Alberta Culture Days will bring a month-full of artistic and heritage events to Red Deer.
This year, the province’s annual celebration of arts and culture was extended to the entire month of September, so area residents will have plenty of opportunity to take part in visual and literary arts, as well as cultural events and displays, said Suzanne Hermary, co-ordinator of the Red Deer Arts Council.
Local icons Mickey the Beaver and Francis the Pig will kick things off in a digital downtown scavenger hunt, involving anyone with a smart device who wants to potentially win prizes. The hunt goes from Sept. 1 to 30. (Register teams at reddeer.epicquest.ca).
Another all-month event is the Here, There and Everywhere exhibition of visual and literary arts at the Red Deer Arts Council, presented in partnership with the Central Albera Retired Teachers’ Association.
On Sept. 9 and 10, an Open Studio Tour of artists’ homes around Red Deer will be offered by the Arts Council and its members (visit reddeerartscouncil.ca/open-studio-tour).
Local ceramic artist Shirley Rimer will demonstrate her work process on Sept. 20 in Heritage Square (4402-47th Ave). A full exhibit of her ceramics will run at the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery from Sept. 23-Dec. 3. (Rimer will move indoors in case of bad weather).
Visual art can also be seen in the A Place Called Home exhibit from Sept. 15 to Oct. 30 in the hallway of the Northside YMCA Community Centre.
The Norwegian Laft Hus will open its doors for Coffee and Krumkake on Sept. 9 and 16, with some arts and craft workshops available as well.
Cultural Cafes will be held at the Cronquist House at Bower Ponds on Wednesday evenings throughout September. A different culture will be celebrated each wee as a way to meet some newcomers to Canada as well as more established neighbours.
Market go-ers can check out the Garlic City Market festival in the Common Ground Garden in Capstone on Sept. 17. (Admission by donation to the project that helps to supply local food banks and agencies).
Meanwhile, everything from jewellery to knitted goods and ethnic foods will be available at the Multicultural Market, held at Festival Hall on Sept. 23 through a partnership between Care for Newcomers, The Red Deer Cultural Heritage Society, Red Deer Native Friendship Society, and African Caribbean Centre of Central Alberta.
Special events are also scheduled at the Red Deer Public Library. From Sept. 13-30. Educational Truth and Reconciliation Family Kits can be picked up at any library branch as supplies last. An Indigenous bead and share event is on Sept. 16 at the downtown library, while a Ribbon Skirt Workshop will be held on Sept. 23 at the library’s Dawe Branch, led by a local Indigenous maker.
And on Sept. 24 an Author Festival, book launch and market will be on at the Snell Auditorium at the downtown library, featuring local authors Ruth Dyck Fehderau, Astrid Blodgett and Lori Hahnel.
Starting on Sept. 16, the Country Pride Dancers will be popping up around town — at City Hall Park, the Farmer’s Market, Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and the YMCA — to give some dance lessons (visit www.countrypridedanceclub.ca).
Central Alberta Theatre will hold its CATena season preview at 7 p.m. on Sept. 29 at the Memorial Centre.
And the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery invites people of all ages to make some drop-in art projects every Saturday afternoon in September.
