Pincher Creek Tourism Information

CP's Holiday Train is coming

2011-11-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

Canadian music icons Valdy and Tracey Brown will be the featured performers for the western Canada leg of the Holiday Train trek. For more on this go to

http://www.pinchercreekvoice.com/2011/11/cps-holiday-train-is-coming.html

Moonlight Madness events

2011-11-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

Moonlight Madness revelers gathered at Cenotaph Park (2010)
C. Davis photo

Pincher Creek's annual Moonlight Madness will occur on Friday, November 18 with some events happening on Saturday, November 19. People will be parading, caroling, shopping, grasping at feathers, and trying to find the best deals in town. Pincher Creek and District Chamber of Commerce Administrator Lieve Parisis is organizing this event, which acts as the lead in for the Christmas sales season.

Friday, November 18

The annual Parade of Lights will begin at the Ranchland Mall parking lot at 6:30 pm. It will then travel down Hewetson Avenue, turn east on Main Street, and will conclude near the Subway restaurant.
A Christmas Craft Market will be taking place at the Ranchland Mall from 3 pm to 8 pm.
Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village will host Midnight Madness, a craft market that will be held from 5 pm to 8 pm.
Parent Link on Main Street will have free face-painting for the kids between 4 pm and 6 pm, to help get them into the spirit of the parade.
The Chamber of Commerce's Wind Fun & More: Eco-Friendly Gifts store will be holding a Grand Opening ceremony at 4 pm, in the Ranchland Mall.
Communities in Bloom will be at Cenotaph Park, along with Santa and free hot chocolate, starting at 6 pm.
Friends in Sync will be caroling from 6 pm, keeping the crowds entertained.

Many local businesses will be offering triple points to patrons with a "Shop Local" card. If you need a "Shop Local" card, ask at any of the participating businesses. The grand prize is $2,000 in fuel. Many local merchants will be offering special deals, draws, and spot-specials, and a number of them will be open from 7 pm to 10 pm.

The Co-op grocery store at the Ranchland Mall will be having it's annual "Drop" event after the parade, starting at 8 pm on Friday. Having utilised pingpong and beach balls in previous years, this year those that catch the "right" feathers in a wind chamber full of them will be rewarded.

Saturday, November 19

The Chamber of Commerce Eco Store at the Ranchland Mall will welcome children from 6 to 12 years of age to participate in their craft station and scavenger hunt.
The Fox Theatre will offer a free movie to the public at noon on Saturday.
Wildrose Videos and Books will be handing out free popcorn.
The Town of Pincher Creek and the Downtown Merchants Association will offer a free swim at the pool from 2 pm to 4 pm.

Visit www.pincher-creek.com for more information.

Alberta Arts Days Pincher Creek

2011-09-21T10:59:00.001-07:00

Alberta Arts Days are just a few days away, running from September 30 to October 2 throughout the province. Various organizations in Pincher Creek will be joining in.

There is a myriad of facets to the word "art". Pincher Creek has many talented people engaging in different forms of art. Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village (KBPV), The Pincher Creek Municipal Library, Metis Association Local 1880, Ranchland Mall and The Oldman River Rose Society are all doing their part to celebrate our artists.

Most of the programming is meant for all-ages, and much of it is free to the public. Arts represented include horticulture, visual, music, crafts, language, history,and literary.

Metis Local 1880 are excited to have Garry Hackler giving art lessons. Hackler is a local artist, teacher, naturalist and archaeologist. He will be bringing live animal mounts for study. The Medicine Wheel is an important part of Metis culture, and you will be able to make one of your own while learning more about the fascinating history and use of this sacred object. On Friday this programming will be offered at the Provincial Building at the Metis Local 1880 offices. The same programming will be offered at KBPV on the Saturday, October 1, 10 am to 2 pm.

The Pincher Creek Municipal Library will have displays and will be celebrating the works of local and Alberta authors during their regular hours: Friday, 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday, 10 am to 4:30 pm.

Ranchland Mall and Pincher Creek Co-op will feature Betty Heppner and other local artisans showing off their crafting abilities on Saturday, October 1 from 10 am to 4 pm.

Lebel Mansion hosts Festival of Roses...Art in Bloom. Taking place on Friday and Saturday, this festival celebrates all things related to roses.

Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village will be holding most of their programming for this event at Pioneer place, the front administration building (which is undergoing extensive exterior maintenance). Most of the KBPV events will be free to attend.

Authors

Free programming includes five local authors on Friday, September 30 from 11 am to 2 pm on Friday. Each author will have their own table to allow them to converse with interested readers.

Authors include:

Eryka Bruder, the 11 year-old author of "Lillian's Worn Out Brown Boots"
Francis Riviere, author of "Washing at the Creek", an acclaimed book based on growing up in the Twin Butte area.
Christopher Hoare , author of the Iskander high-fantasy series, including his latest book, "Rast", a novel available in both soft cover and e-book form.
Curator Farley Wuth, author of "The History That Almost Wasn't: Chronicles of Pincher Creek's Ill-Fated Railway History" who is currently busy updating "From Prairie Grass to Mountain Pass", the definitive history of the Pincher Creek area and its people.
Murray Pura has written five non-fiction and three fiction novels as well as many short stories. He will have most of his works on hand, including his latest, "The White Birds of Morning". Two new Pura books are coming out in 2012, "The Wings of Morning" and "Virginia City."

A special session of the Pincher Creek Pioneer Market will be taking place at the same time as the authors. Visit www.pioneermarket.org for more information.

Tour the grounds

KBPV offers 2-for-1 pricing to view the grounds and exhibits on Friday and Saturday.

Live Music

Claude Choe, world famous maestro, conductor, musician, and song-writer will be featured in a special evening event at KBPV on Friday, September 30, playing classical romantic guitar. Doors open at 7 pm and the concert starts at 7:30. His newest CD will be available for purchase and there will be an autographing session afterward. This is a licensed event. Advance tickets available, $10 each. Contact KBPV at 403-627-3684 to order your tickets. To read more about Claude Choe click here.

Allen and Alexander
Saturday, October 1, 2pm

free admission
click here for more information

Chris Davis
Saturday, October 1, periodically throughout the day

DJ Frankenstein
Saturday, October 1, 8 pm
$5.00 admission
Click here for more information

Metis Local 1880

On Saturday, October 1, KBPV will host Metis Local 1880 and their program of arts and culture from 10 am to 2 pm.

Pioneer Market

2011-08-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

Every Friday 11 a..m. - 2 p.m. June 10 to October 7

A favourite of both locals and tourists, the Farmers Market is held in Pioneer Place, the front administration building of Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village. From fresh fruit and vegetables, baking, handicrafts, jewellery, honey, plants and more, you will find something new, unique and worth the trip. Visit www.pioneermarket.org for more information.

Fire bans issued for southwest Alberta

2011-08-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

Government of Alberta press release
Update, September 1: Please note that due to recent precipitation and upcoming weather forecasts, the Waterton Lakes National Park fire ban is not longer in effect.

The fire hazard in southwest Alberta has reached extreme levels, and with forecasts for hot, dry conditions for at least another week, the province has issued fire bans for both a portion of the region’s forest and in many nearby provincial parks and recreation areas.
(click read more for a list of affected areas)

Fire bans are in effect until further notice in the following provincial sites:

Lundbreck Falls Provincial Recreation Area;
Oldman Dam Provincial Recreation Area;
Waterton Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area;
Oldman River Provincial Recreation Area;
Chain Lakes Provincial Park;
Cypress Hills Provincial Park;
Police Outpost Provincial Park;
Woolford Provincial Park;
Jensen Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area;
Lake McGregor Provincial Recreation Area;
Little Bow Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area;
Maycroft Provincial Recreation Area;
Payne Lake Provincial Recreation Area;
St. Mary Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area; and
Travers Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area.

Editor's note: there is also a fire ban in effect at Waterton Lakes National Park, as we reported yesterday. Click here for more information about that situation.

If dry weather continues, further fire bans may be implemented. In provincial parks and recreation areas, these fire bans prohibit the use of all wood, briquette and propane/natural gas fires, including those contained in designated fire facilities and portable fire pits. Gas and propane stoves and barbecues, when approved for cooking, are allowed. Additional information is available at www.albertaparks.ca/firebans.

In the forested portion of the region, a partial fire ban is in effect for the area south of the Highwood River, and from south of Carnarvon Creek west to the British Columbia border, this includes Bob Creek Wildland Provincial Park and portions of Don Getty Wildland Provincial Park.

This ban does not apply to cities, towns, villages or summer villages within the ban area; however, these jurisdictions are able to issue their own fire bans. To see a list of all fire bans within the province, visit www.albertafirebans.ca

Under the partial fire ban applied to the region’s forests, any existing fires, including those set under the authority of a fire permit, must be extinguished immediately. The only exceptions are:

fires contained within a cooking or heating appliance fuelled by fluids or compressed gas;
fires contained within an existing fire receptacle in designated camping and recreation areas;
walled tents with air tight stoves with proper screening as approved by a forest officer; and
fires contained within industrial facilities or on industrial sites as approved by a forest officer.

The ban prohibits the use of fireworks, burn barrels, all fire pits and portable campfire appliances.

The fire hazard will be monitored on a daily basis, and the ban will be removed once conditions allow. Operators of off-highway vehicles are reminded to take extra care by ensuring they have a properly working spark arrestor, and that hot spots on their machine like the engine and exhaust are free of any burnable debris.

To report a wildfire, call 310-FIRE (3473). Visit us on Facebook by searching for Alberta wildfire info. To see the map of the ban area for provincial forests visit srd.alberta.ca

Waterton fire ban in effect

2011-08-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

Information bulletin

Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, August 24, 2011 – Parks Canada is issuing a park-wide ban on all fires in Waterton Lakes National Park due to extreme fire hazard. The ban begins at 12:01 p.m. on Thursday, August 25. Although banning campfires may be inconvenient, the safety of people in the park and protection of facilities takes precedence. The fire ban will remain in effect until further notice.

While campfires are normally only permitted in designated fire pits, under this Fire Ban all wood burning fires are prohibited, including the use of charcoal briquettes and wood-burning stoves in picnic shelters. The fire ban applies to all areas of the park, including campgrounds, day-use areas and the community. Use of gas or propane stoves and barbeques is permitted. All park facilities remain open.

The park has been in a situation of high to extreme fire hazard since July 28th. Forests and grasslands are very dry, making them particularly susceptible to fire. There has been less than 11 millimetres of precipitation since July 24th, and this is compounded by recent above normal temperatures and frequently strong winds.

Clear criteria exist for implementing fire bans, and are based on daily monitoring of weather and fuel/vegetation conditions, as well as principles of fire behaviour and risk. The fire ban will be lifted as soon as conditions permit.

During these extreme fire hazard conditions, please be extremely careful to fully extinguish any possible ignition sources such as cigarettes.

If you see a wildfire in Waterton Lakes National Park, please call 403-859-2636.

For updated information on Fire Bans throughout Alberta: visit www.albertafirebans.ca

Castle Mountain Huckleberry Festival

2011-08-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

The annual Huckleberry Festival will be held at Castle Mountain this weekend..
On Friday, August 26 the T-Bar pub will be open from 4 pm to 1 am, and there will be a campfire jam hosted by Tany Lipscomb from 8:30 pm to 11 pm. Musicians are invited to bring their own instruments and join in.
On Saturday, August 27 there will be a pancake breakfast, a Berry Bouncy Kids Zone, huckleberry picking, a craft sale, a silent auction, a bake sale, fun in the T-Bar pub, live music, BBQ, a pig roast, and a free concert by Texas Flood.
Visit www.skicastle.ca for more information.

SASCI to host volunteer program development workshop in September.

2011-08-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

The Southwest Alberta Sustainable Communities Initiative (SASCI) will be hosting a workshop aimed at helping community service organizations to design and deliver a compelling volunteer program. The workshop features special guests who specialize in training and hands-on involvement in the design and implementation of outstanding and sustainable volunteer programs in both the private and public sectors.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of our not-for-profit organizations, which are so vital to the vibrancy and growth of our communities. Recruitment and retention of volunteers is an ongoing challenge.
To learn more about this workshop, visit www.sasci.ca

Pincher Creek Parade Today

2011-08-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

Parade Day is today, Saturday August 20th. Main Street will be blocked for part of the morning. Many businesses will be closed from 11am till after the parade, approximately one hour. Some will be closed all morning.

Pincher Creek Pro Rodeo

2011-08-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

Pauline Breeze photo

August 19 - 21, 2011
Visit www.pinchercreekagsociety.com for more information.

Fun-filled weekend in store for Pincher Creek

2011-08-19T09:35:00.001-07:00

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice
Glenwood Days
The Village of Glenwood, south and east of Pincher Creek, will be celebrating Glenwood Days on Friday, August 19 and Saturday, August 20.
On Friday night there will be a Gymkhana, including delicious chili burgers at the Riding Arena.
A pancake breakfast courtesy of the Glenwood Village Council on Saturday morning will be followed by a street sale, which starts at 10 am. There will be races, a pinata for the kids, a Carnival Games water slide and dunk tank. Other activities throughout the day include a "2 litres in two minutes" powdered milk drinking contest, an ice cream eating contest, a Dessert Competition &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Auction for the Fire Department, a Rip-Stick Obstacle Course, and a chili/corn on the cob/watermelon dinner. Saturday evening will feature bed races and live entertainment by Charlie Ewing, with music and dancing out in the street.

Napi toonie Pancake Breakfast
The Napi Friendship Association will be hosting a toonie pancake breakfast on Friday, August 19 from 8 am to 11 am at the Napi Friendship Centre, 622 Charlotte Street.

Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village (KBPV) hosts the weekly Pioneer Country Market on Friday, August 19, 11 am to 2 pm. Visit www.pioneermarket.org for more details. To celebrate the Rodeo KBPV will have "A Fair Deal." Pay for one admission , get the second of an equal or lesser value for free on Friday, Saturday after the parade, and on Sunday.

Pincher Creek Pro Rodeo 2011
The Pincher Creek 2011 Pro Rodeo kicks off Thursday, August 18 at 5 pm with team roping and beer gardens. This four day event is jam-packed with excitement. Visit www.pinchercreekagsociety.com for the full schedule of events.

Chris Davis photo

Parade
Saturday, August 20, 11 am
The 2011 Pincher Creek Fair and Rodeo Parade will proceed eastward down Main Street, starting at 11 am. The theme this year is "Celebrating Water".

Lunch after the parade
After the parade there will be Beef on a Bun at the Ranchland Mall and hamburgers on the barbeque in the parking lot behind the Legion.

Street Dance
Saturday, August 20, 7 pm to 9 pm
The Pincher Creek Recreation Office will be hosting a Street Dance on Police Avenue between the 7-11 and the Provincial Building. This free all-ages event will feature a DJ, a concession stand, carnival games, face painting, balloon animals, and a cotton candy machine.

Fox Theatre Show Times August 19 - 25
Cowboys &amp;amp; Aliens - Plays nightly at 6:50, 9:10 weekends @ 3:00
Spy Kids - Plays nightly at 7:00, 9:00 Weekends @ 3:00

Stars Second Annual Music Festival

2011-08-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

The Stars Second Annual Music Festival will be held at Maycroft this weekend on Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14.
Visit www.stars.ca for more information.

Antique and Farm Equipment Auction

2011-08-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

August 6th, 2011, 10 a.m. Estate Auction of John Paschinski

Directions: Highway #3 east from Pincher Station to Highway 785 go north 8kms over the Old Man River Dam to Highway 510 at Heritage Acres, go north 1.2 kms to #7429-RR293.
Cash or cheques w/ID, lunch served.
This auction is through Art Scott Auctions and is an extensive collection of historical and antique farm machinery and equipment including but not limited to saddles, tack, wagons, wagon wheels, and parts, crocks and jugs, ice cream makers, butter churns and more.

visit artscottauctions.com for more information

Blackfoot Arts & Heritage Festival

2011-07-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

Trevor Page photo

Waterton Lakes National Park, August 2-4, 2011
Celebrate Parks Canada’s centennial at the Blackfoot Arts & Heritage Festival with hosts Lance Tail Feathers and Mary Ann Crow Healy.
Presented by Parks Canada www.parkscanada.gc.ca and the Blackfoot Canadian Cultural Society www.blackfoot.ca

Tuesday, August 2
Art exhibit at the Lion’s Hall curated by Debbie Kelman featuring works by Blackfoot artists
Debbie Kelman
Val Good Rider
Valentina LaPier
Henry Standing Alone

Wednesday & Thursday, August 3 -4
It’s Pow-wow time at the community field
2:00 pm Grand Entry
2:30 pm Dignitaries’ Greetings
3:00 pm Youth Exhibition Dances
4:00 pm Adult Exhibition Dances

Twin Butte Community Hall 75th Anniversary

2011-07-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

The Twin Butte Community Hall 75th Anniversary Celebrations will be held this weekend, starting on Friday, July 29 and concluding on Sunday, July 31. Full details of the many activities planned can be found by visiting twinbuttecountry.blogspot.com

Alberta Southwest video competition

2011-07-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

What makes southwest Alberta the best place to live, work, and play? Alberta Southwest is holding a video contest aimed at answering that very question. Click here for more information.

Twin Butte General Store

2011-07-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Just off highway 6 between Pincher Creek and Waterton Park, the Twin Butte General Store features great food, good times, and lively music. Click here for more information and show times.

Heritage Acres 24th Annual show

2011-07-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

July 29, 30 & 31 2011
The International Harvester Collectors Club Chapter #38 is joining Heritage Acres for their 24th annual show, bringing with them a large number of their treasured IH equipment and about 200 of their members. Visit www.heritageacres.org for more information

Piikani Pow-wow

2011-07-18T09:54:00.001-07:00

The Piikani Nation is proud to host the 54th Annual Celebration July 29th-31st 2011.

This year’s Celebration includes:

The Pow wow

Stick Game Tournament

IRCA Sanctioned Rodeo

Horse Racing

Junior Rodeo

Mixed Fastball Tournament

NSA Qualifier Slo-Pitch Tournament

Golf Tournament

Buffalo Runner Half Marathon

Parade

and for our young Piikani Ladies the Royalty Pageant.

With over 10 events during our 3 day Celebration there is sure to be something for everyone.

Allied Arts summer exhibits

2011-07-18T02:04:00.000-07:00

The Allied Arts Council of Pincher Creek presents artists D. Helen Mackie and Elaine Zimmer this summer and fall. Click here for more information.