Jersey Boys a good fit for Stettler boy LES STULBERG Independent reporter From Stettler to Jersey is a long journey to travel, but one that Stettler native Michael Lomenda has achieved creatively. Graduating from William E. Hay Composite High School in 1997, Lomenda enrolled in Red Deer College with aspirations of becoming an architect, taking some arts classes as a sideline. Instead, he built a career in the arts. Lomenda, 32, stars in Jersey Boys — the highly acclaimed, award-winning musical production that showcases the music and life story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Following a sold-out two-year engagement in Toronto, the Jersey Boys are touring the U.S. and Canada with the western leg of the tour including Calgary and Edmonton. For Lomenda, bringing the show to Alberta is a homecoming. “It’s exciting to be coming home,” he said. “I am proud of the show and I think it’s a show Albertans would like. I saw my first musical theatre on the stages of the Jubilee auditoriums in Calgary and Edmonton when I was 12 or 13 years old. Now, I am performing on those very same stages. For me, it’s full circle. It’s been an amazing dream come true for me.” In Calgary, the Jersey Boys cast received a “white-
hat” welcome from Mayor Naheed Nenshi and were invited to sing O Canada to open the Calgary Stampede’s centennial edition. Born and raised in Stettler, Lomenda was the first of two sons born to Mark and Janice Lomenda. After a hockey career in the WHA, his father made the move to Stettler for an oilfield job with Gulf Canada, while his mother operated her own hair-dressing business in Stettler for 10 years. “I am so proud to be from Stettler,” Lomenda said. “It has shaped me into the man and artist I am today. “Many people think small towns don’t appreciate the arts, but the reverse is true in Stettler. Stettler realizes their value and has many opportunities for youth — it is a very supportive community. I feel so blessed to have grown up in Stettler, with great parents and a community that cares.” Stettler is proud of Lomenda’s success in the entertainment world and earlier this year honoured him with the Clearview Award of Merit, which recognizes national and international achievements. “I was thrilled to receive the award, and to be a corecipient with Bridie Ford, it couldn’t get any better,” Lomenda said. The Lomenda family was gifted a piano from family friend Blaine Paulsen, who still lives in Stettler, and
Contributed photo
Stettler native Michael Lomenda (right) performs as part of the internationally acclaimed Jersey Boys, who are performing in Alberta this month. From left are Preston Boyd as Bob Gaudio, Joseph Bwarie as Frankie Valli, John Gardiner as Tommy DeVito and Lomenda as Nick Massi. Lomenda is a 1997 graduate of William E. Hay.
from a young age Michael took classical piano lessons in Lacombe. After a few years, his father decided to join him in taking lessons and they would drive to Lacombe each week.
“That was a very special time,” Lomenda recalled. Lomenda didn’t become interested in acting until his high school years. In the high school production of “Scrooge,” he played the
piano as an accompanist. Lomenda credits two of his Stettler teachers, Darrell Dobson and Rose Pearson, for being the mentors that most influenced him. He also drew inspiration from
teachers Eric Rahn and Grace Fix, and said every teacher he had helped him develop a strong work ethic, which has aided his career. See ‘Lomenda’ on Page A2
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Stampede fans extraordinaire From 75-cent to $96 rush seats, Endiang couple has saddled through Calgary Stampede history LES STULBERG Independent reporter Among 1.4 million guests at the centennial Calgary Stampede last week were Endiang’s Ken and Eleanor Schultz. What makes the Schultz couple stand out from the crowd is the fact that it was Ken’s 70th time at the Calgary Stampede, while Eleanor has attended about 60 of the stampedes. Attendance numbers at Calgary’s 100-year stampede broke all records, and while Ken’s longstanding presence might not be a record, it does show extraordinary support for the sport. Ken, 76, first attended the Stampede in 1939, going with his maternal grandparents, Gibson and Emmie Richardson. He attributes his love of rodeo to his grandfather, who operated a horse ranch near Endiang prior to moving to Calgary in 1936, and had a “great love for rodeo.” Since 1942, Ken has been at every Calgary Stampede but one. As a child, he would stay with his grandparents in Calgary during the summer to take in the Stampede. Sometimes, his cousins would also stay, and he remembers going to pancake breakfasts and watching square-dancing on the streets. “We always went to the rodeo every day of the six-
LES STULBERG/Independent reporter
Ken and Eleanor Schultz leaf through some of their Calgary Stampede memorabilia from a 70-year run.
day show,” Ken recalled. “Grandma would pack bologna sandwiches for lunch. “When the gates opened, we would run to get a rush seat in the bleachers, trying be early enough to get one under the over-hang of the grandstand.” The rush seats then cost 75 cents, while in contrast, the reserved seating the Schultzs had this year cost $96. E l e a n o r, a l s o 7 6 , attended her first Calgary Stampede in 1947 with her parents, Ralph and Tillie Tucker. Since about 1952, she has attended every stampede but one. “We scheduled everything around the Calgary Stampede,” said Eleanor, when asked how they managed to attend so many stampedes. “Well, not everything,” Ken said with a laugh.
The only stampede the couple missed was in 1961 when their first daughter, Valerie, was born that July. “We used to take somebody local with us every year that hadn’t been to the Stampede before,” Eleanor said. The Schultzs have saved a ticket stub from gate admission to the stampede grounds from the mid1940s. The entry cost then was 25 cents, compared to $16 this year. They also have a large collection of stampede programs from almost every year since 1952, most costing 50 cents or a dollar. This year’s centennial program wasn’t added to the collection. “Ten dollars for a program is just too much,” Ken said after not buying this year’s edition. “There have been a lot of changes to the stampede, but they have been gradual.”
Ke n h a s w i t n e s s e d appreciable changes to one oof his favourite parts of the Stampede. “The chuckwagon races hhave really changed,” Ken said. “The wagons used tto be old and have breakddowns. Now, they are fanccier and all painted up. “I remember when B Buster Walker (a competittor from Byemoor) would lload up his three-ton truck w with horses and tow his w wagon behind to Calgary. T Today, they have such big ttrucks and have 30 or 40 hhead of horses. “The fireworks used to bbe only on Saturday night — now they have them every night of the week. “Everything has changed — the prize money, new grandstand and the format of inviting only the top cowboys in the world. You don’t see anybody local anymore — that’s what I miss.” Ken said local content has dwindled since wild cow milking and the wild horse race have been discontinued at the highprofile Calgary Stampede. Being devoted stampede fans, the Schultzs order their tickets each September or October for the following year, getting the same seats each year. T h e S c h u l t z s d o n ’t know how much longer they will carry on their Stampede tradition. “We are getting older, you know,” Eleanor said as Ken added, “We will probably go again next year.” The family tradition will likely carry on regardless, as daughter, Val, now has 45 Calgary Stampedes under her belt.
July 18, 2012
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Stettler builds on expansion RICHARD FROESE Independent reporter A building boom of sorts is gaining ground in Stettler. Halfway through this year, the town has issued building permits totalling $13,628,419, well ahead of the same point last year, when permits totalled $4,145,793. “We are down in residential, but up in industrial and institutional, significantly,” said Leann Graham, Stettler’s planning and development officer.
“Hopefully, with the increase in commercial, industrial and institutional, we will see an increase in residential.” At this point, building activity appears to be on pace to break last year’s total of $16,140,927. While the town has recorded just two new housing units under residential that totalled $691,500, that amount doesn’t include $8,675,760 for the Points West seniors’ project that covers the full total under institutional. See ‘Boom’ on Page A5
RICHARD FROESE/Independent reporter
Downtown Stettler continues a beautification project as work crews reconstruct sidewalks in the northern part of Main Street and 51 Street, with a railway theme.
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