airdrielife fall 2012

fall 2012

airdrielife.com

The

ARTS

Issue

Slam

takes the Stage

Amanda Tozser’s

face painting

Creative

Companies

goes

Hollywood

FRE INSI E DE! You

r gu ide t o

ART

emb

Sept.

Plus Your guide to the 2012-13 season at Bert Church LIVE Theatre inside!

e 14-30 r

starting in the

$290’s

BAYSIDE PHASE 7 12-5pm sat, sun • 2-8pm Mon-Thurs sales@sovereignhomes.ca Kevin d’Costa 403 605-5559

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Visit our show home in BAYSIDE PHASE 7 to learn about our current specials, and see firsthand why it’s so great to live in a Sovereign built home!

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and you could be celebrating Christmas in your new Sovereign Home enquire at showhome for details

Escape to Bayside in Airdrie

Another Uncommon Community by Genesis Land Development

Year-round fun and adventure Everything’s within reach at Bayside in Airdrie. You can embrace the tranquility, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant or hit the shops at CrossIron 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 this award-winning community now selling - it’s time you planned your

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Located in Southwest Airdrie, Hillcrest offers easy access to shopping, schools, parks and downtown Calgary. Showhome builders offer an excellent selection of home styles and floorplans. Excel now selling front-drive garage duplexes starting in the $280’s.

Visit www.hillcrestairdrie.com or contact our showhome builders.

Shane Homes Contact: Jeff Brodowski Phone: 403.536.2316 Email: jeffb@shanehomes.com www.shanehomes.com

Trico Homes Contact: Cory Baiton Phone: 403.980.8510 Email: hillcrest@tricohomes.com www.tricohomes.com

Showhome Hours: Monday to Thursday 2-8pm | Weekends & Holidays 12-5pm | Closed Fridays.

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ADVeRTISING SALeS

Contributors fall 2012

Meet the Photographers

What is your favourite thing about being a photographer? kristy reimer: i love using the creative side of my brain for work. whether it be shooting a glamorous wedding, an airdrielife editorial, editing photos on the computer, scouting locations or setting up studio lighting, i’m always trying to think of new ideas that will work well for every aspect of that job.

PRINTING

Sherry Shaw-Froggatt Anne Beaty Vanessa Peterelli Kim Williams Sergei Belski, Leslie Davies, Sarah Deveau, Alex Frazer-Harrison, Laurie Harvey, ellen Kelly, Kurtis Kristianson, Tina McMillan, Carl Patzel, Kristy Reimer, Kent Rupert Wendy Potter-Duhaime Print West

ConTaCT us

Community Investment sherry@frogmediainc.ca editorial anne@frogmediainc.ca Advertising wendy@frogmediainc.ca Accounting carla@frogmediainc.ca WhErE To FInd us

airdrielife is delivered to all homes in Airdrie and surrounding areas. If you do not receive an issue please contact sherry@frogmediainc.ca 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.

kurtis kristianson: the adventure-lifestyle work i do gives me the opportunity to meet some of the most interesting and passionate people on the planet. sergei Belski: i love working with people and this is a perfect job for it. every day my work is different – one day i would be photographing a beautiful wedding in Banff and the next day photographing a college basketball game or documenting a corporate Christmas party.

What is your favourite kind of photo shoot? kristy reimer: definitely weddings, engagements and any other portrait shoots that combine elements of fashion, creative lighting, artistic control. kurtis kristianson: i prefer to photograph people enjoying their favourite sport or lifestyle and solving technical issues when trying to capture a difficult or extremely different point of view. if i get to do this while retaining marketability and still telling a story, i’m happy. sergei Belski: i love photographing events – it could be weddings, family reunions, Christmas parties. i love to document them as they naturally unfold, anticipating and being ready to capture the moments. i love when people can look back at photographs and relive the full story of the event and witness those moments they never knew even happened.

8 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

VoLuMe 9, NuMBeR 3

ISSN 1916-355X

Contents copyright 2012 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 independent 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 editorial@airdrielife.com airdrielife is produced from well-managed forests, printed with canola-based inks, and is 100% recyclable.

editor’s note We invite you to visit McKee Show Homes in these fine Airdrie communities.

Bayside

2429 Bayside Circle

King’s Heights

1191 King’s Heights Road

I have always been a strong supporter of the arts. From a young age, literature was an essential part of life, as was music and drama.

I have had the good fortune to travel extensively, absorbing other

Ravenswood

cultures, taking in everything from art to architecture, and learning

Reunion

To my way of thinking, art – in all its forms – is as necessary to life as is oxygen. Along with the people

2378 Reunion Street

and the basic infrastructure, art is what makes a community thrive, no matter its location.

Cooper’s Crossing

That said, this is one of my favourite times of year, when we celebrate arts and culture in Airdrie

1313 Ravenswood Drive

1161 Coopers Drive

to appreciate both the similarities and the differences.

(not that we don’t do that all year round). Here at airdrielife, it’s an awful lot of fun to learn about the people who make up our arts and culture base in the community, from musicians (page 20) to makeup specialists (page 70), martial artists (page 42) to food experts (page 22). While we never have enough pages to profile everyone in one issue, we do try to cover as many bases as we can.

Teens and retirees, business owners and hobbyists, our community present and past – everyone has a story to tell and they add yet another fascinating facet to our wonderful city. Sharing these special people with our readers is a very fulfilling way to make a living!

Airdrie’s Family Builder for

25Years

So sit back and put your feet up, turn the page and start your journey. There are people to meet just around the corner.

mckeehomes.com 403-948-6595 Anne Beaty, EDITOR

10 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

We build Backyard Barbeques.

For 25 years, we’ve built the best into every detail of every McKee Home.

Because we know what life’s dreams and memories are made of.

Airdrie’s Family Builder for

25Years

403-948-6595  mckeehomes.com SINGLE FAMILY COOPER’S CROSSING NANCY HARRIS 403-948-4635 | KING’S HEIGHTS CORY HORTH 403-689-2679 | RAVENSWOOD DOUG KIRK 403-980-1092 BAYSIDE KARI ANN HODGE 403-948-9726 | REUNION DENNIS FITZPATRICK 403-948-2399 | MULTIFAMILY KING’S HEIGHTS AL STUCKERT 403-948-4839

70 On the Cover

Makeup artist Amanda Tozser works her magic on Ali Froggatt PHOTO BY KRISTY REIMER

life in the moment

22

52

16

Light Work – Artist creates heart and soul

18

Musical Family – Baeuchle sisters harmonize

20

Good Times – Airdrie band rocks on

22

Fine Food – Haucks serve up great dishes

24

Theatrical – Bert Church offers great season

26

Festive Fall – ARTember is for everyone

life in the

community 36

Slammin’ – Musicians come together

38

To a T – Fundraising campaign takes off

42

Sporting Chances – Martial arts prove popular

46

Voice of the Community – Choir hits the right note

life at home Columns and regular features

52

Creative Passion – Vintage is raison d’être

54

City Reflections – Neighbourhoods offer serenity

62

Backyard Oases – Waterfall Willie goes with the flow

25 life online 28 lifesmarts with sarah deveau 31 fashionlife with leslie davies

life at work

34 Citylife 44 rural roots 48 pastlife with laurie harvey

67

Suitable – Image consultant shares style

55 lifestyles with tina mcmillan

68

Full Speed Ahead –

60 showhomes 66 Businesslife with kent rupert 78 last look

12 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

72

Filmmakers take to the track 70

Class Act – Makeup artist’s career takes off

72

Expressionism – Artist creates with henna

mattamyhomes.com

Today You Can Make A Big Splash In Windsong.

Mattamy’s New Spray Park In Windsong

Today is a great day to grab your bathing suit and head on up to Windsong in Airdrie.

The new Mattamy Homes Spray Park is now open. This wonderful new feature is located in the Chinook Winds Regional Park, connected to our neighbourhood of Windsong.

Come and try out the two Twist ‘n Spill Water Toys, the Splash Blaster Spiral and an interactive Tappin’ Tunes Piano. You’ll also find a skate park, lots of baseball diamonds and a hockey rink that converts to basketball courts, all part of the massive Chinook Winds Regional Park complex.If you find you love the new Mattamy Spray Park as much as the 600 families who already live in Windsong, we invite you to visit our Sales Centre and find your new home.

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

MOVE-UPS FROM THE $380’s

STARTER HOMES FROM THE $270’s

There are many reasons for buying a new home in Ravenswood. Great pricing and amazing architecture are the top two.

Your brand new home should include everything that makes life more enjoyable. And in Ravenswood great prices and wonderful aesthetics are on that list. Because of the beauty of this community you will have the comfort of knowing your investment will be protected for years to come. All for a price that allows you to still enjoy everything else in life.

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moment life in the 16 art and soul 18 Family Matters 26 all about arts

life in the moment | artist sTorY BY annE BEaTY phoTo BY sErgEI BELsKI

M

soul Painter Artist is careful to follow rules of light

16 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

airdrie artist Kathryn zondag treasures time with son Christian, 16 months

aking her home on the Prairies, with the fantastic sunrises and sunsets as inspiration, a love of all things ‘light’ comes naturally to Kathryn Zondag. “Alberta skies are just incredible,” says the Airdrie painter, “and what I like to do is I like to play with light.”

Currently, Zondag’s artistic focus – her “heart and soul” – is seascapes, using as reference thousands of photos she has taken over the years. She also incorporates into each painting her favourite colour: “That Caribbean turquoise blue, I can’t shake. A tone of it is in everything that I do.”

Each painting is unique, with a glorious luminescence, yet while the finished product may look quite romantic, it’s Zondag’s technical side that has helped her in creating a realistic scene.

“I work very hard to make my work as technically real as possible,” she says.“There is a science to it. There are certain rules of light that have to be followed.”

Even when Zondag is viewing artwork other than her own, she can find herself spending hours in front of it picking apart the lighting and technique, figuring out why it works (or doesn’t).

“You go in and out of creative mode and analytical mode,” she says of her artistic left-brainright-brain dynamic.

For Zondag, the analytical mode comes naturally. Her father was an engineer, her husband, Sid, is a project manager with a tech company and she herself has spent several years as a financial professional. But her creative side is also readily apparent.

“I’m always looking for the better side of everything,” says the self-professed eternal optimist. “I want to look at something that’s beautiful.”

Growing up on Vancouver Island – first in Nanaimo and then on an acreage only three blocks from the ocean – Zondag pursued her love of art from an early age. Painting since she could hold a brush, she points to Hawaiian artist Christian Riese Lassen and his work with light as a huge influence on her style. Although she calls herself a “poor imitator” of nature’s splendour, she is nonetheless always trying to capture that ‘perfect moment.’

“It’s that glow,” she says.

During her formative years, Zondag was also immersed in horsemanship, a practice that helped instill the discipline the artist uses today. “It became a lifestyle,” she says.

Eventually her art led her to ACAD, but after a couple of years, Zondag’s path went a very different direction and she became a banker. “I became known as the ‘creative lender,” she says with a smile. “I could piece a deal together.”

After that came a move to a job as a mortgage specialist. Then, her son Christian, now 16 months, was born and shortly after that the family suffered health issues.

“It was time to look at what mattered,” Zondag says.

What mattered was her family and her art. Last fall, friend Michelle Carre encouraged her to become involved in ARTember and Zondag found her calling once again.

Now, she paints, including one of this year’s Airdirondack chairs; works part time in the financial sector; and relishes time spent with Sid, Christian and their German pinscher Dexter. “It’s wonderful to be able to do what [I] love and to spend time at home with my son,” she says.

Although horsemanship isn’t part of her life at the moment, Zondag has been painting portraits of horses on a contract basis.“It’s my way of continuing to keep in touch (with the horse world) in a small way,” Zondag says.

That combination of seascapes and horse paintings is ideal. The seascapes reflect her love of light and all things tropical, while the horse portraits provide a connection to the equestrian life she loved as a girl.

“I’m trying to brand as ‘surf-and-turf,’” she laughs.

Looking ahead, Zondag does have one definite goal on her agenda. “I promised my husband that this year I’m actually going to do a painting for us,” she says.

And while she and her family love living in Airdrie, which they have called home for seven years, she does have one long-term ambition.

“Ever since I was little, I would love to – love to – live somewhere tropical,” Zondag says. life

Come in and experience a classic feel with an edge. Indulge in luxury products and enjoy a relaxing atmosphere.

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airdrielife.com 17

life in the moment | musician profile

T

he voices of Chandra and Alena Baeuchle blend together in perfect harmony.

The sisters love singing and aspire to a career in the arts but right now they are excited to perform as the duo they’ve called Arrow. Both honour students, Chandra, 19, is in her second year at the university of Calgary working toward a degree in music, while Alena, 16, is in Grade 12 at Bert Church High School where she sings in the choir. Chandra is also an accomplished pianist and Alena loves dance, writing and is learning to play the guitar.

The sisters began taking singing lessons nine years ago and first performed at a Bert Church talent show, then in a local production of Hansel and Gretel. “our teachers wanted to put us together because they thought our voices sounded good together,” says Alena. over the years, mom Roxanne Baeuchle says, Chandra and Alena have had some amazing local teachers, including Theresa Wasden, Annalise Smith, Tara Kearney and piano teacher Jill Kotchon. Singing lessons have helped both girls overcome shyness.

“I almost felt like I wasn’t doing as good as I could because I was so nervous,” Alena says. Her sister agrees. “I don’t think the nerves will ever go away but it’s definitely better than when I was younger. you learn how to handle it, and a bit of nerves is good. It keeps you in the moment,” Chandra says.

A single session with Brian Farrell, vocal coach and mentor, taught them a lot about performance.

“We walked out of that house so inspired and excited about our music,” says Chandra. “It was a breakthrough moment.”

The Baeuchles’ musical focus is pop with influences from jazz and other genres. “We do covers of others’ songs and individualize them,” says Chandra, who likes jazz and Kimbra. “I like Kimbra because she’s not trying to go with the mainstream music scene.

She’s created her own alleyway.”

Alena leans toward indie alternative rock (Gotye, Colbie Caillat) because, she says, “I like artists that are unique and have their own sound. I really admire originality.”

For now, the sisters are figuring out how to incorporate both their musical styles into one. Many artists who have a particular style have been influenced by other genres and have discovered their own unique sound, something the sisters strive to accomplish. “It’s still a journey because of their age,” says Roxanne.

“There is time to experiment and see where it goes.”

The name Arrow emerged after the girls decided that a single name would have more appeal than both names together. “I thought, what are our goals?” says Chandra. “We’re looking to go forward with music and Arrow represented that because our ‘arrows’ are pointed in the direction of music and in furthering ourselves in music.”

This summer, the girls produced a media packet with a CD demo to help with marketing. They have perfomed at Cheers for Volunteers and the Relay for Life, which they plan to do again

in 2013. “There is support in the community and with the development of SLAM (Supporting Local Area Musicians) there have been a lot more opportunities,” says Chandra.

As success comes, fundraising will be a priority for the pair. They have favourite charities and through their music strive to make the world a better place.

“Putting your music out there connects with people, with emotion,” says Alena.

Adds Chandra: “[My music] is rewarding and uplifiting. It’s a way of connecting and making friends.”

Both girls say they like Airdrie because it’s friendly and supportive. “In a bigger place, it’s harder to be accepted,” says Chandra.

“It’s a city full of wonderful, selfless, giving residents,” adds their mother. “There are a lot of good people, good standards, good values, and that’s what creates Airdrie and the feeling you get in this city.” life

Sister Act Chandra and Alena Baeuchle combine their unique styles into one harmonious sound sTorY BY ELLEn KELLY | phoTo BY KrIsTY rEIMEr Chandra (left) and alena Baeuchle

18 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

PRESENTS



A CITY-WIDE CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS SEPT 14-30   of arts and culture in Airdrie. We�re sure you�ll find something to do...

Art Show & Sale Art Tour AIRdirondack Gala & Auction Author Visits Children�s Art Fair Children�s Carnival Culture at the Creek Cupcake Eating Contest Dance Festival Fun Farmers� Market Fireworks Fibre Arts Film Fest Floating Lanterns Fused Glass Workshop Heritage Activities Hands-on Art Projects Jewellery Making John Wort Hannam Live Latte Art Martini Mixology Multicultural Experiences Musicians Norman Foote Children�s Show Rail Journeys Roman Danylo Comedy Live Samosa Making Singers SLAM on Stage Songwriting Competition Street Art Performing Arts Showcase Photography Poetry Public Art Projects Taste of Airdrie Theatre Productions Twilight Carnival Youth Open Mike Western Agricultural Fun Wine Pairings Zombies Get the

complete schedule online at artember.ca

VITREOUS ROCKY VIEW

life in the moment | group dynamics

Rocking out with Blakkstone Hexx sTorY and phoTo BY CarL paTzEL

(From left) alex Campbell, art dowell, Kevin Toovey and Craig squires party hearty

T

hese guys aren’t your average party planners.

Using driving guitar riffs, a backbeat of heavy bass and drums and gravelly vocals, Blakkstone Hexx wants to put a spell on listeners.

With a brew of classic and modern rock, the Airdrie power-rock group aims to charm its audience while promoting fun on and off the stage.

“As a rock band everyone wants to play music, have fun and do what they love. But at the same time we’re really facilitating a party and

20 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

good times,” says band promoter and guitarist Craig Squires.

The Hexx quartet has been mixing notes since early 2012, after Squires and drummer Kevin Toovey put out feelers for a bass player and vocalist. Through word of mouth and online advertising, they found singer Alex Campbell and bottom-end specialist Art Dowell.

Similarities in age, musical tastes and lifestyle – all four being family men – made for an immediate, easy fit for the group.

“We’re all from about the same background and same age and have very similar tastes

in music,” says Squires. “That’s what makes it stick so well – we’re all coming from the same place.”

Squires’ musical foundation – he’s played guitar for more than 25 years starting from his early days in Newfoundland – reflects the band’s sound. He is heavily influenced by the classic rock from the ’70s and ’80s with George Lynch (Dokken) and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath fame topping his guitar hero list.

Campbell became a front man and vocalist at age 16, while bassist Dowell toured the western club circuit for 10 years with various‘hair’ bands.

“If we’re doing our job well then we’re able to connect with who we’re playing to.”

Kevin“Gruvy” Toovey is a self-taught drummer brought out of retirement to join Squires.

“Once the four of us got together it was just a matter of finding where we all met; what the common points were. Most of the songs do come together very quickly,” Squires says.

A typical gig will include renditions of the traditional Whisky in the Jar; the much-covered Elton John tune Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting; Seether’s post-grunge Remedy; and Robert Palmer’s Bad Case of Loving You. They will also throw in their own versions of Slash’s guitar-driven Back from Cali; Colorful by Verve Pipe; and band favourite She Hates Me, originally brought to wax by Puddle of Mudd.

“Some covers … are our version with a twist on it,” says Squires.“We are going to toss in some originals; we have about three in the works.

“Our priority is just getting our name out there and getting some gigs that will pay us,” he adds.

“From there we’re going to fund some equipment we need and also a CD we would like to produce of originals and maybe throw in a cover.”

After the casual-black-T-shirt-and-jeanwearing rockers had their set list in place, all that was missing was a name and logo to put a face on the band.

Taking a suggestion of the colour theme, black stone, Squires completed the name with Hexx and incorporated a medieval logo that captured the essence of early ’80s rock.

“To rock it up a bit I used two Ks and two Xs. We’re all from that ’70s, ’80s thing so for us it’s important that a band name looks like something,” he says.

The Blakkstone Hexx logo can be found on guitar picks, hats and other promotional

materials. Portions of the funds from these sales go to the charitable group Dream Music Notes, which puts instruments in the hands of kids who wouldn’t otherwise have access.

The band’s hard-driving energetic rock has become a regular attraction at Dick’s Pub, the Legion and the Airdrie Boys and Girls Club.

Squires says he and his fellow band members embrace the opportunity to play almost anywhere the groove takes them and where they can make a connection with the audience.

“If we’re doing our job well then we’re able to connect with who we’re playing to,” he says, “and they’re going to have a great time, as well.

“Our main goal,” he adds, “is to be able to play at venues in front of people and play the music that we enjoy but they enjoy 10 times more.” life

fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 21

Tracy Hauck

life in the moment | food

Creative Cuts story and photo by Carl Patzel

Brian Hauck makes all his sausages from scratch

I

n this hectic, fast-paced society with family members being pulled in different directions, many aspects of daily life can suffer.

The dinner table, and consequently nutrition, aren’t immune to this syndrome.

When restaurant prices are a little out of reach, and fast food choices lacking in the nourishment department, a healthy, ready-togo meal can at times be difficult to find.

Airdrie’s Tracy Hauck has made this her mission. With a head full of ideas and more than a dozen recipe books by her side, the meat-shop owner sinks her teeth into the challenge of inspiring fast, healthy, satisfying downhome meals in this changing society.

“Even though fast food is big – and I don’t think that the world is ever going to slow down – people want something good and quick but they want it healthy for their families,” says Hauck, who along with husband Brian owns and operates The Butcher Shoppe. “We’re going to try and squeeze ourselves into that niche and try and fill a void there.”

22 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

Healthy food choices abound

Along with offering healthy choices of gluten- and lactose-free meats, including a homemade line of sausage and lunch meats, Hauck is ever expanding her ready-to-go, take-andbake and heat-and-eat meal packs.

“This fall we’re going to be doing a lot of soups and stocks that are all organic, in-store made. [They will] have low sodium, and nothing in it that has any kind of by-products or fillers,” she says.

Although she has an intimate familiarity with food, Hauck relies heavily on her employees, cookbooks and close to 30 years of experience and technique to help with the creative process in preparing 20 to 30 different products each week.

“I have a lot in my brain,” she laughs. “You also listen to customers and they give us lots of ideas. But ultimately it’s thumbing through lots of recipe books and experimenting at the store. When you can start with something fresh and good and healthy it certainly makes such a difference.”

The couple originally began with microwavetype meals, which evolved into fresh hoagies and sub sandwiches proving a lunchtime favourite.

A trial-and-error process eventually brought Hauck to her current favourite recipes, which she works into different dishes with slight variations in spicing or exchanging proteins.

“If it’s food we can do it, but obviously our forte is the American type of food,” she says.

“We don’t delve too much ethnically – there are places in Airdrie you can get that, so we stick to the basics and go from there.”

The western cuisine theme also fits in well with The Butcher Shoppe’s hand-made sausages. The Haucks regularly produce more than 60 different varieties of the smoked and fresh encased meats.

Brian puts plenty of effort into wheeling around large steel racks, containing more than 250 pounds of sausage, with a variety of straight and curlicue all-pork pepperoni, beef sticks, fire sticks, teriyaki sticks and honeygarlic sausage.

The 900-pound plus, walk-in smoker gets a weekly workout in the sausage grind, producing bacon, ham, sausage rings, beef jerky and even smoked bones for puppy treats.

“Something is going in there pretty much every day,” says Brian.“We make everything from scratch. We mix all the spices, grind the meat, put them into the casing and hang them in the smoke house.”

Although he marks the dry pepper sticks and regular teriyaki jerky among his favourites, Brian’s recipes have evolved to include shifting tastes and health concerns. The meat market, too, has evolved since his early days learning the sausage trade during a five-year butcher shop apprenticeship.

“You can’t have any binders or fillers of any sort now. Everything now is completely gluten-free,” he says.“We’ve been doing it for 35 years, so over the course of the years it just [had] to evolve for what people want today. Being an independent operator we’re more able to adjust and produce exactly what people want.”

Once again, Tracy says the secret ingredient in sausage making is starting with high-quality meat, from turkey to lamb to buffalo, and very fresh spices.

“Sausage in the past has gotten a really bad rap – ‘anything that doesn’t sell you throw it into sausage and it will sell,’” she says. “That’s never been where we’ve come from. We start with a very good quality meat. You put a little bit of pork in there to give it some moisture and fresh spice – that’s all you really need.”

As with the Haucks’ ready-to-go meals, taste and a healthy product are mixed into each recipe, whether it’s a plain beef offering, chicken apple sausage or turkey chorizo.

“People are more aware of what they are putting in their body and for us that’s great,” Tracy says. “We’ve been educating for 30 years on that, so it’s really come full circle for us. It’s become easier for us now to know that people appreciate good quality and demand good quality.” life

If you want to sit on it, you have to bid on it!

presents the

3rd Annual

GALA & AUCTION

Saturday September 22, 2012

6:30 pm at McArthur Fine Furniture, Airdrie

Tickets $75 available online only at: airdirondackgala2012.eventbrite.com Your all inclusive ticket to this exceptional event includes gourmet food, a wine tasting bar and craft beer bar with the exciting entertainment of the Deanne Matley Jazz Septet and the live auction of 12 original works of art on Adirondack chairs to support the Creative Airdrie Society and the future of arts in Airdrie. Select silent auction items also available.

Our thanks to Qualico and our partners:

Check out airdrielife.com for some of the Haucks’ favourite recipes

fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 23

life in the moment | theatrics

Lunch at Allen’s

Centre Stage Denis Chang Manouche Quartet

B

ert Church LIVE Theatre (BCT) is very pleased to announce the 2012-13 performing arts season lineup, which can be enjoyed through season’s passes or individual performances.

The theatre will once again offer an exceptional value in the Professional season’s pass, which includes a single regular admission ticket to all eight Professional Series shows. Complimentary tickets (one each) for Alberta Culture Days performances by John Wort Hannam and Roman Danylo plus Bring-a-Friend tickets (one each) for Denis Chang Manouche Quartet and Lunch at Allen’s are also a benefit of this pass. BCT is also pleased to have partnered with Genesis Place in offering the community a well-rounded mind and body experience. Two complimentary adult drop-in passes for Genesis Place will be included with each Professional Series subscription.

A Family Series season’s pass is also available and includes admission to all four Family Series shows for a family of four, plus two family drop-in passes for Genesis Place. That’s four great days for a cost of just $145 in total!

Season passes available by phone through the box office at 403-948-8824.

Bert Church LIVE Theatre has become a top destination for many well-known entertainers. Adding to the already impressive list of BCT stage inductees is

24 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

Celtic Tenors

Barney Bentall

A season of first-rate performances ahead

Steven Page, former lead singer and songwriter with Barenaked Ladies. This talented Canadian will start off the Professional Series on Oct. 5.

Other highlights of the season include the return of Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra; a Christmas-themed show with country singer Jason McCoy; the everpopular Barney Bentall; and international stars the Celtic Tenors.

Features of this year’s Family Series include Norman Foote, who will be in Airdrie to help celebrate Alberta Culture Days on Sept. 30, followed by Treehouse TV`s Splash’N Boots on Oct. 21.

BCT is expanding its P.A.C.K. (Performing Arts Classes for Kids) program beginning this fall due to its popularity. The program will consist of two classes (juniors aged seven to 11 and seniors aged 12 to 16) scheduled to run from Sept. 10 to Nov. 27 and then again from Jan. 7 to April 16. Depending on the child’s age, the class will run for two hours on either a Monday or Tuesday evening and culminate in a public performance at its conclusion. Registration begins in August and classes are expected to fill up quickly.

So no matter your age or performance preferences, come and experience Airdrie’s hidden gem. Imagine it … live!

Check out the entire 2012-13 season at thebertchurchtheatre.com

life in the moment | online There is always more life online at

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$3,000 in home decor to be Won! Life at home awards

We’ve already given away $1,000 worth and there is still $2,000 in gift cards to be won.

Congrats to Michelle Wagner and Kevin Kroetsch for winning the September issue prizes.

Visit participating showhomes and vote on your favourite rooms. (See page 58 for more details.)

amazing airdrie Women 2013

The nominations are open! If you know a woman in your life who you think is amazing, tell us about her.

NeeD A FASHIoN FIX?

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Do Good. Feel Good.

With every cup of Good Earth coffee, you’re helping others.

We’re all in this together. Let’s do some good.

Fashion editor Leslie Davies will come to the rescue. Visit us online or Facebook us and Leslie could be combing through your closet in a future issue!

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Watch the full story at www.goodearthcafes.com/goodstories Watch the full story!

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fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 25

life in the moment | festivals

An ARTember to remember Second annual arts and culture celebration promises something for everyone

S

eventeen days of arts and culture experiences. That’s the promise made in the Genesis ARTember arts and culture festival marketing material. And when you flip through the brightly coloured guide (inserted into airdrielife) or scroll through the website (artember.ca) you will notice the promise is kept. Every day between Sept. 14 and Sept. 30 offers an element of arts and culture, thanks to the dedicated work of the Creative Airdrie Society, comprising 100-plus volunteers and more than 70 partners and sponsors.

ect and Gala, Saturday, Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m. to midnight. This must-attend event, held at McArthur Fine Furniture, Airdrie, is one of the few chances Airdrionians have to dress to the nines for a good cause.

From workshops to fireworks, ARTember 2012 is focused on sharing the talents of thousands of residents and businesses and inspiring everyone to be creative. Here are highlights of what you can expect:

Rural Roots and Western Ways Every wondered about the ‘olden days’ in Airdrie? Take part in interactive displays and activities at Nose Creek Park (during Culture at the Creek celebrations) to learn about our agriculture roots (even hunt for gopher tails!) and satisfy your sweet tooth at the old-fash-

Fireworks And not just fireworks – floating lanterns, live music and a children’s carnival, all free for families on Saturday, Sept 15, 6-9:30 p.m., at the newest park/ pond in Cooper’s Crossing.

Art and Autos Mixed among the latest Ford models are hundreds of works of art for sale by area artists.

To kick off ARTember, the Airdrie Regional Arts Society will host a western-themed party, ARTS Roundup, Friday, Sept. 14, 7-11 p.m.

This ticketed wine-and-cheese gala plus art show and sale will be held at the new Cam Clark Ford dealership. The art show and sale continues the next day, Saturday, Sept. 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at no charge.

Painted Chairs The major fundraising event for the Creative Airdrie Society is the AIRdirondack Art Proj-

26 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

Hands-on ARTivities From riding a bicycle through paint to sculpting with clay, children will get to unleash their inner artist at Nose Creek Park during Alberta Culture Days (Sept. 28-30). The park features lots of free hands-on art projects, including crafts from other countries.

ioned candy store. For the grown-ups there is a good old barn dance and dinner featuring Mark Lorenz Friday, Sept. 28.

Cupcakes and Martinis Food takes centre stage during ARTember.

The Taste of Airdrie promotion involves 11 restaurants which are enticing diners to eat out more often with special dinner incentives and live entertainment. In addition, there is a Chilean Wine and Food Pairing evening at Rico’s in the Village Tuesday, Sept.

18, and The Art of the mARTini Mixology night at The Woods Thursday, Sept. 27.

The cupcakes come into play two ways: Avenue Cakery is holding a “find the new flavour” contest in which you could win cupcakes for a whole year; and the ultimate Cupcake Eating Challenge will be held Sunday, Sept. 30, in Nose Creek Park (apparently the world record is 42).

Art Tours Thirteen local businesses, from banks to dive shops, are hosting local artists and their work.

It’s like discovering 13 mini galleries. People are invited to select their favourite artwork/artist for the chance to win $300 toward the purchase of their favourite piece.

Culture at the Creek The highlight of ARTember is the Alberta Culture Days weekend Sept. 28-30 in Nose Creek Park. There will be tons of free activities for everyone, including a youth performing arts showcase with local schools; a full Western heritage area; live music from area musicians; multi-cultural experiences and performances; food; an artisan market; and, in honour of the Calgary Stampede 100th anniversary, a special Sunday morning free pancake breakfast and cowboy church service.

1,000 Strings ARTember plans to close Sunday, Sept. 30, with an open invitation to anyone with a guitar, banjo, violin or any stringed instrument to attend a jam session in Nose Creek Park. Three songs are recorded on video for everyone to learn at artember.ca

O

Step out of the ordinary and into...

Photo courtesy Adam Kuzik, Studio 35

Workshops Belly dancing, spoken-word poetry, beading, drawing, digital photography, stained glass, samosa-making – there is a class for everyone offered either for free or at special ARTember rates.

Zombies ARTember really does just about everything from A to Z. If you love the zombie craze you can get zombified with special effects experts and play football at the Airdrie Zombie Cup at Genesis Place Saturday, Sept. 29.

The full ARTember calendar is inserted in this issue of airdrielife. It’s recommended you check the ARTember website and follow on Facebook and Twitter for updates. You can also find a full digital version at airdrielife.com, creativeairdrie.ca and artember.ca life

Sunday Brunch

The Woods Dining Room at Woodside Golf Course provides guests with Airdrie’s most sumptuous Sunday Brunch from 10 am - 2 pm year round. Don’t miss an opportunity to enjoy Eggs Benedict and all of your homemade favourites, plus delicious desserts.

Sundays should be your day to rest, relax and recharge so step out of the ordinary and into The WOODS! 525 Woodside Drive Airdrie Reservations Recommended 403.948.7416 www.woodsidegc.com fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 27

life in the moment | column Come in & see why ulla-la is your #1 destination for ladies fashion, handbags, accessories & everything beautiful lifesmarts

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28 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

young at Art Airdrie nurtures aspiring artists

irdrie’s reputation as a community rich in artistic ability grows by leaps and bounds each year – and so do many of the city’s artists.

At Airdrie Public Library (APL), pint-sized Picassos can enrol in the junior artist program that runs during the school year. “These art classes are offered on the afternoon of the third Saturday of each month for children aged nine to 12,” explains Veronica Funk, APL art program co-ordinator. “There is a minimal fee of $3 per class to help cover expenses and a library membership is required to register, as well.”

Funk teaches many of the classes herself, and has arranged to feature local artists, including painter Tami Hort Lathwell, photographer Jaime Keenan and watercolorist Joy Beckley.

The library also partners with local schools to support the program, holding a spring exhibit for the high school students to showcase their talent.

Some of that talent was developed outside of the classroom. For more than 10 years, Airdrie School of Art has introduced students of all ages to the basics of drawing, painting, sculpting and much more through hands-on projects in a friendly, non-competitive atmosphere.

“We strive to offer the perfect balance between enough structured guidance to be successful and enough freedom to be independently creative,” says artist Jane Romanishko.

Airdrie also has two new businesses dedicated to helping children express their creative side. At Forever Keepsakes, which shares space with Airdrie School of Art, children can create their own art on templates before pressing the final pieces to such items as T-shirts, puzzles, coffee cups, art tiles and more. At 4Cats Art Studio, opening this fall, owner Cheryl Webster is excited to introduce the children of Airdrie to the world of art.“4Cats is a professional arts studio for ages two to 15,”

explains Webster. “Kids create imaginative pieces inspired by the works of famous artists, and we offer artist-of-the-month classes, workshops, camps, birthday parties and more.”

Artistic expression isn’t limited to painting or drawing, however, and young people interested in music and drama have local opportunities to pursue their passion, as well. Brad Fleischer is the lead vocalist and guitarist in local rock band Storm, and a member of SLAM (Supporting Local Area Musicians). “Most schools offer classes on the concert band genre, but there’s little instruction in other genres,” Fleischer says.

“Muriel Clayton Middle School is one exception; our band had originally started with the support of an incredible teacher.”

That said, Fleischer encourages young musicians to find a private teacher and to get involved with SLAM. “Our group fosters all types of opportunities and enthusiasm within the local music scene. For example, we hold ‘flash jams’ where older teens can perform an acoustic set at a surprise venue, and we also organize other events suitable for older teens, as well,” he says, adding that SLAM recently donated a drum kit and three guitar amps to support the teens who participate in the Friday open-mike nights hosted by the Boys and Girls Club.

Dennis Tinkler, general manager at Bert Church Theatre, says there are also great opportunities for older children to pursue dramatic arts experience and education in Airdrie. “We offer three-month programs throughout the school year called Performing Arts Classes for Kids (PACK), where kids aged seven and up can study technique and learn new skills, and show them off at a performance,” Tinkler says.

Whether youngsters are interested in visual arts, music or drama, it’s clear that Airdrie has a lot to offer.“We have so many young people interested in the arts in Airdrie,” says Funk.“I think it’s extremely valuable for the children in our community to have an opportunity to be involved in the arts, and I really love the fact that we have a community of professional artists willing to share their expertise and share their knowledge with the next generation.” life

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life in the moment | column

fashionlife

Artful accessorizing for fall 2012

with Leslie Davies

Meet our new fashion editor, Leslie Davies. Each issue she’ll offer her take on the trends and provide fashion advice that works.

(faux or real) fur wraps, capes and stoles.

This is another elegant and chic way to breathe new life into a favourite basic outfit you wore to death last fall.

4. Fur (faux or real) trim – A rerun from last fall/winter, look for fur trim on boots, handbags, scarves and belts. This

Welcome to ARTember in Airdrie! It’s a

trend is best sported when limited to one

wonderful time dedicated to celebrating

or two pieces – more than that and you

local artisans who express their passions

could end up resembling Grizzly Adams.

and interests through works of art.

(Hmmm, am I dating myself here?)

Don’t think you’re an artist? Not feel-

5. Ladylike bags – The ‘lug-everything-

ing particularly creative? There’s no need

including-the-kitchen-sink’ handbags are

to feel as if you’re on the sidelines ob-

still around but the new stylish alternative

serving – YOU can be your own Picasso,

is the ladylike bag and clutch. OK, so you

Van Gogh, Rembrandt or Monet! That’s

can’t carry a week’s worth of lunches,

right, by choosing fashionable accesso-

diapers and your sneakers in your bag,

ries which excite you, flatter you and ex-

but really … won’t it be a treat to be able

press different parts of your personality,

to actually find your cell phone when it

you can be your own masterpiece. And

rings?

there’s no better or easier way to update

6. Jewel embellishment – If you’re a

your wardrobe without breaking the

bling girl, you’ll LOVE this trend. You’ll

bank than accessorizing!

see jewel-embellished handbags, shoes, boots, gloves, eyeglasses and jewelry.

Watch for these fall 2012 accessory trends:

Being tasteful is limiting your bling to a

1. Major statement pieces – We’ve

making Mr. T jealous. (I know, I’m dating

heard that size doesn’t matter. Well, this

myself again!)

fall when it comes to accessories, it does!

7. Animal print/skin touches – Got

You’ll see massive necklaces and earrings

a wild side? Real or faux croc, python,

take centre stage. I recommend wear-

ostrich and animal print/skin touches are

ing either one or the other, but not both

adorning handbags and shoes.

at the same time. It’s the perfect trend to

So embrace your own inner artist and

rock with your basic turtleneck, jeans and

try something new and a little daring this

boots or little black dress.

fall – by starting with a new accessory

2. Brooches – It’s time to raid grand-

or two for inspiration. Who knows what

ma’s closet for her vintage brooches! Try

creative style genius you might unleash?

pinning them on your fall or winter coat, *At the time of writing this column, retailers hadn’t yet received their fall and winter finery – be sure to check out their selection by the time the leaves begin to turn colour.

couple of pieces only – we want to avoid

the neck of a turtleneck sweater or your handbag, or use one to fasten a scarf around your shoulders.

3. Fur wraps and stoles – While you’re in grandma’s closet, also look for

Crave your own Shop Your Closet makeover with Leslie? Check out airdrielife’s Facebook page and submit your name, photos of you (head to toe) and the reasons why you’ve earned it! Future issues will feature selected Shop Your Closet makeover winners and their before and after photos! fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 31

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citylife | connections

Art in Motion Your ticket to ride is a work of art story by Alex Frazer-Harrison | photos by Sergei Belski

Y

ou don’t need to go to a fancy art gallery to see some of Airdrie’s best art. If you’re a regular Airdrie Transit customer, you just need to look in your wallet.

For the second year, Airdrie’s bus system is teaming up with

local artists for Art in Motion, which spotlights artistic images on the front of the monthly passes issued for the local and Intercity Express (ICE) services.

“We wanted to look at a way to work more with the community to promote the benefits of transit and its importance to all of the community, and we also wanted to engage the arts community,” says City transit coordinator Chris MacIsaac. “It’s a way to make it a little more creative, vibrant, exciting, and reach out to people who may not have had a connection to the arts community before, or to transit before.”

A total of 24 pieces have been chosen from 124 submissions by 23 artists, MacIsaac says, adding that the local service and ICE passes will feature different works each month.

At press time, the City had yet to announce which pieces will be featured, but MacIsaac says the selection this year was diverse. “We even had [images] of tattoos submitted, which is really unique because I think it’s important we showcase all aspects of art,” he says. “It doesn’t have to be done with a paintbrush.”

Local artists Char Vanderhorst and Jantina McMurray are among the veterans of Series I who have been selected again for Series II. McMurray’s preferred medium is pencil crayon, and as for her favourite subject? Well, the fact she’s in veterinary school might be a clue.

“I love drawing animals,” she says. “I started when I was pretty young, and my parents saved all the colouring book pages I did. It wasn’t until high school that I took art classes.”

Ironically, last year Art in Motion chose a landscape McMurray did of a tree on a cliff at sunset rather than her animal art. Her sister, Olivia, also had a piece chosen.

34 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

Airdrie artists Jantina McMurray (left) and Char Vanderhorst are among those whose work will grace local transportation passes

“I think [Art in Motion] is a really neat idea,” says McMurray. “Maybe because with school I’ve been taking a step back from art, I don’t know any other opportunities to show my work, so this is a good way to get out into the community.”

Vanderhorst, meanwhile, dips her brush in watercolours, acrylic and sometimes oil, and also does pieces involving leaves and stone tile. Last year, her painting The Ram was chosen for Art in Motion.

“I’ve always really liked to paint,” says Vanderhorst, who was featured in the airdrielife spring 2012 issue. “My mother was a painter and I came from a creative family. When you paint, it’s a form of communication.”

Vanderhorst, who teaches art in Airdrie, recently provided window artwork for Cedarwood Station and is engaged in local mural projects. Her painting, Japanese Girl, was recently on display in New York City’s Times Square (alongside work by another Airdrie artist, Michelle Pickering), as part of the Art Takes Times Square contest.

From Vanderhorst’s perspective, Art in Motion is just one way for Airdrie artists to be united. “It brings the community together,” she says.

A side benefit of Art in Motion is it’s made transit passes collectible rather than something to recycle every month, says MacIsaac. For this reason, unsold passes from Series I are being collected for those interested in buying a set of last year’s artwork. They will be available once Series II passes begin to go on sale, he says.

Series II will be officially launched in September.

citylife

fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 35

life in the community | making music matter sLaM in airdrie executive members – al Caissie, ryan Fleischer, Frank Wiebe, Jay stoudt, Brad Fleischer and paul nye – show off the guitar picks they are selling to support the Bert Church 2014 theatre expansion

Banding sTorY and phoTos BY KurTIs KrIsTIanson

Together

36 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

Local musicians prove supporting each other is sweet music

I

t’s not hard to see that the arts community in Airdrie has been growing and thriving in the last few years. Yet one of the largest and fastest-growing demographics in the Airdrie area until recently had continued to remain unorganized and relatively disconnected.

While there has always been a music scene, a few local musicians saw the need for an organization that would work for the benefit of all area musicians, from the inexperienced basement punk band to the working recording artist.

Last November Jay Stoudt (Steady the Wheel) and Frank Wiebe (Sharp Hill) got together to try to hammer out a multi-day music festival when the discussion quickly turned to a general lack of support for the music community. All the other arts communities had their own organizations and supports structure, so why wouldn’t it work for the one of which Stoudt and Wiebe were a part? Calls then went out to a handful of other local musicians, inviting them to represent a new enterprise, and SLAM (Supporting Local Area Musicians) was born.

“The idea was timely and the need obviously there....”

The idea was timely and the need obviously there, as SLAM pitched the concept at the first Awesome Airdrie last December and ended up taking the $1,000 prize money. Within 90 days the new organization was incorporated, the new website went live and organizers managed to put on an open mike and acoustic showcase for their first event.

The idea of SLAM is a simple one, summed up best with its mission statement: To unite the musicians in our community, to organize local events providing opportunities for everyone to perform and promote the talent in Airdrie.

Networking is an obvious facet of SLAM’s mission and so is the promotion of talent, but what is intriguing is Stoudt’s and Wiebe’s desire to provide an environment for young musicians to learn and gain valuable experience. Maybe it’s working with a stage manager, a sound guy or a light tech, or simply setting up a monitor – opportunities are made for ‘new’ musicians that could otherwise possibly take years to get.

“I always think back to when I was learning and I wish I would have had an organization like this,” says Stoudt, noting the value of having access to industry veterans.

Another cool aspect of the SLAM initiative is how members give back to the Airdrie business community. One example is the “flash jam,” in which a local band will show up at a place such as Good Earth Coffeehouse and perform a few live sets while entertaining and bringing customers through the door.

Even fundraising has become part of the program: the ‘SLAMbassadors’ have set a goal to raise $60,000 for the Bert Church Theatre expansion by 2014 through their Picks for Performing Arts campaign. The idea is to sell 3,000 guitar picks that people can sign and will eventually end up in the table tops of the bistro area in the new Bert Church Theatre lobby.

The whole idea of an organization that promotes and represents the culture of music in the city is brilliant and the numbers should back that up. Originally Wiebe and Stoudt had guessed that they might have 40 to 50 members by now, but in reality there are close to 90 members covering the whole spectrum of Airdrie music, from young kids in punk-pop to rockers in their 70s. Membership is free and to date there has been no need to go out and recruit, as word of mouth, networking and the occasional news piece has led musicians to SLAM. Without paid membership, an organization such as this would have little to work with, but many businesses in Airdrie understand the value of what SLAM is trying to do and have been more than happy to support it or sponsor its events. One such event coming up in the fall is the Original SLAM contest, in which artists will be writing and performing original songs in hopes of winning a cash prize, recording time, airtime on AIR 106.1 and a stage slot at next year’s Airdrie Fest.

Now after a year of establishing themselves as pillars in the local music scene and developing their mission, SLAM members are looking forward to getting back to the topic that started the whole thing. The idea for a multi-day music festival sparked a desire to build a foundation for the Airdrie music scene but eventually gave the organization the structure to pull it off. Next year SLAM will be taking the reins for Airdrie Fest with plans to make it bigger and a few days longer the following year.

When he thinks about what SLAM is getting out of all this when new musicians and members are reaping such benefits, Stoudt smiles and remembers a quote he heard recently:“One generation plants the trees, so the next generation can enjoy the shade.” life fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 37

life in the community | giving back summer 2012

airdrielife.com

Meet more than

20 men you’ll ADMIRE The Miller

Mural

FAMILY BUILDERS

love Airdrie?

WHY DOES CHRIS MULDERS

The “I heart airdrie” team of (from left)

PLUS THE BEST PATIOS FOR DRINKING A BEER THIS SUMMER

Chris Mulders, denise Melrose and sherr y shaw-Froggatt, with Mayor peter Brown and Community Links executive director Brenda hume

i heart Airdrie i airdrielife_summer2012.indd 1

12-05-30 8:13 AM

how a simple t-shirt on the cover of airdrielife became a fundraising sensation

t was designed as a prop for the cover of airdrielife magazine and has found a new life as a community fundraiser. The I Heart Airdrie T-shirt resident Chris Mulders wears in the June issue of airdrielife has become a new way to ‘show your love’ for the city and support local causes at the same time.

“When we were planning to feature Chris on the cover I knew exactly how I wanted him to pose,” says airdrielife publisher Sherry Shaw-Froggatt. “This guy loves Airdrie, and his signature close of every episode of his webcasts is ‘What do you love about Airdrie?’

“Chris was a great sport,” Shaw-Froggatt adds, “and I know Kristy Reimer, the photographer, had a lot of fun working with [him].”

When the magazine hit doorsteps and newsstands, there were 28,000 copies of Mulders in the T-shirt in circulation. The feedback was instantaneous and all over Twitter and Facebook: “Where can I get that shirt?” and “I want an ‘I Heart Airdrie’ T-shirt.”

“Both Chris and I were getting the ‘I want one of those T-shirts’ messages,” Shaw-FrogTM

38 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

gatt explains, “so we knew we had to do something positive with the momentum.”

Mulders and Shaw-Froggatt contacted Denise Melrose, owner of the Airdrie Pharmsave and one of the community’s most supportive business owners. “We decided we could sell the T-shirts and give the proceeds back to the community that all three of us love and support,” says Shaw-Froggatt.

With Melrose’s retail acumen and buying power, T-shirts were designed, ordered and delivered for sale in her store. Selected by the three partners, Community Links became the first recipient of the I Heart Airdrie campaign, with $10 from every shirt sold until Sept. 1 going to the organization. A total of $690 (at press time) was raised in just eight weeks.

Brenda Hume, Community Links executive director, was thrilled to hear her organization would be the first recipients of the T-shirt sales.“We were delighted to be thought of and it is very much appreciated,” says Hume.

The I Heart Airdrie campaign will continue to grow, with a new community group selected to receive the proceeds every three TM

TM

months, timed with the quarterly release of airdrielife. For the September-to-November period, Airdrie Meals on Wheels with be the benefactor. T-shirts are only available at Airdrie Pharmasave, 209 Centre Ave. NW. “The shirts are a fun way to show your community pride and will benefit organizations that help make Airdrie such an amazing place to call home,” says Mulders.

The hope is to be able to continue the program well into the future.

“As long as people keep buying Tshirts and as Airdrie gains more tourism events, we should have no problem selling,” Shaw-Froggatt says.

Non-profits wishing to be considered for the I Heart Airdrie campaign are asked to submit a request to sherry@frogmediainc.ca or chris@airdrie360.com “All we ask is that the group show a commitment to promoting the sale of the T-shirts,” says Shaw-Froggatt.“We hope to keep this campaign going for a long time, perhaps expanding to include different I Heart Airdrie products to continue to support local causes.” life TM

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life in the community | sports Instructor Luis CofrĂŠ works with a young pupil to teach the physical, spiritual and mental aspects of Muy Thai

Kicking, punching and yes, screaming, accepted story and photos by Carl Patzel

Martial

Arts

42 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

Vanessa Bellegarde, a former Muay Thai kickboxing champion, enjoys seeing her young students gain self-confidence

T

he days of ancient, secret martial arts being taught in hard-to-find, dingy basements to only those invited is a thing of the past.

These formerly enigmatic arts, once only taught in the Far East, have grown in popularity, as many are discovering the benefits of integrating self-defence, confidence and personal growth in their daily lives.

At one time shrouded in mystery, these fighting disciplines have gone beyond the adult realm, as many martial art clubs find the practice becoming more popular with the younger segment of society.

Screams of young children are accepted, expected and even encouraged in the modern training hall, a far cry from the out-of-control shrieks of undisciplined and disrespectful youngsters being toted around big-box stores.

The Japanese arts of karate and judo, Korean taekwondo and other martial arts have seen their numbers climb in children’s and junior classes.

Vanessa Bellegarde of Bellegarde’s Dragon at the Airdrie Martial Arts Centre has also noticed this latest trend.

“Each month we have been growing. Our program is offered six days a week and we follow the Participaction rule of 60 minutes a day of high-endurance activity. That’s one reason why we are so popular,” says Bellegarde, a former world Muay Thai kickboxing champion and gym teacher.

The club currently has more than 130 students of all ages, half of those in the youth programs for ages four to13.

“It builds confidence, and we’re also an anti-bullying program. We’re getting parents coming to us saying,‘Johnny is having this issue at school – how should he handle it?’” says Bellegarde, who teaches a voice-first approach to bullying.

Students not only learn a combination of kickboxing and the unique Muay Thai moves, which include punches, kicks and knee strikes, but facts on nutrition and the benefits of an active lifestyle.

The club’s Lil’ Dragons after-school program also incorporates team spirit days, with the focus on sportsmanship, circuit training, martial arts games and partner training. Competition is optional.

From the outside, and to the untrained eye, children in head gear and boxing gloves may look a bit strange. But the grimaces of exertion are quickly replaced by smiling faces with encouraging praise from the instructor.

And it goes well beyond the physical. Fellow instructor Luis Cofré is constantly testing the young students on the philosophy and history of Muay Thai and kickboxing.

“We believe it to change people’s lives for the better,” says Cofré. “We’re strong believers in having a strong awareness of your physical self, spiritual self and of your mind.”

Combining these three aspects is making a notable difference in the lives of students. A physical and mental transformation can be seen being transferred to all aspects of daily life.

“Their grades go up because their focus is better. They end up having a better social life because their guard is down. They are more outgoing because they’ve overcome these mental blocks on the dojo floor,” Cofré says.

Richard Kraska, fifth-degree black belt instructor at Berjaya Tae Kwon Do, has also seen the youth movement expand since he began teaching in 1987.

A major portion of his club is made up of juniors between the ages of four and 15.

“A lot of parents want the discipline in their kids and the focus,” says Kraska.“Respect takes a while for them to understand. The whole class you’re teaching philosophy and the focus.”

As well as high spinning kicks and forms, students learn the taekwondo oath and tenets, which encourage courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit.

“They get an idea of what motivation is all about,” Kraska says.“Motivation comes from within – it’s not just because someone is standing in front of you and telling you what to do all the time.”

In the Muay Thai dojo, each class begins with breathing exercises and a light meditation. While it may seem out of the grasp of four- or fiveyear-olds, Cofré says that this practice could eventually lead to a unique understanding of their bodies and minds.

“They understand how to centre themselves,” he says, “and slow things down in this fast-paced society we live in.” life fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 43

k c i tr ers d i r

life in the community | rural roots

story by Alex Frazer-Harrison | photos by Sergei Belski

T

ake the daughter of a veteran bareback rider, a former Stampede Princess, a team of galloping horses and, oh yes, a touch of fire-breathing, and you get Smokin’ Aces Trick Riding.

Two years ago, Bradi Dunn partnered with Kirstie Rougeau to bring the art of trick riding to such events as the Airdrie Pro Rodeo, featuring well-rehearsed feats of derring-do that continue the tradition of the old Wild West shows, but with a modern flair.

“I’ve been riding my whole life – my dad was a bareback rider and the first time I saw trick riding it was at the Stampede when I saw the girl [who] taught me, Jerri Duce Phillips,” says Dunn, whose family has lived in Balzac since 1906. “It took me a while, but I finally tried it out and I just loved it. I probably liked the colours and the fast speed!”

Rougeau, whose family lives near Gleichen, is a veteran of the Calgary Stampede Showriders drill team and was crowned a Stampede Princess

Kirstie Rougeau (left) and Bradi Dunn

fall 2012 2012 44 airdrielife.com || fall

in 2010. “My love of riding grew from [the Showriders], and trick riding was something I’d seen since I was a little girl,” she says.

Both trained under Phillips and “just clicked” when they partnered professionally after Rougeau’s turn as princess ended, says Dunn, who rode with other partners before inviting her to join.

“I think the biggest part is we have fun with what we do,” says Rougeau. “Bradi and I practise every weekend – last summer, she left her horses at my place and came out every night after work.”

Dunn describes Smokin’ Aces as “gymnastics on horseback, with a lot of flexibility and finesse.” For example, in one part of the show they co-ordinate their quarter-horses to run behind each other as the riders hang upside down by one leg in a trick called the Double Suicide Drag.

“These things are dangerous and you have to be super-careful,” says Rougeau. “There’s a lot of communication that goes on between Bradi and me during a performance. She waits till I give her the nod and knows I’m ready to go.”

The duo recently added a fire-breathing finale to the act, a spectacular climax with the horses rearing up and the riders shooting flames. “everyone really loves that,” says Dunn.

The two are now training in aerial acrobatics to add even more thrills to future shows, Rougeau adds.

Training horses, riding upside down, breathing fire: it makes for quite a change from their ‘day jobs’. Dunn studied travel and tourism at SAIT Polytechnic and currently works for an oil and gas company in Balzac, while Rougeau, a Mount Royal university psychology grad, is studying education at the university of Calgary.

But when they get together, either at Dunn’s Balzac home or at Rougeau’s place in Gleichen, the focus is on training their horses and getting their routines down.

“It takes a lot of time; I just got a little bulldog and she’s easier to train than your horse,” laughs Dunn. “When you start something new, you have to be out there every day doing it. It’s really rewarding when you get them to do a new trick – I have one of my horses bowing with a touch on the shoulder.”

Adds Rougeau: “Patience is huge. But be patient, and it will come.”

Dunn and Rougeau agree that support from their parents makes it possible for everything to come together. “They’re our biggest sponsors!” laughs Rougeau.

And although there are competitions for trick riders, Dunn says that she’s not in it for any trophies.

“We’re in it for the entertainment … you want to be doing it all the time!” she says. life

fall 2012 2012 || fall

airdrielife.com 45

life in the community | groups

Local Vocals

“M

usic has that ability to bring people together and form deep and lasting bonds.”

So says Paul Grindlay, Airdrie Community Choir (ACC) artistic director and conductor, and those bonds are evident within the local musical group, embarking on its 28th season. “I love to see the way this group collaborates on mutual goals, supports each other and is there for significant life events,” says Grindlay, who is entering his fourth year with the choir. “We laugh together, we make music together and close friendships form.”

Airdrie Community Choir’s music is based on the members’ interest and pieces chosen by Grindlay, who holds degrees in both music and zoology. He selects music and, in collaboration with the accompanist, runs weekly rehearsals. The choir learns the music, refines it, polishes it and takes pride and enjoyment in developing artistically as an organization. ACC membership is not auditioned and the choir is open to singers over 14, providing a diverse group with a range of experience and musical/vocal ability. “We try to find the right balance between artistic accomplishment and enjoyment,” says Grindlay.

Jana Sears, a 12-year member and president of the choir’s six-member board of directors, says that members all learn differently. “I know the dynamics of the music but I really need to hear it,” she says.“Paul is very good at taking us through what we need individually.

46 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

Courtesy of Airdrie Community Choir

story by Ellen Kelly

“Sometimes you think, ‘I’m not going to like this,’ but by the end it becomes one of your favourites,” Sears adds. “There’s something for everyone.”

While the 50-member choir, with members from Airdrie and area as well as Calgary, Irricana and Water Valley, meets at the Lutheran Church of the Master (216 Main St. SE), it is not a church choir.“We practise in a church because [it has] good acoustics and space,” says Sears.

New members are always welcome. Choir practices are held Monday evenings, 7-9 p.m., beginning the first Monday evening after Labour Day. There is a fee of $175 for the season, which includes music rental, that portion being refunded each year. ACC is a registered charity with extra funds going back into community projects.

Upcoming performances include Remembrance Day at Genesis Place; a Christmas singfest and fundraiser for the Airdrie Lioness Society in December at Bert Church Theatre and Christmas carolling at various seniors lodges. A concert around Easter at Bethany Care Centre allows the choir to see how selections for the annual spring concert are coming together.

ACC supports such local events as the Artisans Fair, school fundraising, and private functions. The organization also sponsors a post-secondary scholarship (the ACC Scholarship for Emerging Conductors) in the University of Calgary’s Department of Music, Faculty of Fine Arts, instituted in recognition of past artistic director Jean-Louis Bleau. life

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life in the community | history

name?

What’s in a

pastlife

with Laurie Harvey

R.J. Hawkey Airdrie has an interesting history.

No, really, we do.

This issue, I had a difficult time choosing what to write. I finally thought about what people see in the city when they are out and about.

Places! And places have names. Some of the places in Airdrie have been named after the pioneers of the community; the people who started Airdrie on the path we are on today.

For many years, the main part of Airdrie was divided between four owners: A.E. Bowers owned the southeast quarter, William Croxford the northwest quarter, R.J. Hawkey the northeast quarter and CPR the southwest quarter.

The limits of Airdrie were within this section for many years.

Brothers-in-law Bowers and Croxford came to Airdrie from Innisfail in 1901. They worked together to build the first buildings in Airdrie – a barn first and then a house for Bowers. This was on the north side of Centre Avenue and the east side of Main Street. He then added a small

48 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

building on the north side of his home for a general store and post office and became the first general store owner and postmaster. During this early phase of Airdrie, Bowers also built a small building and rented it for a laundry, as well as constructing a warehouse that was later enlarged into a gristmill. He operated a farm implement agency and started a lumberyard. He owned the store until 1907, when he and his family moved to Victoria, B.C. The Bowers family returned in 1911 and began building again. The family had leased the general store to Mr. Glover and Mr. McCormack and the lease had expired. The Bowers continued operating the general store until 1918, when it was sold to Dr. W.F. Edwards, but held onto the house until a year later. They had bought a farm from Colin McArthur in 1913 and that is where they resided after selling the store and house.

In 1922, A.E. Bowers was killed in a car crash on the Calgary-Edmonton highway.

His wife lived on the farm until 1954, when she moved to Edmonton to live with daughter Mabel. Gordon Bowers continued to live on the farm east of Airdrie.

Today in the city, A.E. Bowers Elementary School and Bowers Street pay tribute to the man and his family.

When Croxford came to Airdrie with his brother-in-law, the area was, according to him, “just open prairie.” Settling on the northwest quarter of section 12, Croxford had the honour of owning the third building in Airdrie. For a few years, church services were held in the Croxford home (which later became the site of the Airdrie Feed Mill) and he even donated land for a church to be built in the community.

Ten years later, Airdrie Methodist Church was constructed and its name changed to Airdrie United Church in 1925.

In 1902, Dan McDonald moved a building onto Croxford land and started a boarding house. This became the Airdrie Hotel (later known as the Old Hotel). In 1903, Croxford’s parents moved to Airdrie from Innisfail and built a house, barn and slaughterhouse on his land. In 1914, the whole works burned to the ground because of sparks from a passing train.

Today, there is a cul-de-sac called Croxford Place and a rural neighborhood, which is now just inside Airdrie city limits, named for the family.

The third original owner was R.J. Hawkey.

The first school in Airdrie was built on Hawkey land and when it opened in 1904, Hawkey was the teacher. In 1906, he and his students decided to raise some money for the school. They held a concert and a box social and a large crowd showed up. The bachelors of the community were hoping to buy their lunch from a young lady and many ending up eating lunch with a very young schoolgirl. It was with these funds raised that Hawkey purchased the school bell, which was used from 1907 until 1957. The bell now sits in Nose Creek Valley Museum.

Hawkey was not just a school teacher. At the end of the First World War, he opened a bake shop, the first in Airdrie, but eventually went back to teaching because of his health. In 1929, he taught at the District of Glen Rock, while his wife taught in Airdrie. During the years until 1950 (he passed away in 1952), Hawkey ran a dairy, was the mayor of Airdrie, worked with the school board and was the treasurer for the United Church.

R.J. Hawkey Elementary School was named in honour of Airdrie’s first teacher. As well, there is a cul-de-sac called Hawkey Crescent in his memory. life – Laurie Harvey is curator at Nose Creek Valley Museum

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home life at 57 Very stylish 60 showoff 62 Tranquility

life at home | decor

“I like things time-worn and rough like real life is.”

Vintage Vibes

sTorY BY ELLEn KELLY | phoTos BY KrIsTY rEIMEr

how vintage design became a source of release

52 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

Jenny Pyykonen’s art feeds her 1920s soul

A

va Blake Creations was born in July 2011 out of a passion to create and a love for anything vintage after a creative journey that spanned years. Beginning with a move to Airdrie 11 years ago and the impending birth of her second child, Jenny Pyykonen began a personal adventure that was both terrifying and enlightening.

The journey began when, at six weeks pregnant, she was involved in a serious car crash followed within weeks with an ultrasound that indicated her baby had serious kidney problems. A whirlwind of appointments, 25-plus ultrasounds and the looming threat to her baby made life difficult.“I was so angry,” Pyykonen says,“but I had good supports and for whatever reason I thought I should try painting. I painted a pregnant belly and how I was feeling in the belly. I liked it. It was fun.”

A lifelong doodler with no formal arts training, she painted off and on. Her daughter’s continuing critical medical problems took most of her energy, but over the next five years Pyykonen’s interest in refinishing and decorating evolved.

She and her husband flipped their first house, then the next. (Their current home is their seventh in Airdrie.) In each house, Pyykonen learned to decorate, and designed a little more. Each time she thought the new house lacked character. “I like things time-worn and rough, like real life is,” she says,“so I redid everything.”

Pyykonen repainted furniture and her passion for uniqueness grew with each project.

Then, at age eight, her daughter’s kidneys failed. Six months later, Pyykonen supplied a kidney for the transplant and three weeks after that her daughter developed diabetes from the medication. Pyykonen feels her creative drive wouldn’t have been so strong if it hadn’t been for her daughter’s journey. “I think when you’ve been cracked to the core you tend to go deeper into yourself,” she says.

A group of supportive friends urged her to continue with her art.

One friend suggested a blog. He asked her to redecorate his mother’s bedroom as a surprise and videoed her reaction. Pyykonen posted the video and Ava Blake Creations – with a Victorian/French influence on vintage furniture refinishing – was born.

After refinishing a 100-year-old dresser that had belonged to her grandfather, Pyykonen’s interest in vintage restoration became her passion. “I repainted it and it was like brand new and no one else has it. I went crazy, hunting down things, and redoing and painting – I did the lamps, the tables, the pillows. I got vintage windows,” she says.

“It fueled my addiction.”

Currently Pyykonen creates vintage vases, bottles, picture frames and furniture and loves turning old windows into art pieces.“I thought maybe I was a ’60s soul,” she says with a laugh,“but I’m totally a ’20s.”

Pyykonen often copies pictures onto her pieces, choosing vintage images from before 1923 (when copyright became an issue) which she obtains online. Using images from her favourite site, she decorates tables and other furniture as well as accessories such as trays, vases, bottles and picture frames. An ancient school projector resizes the image and produces a clear duplicate in whatever size she needs to enhance her project – then she paints it. Pyykonen also likes to add French words and phrases to projects, enjoying the fluid fonts and unique result.

Her favourite creation changes regularly. Recent one-of-a-kind art projects include barn board signs with Paris addresses painted in a lovely cursive font. An invitation to go through a 1930s house destined for demolition this past summer provided an abundance of material, such as cupboard doors, china and especially vintage windows for upcoming projects.“I love it,” she says.“It’s all very romantic.”

And although Pyykonen doesn’t do shows or sales, business through her Facebook page has been so brisk that she can’t build inventory.

“I’m just grasping the fact that I am an artist,” she says. “I try not to think too much about it because I don’t want it to go away.” life fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 53

life at home | neighbourhoods

All’s quiet in Waterstone and Summerhill story by Sarah Deveau | photo by Carl Patzel

P

rotected from the hustle of downtown Airdrie and nearby Highway 2 by mature trees and wide streets, the established communities of Waterstone and Summerhill sit north of Yankee Valley Boulevard and east of Main Street. These quiet sister neighbourhoods boast many homes backing onto Nose Creek, which meanders through the community and features pretty water features and well-maintained pathways on the grassy banks.

Brenden and Nykol Kroeker have lived in Summerhill for eight years. Having grown up in the neighbourhood, Nykol knew it was a friendly area, and admitted that while the couple had looked at a number of different communities in Airdrie, Summerhill was really the first choice. “We wanted something that was mature and established rather than new,” says Nykol, who has two young daughters.

“We had criteria when looking for our perfect home – we wanted a wood-burning fireplace, big backyard and wanted it to be close to park pathways, and Summerhill met all of those needs.”

54 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

While not the oldest neighbourhoods in Airdrie, Summerhill and Waterstone were established early in Airdrie’s development, and as a result are centrally located. Residents can easily walk to downtown amenities, including the library, grocery stores, restaurants and coffee shops. It’s also home to A. E. Bowers Elementary School, and a short distance from middle and high schools. For families who like to ride for pleasure or commuting, it’s a short bike ride to the baseball diamonds, skate park and splash park at Chinook Winds, as well as a variety of local businesses. The neighbourhood itself offers a sports field and recently upgraded public tennis courts. It’s common to see residents outside playing tennis and enjoying the sun in the evenings and weekends.

The Kroekers particularly love how their home is within walking distance to Nose Creek Park.“The park not only offers the standard features, but so many community activities, too, including the Festival of Lights, Empty Bowls festival, ARTember,” Nykol explains.

“It’s just a 10-minute walk and we definitely take advantage of it.” life

life at home | column

lifestyles

WITH TINA McMILLAN

Small spaces …

big ideas!

Time to dust off your imagination and think inside the crayon box!

D

ecorating your child’s bedroom, especially if it is a small space, provides the perfect opportunity to get those creative juices flowing and have fun in the process.

The age of your children will determine the focus, needs and theme of the room. As they get older, their wants and needs will evolve based on outside factors. From birth to five years of age, a child’s room should be stimulating, playful and have contrast to enhance the formative years. Children aged six to 10 are influenced by their peers, music, celebrities, television, movies, the Internet and video games.

Kids aged 11 to 14 are affected to a greater extent by those factors, and are willing and able to take part in the design themselves. The last group, aged 15 to 18, know what they like by now and will tell you exactly what they want!

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Here are a few points to remember: 1. Incorporate as many pieces as possible to be multipurpose and functional: • cribs that can be converted into a twin or double bed; • under-the-bed storage units; continued on page 57

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life at home | column

{

continued from page 55

• headboards with shelving; and • ottomans and benches that allow storage for toys or seasonal clothing.

2. utilize colour to establish a visual way to organize. Ideas include labelling storage bins to hold various types of toys, and categorizing craft supplies by colour and type. For example: • red for paints/brushes; • yellow for paper/stencils; • blue for crayons/markers; and • green for recycled items.

3. Feature inexpensive specialty paint effects to create walls that are more versatile: • utilize magnetic paint in place of corkboards and push pins; • apply chalkboard and white-board paints in any shape imaginable by using masking tape; and • use glow-in-the-dark paint inside a closet or crawl space to make these areas more fun.

Lastly, include your children in the decision and decorating process. Ask them what they like and why. You might choose to paint their favourite lime green on one wall instead of the whole room, which will make it easier to paint over when they realize that they “hate” that colour.

So don’t be intimidated by a small space – there are many ways to put the “fun” in functional, and still please everyone! life

– Tina McMillan, CID (a.k.a. The Decorating Diva), is a local interior designer

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where are airdrie’s favourite showhomes? you decide and wIn $3,000 in home furnishings and decor prizes! it’s so easy – each season, take a tour of these participating airdrie showhomes and fill out the ballot provided at each sales centre to vote for your favourites.

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See complete contest details online at airdrielife.com or at each showhome location fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 59

life at home | showhomes

The Trails at Williamstown More than 40 per cent – or almost 60 acres – of The Trails at Williamstown is

ters and dramatic entry columns. Urban and Classic townhome styles offer three

dedicated to open green space including scenic nature paths, ponds, playgrounds

choices of floor plan, each with full, unfinished basements for storage or future

and park space. The 45-acre Nose Creek Environmental Reserve is the focal point

growth. Classic models start at 1,539 square feet in the high $200,000s, includ-

of the community, surrounded by homes with classic Colonial architecture and

ing lot and GST. Urban models start at 1,107 square feet in the low $200,000s,

boasting superior-grade, low-maintenance materials. Townhome living has never

including lot and GST.

been this good.

Planned by the VESTA team and professional designers, the heritage-inspired exteriors feature large wood-trimmed windows, gabled rooflines, decorative shut-

60 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

All homes have exclusive access to the Trails Amenity Centre. At almost 2,000 square feet, the centre boasts 16-foot vaulted ceilings and a cozy fireside lounge, convenient kitchen and spacious wraparound porch. life

fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 61

life at home | landscapes

Y

ou could say Willie Ruklic has water flowing through his veins.

For the Fox Springs Landscaping/FSL Water Feature Services professional there’s nothing like a waterfall to help conjure up peace and tranquility.

After close to 20 years in the landscaping business, Ruklic has been turning garden lovers onto running water, artistically decorating and converting backyards into tranquil oases.

Many of his customers have embraced the soothing, calming effect of the landscaping waterfall.

“From relaxation to meditation, there are a lot of people [who love that] after a hectic, stressful day. Even if it’s a water wall in a commercial area, that office building will be a little more tranquil and visual. People stop and reflect a little bit,” says Ruklic, who also goes by the nickname ‘Waterfall Willie.’

Utilizing a couple of decades of experience and a keen understanding of natural ecosystems, Ruklic’s imaginative approach to landscaping has helped transform many bare patches of earth into works of living art.

Working creatively within the natural environment was an idea planted early in Ruklic’s life.

“It was sort of a hobby,” he says. “My parents always did gardening so it was passed on.”

After a few false starts in other industries, the well-tanned landscaper began laying sod in the early 1990s during the Airdrie and northeast Calgary boom years. He dabbled in a few other business ventures, including a stint in construction, but couldn’t escape the call of nature.

Those other occupations quickly became water under the bridge.

“I always went back to landscaping. It was just my forte to be outside and especially with the water features. It was a hobby that turned into a job,” says Ruklic, who is now a certified Aquascape contractor.

Like a creeping vine that continues to reach for the sun, Ruklic is now entwined in every aspect of landscaping in both the commercial and residential realms. Going well beyond just a plush, green lawn, many projects involve installing trees, brick features, outdoor lighting, ponds, water walls, decks, patios, retaining walls and barbecue pits.

“We have a few projects that are full scale, including a pool install, patios and decks. Barbecue areas are a really big area for entertaining and low maintenance is a heavy part of the industry,” Ruklic says.

Many homeowners and developers are now branching out toward water conservation and xeriscaping, which emphasize trees, decorations, ponds and living spaces with limited turf areas. This includes the benefit of using less fertilizer and pesticide, and being lower maintenance.

New products and developments within the industry, including the RainXChange water harvesting systems, have allowed both small and large properties to take advantage of moving streams and water walls.

Even large developments are asking that homes include water containment units that could be transformed into a future pond or waterfall.

“We’re finding a lot of big buildings are going that route – water features and heavy landscapes in front of the commercial buildings gives [them] a bit of oomph,” Ruklic says.

The water feature services now make up more than 80 per cent of Ruklic’s business. Although Fox Springs undertakes many larger projects, from 50- to 200-square foot spaces, the business owner enjoys the

From Ordinary to Oasis story and photos by Carl Patzel

Meet a local landscaper with a passion for tranquility ‘Waterfall Willie’ Ruklic helps bring tranquility to the lives of his clients

62 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

creativity of designing small, intimate areas typically found in residential settings.

“The small, little ones are really the jewels,” he says, “because you can really do something special with a small corner that may be only eight-by-eight feet. You put something very nice in there where it could have been a dead, useless space.”

Each project presents its own unique challenges, usually starting from a blank slate or total rebuild. Using an imaginative approach, Ruklic will offer clients a schematic and hand drawing of what the finished product will look like from the first tree to the last drop of water.

No matter what the project, the inventive landscaper can come up with an esthetically pleasing design.

“Residentially there are some clients who really like their yards to be in premium shape with everything in [them]; then there are a few people [who] just want the simple low-maintenance stuff,” he says.

The combination of a hands-on approach, a small crew and a personal touch has earned Ruklic lots of repeat business and referrals. Plenty of site visits and an open communication policy ensure homeowners can visualize the final blooming backdrop.

“Halfway through the job I usually get a (positive) comment. They didn’t even realize what it was going to look like until they see it at full scale,” says Ruklic.“It’s just a matter of the trust aspect on the client’s side to see my visualization.”

Along with a full, natural ecosystem, Ruklic always offers a fish pond, which adds elements of movement, progression and entertainment value to the landscape.

“You start to socialize more and engulf yourself [in] the pond. That’s why those are special for me,” he says.“We’re just very passionate about what we do.” life

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work life at 67 Looking good 68 Viewfinders 70 Transformative

life at work | column

businesslife

witH KeNt rupert

Defining the creative economy

One of the exciting things about Airdrie is how the city continues to grow and define itself as a community. Over the past decade, we’ve seen many new businesses and residents call Airdrie home. We’ve also seen several existing businesses and neighborhoods transform themselves.

As Airdrie evolves, so do the events and organizations that make this a great place to live, work and play. There are so many wonderful examples of community engagement, from long-standing favourites like the Canada Day parade and Airdrie Festival of Lights to exciting

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66 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

new additions, including Empty Bowls Festival and ARTember. Initiatives such as these – and the organizers, volunteers, businesses and attendees behind them – help us define who we are in Airdrie.

What does all this have to do with economic development? In the economic development and planning world, there is a growing phenomenon called the “creative economy,” “creative class” or “creative city.” The “creative” concept recognizes the important economic impact that arts, culture, technology and commerce have in shaping a community. (To learn more, see Richard Florida’s work.) The creative class includes professionals – or “knowledge workers” – in a variety of fields such as science, engineering, computer programming, design and marketing. The idea is that a creative city is one that encourages individuals and groups to get together and celebrate its cultural, artistic and ethnic diversity, all while contributing significantly to the city’s economic prosperity.

Airdrie is well-positioned to move forward in the“creative economy.” Not only do we have a young and dynamic population, but also a very strong entrepreneurial spirit. Did you know Airdrie is home to almost 1,000 home-based entrepreneurs? From music instructors to computer programmers and everything in between, these entrepreneurial endeavours can flourish in Airdrie, and many will grow beyond the home to become storefront businesses.

It’s not just those working from home who contribute to the creative class. Many of Airdrie’s large and small businesses employ people in creative and knowledge-based professions.

And, in their off hours, these Airdrie employees and entrepreneurs are organizing and participating in the community events and initiatives that make our city so dynamic.

This creative and entrepreneurial edge helps Airdrie continue to attract knowledge workers, retain its existing businesses and improve its competitive advantage for new investment.

Certainly there are many economic benefits to building a creative city, but most importantly, it continues to make Airdrie a great place to live. life – Kent Rupert is team leader with Airdrie economic Development

life at work | entreprenuer

Style expert Leslie Davies works your wardrobe

out of the Closet

I

t doesn’t matter if you’re a young mother, a professional businesswoman or a senior – everyone wants to have more self-confidence.

Leslie Davies has been there. Seven years ago, Davies was working in a Calgary office, and feeling like little more than “a navy suit.

“I was in a place where I didn’t feel attractive … I’d lost who I was and went through my own sort of identity crisis, and had my own [experience of ] finding myself again and appreciating my own beauty and my own gifts,” she says.

Davies hired a coach to help her get back in touch with herself.

“I didn’t even know my favourite colour, what I liked anymore,” she says.“We did an exercise to rediscover what we were passionate about as children, and I remembered that as a child I was obsessed with makeup, doing my friends up. It really was a case of, ‘Oh my God, I forgot that whole piece of me.’”

That epiphany, combined with her longtime professional experience in human resources, led Davies to establish her own image consulting company, Impact Image Essentials, which became a full-time gig a yearand-a-half ago after overlapping with her office job for six years.

Now based out of Airdrie, where she moved five years ago when she and her husband wanted a change of lifestyle, Davies works with clients from across the Calgary region on image makeovers and helping them rediscover who they are.

“My ideal client is a woman who wants to feel more beautiful,” she says.“She could be a young mom, a professional who is in her late 30s or maybe into her 40s and who wants to feel more stylish, and I work with women who are more mature and are transitioning.” (Davies prefers the term “women of an interesting age” to actually dealing with numbers.)

sTorY BY aLEx FrazEr-harrIson | phoTo BY KrIsTY rEIMEr

“The biggest thing I want to know is, what will be the result – what are your expectations?” Davies says. “I walk them through a series of questions to get to know them a bit more.”

Part of the process might include going through the client’s closet.“A misconception is that it’s all about buying a new wardrobe, and it’s not,” Davies says.“The majority of my clients are amazed to discover a lot of what they have in their closet isn’t a mistake … we can create dozens of new outfits.

“Sometimes it’s about altering it to flatter their shape or make it more current-looking,” she adds,“[or] giving them permission to let a piece go if it doesn’t work out.”

Davies says her job as an image consultant is not to pass judgment, or to recommend clients blow the budget on a new wardrobe. “For some it might be shopping at Wal-Mart and Ricki’s … the misconception is that they’re all Holt Renfrew shoppers,” she says. “I don’t walk around censoring anybody … I’m in a look-good, feel-good business, but it’s not about being superficial.”

Beyond wardrobe and makeup makeovers, Davies also hosts Gal-Pal Playshops where she visits with groups of women to discuss topics of their choice ranging from body shape basics to the latest stylish seasonal fashions.

She also presented at the 2012 Amazing Airdrie Women Conference.

“I try to provide clients with as many tools as I can – what’s important is that [at the end] they feel good,” says Davies. “And it takes work – we don’t just roll out of bed in the morning and go tah-dah! and into the phone booth and out we come. It’s about getting in touch with who we are.

“What drives me,” she adds, “is when a woman really sees her beauty and now appreciates it.” life fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 67

life at work | hot wheels

F

or 25 years, Race City Motorsport Park was a mecca for Calgary’s racing fans, drivers and riders. Its closure last year dealt that community a blow.

Two budding Airdrie filmmakers chronicled the last three days of motorcycle racing for Life at 45°, a 27-minute love letter-cum-eulogy.

“The announcement that it was going to close was something that had been on the horizon for the last eight years,” says director/ writer Covy Moore, a SAIT journalism grad who works as a photographer for an Airdrie newspaper, and whose heart has always belonged to racing.

“I remember going to Race City when I was little with my stepdad for the Father’s Day

drags. And with my real dad we’d hit the track for the big rigs on the oval,” Moore says. “Racing is the ultimate black and white – it’s winners and losers.”

In his career so far, Moore has had a chance to shoot some of the top races around, including the 2012 Honda Indy Toronto. He also found himself regularly at Race City, getting to know the racers and taking photos galore, so when he learned the Calgary Motorcycle Roadracing Association (CMRA) would be holding its last meet at the track in mid-September 2011, just ahead of the track’s closure, Moore decided it had to be chronicled.

He enlisted longtime friend, roommate and George McDougall classmate Chris Phillips, who had been dabbling in making videos for

years, to help him tell the story of Race City’s last days.

“It was definitely one of the biggest serious projects I’d ever made,” says Phillips, who estimates he and Moore shot upwards of 50 hours of footage, which then required some 150 hours of editing. “I’d done personal things for myself … but as I was editing and hearing people’s responses, I realized this is something that was going to be big and special.”

The documentary makes use of innovative and super-portable GoPro cameras to put viewers in the driver’s seat as some of Calgary’s top racers circled the track. One camera even captured a bike’s-eye view during a wipeout.

But the soul of the film comes from the racers’ stories of, for some, a near-lifetime of Race Filmmakers Covy Moore (left) and Chris phillips have documented life in the fast lane

racing to film finale sparks new future sTorY BY aLEx FrazEr-harrIson phoTo BY sErgEI BELsKI

Lights , camera … vroom, vroom?

68 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

City competition. Racer Ali Cohen was interviewed as well as recruited to narrate.

During one remarkable sequence, the racers give viewers a turn-by-turn, bumpby-bump oral ‘ride-through’ of a track they’d come to know better than the backs of their leather glove-covered hands.

Moore says he assumed the film would be YouTube-bound, and was shocked when CMRA members said they wanted to premiere it at Calgary’s Globe Cinema.

“When we heard they wanted to do that, we knew we had to get things together,” says Moore. “When the track closed, the CMRA became a social club and they needed a way to come together, and [debuting the film] was their first big way.”

Seeing the final, professional-looking production on the big screen was “a feeling of great accomplishment for me,” says Phillips. “I knew the thing off by heart … but to watch it in a room with 300 people and hear their oohs and ahhs … it was great to be able to give this community something they can cherish.”

Both Moore and Phillips, who formed TriHard Productions for the production, say they hope to use Life at 45° to springboard into putting together a larger-scale documentary in the future.

“We want TriHard to become something more than something out of our basements,” Moore says.

And with recently announced plans for the $27 million Rockyview Motorsports Park near Airdrie now in the works, with phase one scheduled to open in 2014, is there Life at 45°: The Return on the agenda?

“We’d like to include more of the racing community in what we do in the future,” says Moore. “There are a whole lot of racing groups that would love to see themselves on film.”

The filmmaking duo is selling DVDs of Life at 45°, with proceeds earmarked for CMRA for use at a future racetrack, to help offset track-rental fees, Moore adds. life

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fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 69

I

n an unassuming home in Airdrie, four cherubic little girls are accustomed to coming home to a sight most children would find unusual. Their mother occasionally opens the door with her face elaborately painted like a decaying zombie, terrifying ghoul or glittering butterfly.

It’s all in a day’s work for local artist Amanda Tozser, owner of Amandamazing Art. Tozser is an exceptionally talented face and body special effects artist whose work has catapulted her to national attention in recent years. She’s no overnight sensation though – Tozser has been creating art since she was a child.

Actress Hayden Panettiere (right) is a big fan of Amanda Tozser

about face story by Sarah Deveau

Artist’s career took an interesting turn when she changed her canvas

70 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

Photos courtesy of Amanda Toszer

life at work | success

“she ... goes out of her way to do the impossible, creating the living statues into true pieces of art.”

Winning Edge Awards presents

terry fiell, the Event network ltd.

“My formal training is in fine arts and graphite composition from the University of Saskatchewan,” explains Tozser.“After graduation I worked as a Disney muralist for Famous Players Canada for more than 10 years, but once I had children, I put my career on hold.”

Tozser, along with husband Peter, has four children: Victoria, 10, Sarah, 7, and twins Amber and Brittany, 5.

“For the last decade, my artistic expression was limited to face painting at the occasional birthday party or creating scenes for my kids in sidewalk chalk,” she laughs.

Once the youngest two entered preschool, Tozser decided to restart her career, and she’s certainly more than made up for lost time. She began exploring theatrical body painting, which led to face painting at events and then into special effects training.

“Canada offers very little in training, so travel is a must to expand my skills and portfolio,” she explains. Tozser recently attended the five-day Face Paint and Body Art convention in Las Vegas where she placed second in a competition with participants from around the world. She also took home the hardware in an online competition with DFX Europe, in which she won first place.

As the primary body artist with The Event Network Ltd. in Calgary, a company that creates living statues, Tozser has been involved with several major events, such as Burnco’s 100th anniversary, Tourism Calgary’s White Hat Awards and SAIT’s annual gala, as well as other high-profile functions.

“Amanda truly is ‘amazing,’” says Terry Fiell, owner and producer of The Event Network Ltd.“I love working with her. She is always prepared and goes out of her way to do the impossible, creating the living statues into true pieces of art.”

Fans of Amanda’s Facebook page enjoy her photos of the transformations she practises on her own face while at home, but they were surprised and delighted when she posted celebrity photos in April from the Calgary Comic Expo. “I had a booth doing detailed brush, airbrush and SPFX makeup for attendees,” says Tozser. “Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere saw a few fans with my work, and I was invited to the Celebrity Lounge and she asked me to face paint her. It was incredible – I got to visit with many celebrities and was recently contacted by an agent of one of the actors to fly to Vancouver this year to body paint for a photo shoot.”

Movie sets are becoming a second home to Tozser. She spent much of the summer working on two film projects and is being considered for several other films. She’s also comfortable on set or location for still photography.

Despite the crazy demands of the entertainment world, though, Tozser still finds time to give back to local charities, donating her services for events held by such charities as Alexander’s Quest, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Inn From the Cold and others. And of course she makes plenty of time for her family, as well.“My husband and my little girls are my first priority and inspire me to do what I love. Their support means the world to me,” she says.“Plus when I volunteer to paint for my girls’ classes at school, I’m so cool!

“I’m lucky enough to have a career where I can work my schedule around being a mommy first and an artist second,” adds Tozser. “I’m living proof that it’s never too late to live out a dream.” life

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fall 2012 |

airdrielife.com 71

life at work | retail profile

Selling Tradition A glimpse into the life of Samreen Junaid explains a lot about her new business sTorY BY aLEx FrazEr-harrIson phoTos BY KurTIs KrIsTIanson

S

amreen Junaid came to Canada for a new life, and now, in Airdrie, she has also found a calling.

Earlier this year, Junaid opened Traditional Glimpse, a shop that sells traditional designer jewelry, pashmina stoles and the unique temporary body art called henna. These are things you can and do find in Calgary, but it reflects Airdrie’s growing diversity that they’re now available right on your doorstep.

But getting here was a long road for Junaid, who hails from Karachi, Pakistan, and who moved to Canada with her husband, Junaid Ali, nearly 10 years ago. She eventually settled in Calgary, but relocated to Airdrie two years ago.

72 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

It was a time of challenge for Junaid, who was born with what she calls a “short leg” that eventually required surgery and partial amputation. “I feel in Canada the people give a chance to the disabled person to come out and share,” she says. “I always wanted to change the views of people.

I had a leg, it was short, but what about people who did not have a leg or a body part, even?”

With her husband working full time and three children to raise, Junaid faced challenges as she approached her surgery last year, and in her recovery. But in the aftermath she saw an opportunity to affect people’s lives in a positive fashion. One way of doing this was in following a passion she’d had for years: henna. continued on page 74

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life at work | retail profile Incorrectly branded a form of tattooing, henna is actually body art using a plant-based dye that is applied using fine-tipped cones which artisans wield to create intricate floral or lattice designs. Henna can be applied to the hands, neck, back, arms or other places, and unlike tattoos, Junaid says, it’s not permanent.

“I probably started when I was nine,” Junaid says of her first experiences with henna. “I started holding the cone and drawing on my cousins and family and friends – I love to draw with henna. I found it very soothing, very calm, and it made me a very positive person.

“If you have henna on your hand, you can’t be sad or mad,” she adds.

“And I want to push myself in society to give everyone help in the ways that I can.”

Junaid began locally by applying henna on a volunteer basis at such places as Inspiration Station preschool.“I didn’t know anyone; I was just applying henna for fun. The teacher said I can come any time I want, but I said I had a surgery date,” she says.

Her art must have had quite a positive impact, as the school raised money to help pay for someone to help clean Junaid’s house while she was recovering.“I was so overwhelmed,” she says.

After her surgery, Junaid continued to apply henna to friends from her home in south Airdrie, but she felt things had changed. Part of it was a new perspective from having had the surgery. “Even when I had a short leg, I never felt the same pain for people who had disability,” she says.“As soon as I lost my leg, I [could] feel the pain … you should take care of your body.

“This totally changed [me] inside. If I have enough time, I want to help, make a difference, make people smile and touch as many lives as

74 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

Samreen Junaid applies traditional henna to the hands of Cobi Kristianson during a conversationfilled visit to Airdrie’s Traditional Glimpse

possible. My husband knew and he understood and the [business] opportunity came up,” says Junaid.

As a result, Traditional Glimpse was officially opened last February – coincidentally, downstairs from Inspiration Station.

“I’d been doing henna at home, but I wanted to provide a place where people can come and get henna done. On their hands, the colours – dark brown, orange and red – when it turns into that colour, the effect is so soothing,” the artist says.

Junaid also realized that Airdrie has become a diverse community, so she decided to augment her henna service by selling traditional jewelry, such as earrings, bangles and bracelets, and also 100 per cent pashmina stoles.

“I can feel in Airdrie that people like to wear different stuff,” she says.

“People have come by saying thank you for opening this type of store in Airdrie.

“I want people to have fun and enjoy these things. I don’t want to rip off [their] pockets,” she adds.

Junaid has taken her craft to several fundraisers and festivals, and she also belongs to a local Facebook group that aids Airdrionians in need.

She credits her husband and her children, Dua, 9, Raheel, 7, and Raiyan, 5, with supporting her as she establishes her business and follows her passion.

“I cannot draw a flower with a pencil, but when I pick up this henna cone, I can do whatever I want,” Junaid laughs. life

Live

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airdrielife.com 75

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#4-2145 Summerfield Blvd. Airdrie

Call us at 403.948.4422 www.summerhillflorist.com

TM Trademarks of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under the license by LoyaltyOne, Inc and Nerds On Site Inc.

Airdrie knows what’s smart.

CEN T CR ES

HW Y

LA K E EAST

IZABETH

$10,000 IN UPGRADES FOR THE NEXT 10 BUYERS.*

VETERANS BLVD NE

QUEEN EL

WHAT’S SMART IN AIRDRIE IS VERY, VERY COOL.

Genesis Place EA

ST

LA

KE

BLV

DS

Visit our show suite: #1104 – 604 East Lake Blvd NE Airdrie Take the East Lake Crescent exit off of the Queen Elizabeth Highway and follow the signs.

E

YANKEE VALLEY BLVD SE

Across the street from Genesis Place? Smart. Tim Horton’s one block away? Smarter. $10,000 in upgrades for the next 10 buyers? Smartest. All this in the coolest building in town. *Limited time offer, some restrictions may apply. Visit our sales centre for more information.

76 airdrielife.com | fall 2012 AIRDRIE LIFE MAGAZINE

403.980.2817 CoolFactory.ca

AIRDRIE’S COOL FACTORY

Want fabulous features in a premier community at an affordable price!

Starting from

301,900

$

*

(includes house, lot & GST)

SPECIAL LIMITED TIME OFFER!

$

Receive a

15,000

2 PHASE SED! LEA E R T S JU

*

Lots g n i k c a West B able! l i a v A Now

Gift Certificate to The Brick!

Gardenwalk in King’s Heights in Airdrie

DUPLEX HOMES RANGING IN SIZE FROM 1372 - 1594 SQ. FT. REF.

D.W.

W.I.C.

KITCHEN

W.I.C.

BEDROOM 3 BEDROOM 2 DN

DN OPEN TO BELOW

OPTION 1 I.T. CENTRE

DINING ROOM

BATH 4 SH

IMMEDIATE POSSESSION HOMES AVAILABLE!

W/D

UP

ENSUITE

FOYER FAMILY ROOM

OWNER’S SUITE

Arbor II | 1472 sq. ft.

VERANDA

main: 730 sq. ft. second: 742 sq. ft.

YANKEE VALLEY ROAD

Gardenwalk Showhomes

King’s Heigh ts Blv d

Kings Heights Rd

W.I.C.

Premium Specifications Throughout: • granite countertops • 6 appliances • tile flooring • full width front veranda • energy efficient specifications • ensuites with walk-in closets

NO CONDO FEES! Showhome Location:

Kings Heights Dr

DEERFOOT TRAIL

d

TO CALGARY

AIRDRIE

Kingsvi ew Blv

N

Convenient location and amenities . . .

• extensive pathway system • 15 minutes to international airport • parks and green space • close to major shopping and amenities • minutes to CrossIron Mills Mall • 15 minutes from Calgary

1100 King’s Heights Rd SE, Airdrie Showhome Hours: Mon - Thurs: 2 - 8 pm Sat, Sun & Hol: noon - 5 pm

For more information call

Karen at 403-536-2306

*Pricing as of August 1, 2012. Subject to change without notice. Special offer for a limited time only, must be accepted as awarded, cannot be combined with any other offer.

The Brick gift certificate is valid for furniture only. The special offer of a Brick gift certificate applies to purchasers of a Creations by Shane home in the community of Gardenwalk in Airdrie only.

creationsbyshane.com

life | last look

floAtinG lAntErns the closing ceremonies of the 2011 artember Festival drew oohs and aahs and provided tons of photo ops.

Kristy reimer’s images of the lanterns in Cooper’s Crossing have become synonymous with artember and made the cover of Eat Play Stay. as we take one last look at this stunning image, we just know that this time next year we’ll have a dizzying array of shots from artember 2012.

“a huge part of photography to me is using light and colour. i loved this shoot because as the sun went down, the colourful floating lanterns became their own source of light and morphed into a moving and changing art installation.”

– Kristy reimer, BFa, photographer

share your photograph with airdrielife and you may see it come to life here in a future issue. e-mail a jpeg to sherry@airdrielife.com

78 airdrielife.com | fall 2012

SPECTACULAR

SUMMER

SPECIAL

Side by Side in Bayside with Genesis

Purchase a Side by Side in Bayside before September 3, 2012 and we’ll include a free deck and natural gas hook-up.

Visit our showhome for details.

Visit our Side by Side Showhome in Bayside Phase 7 2306 Baywater Cres SW, Airdrie

Experience all the benefits of home ownership. Our Side by Side homes provide comfort, quality and generous living space both inside and out. A home to call your own with privacy and piece of mind at an affordable price - without the burden of condo fees.

Get Side by Side in Bayside with Genesis starting from the $280’s.

Show Home Hours Monday - Thursday: 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm Friday: by appointment only Sat., Sun. & Holidays: Noon - 5:00 pm

www.GenesisBuildersGroup.com scan with a smart phone for information on our website

No Condo Fees | Granite | Hardwood, Ceramic Tile, Carpet | Stainless Steel Appliances | Sod and Fence | 5 Models to Choose From

COOPER’S CROSSING DRIVE