HIStory & HERitage: Halloween Edition!

                             HIStory & HERitage

In honour of Halloween, this edition of HIStory & HERitage will highlight a scary tale from Fort McMurray's past!

The year was 1914 and Fort McMurray was a small village with a population of a little over 300 people. 

In such a close-knit community, people believed their families were safe from the crime and dangers of the "big city". 

But they were wrong. 

On the morning of October 28, 1914, a trapper named Paul Miller burst into the Fort McMurray RCMP detachment. He was disheveled and panicking, but alive. He frantically explained that he had just been attacked by a man, bushman Otto Bushner, wielding an axe. 

Paul had been outside of his cabin gathering wood in an area that is now referred to as "Peden's Point", on the east side of the Clearwater River, across from MacDonald Island when the assault took place. Somehow, Paul was able to defend himself and escape. His first thought was to get help and alert authorities, so he ran to tell the police, leaving his two house guests unaware of the madman in their midst.   

After hearing Paul's account,  the police immediately raced to the scene of the crime.

But they were too late. Paul's cabin had been set on fire and his two guests, Michael Reis and H.J McColley, had perished in the flames. 

The police searched the area, but the axeman was no where to be found.  Enlisting the assistance of local Aboriginals, the police began a manhunt. 

Several days and kilometres later, Otto was finally located north of Lac La Biche. When cornered by police,  Otto shot himself before he could be arrested. But letters found on his person, addressed to his wife, confessed to his crimes. 

The news of the murders shocked the residents of Fort McMurray and no one dared to live on Peden's Point for almost 40 years. 

For those brave souls looking to explore a haunted house, it is said that the remains of Paul Miller's cabin still exist at Peden's Point. 

Scholarship Opportunity for Fine Arts Students

Full Moon Cafe- This Saturday!

The next Full Moon Café is this coming Saturday, Nov. 1, at  7:30 at the Waterways Community Hall.  

Family friendly, $5 donation. 

Drumming Circle starts at 7:30, stage starts at 8:00.  

www.fullmoooncaf.blogspot.com   

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Full-Moon-Cafe-Fort-McMurray/178242035602076 

Cultural Mapping

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is in the process of developing an interactive cultural map that will showcase the Municipality's local cultural assets, such as community cultural organizations, cultural facilities & spaces, cultural events & festivals, cultural industries, heritage plaques & monuments, heritage sites, public art, and places of religious assembly.

In partnership with Millier Dickinson Blais, one of North America’s largest specialist development consultancies, the Municipality will be traveling to several rural communities to meet with residents and collect information about the various cultural assets throughout our region.
If you live in a rural community and are interested in being part of these conversations, please feel free to meet with us!

Monday, October 27       Janvier Municipal Office                          1 pm to 3 pm

              Nakewin Hall (Conklin)                                   4:30 to 7:30 pm

Tuesday, October 28      Fort McKay                                  1 pm to 3 pm

Wednesday, October 29     Fort Chipewyan Municipal Office                          11 am to 3 pm

Thursday, October 30    Anzac Recreation Centre                                7 pm to 9:30 pm

What are the Key Messages of Cultural Mapping?

The Importance of Cultural Resources 

• The Municipality recognizes the importance of cultural resources to enhancing quality of life for all residents, generating economic benefit, and facilitating the attraction and retention of newcomers and their families. 

The Wood Buffalo Cultural Mapping Project 

• Developing a Cultural Map is an essential tool to support planning and decision-making, to supporting effective cultural resource management, and to build understanding and raising the profile of cultural resources for residents and visitors.

What Do We Mean by Cultural Resources?

• The Cultural Mapping Project will embrace a broad definition of cultural resources that will include both tangible and intangible cultural resources. 
• Tangible cultural resources are understood to include not-for-profit arts and heritage organizations, cultural businesses or industries, cultural heritage, natural heritage, festivals and events, cultural facilities and spaces, places of religious assembly, and public art. Other categories of tangible resources will emerge in the course of the project. 
• Equally important to the Cultural Mapping Project will be mapping intangible cultural resources such as community stories, traditions and defining moments in community history. This work will actively involve the community itself in helping to map these resources.  

Stories of Belonging- Writing Contest

Where do I belong? How do I belong? Why do I belong? 

When do I belong? Who do I belong to?

For former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, the question of belonging is at the heart of her 2014 Massey Lectures. Whether you are a new Canadian or a new high school student—no matter who you are, you have a story to tell.

THE CHALLENGE 
Share your personal story about belonging for a chance to win one of two $1,000 prizes from the Canada Council for the Arts (two age categories: 12-18, and 19 and over). Write from the heart about a moment or journey that made you feel like you belonged—or like you didn’t.

Details:

• True stories only (no fiction)
• Word count: 400-500 words (not including title)
• One submission per person
• Challenge closes November 3, 2014
• Read the complete rules and regulations 

Timberlea Public School 2nd Annual Benefit Concert

NorthWord Accepting Submissions!

NorthWord is now accepting submissions for Issue #12. 

The theme is "Surprise." Deadline is October 30, 2014 at midnight. 

No late submissions will be accepted. 

Short stories or excerpts from current projects, fiction or non-fiction (3000 words maximum), verse of no more than 50 lines, along with anything surprising, original, or inventive can be submitted to the editors via northword@hushmail.com. 

For real time updates follow us on Twitter: @NorthWordYMM, or like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/northword.

ASA Call for Submissions- Guilty Pleasures

Guilty pleasures are enjoyed and considered pleasurable even though the pleasure is often accompanied by the guilt or embarrassment of someone else finding out about your “secret”. Do artists have guilty pleasures?  Of course they do. Things like junk food, music, video games, book tastes, films, etc. are all examples of guilty pleasures all people experience.  In addition, for the artist, it could also be about colours he or she uses in their work, the mediums he or she chooses, the topics, and the tools. This exhibition gives you, the artist, an opportunity to reveal part of yourself through your art which shares something about what gives you pleasure at the same time you may feel somewhat reticent about sharing with the public. In this exhibition, the artist must present a description that shows both the pleasure and describes the guilt associated with the experience. 

The Society will invite all artists residing in Alberta and all ASA members to submit their work to the exhibition Guilty Pleasures. The exhibition intends to showcase a variety of artistic media where artists explored an introspective, a deconstructed or literal exposure of a guilty pleasure.

For further information and to apply, please go to http://albertasocietyofartists.com/calls-for-submissions/

LOCATIONS 
There are currently no venues booked for this exhibition. However, the ASA is currently submitting the exhibition to prospective venues. Accepted artists will be notified of all exhibiting venue locations and dates once negotiations are solidified. 

IMPORTANT DATES 
Deadline for Submissions: December 31, 2014 
Notification of Acceptance: January 23, 2014

REQUIREMENTS:

1.  Eligibility: 

• All artists must be 18 years of age or older. Open to all artists residing in Alberta and all ASA members and supporting members 

2.  Exhibition Information: 

• Artists may not have submitted this artwork previously for consideration into any other ASA exhibits. 
• Artists may not have exhibited this artwork previously in Alberta, and may not exhibit the work elsewhere before the exhibit takes place. 
• The theme is Guilty Pleasures – up to the interpretation of the artist while adhering to the Overview in this Prospectus. 
• Artist gives permission to ASA to hold work for up to 2 years as we look for other venues for the exhibition. 
• Two pieces of artwork can be submitted per artist. 
• Date of Artists' Reception to be determined. While the primary purpose of this exhibition is educative, the ASA will accept both works for exhibition only and works for sale. 
• Any sale arising from this exhibit will have a commission not to exceed 50% of the value of the work. 
• The commission is dependent on the requirements of each venue. 
• Notification of the results of the jury will be by email. 
• Hanging and take down dates and times to be determined. Incomplete submissions will not move to jurying phase. 
• Jury results are final; artists will not receive feedback or comments from the jury. 

3. General Submission Information
Each submission must contain the following: 

• Completed and signed application form. Applications can be submitted by mail or through the ASA website. Please visit http://albertasocietyofartists.com/calls-for-submissions/ to print application or submit online. 
• Include the jury fee of $25 made out to The Alberta Society of Artists. 
• Please Note: submissions will not move to the jurying phase until the cheque has been received if submitting by mail.  Online payments may be made by Paypal. Check website for instructions. A 100 word artwork statement related to the piece submitted. Artist's CV of no more than 3 pages that describes education, exhibition history, art organization memberships, the image as described in the format described below that adheres to the exhibition's theme. 

4.  Image Requirements: 

• Entries must be submitted online through the ASA website or as digital files burned to a CD. Entries must conform to the guidelines as follows: 
• Artwork may not have been created as part of a class or a workshop. 
• Files and images submitted on a CD must include a signed hard copy of application form. Each image file must be in JPEG format and should not exceed 3 MB in size.  
• Please ensure that all image files are correctly oriented.
• Image files must be clear of frames, walls, borders or any other backgrounds. Images should be of the artwork only; no date stamps, no watermarks, no copyright symbols, or any other elements should be present that will obstruct the visual field. 
• If submitting online, a scanned or filled out entry form must be uploaded as a word document or PDF document labeled as: FirstName_LastName_Submission.doc or .pdf. 
• Artists must include an artwork statement that does not exceed 100 words. 
• Image files should be appropriately labeled: LastName_FirstName_Title.jpg. One extra detail image file can be presented for 2-D artwork and labeled: LastName_FirstName_Title_Detail.jpeg. 
• 3D Pieces can provide up to 4 images to present the 360 degree view of the work: LastName_FirstName_Title_1.jpeg. 
• Diptychs and triptychs must be submitted in one file showing how the pieces work together and individually as image files labeled: LastName_FirstName_Title_A.jpeg and B.jpeg. 
• Label the CD with your name, exhibit you are entering and telephone number. 
• All submission elements must be received at the same time including the jury fee.  

Read more at http://www.affta.ab.ca/Arts-In-Alberta/Arts-Opportunities/ASA-Call-for-Submissions---Guilty-Pleasures

Children's Author Michael Kusugak Comes to Fort McMurray

 

Frosty Michael and Geraldine

The Rotary Club of Fort McMurray and the Fort McMurray Public Library are pleased to present A Family Evening of Storytelling, featuring award winning children’s author, Michael Kusugak. All ages are welcome to attend this event which will be taking place tomorrow at the Fort McMurray Public Library, 6:30pm– 7:30pm.

Michael Kusugak grew up in Repulse Bay, NWT (now Nunavut). Until the age of twelve Michael and his family lived a traditional Inuit lifestyle, living in igloos, travelling by dog sled, hunting, fishing and storytelling. In Inuit culture storytellers learn their craft as children by listening to the tales of their elders.  These ancient and compelling legends are told over and over again, changing only slightly with each new teller. Michael’s performances are said to leave audiences both young and old mesmerized and wanting more.

Michael currently lives in Rankin Inlet, on the west coast of Hudson's Bay. He is the author of seven picture books, including Northern Lights: The Soccer Trails, winner of the Ruth Schwartz Award; Hide and Seek; My Arctic 1, 2, 3; and Baseball Bats for Christmas; and was co-writer of A Promise Is a Promise (with Robert Munsch). He was awarded The Writers’ Trust of Canada award and The Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature in 2008. 

The Vicky Metcalf Award honours a Canadian author of children’s literature whose body of work is judged to demonstrate the highest literary standards. This is what the jury had to say about Michael's work;  

Michael’s children stories are primarily set in the 1950’s of his childhood in Repulse Bay, a small Inuit community of only 100 people, at the north end of Hudson’s Bay within the Arctic Circle. He draws upon personal experiences of living in the North. He reflects upon the beauty of the Arctic landscape, its variety of seasonal change and animal and human activities, the close knit life of the Inuit community, the presence of mythic imagery and belief. Kusugak’s voice is unique with Inuit diction and metaphor — falling stars are “star droppings”. Kusugak writes of family love, folk tricksters, residential school, pre-contact era shamanism in a unifying spirit of place and culture, offering Canadian child and adult readers a living version of a rich way of life.  (-2008 Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature Jury: Jean Little (Guelph, Ontario), Susan Perren (Toronto), and Judith Saltman (Vancouver)).

Don’t miss this unforgettable night of storytelling with one of Canada’s greatest storytellers, tomorrow, 6:30pm-7:30pm at the Fort McMurray Public Library. For more information please contact the Fort McMurray Public Library’s Children's Help Desk: 780-743-7804. 

Saturday at the Gallery: Northern Lights and Landscapes Art Exhibition

Saturday at the Gallery: Northern Lights and Landscapes Art Exhibition

Saturday October 25th, 2014       11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Gallery at Frames & More invites you to share in the talent of our Gallery artists at an exhibition "Northern Lights and Landscapes" while enjoying complimentary sweet treats and apple cider. 

Featured Gallery artists include: Carol Breen, Dave Ball, Maryanne Jespersen, Leigh Merritt, Bill Martin and Michael Dobson. 

Exhibiting artists will be in the Gallery throughout the day. 


Gallery at Frames & More, B3 10015 Centennial Drive, Fort McMurray
framesandmore.ca 

Songwriting Contest Presented by the United Way Fort McMurray

How do we express the energy, excitement and impact of the United Way Community Campaign in a song? We need your help to put our slogan, "Change Starts Here" into lyrics and music. 

For a complete listing of the contest rules please click here

CBC Short Story Prize- Deadline Nov. 1, 2014

WHAT: Submit your original, unpublished stories between 1200 and 1500 words.

WHEN: Submission period is open from September 1, 2014 to November 1, 2014

WHO: All Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada

HOW: Submit online by clicking the "submit" link below or download the submission form to submit by mail.

A fee of $25.00 (taxes included) for administration purposes is required for each entry.

WHAT YOU COULD WIN:

1) You could win a $6, 000 grand prize

 ($1, 000 for up to 4 runners- up, courtesy of the Canada Council of the Arts)

2) Publication in Air Canada's enRoute Magazine and on CBCBooks.ca 

3) A 10-day writing residency at the Banff Centre

We Are Hiring!

There is currently a job opening for a temporary (12 months), full time Coordinator II position within the Community Strategies Branch of the Community Services Department. 

The successful candidate will lead most aspects for the development of strategic community partnerships that enable citizens and user groups to develop community programs, projects, and events, to deal with issues, operate facilities, and establish systems; and to empower them to take ownership. 

Areas of focus include: arts/culture, beautification, sports/recreation, youth development, organizational development, and administration of special events and programs. 

Visit www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/employment for more information.

Stand Up for Mental Health Comedy Show

Some Other Solutions presents Stand Up for Mental Health!
Comedy

A comedy show about the journey to mental wellness.This anti-stigma event will engage, empower and entertain audience members from the moment the show starts to that final encore burst from the crowd.Together, let’s fight public stigma and Stand Up for Mental Health.


For more information about this show, contact Some Other Solutions at Tel: 780 743 8605 Email:info@someothersolutions.ca or visit website

Date: Friday, October 10, 2014  8:00pm
Tickets: $50 

(Group Discount - Purchase 10 or more tickets at $40 per ticket)
Venue: Keyano Theatre
Rating: All Ages

Daniel Gillies Releases First Solo Album

Local musician and guitarist, Daniel Gillies, is set to release his first solo album self titled, Dan Gillies, October 19th. The album is as rich and diverse as Daniel’s musical talents featuring every­thing from Clas­sic Rock to Modal Jazz, Latin & Coun­try to Acoustic Fin­ger­style, a Jazz Chord Solo arrange­ment to a mod­ern hymn and finally an original Celtic Man­dolin piece. Daniel would like to invite all music fans to come and celebrate the release of his first solo compilation at the Fort McMurray Alliance Church, 101 Spruce Street, October 19th, at 7pm. Daniel will be playing songs from Dan Gillies with local talents Jay Chinn, Bill McCrone and Gord Ponak plus special guests.

Daniel holds a Diploma from Grant MacE­wan Uni­ver­sity in Music Per­for­mance, major­ing in Jazz and Con­tem­po­rary Music. He also holds a Music Diploma from Keyano Col­lege, major­ing in Clas­si­cal and Jazz Guitar. Over his career Daniel has par­tic­i­pated in a num­ber of rock and country bands, jazz ensem­bles, and has col­lab­o­rated with a diverse number of musi­cians and artists across West­ern Canada. He has opened for music stars such as: The Trews, George Canyon, One More Girl, Bach­man & Turner and Dia­mond Rio. Daniel has per­formed through­out Alberta includ­ing the Win­spear Cen­tre in Edmon­ton but being a faithful husband and father of three he prefers staying at home to the open road. You may have heard Dan play at many local events includ­ing: the North­ern Clas­sic, Canada ROCKS, Arctic Win­ter Games (2004), Sum­mers End, Inter­PLAY, Win­ter­PLAY, A Taste of Fort McMur­ray, the Oil­sands Ban­quet, the Mac­Don­ald Island Art Gallery and the Keyano Gala. In the Fort McMur­ray cor­po­rate and social scene, Daniel preforms with local Jazz Quar­tet, A Touch of Class. 

As a Wor­ship Musi­cian, Daniel has dedicated his talents to the Fort McMurray, Alliance Church Music Min­istry. He has played for numer­ous churches across North­ern Alberta and is one of the gui­tarists fea­tured on the record Do Justly, a live wor­ship CD released in Fort McMur­ray.

Daniel is also a highly sought after music teacher at Keyano Col­lege Con­ser­va­tory where he has been instructing and inspiring students for the last five years. He is the co-directed of the gui­tar fran­chise Guitar Church in Fort McMur­ray and works with the organization creating affordable music workshops for children and youth across Canada and the United States.

Daniel Gillies solo album, Dan Gillies, can be purchased on iTunes and at Campbell’s Music starting October 19th. For more information or to hire Daniel for a special event please visit his website http://dangilliesmusic.com

Timberlea School, Second Annual Benefit Concert

                                       

                                

Come and enjoy some great music while helping your community at the Timberlea School Second Annual Benefit Concert, Friday, October 2, 6pm - 9pm. Timberlea School will be collecting monetary donations for their Breakfast Program and gently used instruments for Instruments of Change program run by the Legacy Children’s Foundation. As a fun and interactive addition to the Benefit Concert there will be a song circle or "round robin" in the atrium at the end of the concert where audience members can bring their own instruments and participate.

Timberlea School Breakfast Program is run by parent volunteers who provide healthy breakfasts to hungry students, ensuring they get a great start to the day and are ready to learn. This program costs approximately $6,000 per year and relies on donations.  If you are interested in supporting this amazing program, please contact Jessica Balsom or Rick Thorne at (780) 743-5771.

The Legacy Children’s Foundation focuses on supporting financially challenged, at risk, children and youth providing them with musical instruments and the financial resources to pay for lessons from exceptional, local, musicians. Participants also receive various music-related workshops that introduce them to the many career options available to them in the music industry. Instructors are selected not merely for their musical talents but for their ability to mentor and form positive relationships with their students. The primary objectives of this program are to assist youth to complete their education and to stay on a positive life path. The Legacy Gift of Music programs are an amazing opportunity for youth looking to explore the world of music, form new friendships, and realize their potential as human beings. To learn more about the Legacy Children’s Foundation and ways for you to get involved please visit www.legacygiftofmusic.com

Christmas Song Writing Competition

                                                                          Write-On

If you have an imaginative child who loves to tell stories enroll them into Write-On. Write-On, a joint project between Fort McMurray Public Library and Keyano College writing instructor Ryan Cox, is a four session workshop in which children between the ages of eight and eleven can learn the art of creative writing. The workshop will feature genres such as poetry, prose, and drama.  The program will run October 10^th and 31^st, as well as November 7^th and 28^th. For more information on Write-On and other programs offered through the Fort McMurray Public Library please visit their website www.fmpl.ca

An Afternoon with Norm Foster- Oct. 11, 2014- FREE

Banff Centre 2015 Opera Program Now Accepting Applications

A Partnership Between Between The Banff Centre, Against The Grain Theatre And Canadian Opera Company

June 22 - July 26, 2015 

Faculty: Joel Ivany, Christopher Mokrzewski, Alexander Neef, Russell Braun, Daniel MacIvor, Michael McMahon, Judith Forst 

Calling singers and répétiteurs! Apply now for a 5-week residency devoted to practical skill extension and development. Participate in A Little Too Cozy, a modern interpretation of Mozart’s Così fan tutte and a workshop of James Rolfe and Anna Chatterton’s new opera, Donna, an English-language re-imagining of Mozart’s Don Giovanni commissioned by the Canadian Opera Company. 

Auditions will take place in Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver during November 17 - 21  Apply by: October 29

Read more at http://www.affta.ab.ca/Arts-In-Alberta/Arts-Opportunities/Banff-Centre-2015-Opera-Program-Now-Accepting-Applications

Visual Arts Alberta- CARFAC CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Visual Arts Alberta – CARFAC accepts submissions from Alberta artists or artists with clear ties to the Alberta community. Artist groups and individuals are encouraged to apply as well as curators with specific exhibition proposals. Submissions from all regions of Alberta are welcome as well as submissions from under represented voices in Alberta. 

Visual Arts Alberta Gallery is a program of Visual Arts Alberta – CARFAC. As an organization, Visual Arts Alberta – CARFAC does not receive public funding to program a gallery, so the gallery operates as a program of Visual Arts Alberta – CARFAC. Art work in featured in the gallery can be for sale (we charge a 10% administration fee when sales are handled through the gallery or artists can elect to sell their artwork privately and forgo this administration fee). Currently we pay artist fees ($1800 for the two room gallery divided by the exhibiting artists) for exhibitions and pay return shipment of artwork by an economical freight company. CARFAC artist fees will be increasing by 3% effective January 2015. 

Currently, we are accepting submissions for late 2015-2016 programming. Exhibitions will be seven weeks in length and open on the first Thursdays of February, April, June, August, October and December each year. The deadline for submissions is: 4:00 pm on Friday, October 10, 2014. (Email submissions are not accepted for this annual jury submission). 

Submission requirements (images must be burned to cd / dvd or memory stick / USB stick; other documents should be digital as well and saved as PDF or Word documents): 

• Artist’s Curriculum Vitae -with full contact information and website if applicable (no more than three pages in length) 
• 15-20 images of current work in -a digital format (Digital images must be jpegs, 72dpi or higher. Maximum image size: 1024 pixels on longest side. Title each image with last name of artist and number of image – eg. Smith01, Smith02 etc.) 
• -OR If you are working with a medium that would benefit from submission in an alternate format, please contact us to discuss your proposal. 
• Description of proposed exhibition including title (no more than two pages) 
• Listing of artworks: (title, date, dimensions, medium) 
• Artist Statement (no more than one page) 
• SASE, if materials are to be returned. 

Please send your submission to or drop off submission at: Gallery Submissions Visual Arts Alberta – CARFAC 3rd Floor, 10215-112 St. Edmonton, AB  T5K 1M7

Read more at http://www.affta.ab.ca/Arts-In-Alberta/Arts-Opportunities/Visual-Arts-Alberta--CARFAC-Call-for-Submissions

HIStory & HERitage: Walter & Gladys Hill

                             HIStory & HERitage


The Fort McMurray Public School District recently celebrated the opening of its first new elementary school in 26 years when, on September 2, 2014, Walter and Gladys Hill Public School (WGHPS) officially welcomed students through its doors. 

Like many streets, sites and public structures in the region, this new school was named in honour of prominent members of the community who made a significant contribution to the area.

Which brings us to the question: who were Walter and Gladys Hill?

Walter Herbert Hill was born on March 20, 1900 in Herefordshire, England. His family immigrated to Edmonton in 1913, a year before the start of the First World War. As the war continued to rage on, Walter lied about his age and enlisted in the army, just shy of his 17th birthday. While stationed in England for training, Walter rekindled his friendship with a young woman named Gladys, whom he had known as a child.  

Following the end of the war, Walter studied at the University of Alberta, becoming one of the first graduates of its pharmacy program. In 1922, Walter was preparing to move to California to open a drug store of his own, when he heard of a temporary position in Fort McMurray. Angus Sutherland, Fort McMurray’s first pharmacist, was ill with arthritis and needed help running his pharmacy, Sutherland’s Drugs. 

Walter traveled north with the intention of only staying a few months. However, Sutherland offered Walter the opportunity to buy the pharmacy, or else he would have to shut it down. Since he didn’t have the funds to buy the store outright, the two men agreed to a partnership, sealing the contract the old fashioned way- with a handshake. 

With his career looking bright, Walter wrote a letter to Gladys’ father asking permission to marry his daughter. He agreed, and in 1923 Gladys embarked on the long journey to Edmonton, where she and Walter were married. Together they traveled to Fort McMurray by train, and then by boat. The rough and wild Fort McMurray was a stark contrast to the comfortable life Gladys had enjoyed in England, but she quickly adapted to her new surroundings with determination and perseverance. With her arrival, she became the 11th white woman to the area.

Together, Walter and Gladys had two sons: Dave and Kenneth. For a while, the young family lived in an apartment above the pharmacy. In 1934, however, a fire destroyed many businesses along Franklin Ave, including Sutherlands Drugs. The Hills were able to escape unscathed and Gladys is credited with running back into the burning building to save important ledgers, prescription files, money and books. Amazingly, Sutherlands Drugs was rebuilt within 30 days! Afterwards, the Hills moved into their own house on  Manning Ave, which has since relocated to Heritage Park. 

Following the death of Sutherland in 1951, Walter became the sole owner of the pharmacy. He officially changed the name to Hill Drugs once his son Kenneth joined the family business in the 1970s.  

In addition to working at the pharmacy, the Hill’s were known for their community involvement and were honoured by several organizations with lifetime memberships. 

Gladys was the first woman to be elected as a Town Councilor, a position she held for 5 years. She was also involved in a number of local organizations, including the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE), the Girl Guide Troop as well as many local sport teams. Gladys continued to assist her husband at the pharmacy until she finally retired at age 79. She passed away six years later on December 5, 1985.

Walter was a member of the Board of Trade (later named the Chamber of Commerce) as well as . He received various awards in his recognition for his efforts in the community. He continued working at the pharmacy well into his golden years.  He passed away on October 27, 1986 at age 86. 

Hills Drugs closed its doors two years later on October 8, 1988. However, the Hill family pharmacy tradition continues with Walter's grandson, Dave Hill, who now owns and operates Dave Hill Pharmacy in Thickwood. 

Norm Foster’s latest play, On a First Name Basis, makes its Alberta premiere this Friday, 8pm, at Keyano Theatre. Directed by Claude Giroux and starring Norm Foster and Patricia Vanstone, On a First Name Basis, is a love story, a touching comedy, a social commentary and a mystery wrapped in witty dialogue and vivid imagery about a wealthy novelist and his dedicated housekeeper.    

Norm Foster, known as Canada’s most produced playwright, was born in Newmarket, Ontario. He began his career as a playwright in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in 1983 while he was working as a host of a popular morning radio show. One evening he accompanied a friend to an audition and ended up getting a role as Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey, without ever having even seen a play. Foster quickly fell in love with the stage and swiftly wrote his first play titled Sinners which was an immediate success and ignited his career as a playwright. Since that day Foster has become a prolific writer creating and producing more than forty plays on professional stages. He is frequently compared to American playwright Neil Simon and like Simon Foster’s plays are full of insight into the everyday tribulations of life. He is known for his witty sense of humour and comedic characters that touch a wide range of audiences. His plays have been staged across North America and around the world. Some of his most renowned shows include The Melville Boys, My Darling Judith, The Affections of May, The Motor Trade, Wrong for Each Other, Office Hours,  The Love List, The Long Weekend; Bedtime Stories; Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun; Storm Warning; and Here on the Flight Path.

Tickets for, On a First Name Basis, are available at the Keyano Box Office or online at https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=kethe. The play opens this Friday and runs Saturday, October 4^th then the following week from October 8^th-11^th at 8pm. For more information please call the Keyano Box Office at (780) 791-4990. 

Night Shift: Photography from Dusk until Dawn- Oct 9, 2014