Spectacular scenery awaits at Banff's Summer Festival. Photo courtesy of Banff Centre

There’s still over six weeks of events at the The Banff Summer Arts Festival. There are dozens of free or donation-at-the-door events staged at the Banff Centre or in downtown Banff. from May until the end of September. This annual arts event in the Canadian Rockies includes close to 200 events with 1,000 international artists performing concerts, performances, art walks, exhibitions, readings, lectures, and new media events.

Many are the artists are participating in the Banff Centre summer program which has become known for its creative and collaborative atmosphere. The summer school has been offering its program for more than 75 years and has become famous for the diverse group of artists.

The festival offers a wide variety of music from classical to contemporary. Every Friday evening you can hear the up and coming classical musicians performing at Music for a Summer Evening.

August 11, international guitarist-singer Mighty Popo will be performing his unique blend of blues, rock, reggae, folk, and R&B traditions steeped in the African traditions of Rwanda and Burundi, it also reflects. Popo playing tracks from his award-winning acoustic album Gakondo.

Opera sound better in the mountains. On August 18 renowned soprano Judith Forst is reprising her role from the Vancouver Opera’s Lillia Alling. This opera is from Canada’s foremost opera-creation team: composer John Estacio, librettist John Murrell, director Kelly Robinson, and conductor Leslie Dala. It tells the 1927 story of the Lillian, a Russian emigrant who walked across North America into the wilds of northwestern BC in search of her lost-love.

Opera continues with the August 19 and performances of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte directed by Joel Ivany and conducted by David Agler. It’s the first time in 20 years that the Banff Centre has staged this comic battle between the sexes, one of Mozart’s most alluring operas filled with his ravishingly beautiful music.

The cast of Cosi Fan Tuti at the Banff Summer Festival. Photo courtesy of Banff Centre

Juno award-winning, Serean Ryders and her band The Beauties will be playing on August 25 at the Shaw ampitheatre. Ranging musically between folk, roots, country and rock, Serena is known for her songwriting and originality. Blue Rodeo takes the stage on Sept 11 to perform their award-winning music. They’ve been  Canada’s premier popular roots-rock band since their 1987 release of Outskirts.  The festival finishes off its musical line-up with a September 17 performance by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Led by Resident Conductor Mélanie Léonard, the orchestra will perform favorite melodies by featured composers including Copland, Dvorák, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky

The festival wraps up with The World Anew a film screening event presented by Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society (Vancouver) featuring contemporary Aboriginal film. Short films by six filmmakers celebrate the First Nation identities in Canada using documentary, narrative and experimental film styles.

Reservations and tickets can be made online.

Traditionally, the Victoria Day long weekend kicks off the camping season in Alberta, because it’s the first long weekend of the warm season. It’s a long time between the end of camping season in October and the start of camping season in May. Victoria Day, therefore, sees a lot of camping traffic.

Not too long ago, the government of Alberta built an online reservation system, which is very handy. It used to be a first-come, first-served method (and it still is in some areas), which resulted in people having to leave work early and speed down the highway to beat the traffic. Nowadays, for a $12 fee, the campsite can be reserved ahead of time. A basic campsite can cost as little as $5 per night and as much as $23 per night. Some campgrounds offer additional services, such as showers, electricity, and sewer hook-ups, but these come with additional fees.

A lot of the camping traffic in Southern Alberta goes to Kananaskis Country, which is a collection of provincial parks in the Rocky Mountains. There are thousands of kilometers of walking/biking trails, as well as a host of other outdoor recreation activities, such as rock climbing, fishing, horseback riding, ATV riding, etc. But, there are many other great places to camp in Alberta around our lakes, rivers, and other attractions. A few noteworthy locations in Southern Alberta include Dinosaur Provincial Park, Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump, and Ghost River. The Alberta Parks website has a helpful tool to find a park by its available activities.

There are a number of regulations to know before camping. Certain campgrounds have zero-tolerance for alcohol at certain times of year (long weekends, for example). Some activities require licenses, such as fishing, or are limited to certain areas. The regulations are not difficult to obey, and they can be found online.

Photo by: mastermaq/Flickr

The performances in the EPCOR Centre are open to the public, but tickets cost $13.25. The performances are geared to children aged 2 to 16, so being aware of the genre, themes, and length of each performance is a necessary thing to research. All the activities in Olympic Plaza are free and suitable for all ages. This event runs rain or shine! For more information, visit the Children’s Festival’s website.

Photo by: abdallahh, http://www.flickr.com/photos/husseinabdallah/4713576870

It was an honor, as a Canadian, to have Rick Hansen bring in the Olympic torch to Vancouver, and, as a Calgarian, it is an honor to have him lead the Stampede Parade this July. He has been visiting schools in the Calgary area, as part of the media announcement of his selection. What an inspirational figure to have for Calgary’s youth! The Stampede has, in the past, picked some silly choices for the Parade leaders, but this year they got it right. Rick Hansen personifies what is good about the Canadian identity: compassion, determination, resolve, and community-spirit.

For more information about Rick Hansen and the Man in Motion Relay, visit the website of the Rick Hansen Foundation, here.

Photo from the Rick Hansen Foundation Wesbite, http://www.rickhansen.com/upload/images/Archive/australiabirdsville.jpg

Photo Courtesy of Tourism Saskatchewan, Gene Hattori, F11 Photo Design

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan has surprised the rest of Canada by transforming into an unexpected hot spot for tourism. As a small prairie town, it was once considered a sleepy backwater with little to offer except its sweet Saskatoon berry. But now,  Canada’s City of Bridges has become known for its eclectic mix of unspoiled wilderness alongside international cuisine and cultural events.

This transformation is due, in large part, to the province’s abundant resources of uranium and potash, which has created an influx of foreign investments. This prosperity has heightened the appeal of Saskatoon’s vibrant downtown and lively cultural scene. With 150 shops, restaurants and theater, the Broadway District has become the center of a burgeoning gourmet scene where local chefs redefine Prairie cuisine and find enterprising ways to showcase regional foods.

This is a city that loves to party so there are festivals year round. May’s Vesna Festival celebrates everything Ukranian, the emigrants who first settled this northern region. The annual Fringe Theatre Festival from July 29 to Aug. 7  is always a highlight, as is the SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival June 25 to July 4 followed by the popular Reggae and World Music Festival in August. In the fall, Saskatoon is host to one of the largest Native American Powwows, Spirit of our Nation .

Nature is close by with hiking/biking trails leading to the 60-kilometer Meewasin Valley Trail, which follows the banks of South Saskatchewan River. This river actually divides the city in two and downtown kayaking companies make it possible to kayak past the city center (weather permittıng).

There are two world-class museums not to be missed as well.  The Ukrainian Museum of Canada is notable for its exquisite collection of painted Easter eggs and the Mendel Art Gallery for its Canadian and European art. Kids will enjoy the 1910 Boomtown exhibit at the Western Development Museum that recreates daily life during Saskatoon’s first potash boom.

Saskatoon offers a chance to experience the vibrancy of Northern Canada in the 21^st century by combining a colorful pioneer past with a modern sophistication. This is a city with its own personality and style found nowhere else.

Tokyo Garden is one of my latest finds. This restaurant is located in south Calgary by Southland Drive and Macleod Trail. It isn’t particularly big inside, but it’s not as small as Pho Pasteur Saigon. The decor it simple, and a bit run down. There’s several tables that allow you to sit on the ground to eat. The kitchen is open for all to see. Service is pretty laid-back, which can mean slow, but they do a fine job of taking care of the customers. It’s a peaceful restaurant. But, it’s the traditional and fresh food that makes Tokyo Garden a good find. The menu is large enough that people who don’t like sushi will be able to find something to eat. And, there’s lots of free parking.

Richard III, widely considered to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, is opening The Shakespeare Company’s 15th season. A season ago, after moving into the Vertigo Theatre Centre at the base of the Calgary Tower, the Shakespeare Company performed Macbeth to critical acclaim and sold-out audiences. Richard III is no less ambitious.

Through ambition, jealousy, violence, and the Machiavellian art of grasping power, Richard III becomes a morally inverted character, a useless, hunchbacked runt, whose only quality is the determination “to prove a villain”.  His only concern is for his accession to the throne of England, no matter the cost to human life. It is the final chapter in the War of the Roses, reflecting the ultimately dehumanizing culture of war. Richard III is inevitably reduced to a non-person, alone in the world, facing death on the battlefield. For all the destruction he caused to claim the throne, by the end, all he has left to say is, “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” An all too human end to a pathetic, power-thirsty life.

The Shakespeare Company is under the artistic direction of Iam Coulter. They produce a regular season of plays in Calgary, as well as going on tour throughout western Canada. The Company is a non-profit and a registered charity.  Adult tickets go for $27.50. The show runs at the Vertigo until April 23.

Photo by markhillary, http://www.flickr.com/photos/markhillary/4659320538

Photo of Superheroes, http://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/content/image/110311-184225/Superhero%20and%20Vet-variants/film_page_hero.jpg