Each year, curlers from around Central Alberta came to Vermilion to take part in the popular Vermilion Bonspiel in the hopes of capturing the Alberta Hotel Cup. At the end of February 1919, the bonspiel saw several close and exciting games. There were about 20 rinks that entered the bonspiel, with seven coming from outside of Vermilion. One was the McClung Rink from Edmonton. I don’t know if the skip of that rink was related to Nellie McClung, but it is possible. There were a

A good cattle dog is a treasure on a working ranch. We have had Border Collies for most of our ranching years. Their herding nature requires them to be active, alert, independent thinking, and responsive. Tubby was one such a dog. We bought him as a pup, he was the biggest one in the litter and stayed a “roly-poly” for awhile (hence the name). His cattle instincts showed up in the first year of his life. He would display “eye,” stalking, or circling behaviors around his litte

Our chickens have been laying a few more eggs than we can use, so it was time to pickle a few. This recipe works in the winter, and in the summer. I like to add fresh dill from the garden. If your pickling spice has cloves it will turn the brine tea coloured, and that is fine. If you want a clear brine, then you will have to pick the cloves out of the pickling spice. To hard boil eggs, place your eggs in a pot and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the e

In the very early years of Vermilion, as the community was slowly coming together, there were problems with some individuals who couldn’t stay on the right side of the law. In early February 1910, three criminal cases were presented at the district court to Judge Taylor who was presiding. In the first case, a Vermilion man was charged with attempting to steal a white steer from another man off his property. The name of the person accused was not listed, nor was the person who

Marty and Buster were two borderline mammoth donkeys who graced our lives and left a permanent hoofprint on our family’s heart. They had unique personalities; they were both friendly and very approachable and always greeted anyone who wandered into their pasture. They loved treats; apples, carrots and other goodies and the people who brought them. Marty was a striking grey color accentuated by a bold black dorsal stripe running down his back. Buster was two shades of rich bro

Whenever it’s cold outside it’s a good time to turn on the oven and do some baking. This banana bread recipe is a good way to use up some over ripe bananas. If you have over ripe bananas and no time to use them up, you can pop them into the freezer, peel and all, to be used later for loafs and muffins. This is a well tested recipe that makes great banana loafs every time. This recipe is high in fiber, and is mostly sweetened naturally with dates and bananas. Dates, oat bran a

When I was growing up, I looked forward to the spring months of April and May; it was calving season. The cows calved on the hills on a half section of pasture north of our buildings. Dad checked the cows twice a day on horseback. His lariat and a few small calving supplies were part of his gear. I was so excited to get to ride with him on occasion. As we saddled up and headed north, Dad would always light a smoke. He looked like the “Marlboro Man”. It was generally cool and

Here is a cabbage salad that uses healthy ingredients in the dressing, instead of salad dressing and mayonnaise made with industrial seed oils. Olive oil is rich in monosaturated fat, which helps to reduce inflammation. Olive oil contains omega 9’s, vitamins E, K & A plus additional anti-oxidants. Olive oil is an important part of the Mediterranean diet, that helps to prevent heart disease and stroke. Studies of the Mediterranean diet, which is high in olive oil, show a 40 p

With it being the beginning of a new month, it is time to take a trip back in the past. We are venturing to 100 years ago to see what was going on in Vermilion in February 1926. On Feb. 2, the Town of Vermilion announced that there would be a reduction in the business tax since the cash on hand for the community was $12,000. It was expected that the business tax in Vermilion would decrease by 20 percent to encourage more development as the town grew. On Feb. 4, Vermilion Agri

Way back in 1910, Vermilion was about five years old and quickly growing. All around the area, people were taking up homesteads to capitalize on the fantastic land. To help get people settled in the area, various syndicates were formed. These companies provided people with guidance to build their homesteads. They sold the goods that were needed, directed the settlers to where they needed to go and helped with all the organizing. In January 1910, it was announced that the Belg

I laced up a pair of skates at a very young age and always enjoyed skating. I especially loved skating on our slough or even on the river when I was young with our neighbours. We cleared a lot of ice in those days. In school Phys. Ed. we had skating at our local arena. I never did play hockey but eight of my brothers and sisters took to the ice, learning the game’s language through swift passes, slap shots, the odd fight and the relentless pursuit of victory. Sometimes I t

For most people who met Hugh Evans as he walked down the street in Vermilion in the 1950s and 1960s, they would have never known he was part of history. From 1898 to 1900, he was part of the Southern Cross expedition to Antarctica. This was the first British venture to the continent and led directly to Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton’s attempts a few years later. He said, “We sailed from a London port early in 1898. A large crowd gathered to bid us goodbye and good luck. T

What are your favourite “Grandparent” memories? I loved visiting my Grandparents. My Dad’s parents lived on a small farm a few miles west of our farm. Their farmyard included a barn, corrals, chicken house, tool shed, outer buildings and of course the “outhouse”. I wouldn’t have noticed as a kid but thinking about it later, I realized they lived in an old house that had seen better days. I will always remember its worn edges that were softened by the warmth and activity that

Sometimes we get so used to the flavour of a food, made with processed ingredients, that it is hard to make changes to healthier ingredients, because we expect a certain taste. I wanted to eliminate salad dressing and mayonnaise from devilled eggs, so I began experimenting. I tried using Greek yogurt, but the flavour was not right, however this recipe using sour cream is perfect, and it uses all whole and natural foods for the health win. To hard boil eggs, place your eggs

Winter on the farm brings a particular set of challenges and rewards. As I fork hay for the horses through the bitter cold, feeling the bite of frost on my fingers even beneath lined mitts, my mind drifts back to the days spent with my Dad, hauling hay and straw to feed our cattle. When I was a kid, a few of my siblings and I would go with him in the winter when he hauled hay and straw from the stacks in the field. He would harness and hitch the team to the big rack, and we w

It is a new year, and a new month, and that means it is time to look back at what was going on in the community 100 years ago this month. These events helped to build the community that exists today. On Jan. 13, the Vermilion Wanderers defeated Vegreville 4-2 in a hockey game. This put Vermilion at the top of the league standings and in a good place to win the league championship. On Jan. 16, it was announced that 100 families from Scotland were going to be settling at Vermil

Cajan cooking is from the Louisiana area, and developed from a mix of the Acadians, Native Americans, Spanish and West African cuisine. The Acadians ended up in Louisiana when the British deported them from Canada starting in 1755. At that time France was ruled by King Louis XV, but the French had already claimed a piece of the United States, and called it Louisiana for King Louis XIV, thus Louisiana is named after King Louis of France. The Cajun style of cooking emerged out

This is a moist old-fashioned cake that is full of goodness. If you are going to enjoy baking, its always better home made. When it’s really cold outside, it’s so nice to turn on the oven and do some baking. Apples contain malic acid and tartaric acid which is known to help cleanse the liver of toxins, and pectin which also aids in the removal of toxins from our bodies. One apple supplies 30 percent of the daily recommend amount of fiber. Apples are shown to help regulate blo

I enjoy all types of music. When a song captures my attention, I like to research the story behind the song. The song “the Highwayman” is an intriguing example of somebody’s unique imagination. It is a song about reincarnation written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb. According to Wikipedia he got the influence to write the lyrics after dreaming that he was a Highwayman on the run from the law. (If you read his account, it was more like a nightmare rather than a dream

Here we are at the end of the year, the changing of the numbers AD, nearing the end of page 12 of the 2025 calendar. At first, I was so glad to think that this year was ending because it held a very sad loss in my family, but with only a few days left in the year I realized, I would have missed so much wishing the year away. In the rush to close out what is difficult, it’s easy to overlook the experiences that positively color the year. We were moved with unexpected kindness