Red Deer Advocate

Free parking for cyclists at market

Stop circling the block trying to find a parking spot because the City of Red Deer has Very Important Pedlar (VIP) parking free of charge for cyclists at the Red Deer Public Market, opening for the season on Saturday. READ

Home front - May 18

Central Albertans are invited to help raise money for guide dogs. Spruce View and District Lions Club is sponsoring Purina Walk for Dog Guides on Sunday May 27. Registration is 10:30 a.m. Free lunch gets underway at noon with a walk to follow at 1:30 p.m. The walk begins at Double Tree Village Museum (14 km west of Spruce View on Hwy 54 to RR 41 then north to the village). Proceeds go to training and placement of dogs for vision, hearing, seizure, autism and special skills. Money will benefit those locally. It’s not necessary to have a dog to attend the walk. For pledge forms and information, call 403-728-0008. READ

Home front - May 17

Bring your daisies, purples cornflowers and black-eyed susans to the Kerry Wood Centre at 6300 45th Ave. on Saturday May 26. The Red Deer and District Garden Club will host its annual perennial plant share from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Anyone who comes with a perennial can trade it for another one. Perennials will also be on sale for $2 for those who have none to trade. Refreshments will also be on hand. For more information, contact Cathy at 403-550-1762 or Carol at 403-340-2192. READ

Safe and sound with mom

A lamb enjoys snuggling with Mom at the Sunnybrook Farm recently. The farm, and many other Central Alberta features, will be bustling this holiday weekend with activities for all ages. READ

Home front - May 17

Bring your daisies, purples cornflowers and black-eyed susans to the Kerry Wood Centre at 6300 45th Ave. on Saturday May 26. The Red Deer and District Garden Club will host its annual perennial plant share from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. READ

Small beach, smaller crowd

Kayla Bissonnette, 3, fills the moat she and her father Preston were building for their sandcastle in Sylvan Lake Provincial Park, Tuesday. The lake’s near record-high water level once again means a minimal beach for sunseekers at the popular family park. The day’s high of 25 C was ideal for beach play though rain and cooler temperatures are forecast for Thursday and Friday before the sun returns for the long weekend. READ

Pachyderms on parade

Going for a ride of their lives six youngsters ride one of two Asian elephants in Red Deer on Tuesday. The Royal Canadian Circus performed two shows at the Arena which included a bicycle comedy act, equestrians, classical clown capers, and high flying acrobats. READ

Home front - May 16

Cornerstone Youth Theatre’s production of Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale The Jungle Book lights up the stage in seven performances at the First Church of the Nazarene (2 McVicar Street). The show opens on May 25 and runs until June 3. READ

Trek celebration

Left to Right, Bev Whitmore, Shelley Cooper and Shelley Dallas-Smith hula hoops in celebration after completing a ‘Hawaiian Island Trek’. The ‘trek’ was organized by the Red Deer Primary Care Network, and consisted of individuals or members of a group logging their footsteps around the Hawaiian islands. Activities such as walking or cycling would be converted into footsteps by a computer program and the distance logged until the distance around the islands were reached. The Red Deer PCN introduced as a way to help people remain active throughout winter. READ

Home front - May 15

Canadian fiddle champion Scott Woods and his band pay tribute to fiddle legends in a charity performance at Sunnybrook United Church on May 24. Fiddling legends Al Cherny, Don Messer, King Ganam and others will be honoured in the tribute. Proceeds will go to Camp Kasota Children’s Camp and Youth Ministry. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 years old. There is no cost for children under five years of age. For tickets and information, call Linda at 403-347-6073 or office@sunnybrookunited.org READ

Fitness Fun Run in Red Deer

The first ever Mother's Day Run, also know as the Only Women's Fitness Fun Run, took place in Red Deer on Sunday. READ

Time together on Mother's Day

The only thing better than spending the day with mom at the playground is when she decides to join in on some of the fun activities. READ

Bower Ponds pavilion opens

Red Deer’s picturesque ponds will be open for boat rentals this weekend. READ

Home front - May 14

A guest speaker will be featured at the Red Deer and District Garden Club’s monthly meeting on Thursday. Linda Tomlinson will present Perennials: Gardening Made Easy at 7 p.m. at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre at 6300 45th Ave. Tomlinson is a graduate of the horticultural program at Olds College and regular gardening columnist with the Red Deer Advocate and Rocky Mountain House Mountaineer. For more information, contact Maureen at 403-343-0069 or Noreen at 403-346-7728. READ

Sod busters

Parker Depalme, left, and Logan Cressey were part of the 27 Red Deer West 4H Beef Club members who volunteered to lay some 13,000 square feet of sod around the Ronald McDonald House on Saturday. READ

Feeding time at Heritage Ranch

Vayda Engler, age two, enjoys the horses at Heritage Ranch in Red Deer. Vayda and her mom, Nicki Engler, come often to this park because Vayda loves horses and wants to feed them carrots. READ

Home front - May 11

The Red Deer Food Bank is gearing up for summer. Yellow food bags have been distributed over the past week to over 8,000 homes in Red Deer South as part of the annual Mormon Church Food Drive. Residents are being asked to fill the bags and hang them on their door knobs to be picked up Saturday morning by 10 a.m. All instructions are on the bags. Donations will go towards filling the shelves of the Red Deer Food Bank over the summer. “Our summer expenses would skyrocket without this drive,” said Fred Scaife, food bank executive director. For more information, contact the food bank at 403-342-5355 or by email at rdfoodbank@hotmail.com. READ

Home front - May 10

The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation’s annual one-day community garage sale to raise money for the Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter (CAWES) is set for May 12. Garage Sale for Shelter takes place in the parking lot of 3608 Gaetz Ave. starting at 9 a.m. and wrapping up at 5 p.m. People can set up their own tables in the parking lot or they can host their own garage sale as part of the community challenge. Registration is $25. Participants will receive a garage sale kit with stickers, signage and tips for a successful garage sale. Residents who host their own sale with all or some of the proceeds going to the shelter and raise the most money for CAWES will win an iPad 2. The community sale will feature a free barbecue, children’s activities and entertainment. To register contact, Darlis Bachusky at 403-358-4981 or darlisbachusky@royallepage.ca. READ

Bath time

Anytime is bath time for robins. However, they are very seldom seen sharing their bath with others. This pair was enjoying a splash in Ponoka recently. READ