Medicine Hat

One of the cornerstones of Medicine Hat’s pottery industry was Medalta Potteries, whose facilities still stand in Medicine Hat’s Historic Clay District – one of Canada’s National Historic Site

It was potentially a dumb idea. After taking a tour around the Medalta Museum we walked into the artist’s studio and there in front of us was a pottery wheel.

“What’s that funny smell?” My son Finn asks as we sit down at the pottery wheel for a clay experience. “Know what that smell is?

Medicine Hat, Alberta is known for a lot of things — a big reserve of natural gas, the sunniest skies in Canada, a historic ceramics industry — but did you know it’s also a destination for coffee l

It had been more than two decades ago since I’d picked up a musical instrument – a stint playing a saxophone for a few semesters in junior high.

Like most forms of art, chalking can be very messy. The pastel colours get on your hands, on your clothes, on your face and in your hair.

I steadied myself, held my breath and unholstered my camera. Moments later, a dozen horses thundered past.

Winters in Canada are long and most music fans don’t want to wait until the weather thaws to enjoy the energy and special performances that come with a traditional Western Canadian music festival.

Medicine Hat may be known for its natural gas, but I discovered it also has a wonderful reputation for a fuel of a different kind - caffeine.

Kneeling over my grey square on the sideway – I drew … a blank. The fresh box of chalk beside my knee was screaming out ideas but I was afraid to start. What if I can’t draw?

Jazz music usually evokes images of smoky nightclubs on big city streets rather than sunny skies and prairie hospitality, but great things often things happen in unlikely places.