Artists on the Avenue

West Country Writers’ Ink

Since its inception in 2000, the West Country Writers’ Ink has provided a forum for writers to share their work with other writers, discuss the experience of writing, and encourage each other to keep writing!

Some members had never written a ‘creative’ word before joining the group, while others were members of various other writing groups or had works accepted in various publications.

“More Selections from West Country Writers’ Ink” is a Centennial edition; both a commemoration of Alberta’s 100th Birthday (1905 – 2005) and a celebration of writing by the members of the West Country Writers’ Ink (2000 – 2005). Includes selections by Brian Bradley, Margaret Corbet, Myrtle Grovet, Helen Hoszouski, Victor Jensen, Betty Murphy, Ron Bradley, Orpha Donnelly, Maria Haubrich, Diamantina Hurren, Evelyn Lewis, and Vivia Oliver.

“Poems” is a collection that includes contributions from Ron Bradley, Brian Bradley, Vic Jensen, Betty Murphy, Myrtle Grovet, Helen Hoszouski, Orpha Donnelly, and Evelyn Lewis.

Marie Sveinson

Marie Sveinson, a lifelong artist inspired by her mother, turned her passion into the Creamery Gallery in 1985, where she showcased her work.

Her art is influenced by her Icelandic heritage and the historic charm of Markerville. She enjoys painting Animals, Historic Buildings, and Landscapes. Marie’s studio, Grass Roots Art Studio, is available for viewings by appointment.

She finds inspiration in capturing cherished memories through her paintings, reviving forgotten moments in people’s lives.

Grass Roots Art | Google Maps Link

Christina Ekman

I have a love of nature in particular the trees and hills, skies and the feeling they convey to me. I have been called an original druid, by some.

My love of history and change in society is a focus for my art. I enjoy interpreting and as such am more an abstract or impressionist painter.

My hope and dream is to share some of the trails i have travelled with you.

christina.ekman2@gmail.com

Jean Elliott

Jean Elliott is a glass artist, residing in Didsbury, Alberta.

She has many years making, crafting and experimenting in assorted media … favourite items are made from glass in her home studio: Mosaics, soldered and fused.

Featured items for this market are cloth market bags, something for children and adults; fused glass pocket hearts and stir sticks.

Glass Art by Jean | 403-335-4722
jmelliott@shaw.ca

Pat & Bill Odowichuk

What started out as a hobby has turned into a second career for Bill.

Bill started out building planters, and then someone asked him to build a garbage can container. Since then he has built over 100 of them which can be seen scattered throughout Delburne and various towns in the surrounding areas.

Over the years Bill has come up with many different ideas including picnic tables, sandboxes, Adirondack chairs, dog houses, pet dishes, benches, and many more items. Bill does all the building and Pat does all the staining and finishing of the products. Pat also has gotten into Diamond Art which she does as a hobby, and now has framed and matted many of them by making her own frames, and selling them along with Bill’s products.

Bill’s Woodworking | Delburne, AB
403-318-5876 | billswoodworking@live.com

Christmas in Markerville

Otter Pottery and Marlene’s Krafty Korner will be open for the annual Christmas in Markerville festivities for 2023! Both businesses are located just west of the Church on Johnson Avenue.

The first weekend in November is set aside each year for Markerville’s Cookie Walk and Christmas Market. Beginning Friday, November 3rd you can build your own goodie bag of homemade treats! Christmas Vendors, including Big Blue Barn Designs, will be set up in Fensala Hall and the Creamery with handmade items for sale including spices, jewelry, woodworks, and more for all three days, November 3, 4 & 5, 2023. Lunch will be available at the Fensala Hall.

A Christmas Display will be set up at the Markerville Lutheran Church.

4th Annual Art Show & Sale

Thank you to all the participating artisans, and everyone who stopped by to take in our 4th Annual Art Show and Sale on July long weekend!

There are many folks that help out behind the scenes and contribute to the success of the event. From overflow parking access (thanks Jim, Al & d’Arcy, Carly, Fensala Hall!); to the food and facilities available at Historic Markerville Creamery (thanks Brooke, Pam and the gang!); to venue space access (thanks Ed & Marlene, Al & d’Arcy, Ron, SGSIS!).
Thanks to all the friends that followed along on Facebook and shared our posts to help get the word out.
When I was putting out our sandwich board signs for the event I was grateful for last year’s donations from Paintwerx Studios, Vokestone Crowns, and Drew & Michelle Hauge that made them possible!
Thanks to John for help with displays, Olivia Jasmin for sharing her photos from the event with us, and @charlotteskogenmusic for dropping in to play and sing for a while before heading over to the Creamery stage!
Thanks to the artists for helping each other out during set up and take down. Sometimes you just need an extra set of hands to tie that cord or balance a rack.
And finally, I want to mention an unexpected but most welcome contribution by neighbour Al. When the wind arrived on day two, he had a couple of lovely pieces of leftover marble slab that worked perfectly to thwart the escape attempts by a rack of dyed silk scarves!

Amanda Frost

Amanda Frost is a self-taught artist originally from England. “I have seen many places in the world but am proud to call Canada home.”

She got into art at a young age, and found that her father’s work as draftsman led her to use math in art, hence the pointillism and architectural drawings for which she is best known. She is also well known for her love of animals.

“My mission is to have fun trying to do justice to the beauty that surrounds us.” – A.F.

akefrost@hotmail.com

Christmas in Markerville Event

Christmas in Markerville is November 4 to 6 from Noon to 5 pm

For the first week of November 2022, Christmas vendors will be set up in Fensala Hall and the Creamery with a wonderful variety of handmade items to choose from. The annual Cookie Walk is part of the Historic Markerville event, which also includes a Christmas display set up at the Church and lunch available at the Creamery Parlour Café!

Marlene’s Krafty Korner will be open all three days, plus Otter Pottery will have Artist on the Avenue participants on display in the Gallery and Studio at 74 Johnson Avenue … including Big Blue Barn Designs, Annette Gray, Glass Art by Jean, Judy Hauge Tile Art, and more.

Enjoy all the festivities that Christmas in Markerville has to offer, and then stop in at the local businesses along Johnson Avenue for even more Christmas buying choices!

Larry Kjearsgaard

The final concert of the season for Thursday’s Supper and Song event was an enjoyable presentation: The history of Markerville in stories and songs. See the original post on Historic Markerville’s Facebook page.

Larry took the stage at the Creamery courtyard on August 25, 2022. He shared quirky and fun versions of some well-known songs with his own lyrical twist, prefacing them with quick introductions to the local history behind them. And for his last song of the night he invited the audience to join in and help sing a version of “This Land is Our Land” with a tip of the hat to Alberta in the lyrics!

Thank you to Historic Markerville for putting this on, and to Chantal Riviere for organizing all of the performers for Supper and Song this year. She found an amazing variety of musical talent to grace the Creamery stage for eight shows! The Thursday free concerts are over for now, but they’ll return next year in July.

In the meantime, here’s a reminder that the Fensala Hall Concert Series will be starting on September 17, 2022 with the Marcus Trummer Band. Information and tickets are available at the Historic Markerville website. Season tickets can also be purchased for all five concerts in 2022/2023 by calling 403-728-3795.

Please enjoy some videos from Larry’s performance on August 25.

“… with apologies to Tom T. Hall.” – Larry

Stories and Songs

River Walk Update

Some fine-tuning to the new pathway along the side of the Medicine River near the Historic Markerville Creamery! Al and John completed work on the stairs by installing a hand railing, and Byron and Dave worked on smoothing out some of the bumps and dips along the path.

Here’s a previous post about River Walk!

Cream Day 2022

Sunday, August 21, 2022 featured the return of Cream Day to Historic Markerville after a 2-year hiatus thanks to the pandemic! Along with the usual activities of BBQ and events for kids, the streets were lined with cars and trucks on display for the Show ‘n Shine, and some of the Artists on the Avenue vendors set up their tents in the Creamery courtyard for an art show and sale.

Other activities included live music with Roberta Fetch and Mary Ann Message; cream car rides for the kids; face painting; ice cream making, butter making, and cream separating demonstrations; balloon toys table; and the Cook Family Scholarship presentation. The last event of the afternoon was a Pie Eating contest broken down into three age categories.

Kirby, and Stephansson House

Stephan Stephansson was known as “the poet of the Rocky Mountains.” Immigrating to North America in 1873, he and his family eventually relocated to the Markerville district of Alberta in 1889. He was a hard-working farmer and community leader who provided for his wife and eight children, and still found the time to write over 2300 pages of poetry and more than 1700 pages of letters, essays, articles, and short stories.

Stephansson House Provincial Historic Site is a wonderful afternoon adventure that everyone can enjoy. A path from the Interpretive Center leads you through a park-like setting to his home, restored to a snapshot of 1927, including original furnishings.

During the visit I not only received an informative tour from interpreter Emma Belich, but also was greeted by none other than the infamous Jólakötturinn. Also known to the locals as “Kirby”.

The historic site is located at 2230 Twp Rd 371, Red Deer County, Alberta (get directions), with paved roads all the way to the site’s entrance. I hope you enjoy the photos, but this is just a fraction of what you can experience by dropping in for your own visit.

Kirby would love to see you at Stephansson House. He takes his greeting duties seriously!

Allen Christie & Riley Tubbs

The August 18, 2022 Supper and Song was another splendid evening of outdoor musical entertainment at the Markerville Creamery courtyard. Al Gamble welcomed Allen Christie and Riley Tubbs to the stage and the duo took it from there; giving the audience a brilliant blend of original songs and old favourites! Visit the Historic Markerville Facebook page for the original post.

Following are more photos from the evening and video of some original tunes and covers.

Amber Williams & Riley Tubbs

Thursday was overcast but otherwise perfect for the August 11, 2022 Supper and Song at the Markerville Creamery courtyard. Al Gamble introduced Amber Williams and Riley Tubbs, both from Rocky Mountain House, and the duo took it from there; giving the audience lively performances song after song! Visit the Historic Markerville Facebook page for the original post.

Following are more photos from the evening and video of some of the songs.

Amber and Riley started the Supper and Song evening with Small Town Saturday Night.

River Walk

Members of the Markerville community have imagined the appeal of a closer view of the Medicine River near the Creamery, and this summer a new walking trail is finally available, dubbed River Walk.

Starting from a gently sloped access point just off Riverside Street near Johnson Avenue, the path has been cleared and extended along the river’s edge towards the Walking Bridge. Stairs down the embankment from the memorial garden located on the east end of the bridge have been completed, for safe and easy access to the trail from the Creamery. A hand rail for the stairs is planned, but for now good balance and sturdy shoes are suggested when exploring the path.

Walking along the River Walk path you will soon come across a bench and chairs that have been donated. It’s a wonderful spot to enjoy the river view, watch and listen for birds, or just take a quiet moment for yourself.

The artist in you may find inspiration here or at other spots along the path for photography, sketching, or En plein air!

Here are photos and video of River Walk path taken at various times this summer, before and after the completion of the stairs by the walking bridge.

Mary Anne Message

Mary Anne Message was ready to go, rain or shine, and everyone who showed up for the August 4th “Supper & Song” were glad they did. The weather may have scared a few people away, but definitely not Jack and Dot who showed up in their rain gear. I’m pretty sure they would have been out there dancing even if the rain hadn’t let up. Here are some more photos and video from the evening event at the Markerville Creamery stage.

See the original post on the Historic Markerville Facebook Page.

Jack and Dot doin’ the right thing!

Three of the songs performed by Mary Anne Message on the August 4th Creamery Stage: 455 Rocket, Every Little Thing, and Big Bad Handsome Man.

Historic Markerville Supper and Song Thursday Roster
Supper 5:00 pm / Songs 6:30 pm

* UPCOMING *

August 11 – Amber Williams
August 18 – Allen Christie
August 25 – Larry Kjearsgaard

Frank Durocher

Marie Sveinson introduced Frank Durocher, from Rocky Mountain House, at the start of his set and then teased that she didn’t need to say much since he wouldn’t be too shy about telling us about himself. Then he took over the microphone and enthusiastically shared stories, jokes and wonderful songs for the next hour-and-a-half!

Frank opened with “Y’all Come”, “You and Your Sweet Love”, “Mansion Over the Hilltop”, “Kaw-Liga” and “Mansion on the Hill” … songs made popular by Porter Wagnoner, Conway Twitty, George Jones, Hank Williams and Charlie Pride.

After a couple more favourites, Frank had the ladies stand and sing a verse from “Jesus Loves Me” and then had the men stand and do likewise. The impromptu “contest” resulted in a tie, although Frank mentioned that the men seemed a little shy to start with! After some persuading from the audience, Frank continued with a Buck Owens classic, “Act Naturally.”

The encore included “Why Me Lord?”, “I’ll Fly Away”, “How Great Thou Art”, and “I saw the Light.”

Following are some photos and video from the July 28th Supper and Song evening with Frank Durocher. Visit the Historic Markerville Facebook page to see the original post with more photos.