Paint the Town Green at the FMPSD 2012 Centennial Celebrations

I love it when I have a little heads-up on an upcoming community event. Now usually these advance notices come through friends, but this time it came through an unusual source - the youngest Intrepid Junior Blogger. She came home from school one day quite pleased with herself, and when I asked why she explained she had been asked to serve on a committee. What committee, I wondered? Well, the committee organizing the centennial celebrations for the Fort McMurray Public School District. She had been asked to serve as the student representative for her school, and explained that the FMPSD was looking to the current students for ideas and assistance. She wouldn't give me details, though, explaining that it was super-secret and me, being both media and her mom, was not going to get any information out of her until it was officially released (she's a cagey little thing, that one, and as one friend drily remarked "that particular apple hasn't fallen far from the tree").

Then a couple of weeks ago I received an email asking if I would grant permission for her to attend a press conference regarding the centennial. Since I was hoping I'd get an invitation too I not only agreed to have her attend I offered to drive her down (once again hoping for the inside track on the celebration from a child who would surely spill the beans at some point, right? Wrong, sigh). And that's how yesterday she and I ended up at the Clearwater Public Education Centre for the press conference announcing the 2012 Centennial Celebrations for the FMPSD - and when I finally got my hands on the details it looks like one helluva party, people.

It's a bit hard to imagine the public school district is now 100 years old, but it is. So many think of this as a very young community, and in some ways it is, but in other ways we have a history that stretches back a very, very long time. It's a history that encompasses trappers and traders and our aboriginal residents, and, yes, a school district that has been providing education for 100 years. To put it into perspective as Dennis Parsons, Superintendent of the FMPSD said yesterday, 1912 is when the Titanic sank. That fact astonished me a tiny bit as that seems a very, very long time ago indeed, but that's when the FMPSD began.

The Centennial Celebration launches on Labour Day weekend, from August 31 to September 3. There will be a pancake breakfast, school open houses, a golf tournament - and, one of my favourite things, a huge gala featuring Fort McMurray's own Aaron Lines (and he is an FMPSD alumni, too). At this gala they will launch a historical book about the FMPSD written by historian John Gilpin, and I am sure it will be a fascinating read.

As the press conference went on yesterday the Junior Blogger kept nodding her head as events were detailed, since she was in the know about it all. She was quite delighted that I, as media, was hearing all this for the first time when she knew about the upcoming celebration and had even had input into the ideas that are now being realized. When the press conference finished she even told me to "stay put" as she had interviews to attend to (and was interviewed by both Shaw TV and a newspaper reporter, to her delight). Apparently the interviews went well, and I suspect she handled them with the kind of professional aplomb that would leave her camera-and-microphone-shy mother in the dust.

The theme of the Centennial Celebration is "Paint the Town Green", in honour of that colour you see on the FMPSD logo (and, as the observant Junior Blogger and rising spokesperson pointed out, the colours found even in the room we met in yesterday).

So, the centennial celebration is really a big party - but it is what it is celebrating that is important. This is the one hundredth birthday of an incredibly important institution in our community. Thousands of children, including my own, have passed through the doors of the public schools in our city. Those schools offer not only education but a micro-community, too, a small family inside our larger community of Fort McMurray. For many years I have served as an active member of school councils and parent associations, and I have gotten to know many of the teachers, students, and staff in our schools. I have found the schools to not only be professional but also personal, a place where learning takes place, but not just learning of the academic sort. There is social learning, too, and learning to be not just a "student", but to be a "citizen". Schools are primarily meant to be places of education, it's true, but in my experience they are so much more. They become community, and in many ways they become family. I can't imagine a better reason to celebrate, Fort Mac.

So, in the fall the Intrepid Junior Blogger will be on hand to assist in the celebrations, and she intends to volunteer wherever possible in any way they need. She loves being a part of this, and the fact that she was privy to insider information kept secret from her nosy blogger mother made it all the more delicious, I think. The cat is out of the bag now, though, and I know the plans for the launch weekend of the 2012 celebrations - and you will find me there, with the Intrepid Junior Blogger. You know, if she allows me to come with her now that she is such a big media superstar  spokesperson and all that. Thank heavens she still needs someone to give her a ride to the events! :)

My sincere and genuine thanks to the

Fort McMurray Public School District

for including me in the press conference -

and the Intrepid Junior Blogger

expresses her thanks for including her, too!

Finding Common Ground From A Cross Country Checkup

Photo credit to MacDonald Island Park

As I wrote last week I was pretty excited that Rex Murphy was coming to Fort McMurray to talk about the oil sands - and our community. I'm a fan of Cross Country Checkup - I love any medium that allows "regular" people to express their opinions (quite likely why I'm a blogger). So, Rex coming here was pretty exciting stuff for me, and I knew it would be well attended as there are many people here who have things they'd like to say to the world - and this was an opportunity to do just that.

The youngest Intrepid Junior Blogger and I arrived early at Mac Island, as I wanted to ensure a good seat and view for her. We claimed seats right at the front, just behind the row reserved for local "movers n'shakers", as I explained to her, and settled in. We were approached by a lady with a clipboard who asked me why I was attending the show, and as soon as I explained about my blog her eyes lit up. You see, she was a producer, and they were looking for people interested in speaking on the show. That's the point I started to feel a bit sick as I knew I'd managed to likely do it again and gotten myself into speaking publicly when that's an activity that makes me nauseous. After the nice lady walked away I looked at my daughter and said quietly "I really need to learn to shut up". I'm sure there are people out there who think I'm some sort of attention hound who loves this stuff - but it's the exact opposite. I love to write, hidden behind a keyboard, but speaking to crowds or on the radio? Shudder.

Anyhow, as the crowd began to fill the seats I rather hoped the producer might forget about me. I saw so many in the standing room only crowd that I know, local people who live here and work here and call this community home. They had all come, like me, to see Rex speak to Mayor Melissa Blake. They all wanted to share our view on our community, and our industry. And they wanted to share it all with the rest of our country.

When Rex took the stage the atrium was filled to capacity. The atrium above was filled, too, people looking down over the crowd below. And when the show began and Rex began to speak about our city I knew it was going to be incredible. I knew this was a real opportunity to share thoughts from "inside the lion's den", for each person who spoke to act as a "citizen journalist" and tell their own story of life here.

Mayor Melissa spoke first, and she represented us beautifully, as she always does. She somehow manages to capture the essence of who we are as a community, tie in industry and the environment, and present it as a cohesive whole. I remain in awe of that ability, as few people have such a natural gift and ability to connect.

Photo credit to MacDonald Island Park

They spoke to the first audience member - and then the producer came to me with a microphone, and motioned for me to rise. What no one could see over the radio was that I was clinging to the Intrepid Junior Blogger's hand as if it were a lifeline. My terror was quite genuine - I fear saying the wrong thing, and I fear representing the community - and myself - poorly. I fear, frankly, looking like a complete fool.

When my turn came Rex introduced me and asked what I wanted to say - and it sort of all gushed out. How there are so many stories of life here, and how we need to tell them ourselves and not rely on others to do so. My frustration over the last decade with our portrayal in national, and international, media. My decision to start this blog when I realized that the only way to change the perceptions of us - the only way to get our message out - was to do it ourselves. And how I, a stay at home mom, realized that I had the power in my hands - in my laptop - to spread my story of life here. Rex asked why people should listen to me, someone who lives in a house paid for by the oil sands industry, an industry that clothes my child and feeds us. And I replied that I should be listened to because I live here, and have done so for years. I have a different perspective from an outside journalist, not the "right" viewpoint but simply a different one that deserves to be heard. But it's not just me, people. I think we all deserve to be heard, all those who call this place home - and yesterday we were.

We heard from Mark Little, Suncor EVP of oil sands. We heard from those who have lived here 39 years - and 30 days. We heard from the president of the Northern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association, and from those who work on site. We heard from Tim Reid, Mac Island COO, and we heard from those who work with pumps at the plants. We heard from those who moved here cautiously and discovered a love for this community, and from those who now leave our community as they retire, taking with them fond memories of their years here. We heard a lot of stories - and it was, in short, amazing.

Since yesterday I've heard some criticism of the program - that it was a Fort Mac "love fest", with no mention of our challenges and issues. And to some degree that's true, but I also think it's okay. I think everyone in that room acknowledges those problems - but I think the "checkup" we received was cathartic. I think it was the other end of the pendulum swing, a reaction to all that negative coverage from outside media. If it was a "love fest" I think it's because we collectively feel we could use a little lovin' - and if necessary we will give it to ourselves. I don't think we can or should ignore our issues - social, environmental, economic - but I don't think we need to talk about them all the time, either. I think sometimes we can just indulge in a two-hour love fest and talk about the good things here, and about how this place gets inside your heart even if you come here cautiously at first.

The most touching part to me was when the first phone call came in to the program - and it was from a woman in Red Lake, Ontario. When they announced the location of the caller the Junior Blogger and I looked at each other in astonishment. You see, twelve years ago she was born in the hospital in Red Lake. That town was our home prior to moving here, a place we lived in for five years. Red Lake is a small remote place, based on the industry of gold mining (an industry not without it's own environmental and social costs). The lady was clearly not pro-oilsands, but she was pro-future, and particularly pro-future for our children - and while our views might diverge on some topics I think we share that one quite firmly. Last night I sent her a message on Twitter, introducing myself and telling her of the coincidence. She and I may differ on some matters but in the end we are both women, both moms, both writers, both Canadians - and both humans on this planet, and yesterday due to a little radio show we connected across the miles and across our differences to find our common ground. And that's what shows like Cross Country Checkup do, people. They let us find our common ground despite our differences.

I think yesterday we sent a message out to the world. We talked about who we are, and about who we are not. We talked about our industry and our community and our link to the world. We found our common ground with each other, and, I hope, with the rest of the world. I listened to the podcast of the show today and I could hear the fear in my voice. It's there, even if no one else would recognize it. But I got through it, with the Junior Blogger at my side and as my inspiration as always. I truly believe we need to take every chance we get to tell our stories, even when our knees shake and we feel a bit like vomiting. I told mine yesterday, as did many other residents of our city, and I suspect mine weren't the only knees shaking. I am so very proud of every single person who spoke on the program, and of those who came to Mac Island to see it. I'm proud of all of us, Fort Mac. We are finally telling our stories ourselves - and I can guarantee you this : the world is listening. So, let's make every opportunity count, people.

My genuine and sincere thanks to

Rex Murphy

and his CBC crew for bringing

Cross Country Checkup to

Fort McMurray -

and thank you to

Mayor Melissa Blake

and all the others who

shared their story yesterday!
You can hear the podcast here!

Photo credit to MacDonald Island Park

Injury Prevention Priority Setting With Safe Community Wood Buffalo - Or "Why We Don't Want to Be #1"

I admit it. There are days when I get up, look at my daytimer (yes, I still do it the old-fashioned way with a book, mine a little red number with the words "Keep Calm and Carry On" emblazoned on it), and wonder what I've managed to get myself into that day. This happened on Thursday of last week when I got up and saw I was scheduled to attend the Injury Prevention Priority Setting Exercise hosted by Safe Community Wood Buffalo. I was intrigued, which is why I had accepted the kind invitation from SCWB, but I also knew this was far beyond my knowledge range. My injury prevention knowledge is of the sort that screams "don't run with scissors" and not much beyond that. I also know, though, that injury prevention is a huge issue because injuries affect our health care system, our community, and our families - and for that reason I headed down to Mac Island to check out exactly what SCWB does. And in the end I walked away, as usual, knowing much more than I had when I arrived, having found people in this community who frankly amaze me with their depth of knowledge and wisdom, and with a new appreciation for what this group does in our community. But let's start at the top, shall we?

Safe Community Wood Buffalo is an initiative that works towards exactly what the name implies - a safe community. The truth is that injuries are generally preventable - there are very few real "accidents", as that implies they cannot be avoided. The reality is that we can prevent many of the injuries we see around us, and the idea is that we do so by being proactive, not reactive. And part of being proactive is studying the current data, and determining which areas are our "worst" in terms of injuries. We can then concentrate on those areas, in terms of education and resources, and try to whittle down those numbers. And that is what the Injury Prevention Priority Setting Exercise does. It brings together community members from many different organizations and groups (from the RCMP to Alberta Health Services, non-profits to the traffic safety organizations, and many more), presents them with the latest data on injuries in our zone - and then sets them to work to see if we can determine what we feel are the most significant.

People, the data itself is fascinating - and deeply, deeply troubling. The data presented on Thursday is from all of the northern zone, so not just the RMWB, but regardless the numbers are worrisome. We rank highest in everything - per capita numbers of injuries, numbers of deaths, numbers of hospitalizations, numbers of ER visits for injuries. I'd shout out "Hey, we're Number One!" - except this is one time I'd like to be at the very bottom of the rankings. The cost of these injuries in terms of our health care system, our community, our families, and our lives is enormous - and it needs to change. And the only way to do that is if we start making some changes. I will tell you now that the data shocked me, and it awakened some awareness. We have a problem, people.

As you might imagine one of our leading causes of injuries is motor vehicle accidents. I expected that. I didn't expect that Alberta is the province with the second highest rate of suicides (a statistic led by Quebec, but not including the territories). I didn't expect that our second highest leading cause of injuries is falls - and then poisoning. Now, the poisoning one is a bit of a puzzler, as most people like me would think of that as being a child who drinks bleach from under the kitchen sink, but it's a bit more complex when you realize it includes overdoses of both prescription and non-prescription drugs. The one stat that really stunned me, though, is our death rate from injury. In the north zone we see 71 deaths per 100,000 people. The provincial average is 48 deaths per 100,000. To paraphrase a famous quote : "Fort McMurray, we have a problem".

The data is a bit overwhelming, really. I've been looking at it since Thursday, puzzling through it (I'm a writer, not a statistician, and therefore it takes me some time to absorb these kinds of things). No matter how I read it, though, or which way I spin it, the data says we need to be working harder to prevent injury. The data is clear, and we need to start thinking about it - and not just the people at Safe Community Wood Buffalo. We all need to be thinking about this one, people.

And that's why the next part of the day was particularly interesting. We were divided up into working groups, assigned two causes of injury, and then asked to rank some statements about those causes. The statements were things like asking if we think the community is aware of the problem, if there is enough being done about it, if more could be done - and this is where the priority setting comes in, of course. My group was assigned two causes - suicide, and fire. And it was intriguing because our answers were vastly different for each cause.

You see, I think in terms of fire safety our community, and our fire fighters in particular, have done an outstanding job in terms of education. I suspect every kid in this city knows "stop, drop, and roll", and most have gone home from a session at school and lectured their parents on a fire evacuation plan (like the youngest Intrepid Junior Blogger did to us years ago when she even sketched it all out after a visit to her school from the fire department). So, I think in terms of awareness, prevention, and interest in the cause of injury, fire safety ranks very highly - but not so for suicide. As I told my table the problem with suicide is that it is an uncomfortable subject - it is not "sexy", not something that attracts attention. It is one of those things we rather wish would just go away so we didn't have to deal with it, really. It's not something we enjoy talking about, and it's not simple, like fire. Fire is bad, fire is something we know how to prevent, and fire makes sense to us. But not suicide. We don't understand it, we know we want to stop it but we aren't always sure how, and it hurts us to even think about it. But the most troubling thing is, of course, that we are far more likely to be directly touched at some point in our lives by suicide than by fire - because suicide deaths and injuries are far more common than those from fire.  The discussion at my table was astonishing, people, because it brought together people from this community but with very different knowledge bases, and it allowed us to talk about what we knew - and it was absolutely enlightening, probably more so for me than anyone else because I walked in knowing so little and left knowing significantly more (and with even more questions and thoughts).

So, all the tables and working groups were having these discussions, and evaluating these statements regarding these causes of injuries and deaths. While we were having lunch as a group the results were evaluated, too, and led to the top three injury priorities as ranked by the community members and the quantitative data. And the results? Well, again fascinating. Our number one concern was injuries from motor vehicle accidents, then falls (this is surprisingly high, but given workplace "slips, trips, and falls" perhaps not so surprising really), and then a tie between suicide/self-injury and poisoning. And what does this really mean? This means these are the areas we, as a community, have chosen to look at more closely, and to perhaps focus our prevention efforts on. These are the causes of deaths and injury that are statistically - and in terms of relevance to us - most troubling. These are the ones we want to see addressed, and these rankings give groups like Safe Community Wood Buffalo a starting point to focus on. But here's a thought, people. It's not just those organizations and groups that need to start thinking about this - it's all of us.

I don't want us to be number one in this. I love to win competitions, and I love to see this region rank highly - but not for this. I'd rather like us to be dead last in this "competition", and with impeccable and enviable safety statistics. We aren't going to get there without some effort - from all of us. If you consider that 95% of "accidents" are preventable then it appears we have significant room for improvement, but it's going to take all of us to achieve it. Whether it's looking at our own driving habits in terms of motor vehicle accidents, or thinking about workplace safety we can change this. We can educate ourselves, and we can start giving some thoughts to reducing those troubling injury numbers. I think we should let someone else be number one in this one, Fort Mac. I think just maybe we should aim for being the very bottom of the list, people. Let's aim low - and save some lives.

First, my apologies to the RCMP officer I accused

 of "cheating" for trying to get to the lunch buffet

 table sooner.  You see, the facilitator was selecting tables

 by asking questions like "who is wearing a blue shirt?",

 and when the RCMP officer attempted to use the argument that

 they should go next because they had guns

 at their table I couldn't stop myself and shouted out

 "cheating, totally cheating!" and the room erupted in laughter.

 I'm always a bit amazed I get invited back to these things, really.

And on that note my genuine and sincere thanks to

Safe Community Wood Buffalo

for the invitation, and for including me in the

Injury Prevention Priority Setting Exercise -

it was an absolutely enlightening experience!
I'm hoping you might consider inviting me back, too,
despite my tendency to blurt out my thoughts publicly ;)

The End of an Icon - The Green Bridge

Photo Credit to SkyScraperPage Forum

I'd been sick for a few days and holding down the sofa. I hadn't even been online much, and I suppose that's why I didn't know. I was driving down to Mac Island a few days later, crossing the new bridge, and I noticed something was missing. Something was different. Something was gone. That something? The green bridge. That bridge, the one that carried all our traffic for years, was gone. And that simple change was not only a sign of change in a bridge - I think it's a sign of change in our region.

I remember when I first moved here a decade ago. We arrived in late summer, and got a taxi from the airport to our temporary residence in Thickwood. I remember driving down into the valley, and thinking what a lovely little place this seemed to be. You see, I'd never been here before. My husband had come when he had interviewed for his job, but I had stayed behind in northwestern Ontario with the youngest Intrepid Junior Blogger, who was only two. So I arrived here not knowing a thing about the community, or  what it looked like. And I remember driving across the green bridge.

I grew up in Saskatoon, the "city of bridges", and there is one of those iconic bridges there, too. The Victoria Avenue bridge is black, not green, and so old it is now closed to traffic, I think, except that of the pedestrian kind. But it is a bridge similar to the green one, designed in an older style and sort of becoming such a part of the landscape that you don't even realize it's quite unusual. I guess our green bridge was like that, too. I didn't even realize I would miss it - until it was gone.

I have photos of the green bridge, taken when we lived in Abasand and would walk the trails there, one of which has a lookout point that looks directly over that area of the river. The green bridge features prominently in several of the photos we took there, and I'm betting many other people have photos of it, too. I don't think we have many structures here that we find recognizable, really. The purple student residence at Keyano, maybe, and the red municipal and provincial buildings. But for me I think the bridge is different. There is symbolism in a bridge, the connecting of two separate parts. The bridge will remain, I guess, but different. Changed. Just like we have.

Photo credit to Gord McKenna

This region is ever changing, but some things have stayed the same for years. The sense that this was a small town, not a city. The idea that we were somehow remote. The belief that we were somehow "underdogs". And it's all changing, people. We are on the verge of the kind of rapid growth that will leave us not only a city, but a good sized one. We are not nearly as remote as we have been in the past, now connected to the world not only by road but by air - and by the internet. And we are no longer any kind of underdog, having become the economic driver of our province - and our country. We have changed, Fort Mac. And we are going to keep changing, in ways both invisible and visible. The green bridge is one of the visible changes - and to me it is symbolic of all the change to come. I will miss the green bridge as it was, but I know the change heralds the beginning of a new era in our transportation. I will miss the Fort McMurray I arrived in a decade ago, but I know the changes that are occurring (and that are coming) will only make us better. It is sad to say farewell to the green bridge - but it is also exciting to welcome the future. We are changing, people, and one small, old green bridge is perhaps the most visible sign of that change.

I drove my husband to the airport the other day. He hadn't been across the bridge in some time, and when I asked him what was different he couldn't answer. When I told him he exclaimed "Oh yeah, it IS gone!". And in the future others will never even know that it was there. New residents will come and they will never know what the green bridge looked like. But I will. I'll remember arriving here in August, driving across that bridge, thinking of the city I grew up with it's black bridge, and thinking about how my daughter was going to grow up in this city. It's a memory I will never forget, and so the green bridge will always be there - in my memory, and in the memory of many others.

Do you have photos of the green bridge

you would like to share?

Email them to me at

McMurray Musings

and I will compile them into a 

green bridge memorial blog post :)

What Shall I Do With These Hands? - Dave Gunning House Concert

Photo credit to Dave Gunning

Well, people, I'm going to get a bit personal in this blog post. You see, this is a bad time of year for me. In fact there is a stretch, from March 10th to March 14th, that for a few years I wished would just disappear. It is, as I tell people, the most emotionally loaded time of the entire year for me. And it has to do with my parents. On March 14th 2006 my father passed away after a long battle with lung cancer. Three years later, on March 10th 2009, my mother died unexpectedly after suffering an aneurysm. In one of those classic life coincidences we buried her on March 14th - exactly three years after my father died. Standing at their graveside three years ago I decided that March was quite likely the worst month of the year, and that March 10th and 14th were particularly bad days. For the last few years those were days I hid from the world. This year I did something different. Last night, on the sixth anniversary of my father's death and the third anniversary of my mother's funeral I went to a house concert - and I found peace.

The house concert was at the home of my friends Matt and Aileen. As I have written previously they host house concerts through a group called Home Routes, and I attended one late last year. Since that time I've become even more fond of Matt and Aileen, as they have shown me such kindness and support at every turn (including when Matt rescued this very blog from design disaster). So, last night I arrived to be greeted by the charming Harley, their gentle giant of a dog, and I settled in to enjoy some music from Juno-nominated celtic folk musician Dave Gunning.

It was a packed house - literally - for the show. Many of the friends I have made through this blog were in attendance, and it was pure pleasure to share the evening with them. You see, Dave is a wonderful singer/songwriter/musician. He is charming and engaging. He tells a fabulous tale, and he plays a mean guitar. He sings and he weaves a story while he does, his lyrics telling the tale just as surely as my words do in this blog (and perhaps far better than I ever could). But Dave is more than all that, too.  I think that maybe Dave, like me, is aware of the connections in our life, how the separate threads of our existence somehow tie themselves together in unexpected and yet logical ways. This happened to me last night, as Dave was exactly what I needed on this most unhappy of anniversaries. Dave, and his stories, were healing.

Dave pretty much had me when he explained that he began playing music because he was inspired by John Allan Cameron and Stan Rogers. I've always been a fan of both of them, but Stan in particular - and I feel that Stan's death in a plane accident in the 80's was a huge loss for the Canadian music scene, as he was remarkable. As the evening wore on, though, Dave kept telling stories and weaving in other Canadian performers, like when he worked on Stompin' Tom's tour, and how he's known George Canyon for years. You see, I love Stompin' Tom, as he is the quintessential Canadian, and my dad had been fond of him. And just last year I got the chance to meet George Canyon and spend time as his driver when he played the SummersEnd festival, and in that short time I became incredibly fond of George (I'd do just about anything for George and his boys, including tracking down and trapping a black bear so they could see it since they didn't get to see one when they were here). I started to feel pretty close to Dave even though I'd never spoken to him. While I hadn't spoken to him he was definitely speaking to me - in his stories, and in his lyrics.

Dave has a story he tells about a couple he met. They were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, and they shared with him some of the stories from their life together. He wrote a song about them called "Saltwater Hearts", and in a club a few years later was telling the story of meeting them before playing it. An elderly woman interrupted the story. She told him that she was the female half of the couple he had met - and that her husband had just passed away. I sort of lost it at that point, seated quietly in a corner of Matt and Aileen's living room. My parents' celebrated their 50th anniversary just a few years before my dad died - and then just three years after his death my mom was gone, too. Dave's story didn't sing to me - it resonated to my core, and it was as if the loose threads of the last three years began tying themselves together with a fury.

There were so many more songs, too, covers of Stompin' Tom, and a lovely rendition of "Fare Thee Well To Nova Scotia". Dave said he is partial to hanging songs (as many folk musicians seem to be) and he sang one of his own composition as well as "Long Black Veil", perhaps one of my very favourite folk songs ever written. He told other stories, too, of how he went to Afghanistan last year to sing the national anthem in Kandahar - and even travelled to Kabul. He spoke of his experiences there, and how the situation is so complex and so troubling (and I could see in his eyes that Dave is perhaps like me, with a few loose threads in his life just waiting to be tied to those other threads as they appear). And he sang a song I found particularly beautiful - called "These Hands", with the lovely chorus that asks "what shall I do with these hands?". And that sang to me, too, because I think it's a question we all ask ourselves at some point.

Dave seems to be truly humble, a genuine person, sincere and authentic (which is why his friendship with George Canyon didn't surprise me, as George is exactly the same way). He is musically talented, writes lyrics that are stunning in their depth, and is able to his engage his audience in a truly amazing way. And engage them he did, having the guests last night singing along to songs they had just learned, and swaying to those classics they already knew well. And, at the end, he received a standing ovation, every person crowded into that living room rising to their feet in unison to thank Dave for his performance, his music - and for his heart, which is clearly visible in both his music and the tales he tells.

I admit it. While watching Dave last night I shed tears more than once as I worked through some of my emotions from the past few days. I did so in the safety and comfort of Matt and Aileen's house, a place where I feel at home despite only knowing them a short while (and simply because they have made me feel welcome, and secure, and offered friendship to a total stranger - me). And in the end I felt peaceful. This year has already been better in terms of this anniversary, because this past year I began this blog and I found something. I found new friends, and new opportunities, and new connections. And I found more and more often that through those friends and opportunities and connections the loose threads of my life are tying themselves together, coincidences building on coincidences and things coming along at exactly the right time - like attending a house concert that somehow took another step in healing my broken heart.

So, about Dave Gunning - I know what he has chosen to do with his hands, which is to play and write songs and share his thoughts and ideas and dreams and wisdom with the world. And I too have found what to do with my hands. They write this blog almost every day. They share with you what I have done and seen and discovered and found, even sometimes something a bit personal, like today. And even thought it's a bit personal I feel quite comfortable sharing it with all of you - because over this last year I feel like my readers have become my friends, too.

It was "just" another house concert, and "just" another night in Fort Mac - except of course that it was anything but that. It was yet another one of those evenings in this community that made my heart sing - right along with Dave Gunning's gentle, beautiful, wise songs. And it was in the company of friends, and in the community I have come to love. It was "just" one of the most healing nights I've had in years - and that, people, is anything but "just".

My sincere and genuine thanks to

Matt and Aileen

for the invitation -

and their friendship.

And my thanks to Dave Gunning,

for the music, the lyrics, the stories - 

and tying some of those threads together.

Fort McMurray Checkup - With Rex Murphy

I get a lot of emails these days. I get emails from friends and family, invitations, blog suggestions, and the occasional spam. I also get emails that advise me of upcoming events that might interest me, and one of these arrived in my inbox recently. It was an email from MacDonald Island advising that Rex Murphy of CBC is coming to Fort Mac - and doing an episode of "Cross Country Checkup" from right here.

If you aren't familiar with Cross Country Checkup, it is a long running CBC radio show. And by long running I mean since 1965 (yay, finally something older than me!). The entire idea of the show is to take a topic, have an expert or speaker talk about it with the host - and then open it up to people from around the country who phone in with their thoughts on the issue. Call-in shows have been around for a very long time, but for those who have never heard one it's like the old school version of an online chat room or forum. And like those chat rooms and forums it can be a fascinating glimpse into the thoughts of other people, from the very profound to the deeply puzzling.

I've been listening to Cross Country Checkup for years. And a lot of that listening was done in my car, as for the last 15 years or so we have lived in places where we travelled by car a fair bit. Prior to Fort Mac we lived in Red Lake, Ontario (and the next time you think we are remote here get out a map and look up Red Lake - see where the highway ends in Northwestern Ontario past Kenora? Yes, I lived, quite literally, at the end of that highway in a tiny little town called Cochenour). We spent many hours driving back and forth to Dryden and Kenora, and here we have spent a similar amount of time on the road to and from Edmonton - and much of this travel coincided with times when Cross Country Checkup happened to be on the air.

The topics have often been fascinating, and sometimes controversial. As the show progressed my husband and I would listen, and it would often lead to us discussing those topics, too (and a few fights, I admit - we are both pretty opinionated and stubborn, so we can have some spectacular car trips). I guess I have a history with this radio show, and, well, my voice has even been heard on it a couple of times when I called in about something that caught my interest (opinionated, stubborn, AND vocal - it's a helluva combination, people, just ask that long-suffering spouse of mine).

So, when I got the email announcing Cross Country Checkup was coming here - and with Rex Murphy, no less, someone who I think is pretty astute in many matters - I was delighted. And I was even more pleased when I learned his guest would be our lovely mayor Melissa Blake, as I cannot imagine a better representative for our community than Melissa.

What are they going to be discussing? They are going to be discussing us, people. The oil sands, and the community. They are going to be talking about the topic which has become near and dear to my heart - this place I call home. And it gets even better, I think. This time I won't have to turn on my radio - because I'm going to MacDonald Island on Sunday to watch the show. I plan to be there early to secure a spot, and one of the Intrepid Junior Bloggers wants to come, too (the younger one - she is a CBC junkie, and listens to it every morning when she wakes up). I'll get to see Rex Murphy, the person behind that iconic voice, and I'll get to see him speak to Melissa Blake about us. One of my favourite radio personalities, with one of my favourite local people, talking about one of my favourite topics (and the reason I write this blog). I'm not sure how it gets more perfect than that, people. Except that it does get better - because you can come too, Fort Mac. Everyone is invited to see this bit of history happen, and I hope you'll take advantage of it. This is a chance to show CBC Radio who we are - to tell them our story of life here, not the story they have read from outside journalists or heard from those who have never even seen this place. This is yet another opportunity to show the world who we are, and to share a bit about ourselves with the rest of the country - and beyond, as Cross Country Checkup reaches far past our national borders.

So, what are you doing on Sunday, people? You know where to find me - and I'm hoping to find you there, too. I'll be up close to the front, probably smiling like a crazy person and enjoying every last minute. The big show is coming to town - how can you possibly miss that?

Cross Country Checkup

with host Rex Murphy

and guest Mayor Melissa Blake

records this Sunday, March 18th

from 2:00 - 4:00 pm

at MacDonald Island Park

Shumka at 50 - And Keyano Theatre - At Their Finest

Over my years here I've been to Keyano Theatre many, many times. My family has enjoyed musical performances, plays, ballets, company Christmas events, and children's performers. Just in the course of writing this blog I have been there several times. On Saturday night, though, I went to Keyano Theatre for a very special event - their annual "curtain raiser". The "curtain raiser" is a fundraiser for the theatre, and I was intrigued when I heard it advertised. My interest was piqued for several reasons - there was going to be a wine tasting, hosted by the Opimian Society (the local branch of that wine aficionado group). There would be a post-show reception from the Sawridge (one of my favourite places for food). And there would be a performance from Shumka, the Ukrainian dance troupe from Edmonton.

I've seen Shumka before, you see, decades ago in Saskatoon. I'd enjoyed their performance then, and suspected I would again. My husband happens to be half-Ukrainian, and between the Ukrainian dancers and the wine tasting (both of us enjoying a nice wine) it was pretty easy to sell him on the idea of attending. So, I purchased our tickets, and Saturday night found us arriving at Keyano in a taxi (because we intended to make the most of the wine tasting). 

We walked into the theatre lobby and were delighted to see it transformed. Where there is usually empty space stood a bar, and suspended from the ceiling above it was a beautiful circular decoration made of colourful ribbon. The ribbon, all different colours, was repeated throughout the decor, and obviously in honour of Shumka, which showcases colourful costumes and ribbons. As you continued through the lobby you eventually arrived at the silent auction items (one of which, a basket of wines, made my husband enter into a bidding war). And then there was another bar - and the wine tasting. 

There were several tables, each hosted by an Opimian society member or two, and a few select bottles of wine. Tickets in hand we began tasting, me the whites and roses, and my husband the reds. Between selections we chatted and visited with some of the many people in attendance, from those we know from the Opimian Society to those who are friends from other places. We quickly ran out of tickets and had to purchase more (and the hiring of the taxi seemed a particularly clever idea at this point). And if we became bored there was always "Easy" and "Peasy", two local actors who served as busker-style entertainment, and the young man playing the accordian (an instrument I know well and grew up listening to as my German father played it every day and had his own polka band for years). The wine tasting was truly a lovely start to the evening, and although we had arrived shortly after 6 pm the time flew by quickly and soon it was time for the 8 pm performance of Shumka.

Shumka is a dance group now 50 years old. That seems remarkable, and it is. What is even more remarkable, though, is how Shumka has evolved. You see, when I saw Shumka about twenty years ago they were very much just traditional Ukrainian dance. It was lovely, but it was not modern. It was not contemporary. And, I think, had they continued to only pursue traditional dance they would not have survived to see 50 years. But Shumka is no longer "just" Ukrainian dance. In fact they aren't "just" anything. They are, as several people said that night, "astonishing".

I've never been to a performance of ANY kind where there was a standing ovation at the intermission - and not because people thought it was over, but because they were simply overwhelmed by what they had seen. Shumka still incorporates traditional Ukrainian dance, and those beautiful costumes. They still do the high leaps and the whirling dervish-type moves, and the amazing kicks. They have become so very, very much more, though, weaving in modern interpretive dance, telling traditional tales in delicate fashion, and yet with an energy and intensity that takes your breath away. There are moments of sorrow, moments of humour, and moments of whimsy. The performers on the stage are in constant motion, and it is a feast for the eyes, with costumes of a beauty and intensity that simply mirror the beauty and intensity of the dancers. This dance group is nothing short of astounding. I've seen ballet in Edmonton, Toronto, and London - and frankly I suspect the Shumka dancers could outdance most ballet dancers with ease, and with every bit as much grace and dignity. The choreographers have taken the dance troupe from being "just" Ukrainian dance to being contemporary dance that could play anywhere in the world and be not only appreciated but adored. There is something a bit beyond words about it all, really, as Shumka is something one must see, not hear described - and if you missed it I am genuinely sorry as you missed something that cannot really be experienced unless seen (and once seen can never be forgotten).

After the performance the audience (a bit weary from clapping and cheering and standing ovations that went on for several minutes) returned to the lobby where they now discovered a reception. When I heard that the performance for the evening was Shumka I hoped that the food at the reception would be Ukrainian themed - and I was not disappointed. Cabbage rolls and pierogies (holubsti and varenyky/pyrohy to the Ukrainians in the crowd) dominated the selection, and it was the perfect end to a perfect evening of entertainment.

We had one final glass of wine, and a plate of food. We shared a few more moments with friends, and then we climbed back into a taxi and headed for home. And we had had a marvellous evening. You see, we had gone to a curtain raiser and we had seen Shumka at 50 - and at their finest. We had seen Keyano Theatre, shining brighter than ever perhaps, as it enters into another year of providing quality, diverse entertainment to our community. And we had enjoyed wine, and dance, and food, and yet another one of the amazing entertainment offerings in our city. 

The next time someone - anyone - complains about there being "nothing to do" here I am going to take out my daytimer - and beat them with it. They won't enjoy the experience, either, because the sheer weight of the ink in it makes it a deceptively heavy little book, crowded with events and places and times and notes on all the things I try to attend here (and I fail, people, I fail, because occasionally I need to do laundry - and sleep). This past weekend alone I went to a rock concert one night and a cultural dance event the next. I danced to rock music and I clapped along with traditional Ukrainian dance rhythms. I tried several different varieties of wine from a local group of wine lovers, and I ate Ukrainian food from a local restaurant that offers an incredible variety of cuisine. I spent time at one of the most amazing recreation centres in the country (MacDonald Island) and I spent time at a local theatre that has presented some of the most incredible entertainment in the country. And I marvelled at how this little community has become a place where there is never "nothing" to do. In this city there is always "something" to do, people - and this weekend I did it, from rock music to Ukrainian dance.