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

December 1913 was a good month for Annie McLay. It was in that month that she won a big prize thanks to her hard work. For two months previous, the Edmonton Bulletin had been running a contest to see who among their employees could get the most subscribers signing up for the newspaper. McLay, who was from Vermilion, won thanks to her immense drive to win. She spent six weeks traveling through the northern part of the province as far as she could go, and then down to southern

I’ve always been interested in how people met. I have heard the most incredible stories. My grandparents met in New York. My grandmother’s well-to-do family would not have approved of my grandfather’s station in life, but you can’t stop love! In the bustling heart of New York City in 1912, where horse-drawn wagons rattled over cobblestone streets and the energy of commerce filled the air, Grandfather arrived from his homestead in Saskatchewan and took a job. Why he picked New

The remaining of my garden tomatoes are ripening, a lot all at the same time. Late fall, we picked all of our garden tomatoes, before the frost, many of them green, and spread them out in cardboard boxes in our garage, which is mildly heated. Without a heated garage, they need to be spread out on a low cardboard box, to allow them to ripen. This recipe is a keeper, which creates a salsa with that classic salsa taste. Salsa– Canned – makes 5 pints 8 cups of tomatoes, peeled a

Back in 1910, Vermilion dealt with something rather unusual for the time of year. A November tornado. In those days, they called such weather events cyclones, and it was something that scared quite a few people in the community. It was on Nov. 1, 1910, when what was described as a terrific windstorm swept through the community. At the height of the storm, it was said you could barely see a block away because of the dust and debris. The storm led to a small fire in town and wh

As winter began in November 1911, the residents of Vermilion were doing their best to stay warm. For the first two weeks of the month, the temperature was below -20 degrees Celsius. To make things worse, all that cold water was leaving coal in very short supply. So many people were buying up coal that the reserves were nearly empty and residents were looking for other ways to heat their homes. That was good news for some businesses in Vermilion. The Hayward Lumber Company, on

My Dad talked very little about World War 2. From the few stories my Dad told, and knowing him for 50 years and from the details we know of World War 2 (Dad’s paybook, Wikipedia, google), I pieced together his story. It was 1942, and Ray had made the decision to travel from his family farm near Kitscoty, Alberta to the closest recruitment office and enlist in the army. He had read in the newspaper and heard all the chatter in town about how the enemy forces were advancing in

I remember my dad, who was born in 1935 tell me that growing up as a kid, he ate his morning oatmeal with molasses, not necessarily by choice, but that was the sweetener that was available to him in those days. It wouldn’t be my sweetener of choice, until I learned that is has so many amazing health benefits. I love molasses in gingerbread, ginger cookies, and baked beans but recent research will be elevating it far beyond the characteristic flavor found in fall and Christmas

A new month means we are traveling back to time to see what was going on in the community exactly 100 years ago. These events may seem like they are not of major historical significance, but they helped form the community as it is today. Many residents of Vermilion were angry on Nov. 1 when they woke up to what had happened on Halloween in the community. Several people had property smashed in their yards. Various signs were ripped down around the community and a rear door at

While The Great Depression was one of the most difficult times for Canadians in the 20th century, especially in the Prairies, there were still things to celebrate. On Nov. 2, 1937, the people of Vermilion were celebrating the news that progress was being made on the new Masonic Temple in the community. On that day, the cornerstone was laid down on the building. For the previous 21 years, the Masons had used a building in the Standard Block of Vermilion. This new temple was to

This cookie is a twist on my standard peanut butter cookie recipe. Interestingly, peanut butter has many health benefits. It is a very good source of antioxidants. The mono-saturated fat in peanut butter includes oleic acid, the kind found in olive oil, that has been found to be Mediterranean diet heart healthy . Peanuts are also a source of resveratrol. Resveratrol is the beneficial substance found in red wine. In the nurses’ health study, which involved 86,000 women

As performers in “Touch of Grace,” a Southern Gospel Trio, we love researching and sharing the stories behind the songs we sing. One song that has touched countless lives is “Angels Among Us,” a moving message that has become a staple in the Southern Gospel repertoire. The story behind its creation is as inspiring as the message it shares. Becky Hobbs, a Nashville singer-songwriter, is the creative force behind “Angels Among Us.” Her journey to writing this song is rooted in