airdrielife fall 2011

fall 2011

She’s got rhythm

Karlie Kenealey music teacher

ArtemberSPECIAL

PULLOUT SECTION

Look insideFor your

2011-12Bert Church LiVe Theatre

season Guide

airdrie’s got TALENTMeet artists, musicians,

dancers, teachers, chefs and welders (yes, welders)

who give airdrie its creative energy

The

arTs issue

airdrielife.com

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46 On the Cover Music teacher Karlie Kenealey returns to her hometown and discovers teaching is music to her ears

Photo by Kristy reimer

life in the moment 18 ARTember – Airdrie’s first citywide festival celebrating arts and culture

20 Picture Perfect – profile of photographer Stewart McLeish

22 Storming the Stage – local musicians on the rise

24 Dancing Delights – sisters express themselves

28 The Art of the Cake – a look at how extraordinary cake decorating has become

30 Bert Church comes ALIVE! – the 2011-12 theatre season heats up

32 In the Village – Rico dishes up good food with an equally good vibe

72Columns and regular features 16 Events Calendar

36 Fitlife with Joan Bell

49 Lifelines with Linda Bruce

52 Rural Roots

55 Lifetimes with Ellen Kelly

70 Lifestyles with Tina McMillan

86 Last Look – a moment in time

captured in print

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In A Mattamy Home, You’ll Find Wide Open Spaces Inside.

Sales Centre Hours: Monday to Thursday 1pm-8pm; Friday 1pm-6pm; Saturday, Sunday and Holidays 11am-6pmAll illustrations are artist’s concept. All dimensions are approximate. Prices, specifications, terms and conditions subject to change without notice. E.&O.E.

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One of the most important interior features you’ll find in a Mattamy home is the sense of spaciousness you experience. We use kneewalls to keep the space open.

And we have shorter halls so walls don’t crowd out the view.

This advantage is particularly useful in the kitchen/dining room/living room connection, which keeps the entire rear of the main floor nice and spacious. It also contains lots of windows to the backyard, so natural light further brightens the interior.

In a Mattamy home you’ll find more living space and less wasted space. Come on in and stretch out.

Executive Double Car Garage Showhome, The Weston ‘B’

life in the moment 18 ARTember – Airdrie’s first citywide festival celebrating arts and culture

20 Picture Perfect – profile of photographer Stewart McLeish

22 Storming the Stage – local musicians on the rise

24 Dancing Delights – sisters express themselves

28 The Art of the Cake – a look at how extraordinary cake decorating has become

30 Bert Church comes ALIVE! – the 2011-12 theatre season heats up

32 In the Village – Rico dishes up good food with an equally good vibe


life in the community 42 Art for the People – how public art is

making Airdrie eye-catching

46 Culture Class – meet teachers who are

passionate about the arts

50 Class Acts – profiles of talented Airdrie

students

53 Fall into Books – Airdrie Public Library

life at home 58 Outdoor Canvas – artist

Michelle Pickering

62 Custom Crib – how a welder

makes memories

64 Builder Profile – meet Tony Laratta of

Artigiano Homes

68 In the Garden – a look back at gorgeous

garden moments

72 The Art of Living Well – showhome

feature

life at work 76 A Cut Above – meet Wendy Bates,

owner of Hair Lounge

78 A Work of Art – turning doodles

into dollars

80 Thinking Creatively –

entrepreneurial spirit

82 On the Edge of Greatness –

the 2011 Winning Edge Awards

84 Small Business Week –

something for everyone

7862

58

Fashionable families have found their home.

When it comes to looking for a family friendly community in Airdrie, you have a few options. But when it comes to a stylish one that’s family centric, there’s really only one choice. Ravenswood. With its attention to design throughout the neighbourhood it can definitely be crowned Airdrie’s fashionable district. And with starter homes from the 290’s and move-ups from the 380’s you don’t want to be fashionably late getting in either. So drop us a visit

Monday through Thursday from 2pm to 8pm or Saturday, Sunday and holidays from noon to 5pm. We have eight recently unveiled new showhomes from our proud builders Broadview Homes (403.980.5600), McKee Homes (403.980.1092), NuVista Homes (403.980.9525) and Pacesetter Homes (403.980.8625)

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8 beautiful showhomes now open

Crestmont • evanston • silverado • the hill • ravenswoodComing soon – redstone • Painted sky • double Creek

RAVENSWOOD - Airdrie Life full page - 8.75x11.25 - July 31.indd 1 11-07-26 10:23 AM


fall 2011Contributors

KRisTy REiMER, photographerArt is almost all-consuming in my life because I’ve chosen a career in it. I love using the creative side of my brain for work and also for play. One of my favourite things to do while on vacation is to shoot per-sonal work. I feel like it hasn’t been a successful vacation until I’ve shot many photos that I can enlarge to hang on my walls.

We asked three of our contributors: What role does art play in your life?

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saRah DEvEau, writerI have always thought of myself as crafty rather than artistic, but now know they can be one and the same.

ELLEn KELLy, writerIt soothes my soul, makes me feel complete, takes me to a place be-yond the stresses of everyday life.

Show Home: 2433 Bayside Circle SW, Airdrie Anni Jansson 403.980.3105

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Why Buy in Phase 9 of Bayside?Phase 9 of Bayside is a very unique estate development located in Airdrie. This secluded development is designed as a loop, ensuring only local traffic. Surrounded on three sides by 6 kilometers of canals, enjoy ice skating in the winter and kayaking and canoeing in the summer. Choose from a wide selection of lot shapes including; corner, pie and walkouts with many of the lots accommodating docks. The wide lots have allowed us to introduce new home styles that have been received with much interest and anticipation.

All amenities are only moments away. Nose Creek Elementary School and playground are steps away. Quick access to Yankee Valley Boulevard takes you to Deerfoot Trail. Once on Deerfoot Trail, Cross Iron Mills Mall, Stoney Trail, Country Hills Boulevard, McKnight Boulevard connect to the Deerfoot Trail at various points.

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editor’s note

As I wAs goIng over All the storIes for our fAll Issue, I wAs remInded yet

AgAIn just how IntegrAl to A communIty Is A vIbrAnt Arts And culture

scene.

This is true whether you live in a small rural town or a huge urban area. Here in our part of the world,

it’s good to remember that art isn’t only accessible at the Louvre or the Metropolitan Museum of Art

(although museums and art galleries on such a grand scale are indeed incredible experiences), but

can be found in public spaces in neighbourhoods around our community (page 42) and such unex-

pected places as Irricana’s Grasshopper Gallery (page 52). The larger multicultural world beyond

our front door can be found not only in big metropolises, but right here in our small city (page 32).

Depending on one’s individual outlook on life, art can be found virtually anywhere – on ice (physics

and acrobatics of hockey), in the great outdoors (rainbows and patterns of farmers’ fields), in rush

hour traffic (soothing meditative practices). Culture comes from experiencing something new with an

open mind (OK, perhaps eating fried scorpions may not be everyone’s idea of a fabulous cultural

experience … but it’s a start).

In Airdrie and area, we are blessed to have a vibrant arts and culture community. Writers, painters,

sculptors, potters, chefs, welders – all add their own unique perspectives and passions to our com-

munity and beyond. All we have to do is go down to Main Street and Centre Avenue to see these

passions celebrated and expressed for the whole world to see.

From painting to photography, from music to fine food – art and culture enhance and expand our

understanding of our world, of our fellow human beings. From my perspective, art is all around us

and cultural experiences are as close as next door.

Just turn the pages of airdrielife and take a look!

Anne Beaty, EDITOR

Group publiSher Sherry Shaw-Froggatt

eDiTor Anne beaty

Copy eDiTor Vanessa peterelli

DeSiGN MANAGer Kim Williams

CoNTribuTorS Joan bell, Sergei belski, linda bruce, olivia Condon, Sarah Deveau, Alex Frazer-harrison, Aaron holmes, Alexa Kanters, ellen Kelly, Kurtis Kristianson, Tina McMillan, Carl patzel, Kristy reimer

ADVerTiSiNG SAleS Wendy potter-Duhaime

priNTiNG print West

ConTaCT us

Community investment [email protected] editorial [email protected] Advertising [email protected] Accounting [email protected]

Where To Find usairdrielife is delivered to all homes in Airdrie and surrounding areas. if you do not receive an issue please contact [email protected]

airdrielife is also available at more than 50 locations around the city including the Airdrie Calgary Co-op. you can also find airdrielife in every showhome in the city and at more than 100 locations in Calgary. airdrielife is published quarterly by Frog Media inc. with the co-operation of the City of Airdrie economic Development Department.

VoluMe 7, NuMber 3 iSSN 1916-355X

Contents copyright 2011 by Frog Media inc. May not be reproduced without permission. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents of any advertisement, and all representations of warranties made in such advertising are those of the advertiser and not of the publisher.

ediToriaL PoLiCy airdrielife editorial is not for sale. editorial is completely inde-pendent from advertising, and no special editorial consideration or commitment of any kind can form any part of the advertising agreement. All editorial inquiries must be directed toward the editor. A copy of Frog Media inc. Writers’ Guidelines can be downloaded from the editorial page on our website.

airdrielife does not accept unsolicited submissions. Freelance writers and photographers interested in assignments are asked to send an inquiry, with samples from at least three published magazine articles, to [email protected]

airdrielife is produced from well-managed forests, printed with canola-based inks, and is 100% recyclable.

We build Sunday Dinners.In our kitchens, and throughout our homes, we build the best into every detail.

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Airdrie Life Sept 2011

Follow us on facebook

life in

the m

omen

t

20 Through the lens 30 onstage 32 Tapas Treats


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Perched in Airdrie’s southwest side, Hillcrest offers easy access to downtown Calgary, CrossIron Mills shopping centre and a wide array of parks and pathways scattered throughout the area.Visit www.hillcrestairdrie.com or contact our showhome builders.

Excel HomesContact: Angela Kolewaski Phone: 403.948.9359Email: [email protected]

Shane HomesContact: Jeff BrodowskiPhone: 403.536.2316Email: [email protected]

Trico Homes Contact: Neil Donnelly Phone: 403.980.8510Email: [email protected]

SINGLE FAMILY HoMESSTArTING FroM THE $350’s

ShowhomeSnow open

APE-1024 Hillcrest_AirdrieLife_8.25 x 10.75_FALL.indd 1 8/2/11 10:49 AM

sePT. 10 airdrie FestThe City of Airdrie is proud to present this second annual community festival showcasing Airdrie community organizations and businesses. Sport demonstrations, Free live music, children’s activities and so much more! 400 Main St. Se, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.sePT. 16 -oCT. 2 arTemberenjoy 17 days of arts and culture celebrations citywide. See pages 18-19 for more details.sePT. 18Welcome Wagon Bridal showcaseAirdrie’s future brides start their planning right here.Airdrie Town & Country Centre, 2 p.m.oCT. 1Teeter Tots swap MeetA charity rummage sale for moms and tots, benefiting Airdrie Food bank and recent fire victims in Airdrie. Nose Creek Valley Museum, 9 a.m.oCT. 3Welcome Wagon Baby showerhaving a baby? Come and see what Airdrie businesses have to offer your new or growing family. Fabulous gift bags and door prizes. register online at welcomewagon.caAirdrie Town & Country Centre, 6 p.m.oCT. 16 Peter karp & sue FoleyThis talented duo sold out the Jack Singer Concert hall on the very first leg of the tour. He Said – She Said is an inspired and award-winning collaboration of original songs by Canadian Juno Award-winner Sue Foley and critically acclaimed u.S. singer/songwriter and blind pig artist peter Karp. bert Church liVe Theatre, 7:30 p.m.oCT. 17-21airdrie small Business Week. See page 84 for complete calendar.oCT. 19Calgary Philharmonic orchestraCalgary philharmonic orchestra has been a cornerstone of Calgary’s multifaceted arts community since 1955 and is one of North America’s finest and most versatile live music ensembles.bert Church live Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

oCT. 22airdrie Family Fall FairCome on out for a family-filled day. See more than 50 local exhibitors, plus bouncy houses, a huge inflatable obstacle course, carnival games, face painters, a charity pancake breakfast and barbecue, door prizes and more! Airdrie Town & Country Centre, 9 a.m.oCT. 29rik emmett of Triumphhall-of-Famer rik emmett has played solo or with his own band since 1990, playing rock, jazz, blues and classical. There are no musical boundaries for rik. bert Church liVe Theatre, 7:30 p.m.noV. 5Lester Quitzau TrioThe lester Quitzau Trio goes many places … rockin’ real slow and easy, front-porch style, and then on down a long winding road, covering many a mile, with heart and soul at the wheel. bert Church liVe Theatre, 7:30 p.m.noV. 19Bif naked (acoustic)platinum-selling recording artist bif Naked has recorded and produced her first acoustic album. The internationally known performer and breast cancer survivor is a celebrated and diverse multi-disciplinary artist who is known for sliding easily between her punk roots and rock, pop, alternative and contemporary genres of music. bert Church liVe Theatre, 7:30 p.m.noV. 25international Guitar night (iGn)The 2011 edition of iGN, the world’s premier touring guitar festival, brings four interesting and innovative guitarists together to exchange musical ideas in a public-concert setting: San Franciscan guitar poet brian Gore joined by Adrian legg, england’s eclectic, electric guitarist; lulo reinhardt, from Germany, carrying on Django’s Gypsy Swing legacy with an added latin flavour; and Marco pereira, brazil’s multidimensional virtuoso.bert Church liVe Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

airdrielife.comWe’ve loaded up our website with even more features and exclusive stories plus our very popular reader contests, all on airdrielife.com

Good PriZe!Win! A $25 gift certificate from Good earth Coffeehouse

hoT PriZe!Win! 1 of 5 $20 gift certificates from Sophies pizza

CooL PriZe!Win! bert Church liVe Theatre Concert tickets 2 tickets to Calgary philharmonic orchestra oct. 19 or 2 tickets to lester Quitzau Trio Nov. 5

WiN! A $500 Airdrie shopping spree!! Take our reader survey and you could be shopping ‘til you drop!

More LiFe onLine lifesmarts with Sarah Deveau Two-stepping talent Jana Jaeger Airdrie public library fall programs, from preschool to seniorhow does your CoMMuNiTy garden grow? plus weekly Airdrie 360 videos featuring local celebrities, businesses and events!

What’s happening,Airdrie?here’s a quick snapshot of events coming up – airdrielife will be there!

CoMinG soonThe 16th annual Airdrie Festival of lights,

Dec. 1-31. Volunteer NoW at 403-912-XMAS

or airdriefestivaloflights.com

.com

life in the moment | events/online

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Perched in Airdrie’s southwest side, Hillcrest offers easy access to downtown Calgary, CrossIron Mills shopping centre and a wide array of parks and pathways scattered throughout the area.Visit www.hillcrestairdrie.com or contact our showhome builders.

Excel HomesContact: Angela Kolewaski Phone: 403.948.9359Email: [email protected]

Shane HomesContact: Jeff BrodowskiPhone: 403.536.2316Email: [email protected]

Trico Homes Contact: Neil Donnelly Phone: 403.980.8510Email: [email protected]

SINGLE FAMILY HoMESSTArTING FroM THE $350’s

ShowhomeSnow open

APE-1024 Hillcrest_AirdrieLife_8.25 x 10.75_FALL.indd 1 8/2/11 10:49 AM


It’s new, it’s shiny and it’s all everyone is talking about. ARTember is 17 days of arts-and-culture events and activi-ties for all ages showcasing all things visual, performance, literary, musical

and multicultural.ARTember officially kicks off Sept. 16

with the SPLASH! Art Show and Sale hosted by Airdrie Regional Arts Society at the Rocky View Schools offices. The eve-ning is a wine-and-cheese reception with live music, a live art auction, art demos and, of course, gorgeous works of art for sale. Tickets for this party are available online at artemberlaunch.eventbrite.com (Unof-ficially ARTember starts a few hours ear-lier with a, well, they can’t tell you … it’s a surprise, but if you join the Facebook group you will be privy to this information.)

Sept. 16 also marks the start of Taste of Airdrie. Nine restaurants have joined together to offer dinner promotions and live entertainment throughout the month. at their locations. There is a reward for dining out at least five times – more than $250 in prizes.

Also in ARTember, businesses through-out the city – from banks to dive shops – are exhibiting local art and hosting performers at their businesses to show their support of the arts community.

The biggest event of ARTember hap-pens to land on the first anniversary of the formation of Creative Airdrie Society, so it’s fitting that the AIRdirondack Auc-tion and Gala takes place Sept. 24 at McArthur Fine Furniture. This upscale party invites more than 200 guests to don their best duds, groove to a live jazz band, nibble gourmet delights and bid on the 12 original works of art – the AIRdirondack

life in the moment | events

ARTemberairdrie’s first citywide celebration of the arts has everyone talking

Meaghan smith Live

art show and sale

fall 2011 | airdrielife.com 19

ember.caart

MEAGHAN SMITH LIVE ART SHOW & SALE CULTURE @ THE CREEK LANTERN CEREMONY CHRIS SMITH JAZZ AIRDIRONDACK GALAWORKSHOPS &DEMOS

chairs. Last year’s event raised $10,000 and included Lindsay Black-ett, Alberta minister of culture and community spirit, as a success-ful bidder. Tickets for the AIRdirondack Gala are available online at airdirondackgala.eventbrite.com

The Youth Arts Mash-Up features workshops, parties and con-tests for youths, including a texting competition in which the kicker is lines from Shakespeare that have to be texted (it’s worth the effort – the prize is a brand new 4G iPhone). At the Ron Ebbeson Arena (the unof-ficial youth headquarters of ARTember), the Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie has created a digital media hub where youths can take part in digital filmmaking workshops, enter a filmmaking contest and explore photography, dance and music. Ten very cool pieces of art (skateboard decks painted by tattoo artists) are being raffled off during ARTember to support youth arts projects, such as the urban art workshop hosted by professional street artists who will teach aerosol art design and create their own outdoor gallery space.

Genesis Place is host to the attempt to hold the world’s largest hip-hop class in the field houses, with Susan Laing choreographing a funky number for anyone to join in. Also at Genesis, the Airdrie and District Quilt Guild is inviting people in to watch work in progress and learn more about the art.

One of the most talked about FREE events is the Oct. 1 Meaghan Smith concert at Bert Church LIVE Theatre. This 2011 Juno Award-winner for best new artist brings her show to town and the coveted tickets are only available through the Bert Church Theatre box office at 403-948-8824. Other free events at the theatre include a Loose Moose Theatre improv workshop and show; the silly Flyin’ Bob family show; the Nose Creek Players theatre performances; and an open mike night for local talent.

Nose Creek Park gets a makeover with Culture in the Creek over the Arts Days weekend Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 with a variety of entertain-

ment, starting with a showcase by local school choirs and bands on the Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, the park hosts more than 30 artisans and vendors (including great food), interactive arts activity areas for youngsters, demos and the highlight of non-stop performances on a series of stages featuring multicultural groups, magicians, local bands, singers and dancers. The Friday and Sat-urday evenings feature the first-ever beer gardens in Nose Creek Park with Comedy at the Creek the first night and Fusion at the Creek, a night of Celtic, folk and jazz music with headliner Chris Smith, the second night.

The Downtown Artwalk Oct. 1 features Main Street businesses hosting exhibits, demos, arts activities and food samplings. At City Hall everyone can join in the giant chalk art collaborative work and then pop over the library for workshops, readings and more.

ARTember wraps up the evening of Oct. 2 with a traditional float-ing lantern ceremony. Five hundred floating lantern kits will be dis-tributed at 7 p.m. at the northeast pond in Cooper’s Crossing where volunteers will help light and set the lanterns out onto the water. The evening will provide a beautiful photographic opportunity and a serene way to end what is to become an annual celebration of Airdrie’s bur-geoning arts scene. life

FoR MoRE inFoRMaTion on ARTember, find a complete 48-page pullout guide in the centre of airdrielife or go online to artember.ca

Workshops and demos airdirondack Gala


life in the moment | artist profile

PHOTOGRAPHER STEWART McLEISHsTory By eLLen keLLy | PhoTo By serGei BeLski

Life through the

Lenswith

“Life is not measured by the

number of breaths we take but

by the number of moments that

take our breath away.”

- Anonymous

background:Retail administration. Just before retirement, I was a financial planner. Airdrie resident for 22 years, ARTS [member/director]; volun-teer with ARTember, Airdrie Food Bank and Empty Bowls.

Interest in photography:About six years ago, my brother invited me to take a photography course with him in Arizona. I took a lot of snapshots with a film camera and when I got them developed, they looked OK and that surprised me. The next year, I used a digital camera and that’s how it started.

training:I’m self-taught, learned by trial and error. Show me how to do something and I can do it.

favourite subjects to photograph:They’re all favourites. I wouldn’t want to give up one to do another. I started shooting land-scapes … then flowers. I wanted to shoot wild-life so I booked a trip to Alaska to shoot bears and practised by taking pictures of dogs at a doggie daycare because they move unpre-dictably. I’ve always wanted to take National Geographic-type pictures of people.

Importance in my life:I was ill for a long time and my photography saved me. It gave me something that I was in-terested in, that I could do whenever I felt like it. I don’t always feel like it but that’s OK.

Philosophy as an artist:Every photograph I show has moved me in some way. It’s either pleasurable enough or startling enough to share. If you ask people why they like a photograph, often they have no idea but they’ve connected on an emotion-al level. I’m not a documentary photographer and I don’t want to be … my goal is not to make money; it’s to catch the expression or essence of the subject. It’s art to me.

Awards/shows:First in 2011 Calgary Stampede Western Photo Contest (First Nations category) and honourable mention (rodeo category), as well as 2010 honourable mention (land-scape category). McLeish has been shown at Airdrie Public Library, City Hall, Genesis Place and various businesses in Airdrie. He will be at Nose Creek during ARTember and at various Christmas markets in the Airdrie/

Calgary area. life

King'sHeights_AirdrieLife_0911_V.indd 1 7/26/11 4:15:15 PM


QSTORM

withA&life in the moment | musicians

The forecast for this Airdrie youth band is bright skies ahead sTory and PhoTo By kurTis krisTianson



Check out an event, parade or talent show in Airdrie and you’ll probably see a teen trio rocking out on stage to the same music you listened to while growing up in the ’70s and ’80s.

Regardless of their age, though, the members of Storm – Brad and Ryan Fleischer and Zack McK-ague – are hard-working and dedicated and al-ready know what it means to make a career band work. Storm opened for Tom Cochrane last year and Aaron Pritchett and the Headpins this August.

airdrielife recently sat down with founding mem-ber Brad to learn a little bit more.

Q: how old were you when you started out and how long have you been together as a band?A: When the band started getting shows, I was just about 14 and Ryan, my brother, was 12. Ryan and I have been playing in Storm and gigging for just over three years while Zack McKague, our drummer, joined us eight months ago.

Q: What type of music do you play and who are two of your biggest influences?A: Our cover songs are mostly classic rock, but we play some modern light rock and pop as well. We also have about 45 minutes’ to an hour’s worth of original material we perform. Our two biggest influences would be Bon Jovi and Pink Floyd.

Q: how is it that a teen rock band from the late 2000s is covering classic tunes from an era 10 to 15 years before they were born?A: We feel that the music from that era seemed to have more feeling and more stories to tell. It seems more cre-ative and entertaining than most of the music from today, which is often auto-tuned and machine-generated. Not to say that modern music is all bad – we still like The Fray,

Daughtry, 3 Doors Down and such. Rock ‘n’ roll ain’t dead yet!

Q: The average lifespan of a band these days is about a year, or two practices (if the drummer shows). Why are you guys still together?A: Our parents taught us at a very young age that if you really want something you have to work for it. We don’t like wasting time, and we spend practically every waking minute doing anything we can to get the band ahead … and we love it. It’s proven to be a lot of work so far, but we aren’t planning on giving up anytime soon.

Q: you just released your first album, The Storm With-in. Besides laying down tracks, how much of the pro-duction were you involved in?A: We spent thousands of dollars on recording equip-ment and then rented equipment worth thousands of dollars on top of that. I spent [more than] 900 hours recording, mixing, editing and designing the art for the album. Ryan was there for around half of those hours. Our previous drummer, Jason Bennett, drummed three songs on the album and our cur-rent drummer, Zack McKague, drummed the other six. After all of this, we had it professionally mastered and then professionally replicated and packaged in Toronto.

Q: Does the teenage high school lifestyle influence the writing?A: If you ask most of my friends they’d say I don’t even have a life outside of the band at all, so most of my influences come from self-experience and struggles ex-perienced within the band, hence the title of the album.

Q: What is the next big thing/step for the band?A: It’s been quite the ride already – we can’t wait to see what happens next. We are also planning on pushing the album and have been performing in various towns in Southern Alberta, such as Irricana, Strathmore, Cochrane, Crossfield, etc., and plan on expanding even more in the months ahead. life MoRE sToRM onLinE at airdrielife.com

The forecast for this Airdrie youth band is bright skies ahead sTory and PhoTo By kurTis krisTianson


life in the moment | dance

QA&Performer

Two sisters stop leaping and turning for a few minutes to talk about their shared passion for all things dance

Q. how old were you when you started dancing?Alisa, 4; Megan; 11Q. Where are you now?Alisa: Fourth year of dance at the University of Calgary (emphasis on chore-ography and performance), teaching dance at Airdrie Dance Academy and Soul Connexion (Calgary).Megan: Competing and performing, attending the dance program at Cen-tral Memorial High School (Calgary). Q. What’s your most annoying dance habit?Alisa: Pressing my lips together when I’m concentrating.Megan: “Ping.”Q. Most memorable stage moment?Alisa: My last moments on stage as a competitive dancer. We were doing ballet to Amazing Grace and we were all dancing through tears, it was so emotional.Megan: Performing in the [Stampede] grandstand show this year in the Young Canadians’ Volte.Q. Tell us something about backstage that people wouldn’t know.Alisa: How much we are practising and talking to the dancers across the stage in the other wing.Megan: You always have to pee right before stepping on stage. Q. Dancing can be dangerous – had any injuries?Alisa: Sprained foot and ankles, pulled-back muscles, tendon bursitis in my foot.Megan: Tendonitis, sprained knees, ankles, broken wrist and a cracked sternum.

Q. What’s the hardest move you’ve had to learn?Alisa: Russian splits.Megan: A walkover.Q. Most costume changes in a single show?Alisa: Seven.Megan: Eight.Q. if i couldn’t be dancing i’d be….Alisa: No idea, although at one point I did want to be a forensic scientist.Megan: Crying every day, fat.Q. The best thing about having a sister who dances?Alisa: I can use her to help me choreograph lifts.Megan: She’s always there to help you learn new tricks.Q. The worst thing about having a sister who dances?Alisa: It’s good and bad – we push each other to work harder and nail tricks.Megan: When she gets a trick or move before me, and being compared.Q. in 10 years i want to be….Alisa: Dancing, producing dance on film, teaching.Megan: Famous.Q. Who is your dance inspiration?Alisa: Susan Laing – my dance teacher who encouraged me to pursue dance as a career.Megan: My sister. life

dancing sisters Megan Bialas, 17 (left), and sister alisa, 21

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life in the moment | sweet dreams


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life in the community | theatre

Taking the Stage

Bert Church LIVE Theatre presents its greatest season yet By JenniFer CorMier

The 2011-12 season at Bert Church LIVE Theatre (BCT) brings back some time-

honoured traditions and ventures into new territory with the expan-sion of the Family Series. The season listing at thebertchurch-theatre.com provides a great deal of information and allows you the opportunity to view a video of the performers prior to purchasing your tickets.

The online ticket purchasing system, introduced last season, has made things much easier for patrons. You can now go online whenever your schedule allows and view all of the seats available for purchase to any of the upcom-ing Professional Series and Family Series shows.

Bif naked

fall 2011 | airdrielife.com 31Taking the Stage

The 2011-12 season contains too much tal-ent to list. A few of the highlights include Pe-ter Karp and Sue Foley, a duo that has sold out Jack Singer Concert Hall, followed by an-other group of musicians that consistently sells out Jack Singer, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Where else but Bert Church LIVE Theatre can you see a professional or-chestra for just $15?

The programming at BCT covers every-thing from classical to rock, gospel to comedy, French to English, and everything in between.

Rik Emmett, of the iconic Canadian rock band Triumph, will play his hits in a cool rock show Oct. 29. This one is sure to sell out quickly!

Bif Naked, another Canadian rock icon, will be performing her acoustic rock show Nov. 19.

If you watched the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics, you would have seen dynamic Canadian fiddler April Verch. Her trio takes to our stage Feb. 10.

The season ends with more well-known Canadian bands. An exciting double bill of the Grapes of Wrath and Odds will rock the theatre March 24 and it all wraps up with the Crash Test Dummies April 21.

Airdrie is a young community and we at BCT realize that families are looking to spend quality time together. The five Family Series shows aim to entertain and promote connec-tion within your family. The diverse program-ming will reflect different languages and mul-tiple styles of music, and the entire family can enjoy some stress-relieving silliness as well.

The Family Series begins on the Halloween weekend with Juno award-winner Al Sim-mons. Bilingual entertainer Will Stroet will perform the first weekend of February and the classical duo Soaring Strings will make sure your Family Day weekend is full of fun. Calgary Opera and the Prairie Mountain Fiddlers round out the series.

There are many benefits to keeping it local with your entertainment and cultural activities. Tickets are all very reasonably priced for top-quality performers. BCT is a lovely, intimate theatre and you get to meet the performers after the show! They are fantastic about signing auto-graphs and posing for pictures. It is fun to watch these amazing talents on stage and then meet them as real people after the show.

The theatre also has a Facebook page, which is a great place to keep up to date

and to interact with others interested in live theatre. One of the interesting benefits to be-ing a fan of the page is the “Behind the Scenes” pictures that are posted. It is a great way to see what goes on before and after the show.

New this season are the Professional Se-ries and Family Series season passes. These provide patrons with a discounted entertain-ment option that guarantees specific seats for the entire season. Season passes will be avail-able online and through the theatre office until Oct.15.

Come and check out Airdrie’s hidden gem. Imagine it … live! life

Bif naked

Calgary Philharmonic orchestra Crash Test dummies

al simmons


life in the moment | chef profileChef rico Pacheco demonstrates his

expertise and creativity in the kitchen


Village People

Queso con chorizo fundi-do. Ah, the name simply melts in the mouth.

And that’s as it should be. The dish is actually

baked provolone cheese topped with grilled Spanish chorizo sausage and it certainly does melt in the mouth.

This wonderful taste sensation is only one of several on the menu at Rico’s in the Village, owned and operated by chef Rico Pacheco and his business partner, Loy Pacheco.

Having opened in March of this year, Ri-co’s offers something new to the Airdrie fine dining experience – a restaurant devoted to tapas, or appetizers.

The restaurant’s opening may have taken a long time, but Rico’s in the Village is now es-tablishing itself as one of the top restaurants in the area. Much of its popularity is due to its welcoming atmosphere and warm ambiance. Loy ensures that everyone feels comfortable and at home and Rico himself often comes out from the kitchen to chat with customers.

The food is also exquisito, a unique blend of French cooking with a Chilean influence. One of the secrets to his fine cooking, Rico says, is that everything is made from scratch, with only the freshest ingredients, purchased daily.

“I love it, I love to shop. It’s very relaxing to get out,” he says with a smile, adding that he frequents the farmers markets and knows all the managers at the local grocery stores.

Another secret is that the restaurant’s fare is exactly what he would offer in his own kitchen.

“Pretty much everything on the menu is something I’ve made at home,” Rico says. “It’s tried and true; it’s something that I love.”

His ‘secrets’ obviously make a difference. One of the best compliments he can get is when “[customers] are like, ‘Oh my god,’ and then they’ll order [the dish] again,” he says. “It’s very warming that people love what you do.”

The customers express their satisfaction in unique ways, too – there’s even one gentle-man who has the Madeira-infused pulled pork for dessert, Loy says.

For the chef, the journey to Airdrie was a circuitous one. Originally from Chile, the Pacheco family fled the country when Rico was a child. His father, a police detective, had been accused by Augusto Pinochet’s military regime of leftist leanings, jailed and actually scheduled for execution when a sympathetic general, whose son the elder Pinochet had let off being arrested, had him released. The family immediately ap-plied for visas to both Canada and Aus-tralia and when Canada opened the door, the Pachecos were on the next plane. Once in their new home in Calgary, the family settled in and Rico’s father became a heavy-duty mechanic. (The elder Pachecos now live in Kelowna, where they are dance in-

sTory By anne BeaTy | PhoTos By krisTy reiMer

rico pacheco combines French and Chilean tastes at new restaurant


structors and love teaching everyone how to tango.)

Rico’s love of cooking began at an early age. “It’s definitely a passion,” he says. As a child, he was always in the kitchen, watching his mother and helping prepare meals.

“Most of my cooking came from my mom,” Rico says. “As a child, if Mom was cooking something, I was always fascinated with … what was going on.”

That fascination stayed with him as he grew up.

“When I went through high school, I always knew what I wanted to do,” he says. With that in mind, Rico went to SAIT for its profession-al cooking program. When he graduated, CP Hotels had opened the Lodge at Kananaskis for the 1988 Olympics. Rico’s SAIT teacher was offered a job there and took some of his students with him, Rico included. Thus began a 10-year stint with CP Hotels that took Rico from Alberta to Vancouver to Toronto.

In Toronto, Rico took a several-year break from his cooking career when he and Loy (married at the time, although the couple has since separated) had children, because he didn’t want to have to work the demanding schedule, including weekends and holidays, that a career as chef requires. By that time, his father had a trucking company and he asked Rico to work with him. So the Rico, Loy and the children moved to Calgary and when they couldn’t find a house they wanted there, they turned their sights to Airdrie.

Once in their new home, Rico knew it was time to return to his passion and he and Loy began to plan for their new restaurant. After deciding to locate in a 100-year-old house, they began an educational journey of ups and downs, getting the house ready for customers.

“We were so new at the whole construction thing,” Rico says.

But as they went along they learned all about building codes and materials; fire codes; different trades, all of whom they hired from Airdrie – in short, all the ins and outs of reno-vating a century-old building. Despite the trials and tribulations, though, the two are pleased with the end result

“It turned out exactly the way we envisioned it,” Rico says.

Loy agrees. “Things just sort of fell into place.”Now the hard work of owning and running a

restaurant is more than offset by the enjoyment that comes from pursuing a passion and sharing it with others, customers and family alike.

“One of the best things about my restaurant is that I get to work with my kids,” Rico says of Stefan, 15, and Gracyn, 14.

The two young Pachecos are definitely get-ting to know more about their father’s career. Although Stefan has taken no interest in cook-ing at home, he is showing a real affinity with the grill at the restaurant.

“He’s got a natural knack at the grill,” says his proud father. “Now he’s talking about going to SAIT.”

For Gracyn, a different aspect of cooking appeals. “[She] loves her baking,” Rico says. “She’s got

a dream of opening up a bakery … and selling me the bread.”

Whether or not his children follow in his footsteps, Rico can offer them the best lesson he knows about success in the kitchen.

“The best ingredient a chef can have is con-fidence,” he says.

In the years to come, Rico’s in the Village will continue to be a unique venue for a special dining experience. Rico and Loy are proud of what their hard work has achieved in the few months the restaurant has been open and the community seems to be welcoming them with open arms.

For Rico, another aspect of life in Airdrie also gives him a positive outlook – his partner, Terrie Laverty, with whom he is living, “has brought joy into my personal life as much as cooking does,” he says.

Looking ahead, he does have one goal, though, that would bring him the ultimate satisfaction.

“I’d like to be one of the top 10 restaurants in Alberta,” Rico says. “I want to get to the point where I have to turn people away because I’m full.” life

Go To aiRDRiELiFE.CoM for Rico’s famous pebre (Chilean salsa) recipe.

life in the moment | chef profile

Grilled Asparagus (with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil)

20 asparagus sprigs4 tablespoons each extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar1/2 cup crumbled feta cheesesalt (pinch) MeThod: preheat barbecue grill. Trim ends and wash asparagus; place in 9x13 pan. Toss asparagus with oil, vinegar and salt.

place asparagus on hot grill; keep turning until grill marks all over (about five minutes). place on serv-ing platter and drizzle with leftover oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with and feta cheese and enjoy!

Tequila-Lime Marinated Shrimp1 lb large shrimp (16-20 count)1/4 cup tequila1 lime1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)1/4 cup sour cream1 tablespoon curry powder1 tablespoon extra virgin oil olivesalt (pinch) MeThod: in medium bowl add all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Cover and place in fridge for at least one hour.

When ready preheat barbecue grill. on hot grill cook shrimp (marinade discarded) about three to five min-utes per side.

noTe: Serve as a side with rice pilaf or on top of a green salad. Also good on its own as a appetizer for your next dinner party.


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life in the moment | column

For Many, yoGa is a PhysiCaL disCiPLine ThaT inVoLVes stretching, working out, relaxing and finding a bit of quiet time away

from the madness of daily living. While yoga has definite spiritual un-

derpinnings, it is by no means a religion, and can best be described as a

combination of art and science.

For me, yoga is all about strength, balance and flexibility. Of course

these words can describe the physical or scientific side of yoga, but they

can also define the artistic component. The practice of yoga helps me

focus on my inner strength; it helps bring balance to my life and flex-

ibility in how I view the world.

Yoga as art can be interpreted in many different ways. I would like to

share with you a personal experience that helped me find my version of

the art of yoga.

In 2003 I attended yoga classes in Airdrie with a special group of la-

dies. We had a fantastic instructor named Marcy (who still teaches in

Airdrie at Airdrie Yoga & Fitness) and we wanted to do something to

show our appreciation for the fact that Marcy had brought the power

of yoga into our lives. Four of us, Cindy, Haley, Sherry and myself, came

up with the idea to put together a calendar that interpreted how yoga

had become part of our everyday lives.

We took pictures of ourselves doing yoga poses as we went grocery

shopping, did the ironing, cleaned the house, made meals and chat-

ted on the phone. The calendar was a huge hit and we had so much

fun putting it together that we decided to do another calendar the

following year.

Our second calendar was entitled The Working Woman’s Guide to

Yoga and included shots of us in yoga poses as we attended business

meetings, picked up the groceries on the way home from our jobs and

multitasked as busy working women, wives and mothers. We even came

up with goofy titles for the poses, such as “supported briefcase pose,”

“legs up the wall filing pose” and “extended side milk jug angle pose.”

Making the calendars was a lot of fun and helped us raise funds

for Airdrie Food Bank. What really stands out for me, though, is the

friendship that developed between four wonderful women as we shared

our common interest.

To me, the true art of yoga is reflected by the development of these

lasting friendships grounded in our mutual practice and enjoyment

of yoga. life

The true art of yoga

Cindy and Joan perform “supported briefcase pose”

Haley demonstrates “extended side milk jug angle pose”

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life in the community | public spaces

ART for the People

Airdrie is starting to add more ways for residents and visitors to enjoy a visual feast

sTory By aLex FraZer-harrison


Totem poles donated by airdrie’s sister city Gwacheon, south korea

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AT CeNTre AVeNue AND MAiN STreeT you’ll FiND the work of hundreds of Airdrie residents along a 300-foot mural.

The Main Street Art Project is an example of pub-lic art in Airdrie. Some, like Main Street, are temporary – the mural adds colour to an empty lot – and some are events-based, such as the Airdrie Festival of Lights. Some are permanent, like the statues gracing a few of Airdrie’s new communities.

“When I think of successful public art, I think of suc-cessful communities; the vibrancy, the walkability of a neighbourhood,” says Michael McAllister, community developer with City of Airdrie community services. “The Main Street project is a great example of community art. The Centennial Sphere [sculpture] outside City Hall was a community-driven art project the City of Airdrie sup-ported with its expertise in procurement and working with community groups.

“We also have the totem poles in Gwacheon Park, which were donated by our sister city, Gwacheon, [South] Korea,” McAllister adds. “It didn’t cost us very much, as the actual materials were all donated, and it’s become a real icon for the city.”

Airdrie doesn’t have a dedicated public art director as some cities have. “In some municipalities, they have a pub-lic art director and a staff that works to support the pro-curement of artwork on behalf of the municipality,” says McAllister. “Airdrie is 40,000 people, so we’re not there yet. But that could be a direction council could take down the road.”

From the City’s point of view, the municipal role in terms of public art is really about community art. “It’s more working with community groups and seeing what their interest is in the art in the public realm,” he says, “and really supporting their initiatives in whatever way we as a city can.”

Public art is “a big step in growing into a more mature, more sophisticated city,” says Pat Cashion, board chairman of Creative Airdrie. “It doesn’t have to be fancy – it just means you value expression through art in your community.”

According to McAllister, the key to successful pub-lic art is in engaging the community, and it is part of the formula for creating pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods, such as Inglewood and Kensington in Calgary. “All those areas have an element of public art to them,” he says.

Some developers have embraced the idea of public art as community focal point.

For example, statues adorn public spaces in Sagewood and Reunion, two Airdrie neighbourhoods by Hopewell Residential Communities.

“Every community has parks, but introducing public art adds vitality and life,” says Scott Hamilton, Hopewell’s senior manager of marketing and communications. “Even with a static piece of art, it gives that open space a focal point and a conversation piece.”

Reunion is home to a bronze statue of a little girl taking a peek inside her mom’s picnic basket. In Sagewood, a stat-ue of a young soccer player graces the community. Both are by Cochrane bronze sculptors Don and Shirley Begg.

Hamilton says that each of these statues tells a story. “The [Reunion] statue honours the Bowen family, who originally farmed the land, and we went to the family and consulted with them about it,” he says. The image of the little girl and the picnic basket reflects the Bowens’ family values, and recalls the fact they were often seen enjoying picnics together in the early 1900s.

The Sagewood statue’s theme was chosen because of Airdrie residents’ love of soccer and the close proximity of Sagewood to the Monklands soccer fields, Hamilton says, adding that the Airdrie Soccer Association logo is immor-talized on the statue. “We were fortunate to have a young soccer player by the name of Gordie … agree to model for the statue,” he says.

For John Torode, of Torode Realty Advisors, incorpo-rating a piece of public art, such as a statue, into a neigh-bourhood connects the history to the community, preserv-ing the legacy of that story. Torode’s company, which took over construction of the 97-unit Copperstone Village de-velopment in Airdrie earlier this year, is known for adding art to the office and residential buildings under his watch. For example, a Torode development in Calgary’s Ramsay neighbourhood features Device to Root Out Evil, a strik-ing six-metre-tall sculpture of an upside-down church by Dennis Oppenheim.

“I first got inspired [by public art] when I was visiting Barcelona with my sons about six years ago,” he says. “It’s amazing the public art and history of art and architecture you see there. The problem with a lot of cities [is] they be-come very utilitarian.”

Torode hopes to combat that trend by adding art pieces to his developments. While it may be too early to tell if an art piece will be added to Copperstone Village, he says, the city is coming of age in terms of its arts and culture.

“I think Airdrie has changed quite a bit in the last few years – it’s no longer a bedroom community,” he says. life

For hopewell’s scott hamilton, public art adds vitality to a community

Centennial sphere in front of airdrie City hall

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±WELCOME TO AIRDRIE!WELCOME TO AIRDRIE!

This map is for thematic purposes only. This map may not be reproduced,in whole or in part, in any form or by any means without written permissionof the City of Airdrie. The City of Airdrie provides this information in goodfaith, but it provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability arising from anyincorrect, incomplete or misleading information or its improper use.

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Visit Alberta’s Icons & Win Great Prizes! Download your passport from albertaicons.com. Visit the Korean Totem Poles in Nose Creek Park and get your passport stamped at Nose Creek Valley Museum or the Airdrie Public Library.

Explore the world in your backyard!

Airdrie’s Korean Totem Poles are 1 of 36 community icons across Alberta.


life in the community | education

Culture ClasssTory By aLex FraZer-harrison PhoTos By serGei BeLski

From drama to choir, from visual

arts to band, Airdrie is home to

many teachers whose goal in life

is to expand their students’ fine

arts horizons.

keLLy siMonFor the last six years, music students at École Edwards Elementary School have benefitted from the experience of Kelly Simon, a singer/songwriter who sees children and music as a marriage of passions.

“All through my childhood, I was in sing-ing lessons and musical theatre,” says Simon. “I studied opera performance and went into education.

“If you’re a musician,” she adds, “you have that desire within you to share that with somebody. Not only teaching what I know, but creating something together – creat-ing that sense of musicality and growing through music is such a powerful part of the whole child.”

Along with teaching music to Grades 1-4, this past year Simon also found her-self coaching former students in Grades 5-8 who came back for the Rocky View Schools youth choir.

“The students say, ‘Wow, this is a part of me I never explored before,’” says Simon. “My goal is to create an area where they feel safe and wel-come in their own expression.”

Simon continues to expand her own musi-cal horizons, too. One song she wrote and re-corded, Enjoy the Ride, was posted to Rocky View Schools’ website last year.

“It was a metaphor on getting my master’s degree – it connected my passion for music and my passion for teaching,” she says.

kelly simon


Today’s teachers encourage tomorrow’s artists and performers

Jordan harrisGeorge McDougall High School is like a second home for band teacher Jordan Harris.

“I’m sort of a lifer,” he laughs. “My grad picture’s just outside my office, and going through the other pictures down the hall, it’s basically the family tree – parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, brother, sister.... ”

Harris started band (playing sax) when he was in Grade 7, and even back then, he remembers, “I was saying I wanted to be the band teacher at George Mac. And here I’m living the dream!”

According to the teacher, band is a great equalizer for his students. “They come from all walks of life – jocks, math club – everyone comes together and there are no barriers, just the same desire to make something great.”

And Harris loves to see his stu-dents enjoy a “star moment” – his band has played for the premier, is planning a trip to Disneyland next year and even recently recorded a keepsake DVD.

“Music affects everyone one way or another. As long as everyone has mu-sic in their life, it is always going to be a part of what we do,” he says. “And one thing I have always loved about music in school – we all come together as a team.”

sCoTT BLoxhaMScott Bloxham describes himself as “a corridor kid.”

Raised in Edmonton and Calgary, Bloxham had dreams of becoming a professional actor, but realized he en-joyed teaching drama even more.

“For me, the greatest thing is watch-ing kids create something they weren’t aware was there,” says Bloxham, now

Jordan harris

scott Bloxham


drama teacher at Bert Church High School. “My favourites are kids who say … ‘I didn’t want to be in drama,’ but they’re the ones who will follow it through to the end.

“What I often see are kids who are strug-gling with their own identity and confidence,” he adds. “They come to a class like this ner-vous, and they leave feeling they can accom-plish almost anything.”

Bloxham says that his students are often surprised at how drama and the arts cross over into other school subjects. For example, mak-ing sure stage lights are angled properly with the right colours – that’s physics. Play analysis comes out of English class. “When you use for-mulas to figure out how much wattage you can pull from a dimmer, that’s math,” he says.

A highlight for Bloxham’s students is their annual mainstage production. This past school year, they performed the musical Anne of Green Gables and Bloxham plans to mount Peter Pan and a dinner murder mystery theatre this school year.

sTePhanie MarTinParts of Meadowbrook Middle School re-semble an art gallery, thanks to the efforts of visual arts teacher Stephanie Martin and her students.

“I started university as a kinesiology major … I took my first art history class and fell in love with it,” says the University of Lethbridge grad. “I was a swim coach for years, and kids have always responded to me.”

Martin says that her interest is in “capturing the kids who don’t really like to draw.” For her, art is not just about drawing. It also involves printmaking, street art, stencil art, sculpture – even doll-making.

She often tries to tie art into what students are learning elsewhere.

“They were studying Japan in Grade 8 so-cial studies, so we looked at wood block prints,” Martin says. Tying in with digital literacy, the students created self-portraits.

“We did ‘ugly dolls,’ so we looked at things like street art culture and vinyl toys. We did stencils, and that’s what I really captured my Grade 8s with this year,” she says.

“I wanted [students] to think about how you can create a message without any words,” Martin adds as she passes a powerful image of a soldier in shadow, created by a student whose father is in the service.

karLie keneaLeyFor Nose Creek Elementary music teacher

Karlie Kenealey, fine arts is about giving young people a chance to shine.

Since joining Nose Creek five years ago, Airdrie-raised Kenealey has helped give children in Grades 1-4 a chance to learn how to musically express themselves and build self-confidence.

“I started piano lessons when I was two, and did band and choir in junior high and high school. When I finished Grade 12, I decided I enjoyed music, so I’d stick with that,” she re-calls. Soon, she realized she enjoyed teaching more than performing.

“ There’s nothing like working with kids … I really like the little ones because they’re so excited,” Kenealey says. “ They come to school every day with that clean slate, and they just want to learn. They suck it all in.”

And the results can be spectacular.“We just did our Grade 3-4 spring musi-

cal, and a mom came up to me and said [her daughter] was so shy, so quiet – she’d never taken the initiative to become the focal point of attention before,” says Kenealey. “But now, she’s really one of those kids [who] shines on stage. I hope she’ll put herself out there to get the confidence and that star quality she deserves.” life

life in the community | education

stephanie Martin

karlie kenealey


life in the community | column

lifelines wITh lIndA BRuCe

a creative city?

If asked your favourite city in the world, fa-

vourite place to visit in that city or favourite

activity to engage in while travelling, the

response is often linked to a cultural icon.

If you have been to Europe or Asia you surely

have visited the local cathedral/temple/mu-

seum/gallery. You browsed a market that has

been selling wares for decades or centuries. It is

the culture that captivates you and the art that

reveals the history of local societies.

If flying across the oceans hasn’t appealed

to you, then chances are you have visited

Mexico, the Caribbean, Central or South

America. How many homes have you visited

in Airdrie where vacation art adorns a shelf

or wall? We are captivated by the art and cul-

ture of places far and away, but what about

the culture in which we live and the local art

that surrounds us?

In Airdrie, have you been to a local the-

atre production that speaks to you of so-

cietal issues? Have you closed your eyes

and let your ears drink in the sounds from

a musician on stage at Bert Church LIVE

Theatre, a local church, a school gym or a

recital? Have you stopped to swim in the

beauty of a work of art by a local visual artist or

be challenged by a piece that doesn’t conform

to what you might see as ‘art’?

If you have – where? If you look for them

you can find gems that dazzle or challenge in

the library, Genesis Place, City Hall and busi-

nesses around town.

Airdrie is closing in on 44,000 people. Cities

and towns larger and smaller than Airdrie have

thriving arts communities with public and

private galleries. Many have art and cultural

centres that celebrate their community. What

about Airdrie? Our arts scene is mostly under-

ground. Some might erroneously suggest that

it doesn’t exist. Some believe (horrors) that

ART doesn’t matter to Airdrionians; this is a

sports city.

It is true that Airdrie is a spectacular sports

community. We have impressive facilities that

provide for almost every sporting opportunity.

The new Elite Athlete Wall at Genesis Place cel-

ebrates the success that great facilities develop.

Yet a chat with many of our local athletes

will reveal their zest for creativity through

piano, violin, guitar, painting, drawing, writing

– you get the point.

The community is awakening to the grow-

ing desire for a defined arts-and-culture scene.

The boards for the Main Street Art Project

were completely committed before a com-

munity call-out could be done. There is a

push for another wall and the opportunity is

being explored. Airdrie Public Library is the

de facto art gallery for Airdrie. It is booking

several years hence for artists to have the op-

portunity to display their talents, due to the in-

credible demand and lack of space elsewhere in

the community.

Bert Church Live Theatre is selling out per-

formances. Dance schools are packed to over-

flowing. Try finding a piano or violin teacher.

What does this all mean? Airdrie is growing

up. Our beautiful city is looking for a way to

share and express its pent-up creativity.

So, from Sept. 16 to Oct. 2, join Creative

Airdrie for ARTember to release your inner

creative juices. ARTember will culminate with

three incredible event-packed days celebrating

Alberta Arts Days. Show the community your

artistic side or take in what your neighbours

and friends have to offer.

Just remember, stick men are art, too! life


Bert Church senior Robyn Pagenkopf is a great example of dedication to her craft. Pagenkopf partici-

pates in every available music class at school. She spends a minimum of 18 hours per week on music, balancing her concert band class, where she plays flute; her jazz band class, where she plays alto saxophone; and her choir class, where she sings soprano. Having had exposure to both vocal and instrumental train-ing from a very young age, it is no surprise that music has become a passion in her life.

“When I was little, I would just walk around the house singing all the time,” says Pa-genkopf. “I was allowed to play with a flute sometimes, and I was just enthralled with [it].”

When she got to Grade 7, the young musician knew that she wanted to be in band and play the flute.

“I loved it,” she says. “It was something that I knew I wanted to do.”

Now, five years and three music classes later, Pagenkopf is no stranger to perform-ing, with the Olds & Dis-trict Kiwanis Music Festival, the Alberta Provincial Music

Class Actsbert Church high School students could give a few lessons in living a life full of artistic purpose

life in the community | students

sTory By aLexa kanTers PhoTos By oLiVia Condon

robyn Pagenkopf


Festival, the Rotary Club’s annual Tour de Airdrie and several other events around Airdrie under her belt. In addition, she regularly performs as a solo vocalist at such events as Remembrance Day services and local hockey games. Her talents can also be seen on YouTube (www.youtube.com/DevidbirdRobyn).

Pagenkopf ’s commitment to leadership and excellence goes beyond the specific music courses at Bert Church. She is also working on writing and recording her own songs under the direction of Anthony Burbidge, a teacher and music producer in Airdrie. The multitalented young woman enjoys the sense of achievement and pride that comes from sharing her own music with others and débuted her latest song, The Boys in the Bright Red Sports Car, at the 2011 Bert Church Talent Show.

“A lot of my inspiration for lyrics draws on things that I experience in life because I feel that it’s easiest to write about things that you know,” she says. “I want people to enjoy my music, but above all, it needs to be what I want it to be. I think that if I am really passionate about music, and if I love what I’m writing and creating, it will show, and other people will love it too.”

Rising young star Mackenzie Jones has steadily been perfecting his craft during his four years at Bert Church. Now, a member of the 2011 graduating class, Jones is a “dedicated and extremely talented per-former,” according to his drama teacher, Scott Bloxham. Working his way through multiple school productions – including A Christmas Carol, The Wizard of Oz and Charlotte’s Web – Jones, a seasoned stu-dent in the school’s advanced acting program, landed the starring role of Gilbert Blythe in the successful 2010 musical production of Anne of Green Gables. Throughout the development of the show, Jones demon-strated dedication and determination to excel, as he also assisted with set-building, costume creation and choreography.

“I love taking on a role of someone [who] is very different [from me] and then creating a back story,” he says. “I just really like the process of building on a character and then creating a story around that character, working to make it truly unique.”

The accomplishment of the musical led to an exciting advancement in Jones’ drama career: an attendee of Anne of Green Gables, impressed by his performance, offered the teenager a position in New Opera So-ciety shortly after. Landing yet another lead role, he starred as tenor Christopher Scott in New Opera Society’s production of Miss Saigon, along with fellow acting classmates Evan Auld and A.J. Ross. Jones also attained the position of lead choreographer for the theatrical piece.

“Acting is just something that I’m good at, and it’s a talent that I would like to keep improving and developing because I really enjoy it. Everyone has their place, and mine just happens to be on stage!” laughs a vivacious Jones.

His experience working with Anne of Green Gables music director Tara Holstein-Kearney has also inspired him to pursue singing. He currently studies voice with Holstein-Kearney, and he made musical appearances at the Calgary Kiwanis Music Festival in February, and the Olds and District Kiwanis Music Festival in March, where he re-ceived an award of distinction for his performance.

Jones provides amusing theories of how his love of acting was initially sparked.

“I have always been a ridiculous person; since I was tiny, I would dress up in crazy costumes with my [family], and we would storm around the house showing off our talent to our parents!” he says. “I’m not saying that drama only includes outlandishness, but I feel as though that was the early stage of my dramatic career. Now, I’m working on honing in on the different emotions a character can potentially have.”

Jones credits Bloxham for inspiring his interest in pursuing a career in the performing arts after he graduates. After high school, he plans to continue singing lessons and start piano lessons.

“My goal is to become very knowledgeable about music as soon as possible,” he says. life

aLso MEET TaLEnTED BERT ChuRCh sTuDEnTs Jessica leclair, Ryan Chernuska and Sarah Cline online at airdrielife.com

Mackenzie Jones


life in the community | rural roots

The little gallery that could

Follow Veteran’s Boulevard east, drive approximately 30 kilome-tres, then turn left into the Town of Irricana and you’ll find it’s a bit like following the yellow brick road with the blossoming arts community of Irricana at the end.

Twenty-four painted murals decorate the walls of buildings, billboards, fences and other public places, and fire hydrants are paint-ed to look like cartoon characters. Halfway down Main Street, a low, bright-green building, Grasshopper Gallery, serves as the arts and cul-ture hub of the community.

Inside the gallery the essence of the wizard, a.k.a. Brenda Campbell, hovers in every corner. Campbell, a graduate of the Alberta College of Art & Design (ACAD) and a graphic artist by trade, passionately pro-motes the arts, both personally as an advocate and artist, and in her posi-tion with the Town of Irricana in economic development and tourism.

“I’ve known for a very long time that arts and culture can save a com-munity,” Campbell says. “I know in my heart that an arts-and-culture-based economy might be the way to go for this town … I’ve been push-ing it very strongly for years.”

sTory By eLLen keLLy PhoTos By serGei BeLski

The story of the Grasshopper Gallery is an inspiration

Grasshopper Gallery mainstay Brenda Campbell is passionate about promoting the arts in irricana and beyond


Through her affiliation with Canadian Badlands Limited, Campbell learned of funds available for the development of art co-ops. She told the sponsors of her dream of an art co-op for Irricana and the surrounding area, explaining that Irricana had a perfect empty building and a previ-ously established art base. She came home with seed money for the first year’s rent with some left over for renovations. In February 2010, Camp-bell and crew began fixing and painting.

Grasshopper Gallery opened its doors in June 2010 with approximate-ly 40 supporting members, including 20 participating artists. The gallery is run by a five-member board of directors, which meets and makes key decisions in collaboration with the membership when necessary.

Work shown and sold at Grasshopper Gallery is juried by committee to regulate quality and appropriateness. Artists pay a monthly fee and work a minimum of six hours each month. A small consignment fee is taken off sales and all money is used to keep the gallery afloat.

“We’re not trying to make a pile of money, just enough to pay our rent and utilities,” says Campbell. “We want as much money going back into the hands of the artists as possible.”

In the true spirit of co-operation, both artists and the community benefit. Artists gain public exposure for their work, the opportunity to sell out of a respected gallery and the option to teach if they desire. Dis-playing in the gallery offers a higher level of professional recognition as well as a chance to network, share skills and learn. Rental spaces provide a studio away from home.

“I really love the space and what has been created,” says local bird carv-er and gallery director Louise Smith. “I want it to appeal to people who

come, and for people to bring their visitors. I want people to have a nice feeling about the town.”

The gallery has become a community meeting place for spe-cial events, such as musical Back Door Garage Parties held regularly in the attached garage/studio. Partnerships with the com-munity include the Town of Irricana, a farmers market held on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, local businesses, Airdrie Regional Arts Society, Creative Airdrie, other small towns and even the gas station next door. “He has food but he doesn’t have a place to sit inside; we have a place to sit but we don’t sell food, so we’ve invited people to come with your coffee, come with your lunch, use our picnic tables. We can’t stand alone,” explains Campbell.

In September, about 10 artists will begin working on an altered shoe exhibit by turning a shoe into an art sculpture. The sculptures will be exhibited during the first three weeks of October in conjunction with Irricana Women’s Conference.

The following few months will also be busy. A Halloween haunted mansion with an art component and tarot card readings is planned, and the gallery will be offering fall courses to be determined by the various artists. Christmas activities are also organized in partnership with the Irricana business community.

“This is really a collaborative group,” says Campbell. “It would not be here if it wasn’t for everybody, including the kids who volunteer.

“There’s such a good buy-in here,” she adds. “It exists because of the group effort.” life

Both artists and the community benefit from the art co-op of Grasshopper Gallery


When you walk through the doors of Airdrie Public Library (APL), it doesn’t take long to realize that the inside is so much larger than the outside.

Libraries are places of imagination, which cannot be constricted by four walls, and that is readily apparent at APL. Along with stimulating the mind, the library is an accessible community gathering place and centre of information that provides opportunities and choice, says APL director Janine Jevne.

“The library offers inclusive services, programs, collections and spac-es that support literacy, lifelong learning, leisure, and community and cultural connections,” Jevne says. “APL is a like a pair of open arms wel-coming everyone to enter and to enhance their quality of life.”

Tanya McCagherty, APL program manager, agrees.“No matter what your stage of life is, we have a program and a social

environment,” McCagherty says. “We have something for everybody. I think that’s why we’re so popular.

“The staff is phenomenal,” McCagherty adds. “Everyone is so friendly.”The fact is, there’s something for just about everybody. Among its di-

verse offerings, APL has on its schedule computer courses and one-on-one technology assistance; art displays and junior artist classes; programs for persons with disabilities and their caregivers; Sunday Cinema for families; and programs for teens. As well, space is available to community groups and clubs, from knitters to chess players to genealogy enthusiasts

One of the library’s main attractions is its preschool programming, which encompasses birth to kindergarten. Obviously something is working because these programs – including Babytime, ToddlerTime and StoryTime – fill up quickly. As a result, this fall APL is now offering two six-week programs of each, instead of the single 10-week programs offered in years past.

“We’re hoping we can reach more people that way,” McCagherty says.Along with encouraging social connections, the programs evolve

with community wants and needs, and this year APL is basing all its preschool programs on the six early literacy skills that prepare young children for reading: print motivation, print awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary, phonological awareness and narrative skills. Also new on the agenda is a French StoryTime, based on the popularity of the in-augural program that APL ran this past summer, in which 30 children were registered.

The library’s summer reading program, which just wrapped up for this year, is another major attraction for families in the community. We have some families who … show up every week,” says Heather Finlay-son, APL children’s and youth services manager. “It is such a big part of their life.

“What we’re doing is so good, because we are getting these kids to think about reading all summer,” Finlayson adds. “It’s working – these kids are reading up a storm!”

As the cultural centre of Airdrie, APL has played an important role in community development. Staff members have even watched young children grow up and come back as volunteers. With that in mind, APL’s goal is simple.

“We start them as babies and we want to keep everybody here for lifelong learning,” McCagherty says.

In the years to come, Airdrie Public Library will continue to make a difference, as do libraries the world over, and APL’s staff and customers look forward to a larger facility in the future, which will meet the needs of a rapidly growing community.

And for those who have not yet become familiar with this little gem in the heart of the city, Jevne’s message is clear.

“The library belongs to the community and we welcome you all to visit and take advantage of ‘your place,’” she says. life

visiT aiRDRiELiFE.CoM to see all the fall programs for children, adults, families.

life in the community | library

sTory By anne BeaTy

“Libraries can and do change lives.... Libraries allow every person in the community served to continue her or his education, to become more knowledgeable, and to live the

life of the mind in the way in which she or he chooses.”

– Michael Gorman, author of Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century

Cultural CentreLibrary plays an important role in the community


If you are like most people, you hate being trapped in conversations

with others who talk, at great length, about their dogs, cats and

grandchildren. However, I haven’t been able to get out much lately,

so bear with me. I don’t have a cat, and we won’t worry about the

grandchildren this time around.

I’ve had at least one dog for all but about three years of my entire life.

However, we found ourselves poochless after the last of our four Pekin-

ese passed away last November. Oh good grief, you say, four irritating

little dogs at one time … but seriously, the whole package didn’t weigh

as much as your average Lab and they did travel in an unorganized

but compact pack – 16 muddy little feet, which, I told myself repeat-

edly, weren’t as big as your average Great Dane’s feet, just a little more

spread out.

We decided to wait until spring to welcome another pup and by

March we were ready. This time we chose a mini-dachshund. Now, at

eight months old, Lily has become a cherished but bossy member of

the family. She and I have several things in common – we like hazelnut

lattes, fall asleep during movies, are somewhat obsessive about our “stuff ”

and generously enjoy selecting gifts.

Her most endearing personality traits are her enthusiasm for any-

thing tasty and her hound instincts. She’s a mooch and unlike other

finicky dogs we’ve known who hack up anything spicy, savoury or, heck,

sometimes even toast, she seems to have guts of steel. Not that this is a

good thing. I wish she was more discriminating. Nevertheless, she’s right

there, under the table at mealtimes, scooping up tasty crumbs that come

her way and begging for anything we might share if she stares at it long

and hard enough.

Outside she eats grass, flowers, mulch, twigs – anything she can wrap

her lips around. This is not a good thing either, especially when com-

bined with her hound instincts and penchant for gift-giving. She snuf-

fles around in the grass, in the flower beds and under the trees and finds

things we never knew were there. She’s brought me sticks, flowers, rocks,

Lego, a tiny plastic Batman, two dead mice and at least 10 dead birds.

At first I wondered where the dead critters were coming from but

soon realized that with the number of birds that visit the feeders and

birdbath, it stands to reason that the odd one would take its last flight

in our yard, which has probably been a bird cemetery for years but how

were we to know? Lily sniffs out birdie bodies and makes a gift of them.

Maybe I’m missing some mythical significance here but as she grows

older, I hope Lily will get bored with this search-and-rescue mission. I

am not optimistic, though. Instead of a dachshund, I think we have ad-

opted a mini-retriever. life

life in the community | column

lifetimes wITh ellen Kelly

Paws and Effect

Lily hones her culinary skills

sTory By anne BeaTy


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Michelle Pickering’s home, on a quiet crescent in west Airdrie, radiates a mix of whimsy and tranquility, both inside and out. Decorated with her own unique art, the house and yard are an expression, she says, of who she is and who she is becoming.

Formally trained as a graphic artist, Pickering completed two years of fine arts at Red Deer College, followed by a graphic arts diploma from Grant MacEwan University. She went on to establish a successful career as a graphic artist, but something was missing.

While recovering from a lengthy illness in 2004, she spent time un-derstanding herself and realizing how vital it was for her to pursue her art as a healing process. Then, after another bout of the same illness fol-lowing the birth of her daughter, Pickering once again turned to her art to guide her recovery.

“You become extremely sensitive to a lot of things,” she says. “Being out in the world taps me [out], so when I come into my home I can paint and I know that I have a sanctuary.”

Visitors, surrounded by Pickering’s warmth and colourful acrylics, feel at peace in this setting, too.

Outside, a bold peacock, which comes out often in Pickering’s art, cov-ers her garage door. (A tiny version of the same peacock will appear on Airdrie Transit’s October bus pass.) Her backyard, which she created as a special place for her children, displays fence paintings of whimsical red and blue farm buildings. “I wanted to bring a little bit of my cousin’s farm to my kids,” she says.

Another version of a peacock adorns the back fence and, because Pickering loves gardening but can’t grow poppies, a large red poppy decorates the side fence. She returns often to the peacock theme in her

life at home | inspirations

Showing her true Colours

Michelle pickering treats her home and yard as one giant canvas

sTory By eLLen keLLyPhoTo By aaron hoLMes

Continued on page 60

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work because the bird reminds her that “you can be grounded in life but you can also fly high … if you can find that place that meets somewhere between heaven and earth, that, to me, is your heart.”

Canvases decorate her home’s interior – the entranceway displays a landscape and a paint-ing of a big orange peacock feather. A large canvas of a bleeding heart stem is featured in the living room; a Saskatchewan landscape, a “peacock” sunflower, and a butterfly, works in progress, hang in the dining room/studio area. Pickering’s favourite piece, a landscape with the sun setting on a Saskatchewan wheat field and road, her husband and son on bicycles in the foreground, hangs in her bedroom.

Her dining room/studio is a warm and welcoming space. She holds children’s art classes there, which, when accompanied by an age-appropriate “lesson” on a famous artist and music, helps the children to settle in, feel at home and open up to their uninhibited cre-ative selves.

Pickering believes her art has created balance with her husband’s more analyti-cal nature. “Ten years ago,” she chuckles, “he wouldn’t have understood garbage bags on the walls (for protection from paint spatters) but now he’s fine with it.

“If you have a studio in your kitchen,” she

Michelle Pickering/Juneberry studio - artist at home

adds, “the art space and the kitchen space have to mingle.”

She also thinks that it’s important for her children to see their mom doing something that makes her happy and complete.

Early inspiration came from Pickering’s father who, she says, was very artistic. While her exposure to art as a child was minimal, she remembers loving a reproduction of a Tom Thomson print, then researching the Group of Seven. And she loves Monet. “I saw his art in Europe when I was 18,” she says, “and it was my first instance of going, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so beyond what I could ever think of.’”

Pickering’s family is very supportive and she also draws strength and mentorship from friend and fellow Airdrie artist Veronica Funk, who, she says, also works on a spiritual level and is very encouraging. She is happily motivated by several neighbours, one of whom offers advice on markets, and by others who walk by regu-

larly and peek in to see what she’s working on.Aside from her home and yard, Picker-

ing’s art can be seen around Airdrie – her AIRdirondack chair will be auctioned this fall and she displays with the Airdrie Seven, a group of local artists that now includes her. Her first gallery showing was at Evanescence Gallery in High River this past summer. The artist’s paintings, including consignment piec-es, decorate the homes of friends and admirers.

Pickering actively dedicates a great deal of time to promoting awareness of art in the com-munity and has helped co-ordinate the Main Street Art Project, has been involved with this year’s AIRdirondack chair project, and supports ARTember. She does reiki on a casual basis and works steadily on her art in her kitchen studio.

And the artist’s journey continues.“Through my peacock paintings I am start-

ing to expose who I really am,” Pickering says. “My painting is a safe place.” life

life at home | inspirations


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When you think of welding pieces of metal together, odds are the first thing you’ll probably imagine is something indus-trial – steel piping, for example, or building construction.

But a baby’s crib? That might not be at the top of the list, unless you’re Walter Brown, owner of Airdrie-based

Shooter’s Welding and Services Inc. Yet Brown has taken something industrial and made something artistic (and functional) out of it for his own home.

Brown opened Shooter’s in Crossfield in 2006 before relocating to Airdrie in 2010; he specializes in custom fabrication.

“[He] has been in welding since he was a kid, and he has an artistic nature,” says Brown’s wife, Tania. “For example, we once did a custom aluminum coffin-shaped trailer to tow behind a Harley-Davidson. He’s just got something special about him … something different than your average welding shop.”

But Walter’s piece de resistance is a custom crib he welded for his first son, born in 2009. “We thought about different ideas, and he wanted a lifelong piece for his son,” says Tania, “so he came up with a convertible crib that can turn into a day bed and a ‘big boy’ bed for when our son gets older.”

What the Browns have found is that Airdrie is a community open to creative busi-nesses, Tania says, even something like a welding business that thinks out of the box.

“It’s about value-added; somebody will ask us about A-B-C, but we’ll think B-A-C,” she says. “There’s a different eye for quality and creativity in this city … it’s important to us, especially being in the fabrication industry – we’re not just on construction sites, welding pipe, though we also do production work for oil and gas.”

And on the home front, with a second child on the way, due this fall, Walter is already working on his second custom crib, following through on his artistic nature. life

sTory By aLex FraZer-harrisonPhoTos By aaron hoLMes

Metal Magic

welder-creates a family heirloom

Logan Brown (top) is impressed with the handiwork of his artisan father, Walter (centre), who created

this one-of-a-kind crib/daybed

life at home | artisan


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life at home | builder profile

airdrielife talks with Tony Laratta, owner of Laratta homes and his latest project, artigiano Developments in Cooper’s Crossing

Q: What does artigiano encompass in this project?A: Artigiano means “artisan” in Italian. We’re do-ing all handcrafted designs on fully custom-designed floor plans. All our millwork is done the old way, all handcrafted on site. We’re not tied into the big-box kitchen-type product.

Q: What are homeowners looking for today?A: You get an array of selection for home design wish lists. We’re trying to raise the bar (in the Aird-rie market) in quality and craftsmanship and finding the same level of customization and craftsmanship we typically offer in our high-end custom homes built through Laratta.

Q: What styles are still popular?A: Clients are looking for some sort of feature that stands out in the home – vaulted ceilings, custom cab-inetry. People are looking for something that is fresh and stylized.

Q: What is popular in floor plans? A: It’s across the spectrum. What we offer in our show-home in Airdrie right now is what we call traditional-transitional interior décor, which is a contemporary clean line and traditional elements at the same time.

Q: Which materials are becoming fashionable?A: Having your home wired for sound; [the home] being energy-efficient is important; and, of course, lots of light. People want windows and lots of natural light. What’s still popular is what has always been popular, [such as] granites and hardwoods and a few extravagant touches.

Q: how does art play a role in home design?A: In relation to art, every home has its own artistic correlation because it’s a unique one-off product.

Q: What do you find beautiful in a home?A: What I find beautiful in a home is being able to articulate what the clients’ wish lists are and articulate that into a floor plan that works for their family. That and bringing out the interior design and décor that reflects their personality and taste.

Q: Does airdrie have any unique style challenges?A: We’re accustomed to building on large lots, acre-ages or estate pieces. So I guess the challenge is to provide people with as much creativity as we offer in the larger custom estate product but being able to fit it into reasonably sized lots.


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Living ArtPhoTos By anne BeaTy

Colours, patterns, shapes, designs – all can be found on the canvas of an airdrie garden

life at home | nature speaks


PhoTos By anne BeaTy


What is your definition of art? is it a traditional land-scape, an abstract work, black-and-white photography or a fingerpainting? All of these examples speak vol-umes about your personality. The way you choose to display this style makes a statement, as well.

let me help you on your journey to self-expression.

sTeP one: The road MapThis is the planning stage to determine where you are going and what main idea or theme you want to project in order to get there. • Pick your style: formal, traditional, contemporary, whimsical. • Pick your frame: wood, metal, canvas, garage-sale find.• Pick your space: living room, dining room, hallway, foyer, recreation room.• Pick your medium: oil/acrylic, watercolour, photogra-phy, sculpture.

sTeP TWo: The Packing ListThese are the tools you will use to create your vision: measuring tape, level, hammer, picture hanging set, stud finder, patience and a friend to help!

sTeP Three: The rules of the road• Symmetry – Studies have shown that people respond better to symmetry and balance. • Odd job – Odd numbers are more appealing than even numbers, especially three and five, which are the most common groupings used.

• Scale – Keep in mind the size of the wall space and sur-rounding furniture so that one doesn’t overpower the other. Height – The ideal height to fully appreciate your art is at eye level (approximately five feet from the floor).Lighting – Consider the available light sources in the room and how they will reflect on the surface of the artwork. You may need to add a small ceiling- or wall-mounted spotlight to see the subject matter better.

sTeP Four: The Final destinationHere are some options for arranging your art on the wall. • Group like with like by frame style, frame colour, subject or theme. • Make a collage by hanging pieces close together and in odd numbers. • Place pieces in a row vertically or horizontally to keep your eyes moving. • Hang pictures on the wall up/down the stairwell. • Substitute paper cutouts of your pictures and arrange them on the floor until you are satisfied with the placement without making any unnecessary holes! • Create a headboard using a row of artwork above the bed. • Install a picture rail, allowing you the opportunity to change often. remember, it is not always the destination that is most important. The journey is where we learn the most about ourselves.Tina McMillan, CiD, (a.k.a. The Decorating Diva) is a local interior designer.

life at home | interior design

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life at home | showhome


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life at

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76 heart of Community 78 Characteristics 80 Creative expressions


Wendy’s Way


sTory By sarah deVeau | PhoTos By krisTy reiMer

life at work | personality


Walk through the door of the Hair Lounge and you’ll be greeted by a wildly coloured mural behind the reception desk, a sound system playing the latest music (at just the right volume) and a group of funky and

friendly hair stylists ready to give you a trendy cut and colour while you sip a top-notch latte. “I’m not afraid to say I serve some of the best coffee in the city,” laughs owner Wendy Bates.

While the salon is undoubtedly the hippest in the city, that’s not the secret to its success. She can talk for hours about the highly qualified hair stylists on staff, but there’s no doubt that the Hair Lounge’s biggest draw is Bates herself. She’s put her money where her mouth is when it comes to supporting her local economy, and it’s clear Airdrionians have responded.

Bates is a relative newcomer to the city, but she’s certainly made a big impression on the community. The quick-witted brunette moved to Airdrie in 2003, and despite having just a few years in the hair de-sign business under her blinged-out belt, she opened the Hair Lounge in 2009.

“Our family has been loyal customers since the day she opened,” says Lisa Wine, Airdrie chapter president of the Canadian Merchants and Savings Directory (CMSD) Breakfast Club, where Bates meets weekly with other local business owners to network and talk about ways to bet-ter the community.

“We met right before she opened the Hair Lounge and she’s a great friend, a fantastic mom and so giving of whatever she can to help,” Wine says. “She’s got a great thing going at the Hair Lounge, and overall Wen-dy is a lot of fun to be around.”

Bates admits that during the 20 years she lived in Calgary, she didn’t speak with her neighbours or get involved in much of anything.

“Then suddenly I moved to Airdrie,” she says, “and I was meeting people, making friends, volunteering – I was embraced by this amazing community and I felt at home instantly.”

On the business side, she realized that if she wanted locals to choose her over competitors in Calgary, she’d have to walk the walk. “Right away I knew that if I wanted Airdrie to support me, I’d have to support Airdrie.”

Bates worked tirelessly to get City approvals to purchase and renovate a 1960s bungalow on First Street NW, overhauling the space over eight weeks, working 15-hour days. From the planning stages to the finishing touches, she estimates that 95 per cent of the salon renovation trades and supplies were sourced locally with the help of local contractor Ed Randall of Springdale Homes.

This past summer, she had another project she ambitiously decided to keep local – her own wedding at Nose Creek Park. “I literally went to the Airdrie Welcome Wagon bridal fair, grabbed the sponsor sheet and used that as my phone book when arranging for flowers, my dress, catering – everything,” she says.

Presiding over the ceremony was a prominent local citizen, Mayor Peter Brown, who met Bates at a business breakfast club and has been a client of the salon ever since. “Wendy does an outstanding job of sup-porting different community initiatives,” says Brown. ”She really cares; she’s not a person who says, ‘No I can’t do that,’ or ‘I don’t have time.’”

Bates and Brown worked together when Bates organized a $10 Hair Cut Day last November. Few business owners would be willing to give away their core business product for free as readily as Bates does, but hundreds of people have been thankful she does. At the first Hair Cut Day, her team of stylists volunteered their time and expertise, with more volunteers selling hot dogs (generously donated by M & M Meats) and raffle tickets. In just six hours they raised $1,300, which they donated to Community Links, where Brown worked at the time.

The event was so successful that Bates hosted a second event, with the help of her two children, Benjamin, 9, and Alexandra, 7. “This time we offered children’s haircuts, for children in kindergarten to Grade 12, to give them a fresh and affordable look for their new school year. We then donated the proceeds to the Airdrie Food Bank, specifically their R.J Hawkey Breakfast Program and Snack Attack Program,” says Bates.

In addition to planning her own events, Bates has donated thousands of dollars worth of free cuts, colours and highlights to support local causes and fundraisers. She also works tirelessly behind the scenes, vol-unteering her time at community events and fundraisers put on by other companies and charities.

And despite her youth, wild hair and multiple tattoos, she’s a card-car-rying member of the Airdrie Rotary Club. “Rotary Club does a lot for the community and 80 per cent of the proceeds that are collected stay local,” she explains. “They really raise a lot of money for our city to provide the necessities to the community to help it survive and flourish.” Even the club’s motto, “They profit most who serve best,” is perfectly aligned with her own philosophy.

Successful businesswoman, busy mom – how does Bates find the time to do so much?

“People do ask me how I find the time and I say ... you just do!” she says. life

Salon owner profits by giving


life at work | passion

a work of artFrom doodles to dollars for one talented artist

sTory By aLex FraZer-harrison | PhoTos By kurTis krisTianson


Kelly Gannon’s success as a caricature artist can be summed up in three words: keep it friendly.

Originally from Calgary but now based in Airdrie, Gannon has been an

editorial cartoonist, has drawn caricatures for cruise line passengers and Disneyland visitors, and even once played drums for Bobby Curtola.

“I’m like the Donny Osmond of caricature artists – it’s not in my nature to trash the peo-ple; why make them look bad?” he says.

Gannon’s influences are unabashedly retro. Original animation cels from classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, such as The Flintstones, adorn his basement walls, alongside para-phernalia from such shows as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. He’s even working on developing a British invasion music show with his brother.

“I think the cartoons were so much better back then,” he says. “I like the simpler, funnier humour [more] than something that’s well-rendered, but with not as much humour.”

Gannon grew up reading Mad magazine, and calls iconic artist Jack Davis “my abso-lute hero.” (If you don’t know the name, you’ve seen his art in comics, album covers, TV cartoons – Davis even designed that bug that screams “RAID!” in the TV ads.) But it was Calgary Herald editorial cartoon-ist Vance Rodewalt who really sparked Gan-non’s interest in cartooning.

Under Rodewalt’s guidance, Gannon got work doing editorial cartooning in the 1990s for local newspapers, lampooning the po-litical leaders of the day. “But I wanted out – I didn’t want to read about politics,” he says. He was inspired to move into the caricature arena by attending a show in Florida where he met his hero, Davis.

“I saw these guys doing [caricatures] really quick and I thought, I didn’t know if I could do it – but I kept practising. I’d sketch people in restaurants when they weren’t looking,” says Gannon.

A few years ago, he took his family to Dis-neyland. There, he met Tom Kelly, who ran the caricature concession.

“I was still an editorial cartoonist and I wanted a change … when the kids were at the pool, I’d run back to Disneyland and watch Tom work,” Gannon recalls. “We became good friends. One day he called me and asked if I’d come out for the summer and draw cartoons.”

Kelly even brought Gannon in to do some private-function work at Burbank Studios, Disney’s nerve centre.

“The funny thing about life is someone you meet for a couple of minutes could change the whole course of your life,” he says.

Gannon also found himself winning a lucra-tive position as a cruise line caricature artist.

“At first I thought [the invitation] was a joke,” says Gannon. “Now I’ve done them all – Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean. I haven’t done the Alaskan one yet, though.

“They always put me in front of a big win-dow, usually in a high-traffic area like near the casino, and I’d only have to work two hours,” he adds. “I remember being docked outside some place in Italy and I’m looking out and you think, wow … what a nice job!”

Gannon was cruising once every four months at one point, but he’s taking a year off mainly because demand for his services at cor-porate parties and private events is so high.

“My forte right now is event caricatures where I do them in four minutes,” he says. “You have to learn to speak and draw and relax the guest.”

Gannon’s goal is to branch out into com-mercial cartooning, and he’s also illustrated sev-eral books, such as Airdrie entrepreneur Faith Wood’s Fundraising on a Shoestring.

When he puts the pens down, Gannon en-joys renovating his house and spending time with his grandson.

“One day, I’m going to take him on a cruise and show him what I do,” he says. “I’m saving a whole trunk [of art and mementoes] for him so he can see what his granddad did.” life

Framed caricature of Mark dawson, lead singer for the Grass roots


As with many who are attracted to innovative professions, an early interest in art and a talent for architecture encour-aged a long career in the building field for Rob Lavigne, owner of Cutforth Technologists Limited.

Although many can spot beauty in a structure, the architectural technologist has the skills to say exactly why that home or commercial building possesses splendorous lines.

When it comes to designing new homes, Lavigne uses his mind’s eye to visualize a finished product even before the blueprint stage.

“When I walk through buildings – for example, an airport or a theatre – I can’t stop looking around at everything. It’s like a bad habit. It just stems down to my design core. I have to look at angles, shapes and arcs,” he says. “Some people don’t understand when I try and describe that. I just can’t stop looking at everything. It’s kind of distracting.”

That imagination comes in handy when dealing with customers who come to him with just a vague idea of their dream home.

Lavigne has to balance his own creative ideas and likes with those of his clients, who in many cases come to him with as little as a magazine photograph and an empty lot.

“Sometimes it is as much as a napkin sketch and they show me that they want three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room,” he says. “I have a certain design flair of my own, but at the same time I’m having to keep one eye on the local surroundings, what the client is asking for. Sometimes they completely throw it into my basket and say, ‘Give us something.’”

Keeping up on the latest trends, whether that be a western motif or European styling, Lavigne strives to balance liveability with functional-ity while adhering to the Canadian building standards.

Although he’s introduced a few trends to Airdrie home design, the

life at work | cool jobs

Working Outside the Box

These local entrepreneurs make a living thinking creatively

rob Lavigne

sTory and PhoTos By CarL PaTZeL


structural design specialist takes a practical approach when planning a home or undertaking a renovation project.

“Being I’m a technologist I’m a little more practical. I’m us-ing what’s out there versus reinventing the wheel. That’s be-cause I have to make that thing also work, not just look pretty,” says Lavigne, who also keeps budget in mind.

“I try and bring some of my own preferences into clients’ homes – sometimes they bite and sometimes they don’t,” he adds. “That’s fine – they’re paying the bill. I’m working for them.”

From his days of doodling as a youngster to high school drafting classes, Lavigne has always held an interest in pencil-ing ideas onto paper on their way to his computer.

“I don’t know if I’m full of talent, but I’m full of interest,” he says. “I’m 42 years old and still to this day I can’t stop looking at shapes and colours.

“If you’re really interested in something you’re going to be good at it eventually,” he adds. “It’s almost unavoidable.”

Bordering the art world, Lori Mulyk understands the con-cept of beginning the creative process with an empty frame.

Using inventive knowledge of colour matching and an eye for what looks good, Mulyk has been framing artwork for many years at L & D Custom Picture Framing.

From the ornamental to the basic black-and-white, the expe-rienced framer, who works alongside parents Lou and Doreen Wickberg, realizes there is a fine line between enhancing and detracting from a piece of art.

“You want to actually pull yourself into the picture instead of

looking at that frame and mat. You want to lose that [outer layer],” she says.

Mulyk approaches framing the same as most artists, with a clean canvas. Using an extensive amount of framing and mat-ting materials in the business’s well-stocked basement, she uti-lizes well-honed techniques and some computerized cutting to surround art projects.

“We usually start with the mat colour that matches the pic-ture itself. We’ve spent upwards to three hours picking out the colours, the right mats, and the frame,” she says.

Technology has caught up to the framing industry. Where mat cutting used to be done exclusively by hand, Mulyk now uses a computerized system on more complex jobs and can even produce lettered mats spelling out names or such words as “family.”

But framing styles and trends still depend on the article being framed, whether it be a photograph, painting or three-dimensional object. Contemporary metal, rustic barn board or even old-fashioned gold filigree is utilized to help pull out elements in the artwork.

“We do have some people who just want a black mat, or white mat with black frame; something that will hang anywhere. When you’ve paid a lot for a print you want to pick out the right mats and right frame,” she says.

Shadowbox framing of keepsakes, such as sweaters, jerseys, needlework and medals, has also grown in popularity.

Mulyk has even been asked to frame an animal skin ac-quired on a holiday trip.

“The funniest thing ever framed was a pelt I put in a shadow-box. That was the strangest thing I ever framed,” she says. life

Lori Mulyk


Terry roCk, Phd, PresidenT and Ceo oF CaLGary arTs de-VeLoPMenT auThoriTy, is this year’s keynote speaker at the Win-ning Edge Awards banquet on Oct. 21 in Airdrie. Dr. Rock’s address will demonstrate why a blooming arts-and-culture community is so important to ensuring that our businesses and city continue to thrive. Together with the many other amenities here in Airdrie, arts and cul-ture help to create a strong, vibrant, whole community.

This is just one of the highlights promised at this year’s Winning Edge banquet, along with the announcements of the prestigious Win-ning Edge Award winners and the Business Leader Award

“This is the 14th year for the Winning Edge Awards and sec-ond year for the Airdrie Business Leader Award,” says Leona Esau, chairperson of the Winning Edge Awards organizing committee. “We’ve opened nominations one month early this year to give resi-dents, business owners and employees ample opportunity to rec-ognize the outstanding achievements and important contributions local businesses make in our community.”

Organized by the Airdrie Business Resource Partnership, this annual awards program recognizes exceptional businesses and business leaders in Airdrie in the following categories:• Winning Edge Award – a small business (fewer than 50 employees) that best exhibits outstanding achievement in innovative practices, cus-tomer service and growth and actively participates in the community (sponsored: Airdrie Business Resource Partnership);• Eco Edge Award – a business that promotes, takes part and provides leadership in the environmental arena (sponsor: City of Airdrie Envi-ronmental Services Board);• Family Friendly Business Award – a business that demonstrates fami-ly-friendly practices that support employees’ needs inside and outside of the workplace and/or makes it fun for families to visit (sponsor: Airdrie

National Family Week Steering Committee); and• Business Leader Award – recognizes a local visionary who is an excep-tional leader, in both business and the community (sponsored: Airdrie Chamber of Commerce).

Visit abrponline.com to make nominations online. Nomination forms are also available at City Hall (400 Main St. SE) or the Aird-rie Chamber of Commerce (106, 120 Second Ave. NE). All nomina-tions close Sept. 9. Award finalists will be announced Sept. 21, with the awards being distributed at the Winning Edge Awards Banquet Oct. 21 at Woodside Golf Course. life

2010 WinnersAirdrie business leader Award – pat CashionWinning edge Award – Joan bell, Airdrie yoga & Fitnesseco edge Award – Jodie Simpson, Global A.p.e.Family Friendly Award – Sherry Shaw-Froggatt, Frog Media inc.

life at work | rewards

on the eDGe of greatnessAirdrie businesses are honoured by peers and community

Joan Bell receives the 2010 Winning edge award from alderman Fred Burley

Mike deBox, airdrie Chamber of Commerce president, presents the Business Leader award to Pat Cashion (right) of Vitreous Glass inc.


Renee Doucette [email protected]

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With Guest Speaker Terry Rock, PhD,President and CEO, Calgary Arts Development Authority

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Meaghan Smith Concert Art Show& Sale AIRdirondack Gala

Beer Gardens Workshops Family Fun Lantern Ceremony


Airdrie Small Business Week events Calendarairdrie Chamber of Commerce small Business Week kickoff LuncheonMonday, oct. 17Location: Woodside Golf Course, 525 Woodside Drive NWTime: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.Tickets: $20 - members; $25 - non-membersRegister at airdriechamber.ab.ca after Oct. 1

safety Workshop for small Business ownersTuesday, oct. 18Is updating your safety management systems on your ‘to do’ list? Do you need to draft a new one, but don’t know where to begin? Join safety expert Shawn Justus, health and safety co-ordinator with the City of Airdrie, to learn more about:• making safety a priority for your small business;• resources to help you get started or to refine your plan; and• policy/legislation that may affect your business.Location: Rotary Room, Genesis Place, 405 East Lake Blvd. SETime: 8:30-10 a.m.Tickets: Register at abrponline.com

is your Business Vulnerable to Fraud?Wednesday, oct. 19Learn how to protect your business and customers from the newest fraud schemes happening in Airdrie. Join RCMP Const. Menard for this informative session. Find out how to proactively protect your bottom line and ensure that your customers’ information is not being compromised. Location: Council Chambers, Airdrie City Hall, 400 Main St. SETime: 9-10:30 a.m.Tickets: Register at abrponline.com

Mayor’s Business appreciation eveningWednesday, oct. 19 Come celebrate business in Airdrie with Mayor Peter Brown, Airdrie council members and city manager Paul Schulz. Location: Airdrie City Hall, 400 Main St. SETime: 5-8 p.m.RSVP by Oct. 10 to Airdrie Economic Development at 403-948-8844 or [email protected]

is your Business ready to Grow?Thursday, oct. 20 Have you thought about expanding your business, but aren’t sure how to go about it? Or whether this is the right time to expand? Then these one-on-one sessions are for you! Airdrie Economic Development is pleased to be working with Bruce Tannas, business development specialist with Community Futures Centre West, to help you access the resources you need to grow smart. Location: Airdrie City Hall, 400 Main St. SETime: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.Registration: To secure your 30-minute session, please contact Airdrie Economic Development at 403-948-8844 or [email protected]

Winning edge awards BanquetFriday, oct. 21See page 82 for more details.Guest Speaker: Terry Rock, president and CEO, Calgary Arts Development Location: Woodside Golf Course, 525 Woodside Drive NWTime: Cocktails - 6 p.m.; Dinner - 7 p.m.Tickets: Earlybird - $50 (Sept. 12-Oct. 1); Regular - $60 (Oct. 1-7). To register online visit abrponline.com

life at work | small business

Escape to Bayside

– within reach yet beyond expectations.

Homes Starting from the 390’sEverything’s within reach at Bayside in Airdrie. You can embrace the tranquility, enjoy dinner at alocal restaurant, or hit the shops at Cross Iron Mills. Here, the pace is a little slower and the cost

is a little lower – making waterside living surprisingly affordable. With two new phases of thisaward-winning community now selling – it’s time you planned your escape to Bayside.

Waterside living without getting soaked.

Another Genesis Planned Community www.genesisland.com

New Showhomes Now OpenShowhomes located at: 2433 & 2437 Bayside Circle

Mon-Thurs 2-8PM, Sat & Sun 12-5PM Friday by appointment only Ph: 403-980-3105

in Airdrie

AirdrieL-Bay.Apr29.11_Layout 1 11-04-29 2:57 PM Page 1


life | last look

LiFe through the Lensairdrielife photographer Carl Patzel was cruising the back roads this summer and captured

this incredible photo – we thought it fit with our arts-and-culture theme.

“while cruising through Beiseker, Acme and linden areas, seeking a bit of that small-town charm, we came across one of those curious sights. Sitting alone in the corner of a farmer’s field, this aptly named love Shack became a

refuge for most likely teens with a wild spirit and taste for graffiti art. Manned with cans of spray paint and a passion for life, many artistic-minded [souls] left names, slogans and symbols behind, perhaps saying goodbye to their youth,

or leaving their mark with the original handcrafted version of the modern-day, networking-tool update.”

share your photograph with airdrielife and you may see it come to life here in a future issue. e-mail a jpeg to [email protected]

D E V E L O P M E N T SARTIGIANO

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D E V E L O P M E N T SARTIGIANO

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$400’s

from the

ARTIGIANO

$400’s

from the $700’s

from the $700’s

from the

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Documents

airdrielife fall 2011