-country skiing is a family sport. It’s anywhere kids can go fi ve-years-old or younger all the way up to 80-years-old or older,” he said.

It’s also a great way for people to get active.

“It’s outdoors, so fresh air. That’s why I started back in 2008. My favourite time to go is under the full moon,” he said.

This year, they said, the Club isn’t plan-ning on hosting any big out trips for their

members, but that’s not to say that those kinds of events won’t happen in the fu-ture.

“At this point we’re keeping it real-ly simple, we’re not creating any large events or anything. We just don’t have the ability to do that yet,” Bouwsema said, adding they will probably host a couple of events at the golf course.

“We probably will create a few events this year, so people can keep in contact with us and watch for when those events happen.”

The Club has about 40 members right now, and Bouwsema and Michielsen said they would like to see that number con-tinue to grow.

Membership costs $5 and anyone inter-ested can get in contact with the Lacombe Cross Country Ski Club on facebook or on the web site at www.skilacombe.com.

[email protected]

EXHILARATING - From left, Lacombe Cross-Country Ski Club Vice President Larry Michielsen and President Brent Bouwsema enjoyed a nice day of cross-country skiing at the Lacombe Golf and Country Club in Lacombe recently. The new ski club will focus on building real ski tracks on the course this winter. Zachary Cormier/Lacombe Express

BY ZACHARY CORMIERLACOMBE EXPRESS

Early Deadline

The Lacombe Express offi ce will be closed

Thursday, December 24th,

Friday, December 25th,

and Friday, January 1st.

Early booking deadlines are in effect for:

December 24th issue

book your space by noon on Fri., Dec. 18th

December 31st issue

book by noon on Wed., Dec. 23rd

January 7th issue

book by noon on Thursday, Dec. 31st

On behalf of the Lacombe Ringette

Association Tournament Committee:

THANK-YOU to our SPONSORS

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18 LACOMBE EXPRESS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015SPORTS

What the Blue Jays have to do this off seasonThe Toronto Blue Jays

have made some confusing moves so far this off season.

They got off to an excellent start when they managed to re-sign free agent starter Marco Estrada to a two-year, $26 million US deal.

Estrada was good enough through the back end of last season to easily become the third-best starter in the Jays’ rotation behind David Price and Marcus Stroman, so re-signing him was a no-brainer, especially since the Jays have already lost

ace starter David Price and veteran workhorse Mark Buehrle to free agency.

Yet the Jays still took their time before tendering the 32-year-old right-hander from Mexico an offer, literal-

ly waiting until the deadline for them to do so before other teams could begin talks with Estrada.

Then there was the Jesse Chavez trade.

Early last month, the Blue Jays sent relief pitcher Liam Hendriks to the Oakland Athletics for starter/reliever Jesse Chavez.

In my opinion, that trade was one of the worst moves Toronto could have made.

Hendriks was lights-out last year, allowing just 23 runs in 64 innings of work and posting a 2.92 ERA, he was easily among the Jays’ best relievers. And, at 22-years-old, Hendriks wouldn’t have been eligible for free agency until 2020.

Chavez, meanwhile, strug-gled last season, posting a 7-15 record in 26 starts and

just 157 innings pitched. Oh, and he’s due to become a free agent in 2017.

And now that the Blue Jays have signed starter JA Happ, more on that later, Chavez may not even crack the starting rotation.

The trade is a Band-Aid solution that weakens Toronto’s already-thin bullpen while giving them someone who’s basically just a fi ller arm whom might not even start for them next season.

Finally, just last week we learned that Toronto had signed starting pitcher JA Happ to a three-year, $36 million contract.

This will be Happ’s second stint with the Blue Jays in his career.

He started 58 games during his time in Toronto, pitching to a 19-20 record before

being traded to the Seattle Mariners. In itself, that’s not a bad record. It’s close enough to the .500 mark that it tells me that he’s good enough to hold down the fort.

But then I found out that in those 58 starts came over the course of three seasons, only one of which Happ spent as a full-time starter with the team.

During that full season, the big left-hander started 26 games, posting an ERA of 4.22 in just 158 innings pitched. That’s not great. Then you factor in that he posted an 11-11 record and I, personally, start to get a little nervous.

Last season, Happ was extremely similar to Estrada in that he had a mediocre fi rst half but followed it up with an incredible second

half during which he posted a 1.85 ERA in 11 starts.

The difference here, how-ever, was that in order to do that Happ needed a change of scenery, moving from the batter-friendly confi nes of the Mariner’s Safeco Field to the pitcher-centred wide-0pen spaces of Pittsburgh’s PNC park.

Only time will tell if he’ll be able to keep those num-bers that low pitching in a small ballpark like the Rogers Centre.

Now I’m all for taking a gamble on a veteran, but a guy with the kind of num-bers that Happ has posted in recent years is not worth the third-largest contract the Jays have ever given a free agent starter.

The Jays brass taking a huge risk on Happ, and if it doesn’t pan out there isn’t a team in the league who will want to pick up his contract.

It’s a move that I just don’t get, especially since there are much more consistent left-handed starters like Scott Kazmir on the market that the Jays could pick up for the same price.

So, in summary, while the Blue Jays have made moves to strengthen their starting rotation, they’ve done it in a way that both weakens their bullpen and forces them to gamble with a starter that hasn’t exactly been the picture of consistancy.

Personally, that makes me more than a little curious to see how the Jays approach the rest of the off season.

[email protected]

DOUBLE GOLD - The Boys and Girls 2J CWAJHAA tournaments were hosted two weeks ago in Lacombe and at Ecole Mother Teresa in Sylvan Lake. It was an exciting time for Lacombe Christian School, as both the boys’ and girls’ teams brought home gold. The boys’ fi nals ended with the St. Augustine Team facing the Lacombe Christian School Sabres, with Lacombe Christian School taking the win for fi rst place. The St. Augustine Team went home with silver. The girls’ tournament wrapped up with Lacombe Christian Sabres playing against St. Marguerite Bourgeoys from Innisfail, with the Sabres winning 25-21 in the fi nal game, taking home the gold. St. Marguerite took home silver. photo submitted

Zachary

CORMIER

PUBLIC NOTICE Land Use Bylaw 300.104 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Council of the City of Lacombe has given first reading to Bylaw 300.104, to rezone Lots 12 & N. Pt. 13, Plan RN9 from R4 – Medium Density Residential to P – Public and Institutional Use. This bylaw affects 5140 53 Street & 5313 52 Avenue, as shown on the map.

Where do I get more information?

A copy of the Bylaw may be viewed at www.lacombe.ca or at the City of Lacombe City Hall at 5432 – 56th Avenue during office hours.

When is the Public Hearing?

If you would like to make comments on the proposed repeal the Council of the City of Lacombe will be holding a Public Hearing in Council Chambers located at 5432 – 56th Avenue, on Monday, December 14, 2015 at 5:30pm.

How do I get involved?

Any person or group wishing to express their views on the proposed bylaw amendment will be given the opportunity to make a presentation.

All written letters or petitions regarding this amendment are to:

(a) be filed with the Chief Administrative Officer no later than 4:30 PM on Wednesday, December 9, 2015.

(b) contain the names and addresses of all persons making the presentation, and

(c) state the name and address of all persons authorized to represent a group of persons or the public at large.

DATE of First Publication: December 3, 2015 DATE of Second Publication: December 10, 2015

For Information contact: Amanda LegrosPlanning InternPhone: 403-782-1264 ext.246E-mail: [email protected]


403-782-2046www.absolutecustomdesignsinc.com

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HOMES & LIVING

Walking down the path of potential in home designMy fi rst real estate clients are on the

books! The nerve-shattering fi rst house sale has been completed and I have to say it was thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. This lovely couple have found the perfect house for their growing family and I am very thankful that they were willing to work with me and to be open to different house options.

The search for a four bedroom house was not easy as most homes are adver-tised as three bedrooms. We even looked at a few homes which advertised bed-rooms that weren’t actually bedrooms but spaces in a basement with no win-dows – not the place you want your chil-dren to sleep! On a visit to a split-level home in their desired area they com-mented there were only three bedrooms yet I immediately saw that the third level was the perfect shape to add a bedroom without compromising the living space.

The wonderful thing about this process is that my clients were willing to envision the extra bedroom and how we could in-clude a large closet for their oldest child to live in. Even though the house didn’t have exactly what they needed, it held the potential for the perfect living space and it was delightful to see the light bulb moment on their faces when they realized that this home was exactly what they wanted.

My experience with clients often in-cludes me walking down the path of potential as we look at options for their current home or a new home. My favou-

rite compliment is, “I would have never thought of that!” It always makes me smile when people ‘get it’, it’s a wonder-ful meeting of the minds.

A home can be more than just four walls, every home has the possibility of being reworked, tweaked and custom-ized to perfectly fi t your needs. It is easy to frame yourself into a mindset and overlook a potential property that could be perfect. You might even be living in your perfect home, you just haven’t realized the full potential of how amaz-ing your home could be with just a few tweaks.

Mortgage options are far more creative than they used to be and it is possible to purchase a home with extra funds for renovations or use current equity in your home for improvements. I have been playing with the idea of creating a base-ment suite in my home but didn’t like

the idea of sharing the basement laundry with a tenant. One night I was looking at my third (unused) bedroom and suddenly it came to me – split the bedroom and put laundry upstairs and a walk in closet into the master bedroom! It was a brilliant idea which came to me after living in the house for over a year, a perfect solution for my future suite and a huge closet for me. This is what people refer to as a win-win situation.

When looking for a new property or considering the home you are living in, look out for the potential and not just one that fi ts the formula. You may be pleas-antly surprised at what you fi nd when you think outside the four walls and four bedrooms – your dream home is probably right under your nose!

Kim Wyse is a freelance interior designer in Red Deer. See her Facebook page ‘Ask a Designer’.

Kim

WYSE

SPACIOUS - This open and light fi lled living room in an Abbey Master Builder show home in Lacombe is well suited for relaxing and curling up with a book during a cold winter day. Zachary Cormier/Lacombe Express


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