Here’s another event that popped up in my Facebook messages a little too late. The games this year are being held in the Crowsnest Pass from July 8th – 11th and there are 27 different events for participants to choose from. The reason this message might be a late is because the registration deadline was June 3rd, and there is “no late entries accepted”. As explained by Kara Hurkens, the Regional Director for the City of Medicine Hat in the 2009 Southern Alberta Summer Games, last year they took 205 athletes from Medicine Hat, and this year they want more. She also states that Medicine Hat always gets beat out by Lethbridge or Taber and this year, she wants Medicine Hat to be better represented.

There is many different events in the games including cycling, baseball, soccer, track and field, and even photography and cribbage for those less athletically inclined – keep in mind there is absolutely no age restrictions from the summer games, anybody can participate. That is of course if you got your registration form in before the 3rd. There’s even a “Handgun” event where participants fire handguns, which I think would be quite interesting since I’ve never fired an actual handgun before.

Southern Alberta Summer Games Website

Snow, in June?

As if it was any wonder to most people, Spectrum 2009 has been officially cancelled. This morning I awoke to a delightful snowy day, well it would have been delightful if it wasn’t June and wasn’t Spectrum weekend. Although the yearly festival went ahead as scheduled on Friday night (with small attendance), it was cancelled on Saturday citing concerns for not only the weather, but for safety, as described in this Medicine Hat News article. The article also explains that it is not only cancelled, but it is really cancelled, as in, it’s not going to be re-booked or delayed because the money and planning has already been spent for this year.

It’s really a sad thing for the coordinators, the events planners, the entertainment and even the businesses; however, some shops downtown still had their pre-planned sales going on that were meant to bank off a steady stream of Spectrum go-ers. On the up side, a lot of people are happy about the move from Kin Coulee back into the downtown, hopefully it will stick for next year.

Photo from PDF Entry Form

On Sunday, June 21st, 2009 it will be the YMCA’s 25th anniversary Father’s Day River Run in Medicine Hat. Judging on how successful the recent Relay for Life was, which brought in an amazing 800 people and $290,000 in fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society – it would seem people love running and fundraising in Medicine Hat. Although this running event is a little different, expect a lot of these things to happen this summer. The following is a transcript from the pamphlet if you need more information. You can also grab the .PDF entry form and pamphlet here.

• 5Km & 10Km starts at 9:00 AM sharp.
• 3Km starts at 9:10 AM sharp.
• All runs start and finish at the Family YMCA.
• Registration accepted until 8:30 AM SHARP Race Day
• First 300 to register receive a T-Shirt (Sizes guaranteed until June 1st)
• Pancakes, fruit and refreshments to follow!

THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

Rick Harrington is a disc jockey based in southeast Alberta and been in the industry since 1988.

His disc jockey music includes a library of over 20,000 songs and spans a wide range of both time and genres. The vast library dates back as far as the 1930’s and comes right up to the newest music of today, including radio versions of songs that most people are familiar with.

Rick primarily performs for Weddings, Anniversaries, Office Parties, Birthdays, and Graduations, but does everything else inbetween as well. Requests are taken and honoured during the duration of the event. He also serves as a Party Planner and Wedding Planner and in working with him, you can customize your event to be the best it can be and an extremely enjoyable night for everyone attending.

Testimonial: I recently saw Rick Harrington at Eagle Butte’s graduation ceremony. He connected with the crowd both by talking over the microphone and, as stated, taking requests during the entire event. I would definitely recommend him to anyone asking me about a DJ.

Rick Harrington’s website

This is our first ever “Sports Event” post. It’s a little short notice, but tonight is the home opener for the Medicine Hat Mavericks at Athletic Park which is located 1 Birch Ave SE (by the Police Stations, Curling Club and the Medicine Hat Arena). They are playing the Edmonton Prospects at 7:05 and the game is being sponsored by CHAT 94.5’s “Pack the Park” promotion. Thanks to Travis Sedore for the submission!

Go down and have some fun!

Medicine Hat Mavericks Website

Alberta Health Services wants to move Medicine Hat’s Ambulance Dispatch to Calgary. City Council and many hatters believe this is a terrible idea and another snub on our region. A petition on this issue has been created to have AHS re-think their decision.

If we can get a decent amount of signatures on the petition, city council will present this petition to the province. Click here to sign the petition!

The name of the restaurant is “Buffet Medicine Hat”. That means, when you say something like, “Oh, I feel like some buffet food!”, everybody automatically assumes you mean Buffet Medicine Hat because you’re in Medicine Hat. It’s kind of like if there was a place called “Fancy Dinner Medicine Hat” and you felt like a fancy night-out, it would be assumed you would want to go there. No? Okay, obviously I’m being a little facetious here, the naming always intrigued me though. It is pretty generic, but I think in a marketing sense it works a lot better than “stereotypical Asian reference restaurant” that a lot of businesses use in the same genre of eating.

It may deserve the naming though. It literally is the biggest buffet joint in the hat – in terms of eating space but also in terms of the amount of food and deserts they serve. The dinner (which starts at 4:00PM each day) buffet is a little bigger than their lunch selection – at dinner they bring out the big things like roast beef and a full turkey/chicken with stuffing. They also have a special brunch on Sundays when they serve every breakfast thing you could ever imagine.

In terms of the quality of the food (since that is the biggest factor of any buffet place), it is decent – which may be interpreted as “meh”. I say that because although I do have a “once every month” craving for buffet food I usually end up at the Jungle Cafe instead of other buffet restaurants in town such as: Buffet Medicine Hat, New Imperial Palace Restaurant, Ming Court Family Restaurant, Hat’s Restaurant (another silly generic named one), or Sizzling Wok. This is because Jungle Cafe literally is the best Buffet place in Medicine Hat (my opinion), but it is a little pricey. Although that would count as getting off the subject of this review. In the list of other buffet places in the city though, Buffet Medicine Hat would definitely be the top in terms of quality, taste and atmosphere. You also have to weight in the amount of diversity of food available at Buffet Medicine Hat as well which definitely raises it above its competitors.

THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

Looking for the Spectrum 2010 post?

The beginning of Medicine Hat’s summer season  has arrived and to kick it all off the annual Spectrum Festival has returned to celebrate the sunshine that makes us “Canada’s Sunniest City”. As with previous years Spectrum will once again take place the first weekend of June, which this year begins on June 5 and proceeds right through to June 7. The festival runs from 4 to 10 p.m on Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and wraps up on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. All festivities can be found scattered throughout BATUS Park and the rest of Downtown Medicine Hat.

Although a concrete schedule has yet to be released regarding many of the performances and demonstrations, rest assured that there will be plenty of entertainment to be had all weekend long. Some of the highlights include the children’s carnival, the pedal tractor farm, Praxis science activities, dunk tanks, Environment Week activities in the Esplanade, 3 on 3 volleyball, a chess exhibition and much more than can easily be listed. Performers such as HOJA, Trevor Moore, J-Fish, The Lyle Rebbeck Jazz Band, and Mr. Puffin will also be present on the Kinsmen free stage throughout the weekend. Earl’s Restaurant, Moxie’s Classic Grill, KC Jax Ultra Lounge and Grill, Tony Roma’s, Delio’s Trattorio, and Mario’s Ristorante are providing food for hungry festival goers and will be situated in the Mario’s parking lot. Not only are there plenty of activities and performances to enjoy but a variety of local vendors also set up kiosks in BATUS Park to sell their trinkets, toys, and other wares.

I have been a resident of Medicine Hat since I was a small child and I have attended the Spectrum Festival multiple times over the years and it has yet to disappoint me. Since being moved back to its original location in Downtown from Kin Coulee the old fashioned atmosphere has increased exponentially and the benefits of having so many people in a sometimes ignored corner of our city are immeasurable when considering the number of local businesses located in the area. With plenty of fun for both the kiddies, their parents and everyone in between make your way down to the Spectrum Festival this year for fun, sun, great food, and… did I say fun?

*Updated June 2nd, 2009*

In a seemingly recent string of local crime and tragedy, a man has been found murdered and another seriously injured last night at 11PM. The police were called to the scene, 515E Washington Avenue SE, where they found the adult male dead inside the residence and the injured male outside on the sidewalk. I’m not posting this as an effort to post what has already be written, but to comment on it and the nature of the killing. It has since been released that the man killed was Darcy Baumbach, 47 by Michael Steinkey,  37 who was charged with second degree murder and is scheduled for court on June 4th. The other injured man’s name is not being released at this time.

Correct me If I am wrong, but this is the first homicide in Medicine Hat, since March, 2007 when James Driscoll was suspected to be murdered; however, it was never concluded that indeed he was, but is still be considered “suspicious”. And then, since the April, 2006 Richardson family murders. Seemingly, as stated, there seems to be a recent string of crime and tragedy in the or around the Hat as of late. House fire and death, theft from a previous house fire, recent Brooks murder, Brooks taser death, Bow Island car crash claiming five lives, accidental death from a fall, Fritzke back in custody after having access to internet-enabled phone (or the whole Fritzke thing in general), tons of drug growing and related charges/arrests in Redcliff and in Medicine Hat. That’s just in the last couple months. Maybe it’s just because I am becoming more aware of the news and local happenings that I didn’t notice before, but I heard other comments that this city (in jest) is becoming “Gotham City”.

Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers or 403-529-8481.

Medicine Hat Police Service – James Driscoll media release page

Medicine Hat News Articles
Murder called a senseless act
Murder charge laid
Michael Steinkey charged with murder
First murder of the year

Warped Tour is geared up again for the year and hitting Calgary on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at The Race City Speedway.

Alexisonfire Moshpit, Warped Tour, Calgary 2006 - Photo by dristis-mudra

For those who are unaware, Warped Tour or Vans Warped Tour began in 1994 as a showcase for Punk Rock  and Third Wave Ska music. More recently; however, it has begun incorporating different types of genres, including electronica, post-hardcore, metalcore and Christian rock, though punk rock bands still regularly play on the tour.

Along with featuring over 100 bands, the tour will host many more popular bands on the main stage, including Bad Religion, NoFX, Anti-Flag, Flogging Molly, The Bouncing Souls, Underoath, and much more. The tour will also offer half pipes for skaters and bikers (a tribute to the connection between punk and skate),  merchandise booths for most of the bands that perform, independent magazines and non-profit organizations/sponsors offering their wares. It is not unusual to see band members at their merchandise booths before and after their performances to meet fans.

Beginning in 2006, Warped Tour has been committed to the Warped Eco Initiative. The cross-country tour buses now use Bio-diesel fuel, which reduces petroleum usage by 30%. One stage is entirely run on solar power. Catering now uses washable dishes as opposed to disposable dishes. And the packaging used is made from compostable corn and potato-starch.

Tickets can be bought through Ticketmaster. Check it out!

Warped Tour
Warped Tour in Calgary page
SoundProof Magazine’s 2008 Warped Tour Calgary coverage
dristis-mudra’s 2006 Warped Tour Calgary photostreak on Flickr