SUNDRE — A variety of family-friendly events and activities will be hosted Friday and Saturday at the Sundre & District Museum in celebration of the province’s vibrant multiculturalism.
“Alberta Culture Days is an exciting event for the community,” said Carrie Couch, the museum’s executive director. “I encourage everyone to try to make it down to the grounds to take in a concert, a demonstration or wander the exhibits.”
In partnership with the Sundre Municipal Library, the museum – where all of the Sept. 23-24 events will be held this year – will among numerous other activities be offering interactive artistic opportunities as well as a chance to reflect on what celebrating one’s culture in the community means to them with their submissions displayed on a culture tree for others to see, she said.
Couch said anyone who might be so inclined is invited to drop off at the museum or the library their response to the question “How do you celebrate your culture in the Sundre District?”
“This can be done in words, poem, prose, photography or art,” she said, adding people who plan to participate are asked to provide a copy “as we don’t want to be responsible for originals.”
Each submission will be added as a leaf on the culture tree, she said.
While people have until Sept. 30 to drop off their submissions, Couch said anything received before this coming weekend will be included on the culture tree and displayed for the viewing public.
The celebration starts this Friday, with a weaving workshop that gets underway at 10 a.m. and runs until noon. Another crafting-style session introducing participants to the pioneer skill of rug making takes place from 1-3 p.m. At 1:30 p.m., Larry, Ray and Reg – a local “old country” band that following a couple of years of interruptions is enthused by the chance to finally start getting their musical momentum back – will be performing some tunes live at the museum’s outdoor stage in the historic village grounds provided the weather allows.
Events and activities continue well into Saturday, which has a packed itinerary that starts with several options at 10 a.m. A rope making demonstration and workshop that starts Friday afternoon runs all day on Saturday until 5 p.m. There will also be an opportunity to learn how to felt – the art of producing textiles or fabric through the process of combining and/or compressing loose fibers, wool or hair – from 10 a.m. to noon.
A glimpse of the other activities on Saturday include beading, hand quilting, an introduction to drawing comic book characters, and some more talented musical performances by all-Canadian, all-woman instrumental Celtic music group Hither and Yon, as well as Linda Jean and Gloria Kae who are locally known for their past contributions with Rooster in a Henhouse, and a three-piece band known as The Bergen Strings whose repertoire includes classical, popular tunes, rags and waltzes plus other little gems.
Winding up Culture Days events in Sundre will be the return of the traditional pie auction on Saturday starting at 4 p.m., said Couch.
Visit www.alberta.ca/lookup/culture-events-search.aspx and filter the search field for Sundre to find all the posted and confirmed events to date.
