Back in October 1951, the Vermilion area was getting ready for a major vaccination job. It wasn’t for polio, that was still a couple years away. Instead, it was about vaccinating cattle. This massive vaccination program was believed to be the largest ever attempted in Canada by a municipality. Initiated by the Municipal District of Vermilion River, it all began on Oct. 4, 1951 under the guidance of Dr. A.R. Anderson and Dr. F. Creech from Lloydminster. The vaccination was for

Breakfast cookies are easy to make, and perfect for busy days on the go, or to pack for lunches. They are filled with healthy ingredients, plus they are gluten and dairy free. Almost every ingredient is filled with health benefits. There is fiber from several different sources. These cookies are a good way to use up an over ripe banana. The banana is a good source of important minerals like magnesium and potassium. Cinnamon helps balance blood sugar, and support healthy insul

When I was a little kid, Halloween was more than just a night of costumes and candy. It was a cherished tradition that brought our rural community together. A few times we went to a party, but mostly our celebration involved piling into the family car and driving from one neighbour’s farm to the next. We started in the late afternoon because each doorstep we stopped at transformed into a stage! The neighbours took great joy in asking us kids to sing or recite before handing o

Nellie McClung was one of the most important individuals in Alberta’s history. Not only was she instrumental in Manitoba becoming the first province to allow women to vote in provincial elections, but she did the same in Alberta soon after in 1916. Later in life, she was one of The Famous Five who brought forward the Persons Case in 1927 that led to women being deemed persons qualified to sit in the Canadian Senate. Her legacy has been tarnished somewhat with her support of e

Do you remember the Greyhound Bus? Did you ever ride the Greyhound Bus? After a trip to Southern Alberta recently and seeing many huge buses on the highways, I was reminded of several of the trips I took as a Greyhound Bus rider. It all started when I was 14. My Dad drove me to the Islay corner on highway 16, bought me a ticket at Bills Service Station there and sent me on the Greyhound Bus to my aunt’s farm near Maidstone, Saskatchewan. If you ever travelled on the bus, you

When I was in 4-H in the 1960’s one of my speeches was about the Pony Express. When I studied for my speech and first learned about the daring riders of the Pony Express, I fancied myself possessing the spirit and calibre needed to join their ranks even though there were no female riders. The image of a lone rider galloping across the wild prairies, braving storms, wildlife, and attack, has always held a certain fascination for me. I’m sure it wasn’t as glamorous or as romant

Back when Vermilion was first founded, one of the early tasks of residents was to build a church that people could worship in. It was in September 1905 when a letter reached Archdeacon Lloyd in Lloydminster, for whom the community is named, asking if a church could be opened in the new village of Vermilion. The person who sent the letter was Robert Pilkie. A reply came on Oct. 15, 1905, giving permission to create this church. A week later, Archdeacon Lloyd came to the commun

Coconut cream pie is a favourite that is really easy to make from scratch. When making a Coconut Cream pie, you can use a variety of pie crusts, graham wafer, coconut or pastry. When you make your own filling and pie crust you are eliminating all the chemicals found in the boxed coconut pudding mix and all the unhealthy fats found in commercial pie crusts. If you are using a premade, frozen pastry pie crust, be sure to look for the ones that are made with lard, instead of veg

Thanksgiving has been celebrated in Canada since the 1700’s according to Google and Wikipedia. In 1957 the Canadian Parliament officially proclaimed the 2nd Monday in October the official Thanksgiving Day “a Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed”. It was tradition in our house growing up to celebrate Thanksgiving. It was an exciting day of family gathering and feasting on turkey and pumpkin pie. As I grew up,

At the start of each month, I like to look back at what was going on in the community a century ago. The events of 100 years ago helped from the community that exists today. At the start of the month on Oct. 1, it was announced that Reverend Father Goutier was leaving the community to take over the parish in Legal. He had served as the Vermilion parish for the previous 15 years and was well loved by the community. He was succeeded by Father O’Sullivan, who came in from Hanna.

Thanksgiving is this weekend, plus October is pumpkin everything month. Pumpkin Pie, has to be my very favourite October treat, although I love a good turkey dinner for thanksgiving as well. Speaking of Thanksgiving, it turns out that being thankful, provides all sorts of health benefits, and plus being happy, laughing and joyful is also a health booster that kicks our immune system into high gear. I feel like I need to buy a good joke book. This thanksgiving I wish your lots

With the warm weather late in the summer, the tomatoes are ripening on the vine. Last year I froze the tomatoes, by placing ripe, washed,...

We had a family reunion this summer on my dad’s side. My sister and I planned the event and more than once as we gathered information for...

In September 1922, as farmers were trying to get in the crops that they could after a dry season, ducks suddenly descended on the...

What do we know about clouds? Meteorologists are trained to read the clouds, but they are not the only ones watching clouds. Many of us...

Back in early August 1950, Vermilion suddenly found itself in a situation where it was dealing with a power shortage. And it was all...

How would you like to wake up and have your oatmeal, already sweetened and ready to eat. There is no need to cook, you just open the...

I’m sure you’ve witnessed many times the beautiful spectacle of a moon rising, (and I’m not talking about that prankster we all know!)...

Cabbage has major health benefits. Research has shown that compounds in cabbage are converted to isothiocyanates that provide protection...

With a new month, it is time to venture 100 years into the past to see what was going on in the community back then. It may have been 10...