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Crowsnest Pass
Herald
Vol. 94 No. 30 July 31, 2024 $1.25
Serving our communities since 1930
Frank McTighe photo
The Pass Piranha and fellow Region F Competitors visited the Crowsnest Pass Pool this weekend at the annual home meet on July 26 and 27. Over 200 athletes competed at the pool on Friday and Saturday. Lethbridge Orcas won the swim meet in Gross Point score and the Taber Vipers won in Net Point score. The Pass Piranhas are a competitive swim club that focus on swimming skills and stroke improvement, as well as conditioning and endurance. The club promotes a positive attitude towards swimming as a way of staying fit. Membership is open to children aged five to 18. Top photo Ella Peebles of the Piranhas competes in the 11 years and over 100metre breaststroke Saturday, July 20 at Fort Macleod Sharks swim meet. See more photos on the back page.
28th Annual
August 24, 2024 Berry Picking • Live Music • Mountain Market • Kids Games Chairlift Rides • Chicken & Rib Dinner • BBQ & Beer Garden BUY TICKETS & FULL EVENT SCHEDULE AT SKICASTLE.CA 28th Annual
8 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Get ready for Doors Open and Heritage Festival 2024 Welcome to Heritage Days NEW FOOTHILLS ICE CREAM, ORGANIC COTTON FAMILY PJS AND MORE!
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Prohibition – The End of an Era FRED BRADLEY Crowsnest Heritage The 19th annual Crowsnest Pass Heritage Festival will take place from August 1 to 5, 2024. This years’ festival will be a mix of traditional and in-person festival events and virtual activities. The 2024 Heritage Festival theme “Prohibition – The End of an Era” commemorates the 100th anniversary of the ending of Prohibition in Alberta and Crowsnest Pass rum running heritage. This year’s launch event which takes place on Friday, August 2 at 7 PM at the Polish Hall features the Heritage Youth Theatre Company’s production of “The Bootleggers
Last Run” a live radio show, complete with sound effects, music and mystery inspired by this year’s theme. This years’ festival also includes the popular “Food and Tunes” component featuring cuisine and performances by local musicians at various venues in the community; opportunities to visit local artist studios and engage in indoor and outdoors activities and celebrations of our community’s unique cultural and natural heritage. The festival starts on Thursday, August 1st, with “Kids Fest” at the Crowsnest Community Market in downtown Blairmore Gazebo Park. That evening the Crowsnest Conservation Society will host a presentation on “Wildlife Photography in the Crowsnest Pass” at 7 PM at the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre. On Friday, the Coleman Seniors will be hosting a Spaghetti Dinner at the Seniors Drop In Centre in Coleman starting at 3 pm. On Friday and Saturday the Crowsnest Conservation Society will be conducting Guided Bird Walks and Uplift Adventures will be offering a Historical Tour of Lille. Cont’ on page 9
Wednesday, July 31, 2023 - CROWSNEST PASS HERALD - 9
Door open con’t from page 8 Saturday events include: the Coleman Country Market, Artist Studio Tours, Train Rides and a BBQ at the Blairmore Lions Train Park; Open House at the Masonic Hall in Frank, 50th Anniversary Crowsnest Pottery Club sale, Booze and Bars Tour of Coleman and a Guided Hillcrest Cemetery Tour.. All day on Saturday is the Discovery Adventure at the Museum, an educational kid friendly scavenger hunt and activities will be at the Crowsnest Museum. On Sunday at Gazebo Park, there will be a Bandstand Concert featuring the Crowsnest Symphony Orchestra, Second Fiddle, and Tera Hazelton.; Prohibition in the Crowsnest Pass – guided bus tour; Guided Blairmore Cemetery Tour; and a Lille Historical Tour. On both Saturday and Sunday there will also be the Booze and Bars Tour. Sweetriders will be offering His-
torical Mining E-Bike Tours on both those days. Throughout the weekend, the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre will be offering many in- person and virtual activities. The Crowsnest Museum, Alberta Provincial Police Barracks Building, Bellevue Underground Mine and the Crowsnest Pass Art Gallery (“Myth Making” – feature exhibit and Gushul Photo Exhibit) will be open for visitors throughout the festival. The Crowsnest Museum also will be hosting “Escape the Barracks” at the APP Barracks on Thursday,Friday, Saturday and Sunday which can be booked at http://www.appbarracks.com www.appbarracks.com. On Monday Uplift Adventures will be offering a Miners Path Historical Tour. The Heritage Festival includes individual and family self-guided outdoor activities such as historical downtown walking and driving tours, heritage hikes, or outdoor heritage attractions such as Leitch Collieries, Frank Slide Trail, Crowsnest Community Trail, UROC Bike Park, Miners Path, Hillcrest Mine
Celebrating 50 years of pottery in the Pass NICHOLAS L.M. ALLEN Pass Herald Reporter
Pass Pottery Club is celebrating 50 years of artistic excellence This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Pass Pottery Club, a milestone highlighting its enduring legacy and vibrant community presence. Founded in 1974 as the Pass Ceramics Club by Elenore Kubik, Fran Amundsen, Joan Peters, Margaret Pizzey, and Earlyn Dezell, the club began with humble equipment: one wheel and one kiln. In 1977, the name was changed to the Pass Pottery Club, reflecting its broader scope and growing ambitions. Operated by dedicated volunteer members, the club has seen many changes in its executive team over the years, each contributing countless hours to ensure its smooth operation. The club moved to its current home at the Coleman Sports Centre in 1999. By then, membership had grown to 22, and today, it boasts 56 active members. That same year, the club also set up a library of books and videos/DVDs, which is still a valuable resource for members. The club’s facilities have expanded over the years, now featuring nine wheels and two well-used kilns. It offers a variety of classes, including one- or two-wheel throwing classes and a hand-building class in the spring or fall. The club has also hosted youth hand-building classes, senior hand-building classes, and Christmas ornament-making sessions for children. Classes for members have been numerous, often taught by experienced club members or invited renowned artists. A notable example was a five-day class in 2007 led by Les Manning. In 2005, the club began donating bowls to the gallery’s annual Chili Bowl Fest fundraiser, an event that continues today, except for a brief pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. The club also holds three sales annually, displaying the diverse talents of its members. The spring sale is the first Saturday in May, the summer sale is the first Saturday in August and the Christmas sale is the last Saturday in November. “The Pass Pottery Club is one of the older and most active clubs in North America. It’s gratifying to see the club becoming a larger part of the local community, with members developing amazing talent and gaining international recognition,” shared the club in an emailed response from member Kerry Robutka, “Members not only learn and develop their skills but also become competent instructors and leaders.” As the club looks to the future, there is a desire to become more self-sufficient and less reliant on external funding. “Expanding our capacity for more classes and members, as well as our physical space, is a priority. We aim to continue growing, learning, and evolving while passing on the love of pottery to new members,” the group expressed. To commemorate the milestone of fifty years, the club will hold its annual sale and a community barbecue on August 3, during the Heritage Weekend. The sale will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the barbecue from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. However,
Disaster Memorial Park and Coleman National Historic Site. Uplift Adventures will be providing a Lille Historical Tour and, can be booked at HYPERLINK “http://www.upliftadventures.ca” www.upliftadventures.ca. The full schedule of events and details for the various festival events including musician performances for the Food and Tunes events; Artist’s Studio Tours and the events that require pre-registration are included on the festival website http://www.cnpheritagefest. BACKGROUND The Crowsnest Pass Heritage Festival features the people, places, architecture, cultural and natural heritage, and historical events of the Crowsnest Pass area. Traditionally over this weekend Crowsnest Pass building owners, museums, parks and community, outdoor and heritage organizations have opened their doors to the general public with tours and events celebrating our natural and cultural heritage.
challenges remain. “The biggest challenge is the rising cost of materials, equipment, and parts, coupled with the scarcity of raw materials... Inflation and reduced funding availability are additional concerns,” shared the group. The artistic and social benefits of being part of the club are an opportunity to learn, practice art and collaborate with others who share a passion for ceramics. The Pass Pottery Club is a volunteer-operated, community-minded organization that relies on its members for all aspects of its functioning. “Pottery offers endless possibilities, and our members never run out of new things to create,” noted another member. The creations of club members range from functional pottery like bowls, mugs, and plates to wall art, masks, birdhouses, feeders, vases, chimes, fairy houses, sculptural pieces, and tiles. Some pieces are thrown on the wheel, some are made through hand-building techniques, and some are a combination of both. As the Pass Pottery Club celebrates its 50th anniversary, it continues to thrive, innovate, and inspire. The club’s rich history and dedication to the art of pottery are testaments to the passion and hard work of its members.