HINTON:

Arts Days: 

Hinton will celebrate Alberta Arts Days with a host of activities beginning on Sept. 30. From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the fun begins with open house tours of Creative Campus and The Guild. The event will showcase exhibits from local quilters, potters and members of the art club. There will also be dance workshops and viewing of six films, brought to you by Alberta Federation for the Arts. The events will take place at The Guild and Jessie Turgeon Park (between the rec centre and curling rink). Contact Creative Campus at hinton@yraf.com or by phone at 780-865-2200.

On Oct. 1, Arts Days continue with a Drum Circle 11 a.m., the unveiling of the Wall of Celebration at 11:30 a.m. and an Arts BBQ at noon. The afternoon will see entertainment from local and regional artists from noon to 4 p.m., a raku pottery firing demonstration from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., dumpster painting from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Bowls with Soul Hinton/Edson collaboration at 4 p.m. The events will take place at The Guild and Jessie Turgeon Park.

On Oct. 1, The Wimmin in Wax Art Group and Eleven Encaustic Artists will have their opening reception starting at 2 p.m. The show runs from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31 at the Hinton Municipal Library. Contact Pam Stewart at pamstew@hintonlibrary.org or by phone at 780-865-2363.

Town of Hinton business: 

Join Mayor Glenn Taylor, council members and town staff for a meeting to seek public input into whether the Town of Hinton should continue the practice of fluoridating the municipal water supply on Oct. 3, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Hinton council chambers. 

Residents will be provided the opportunity to voice their opinions on the topic and factual information for and against the practice will be shared. In addition to the meeting, residents are invited to participate in a poll which will be available on the town’s website from Oct. 3 to Oct. 17. Comments can be submitted to the town by emailing mschwirtz@hinton.ca, calling 780-865-6043 or faxing 780-865-4835.

Lace up the skates: 

Beginning Oct. 1 with a Toonie Skate, the skating season begins at the arena at the Dr. Duncan Murray Recreation Centre. Open to all ages. 

VALEMOUNT:

Town of Valemount business: 

The Valemount Village Office will be closed for Thanksgiving  on Oct. 10.

Wood stove installation and inspections: 

As the heating season approaches, there are some things you should keep in mind before you purchase or install a wood stove: 

• All stoves have to be CSA and EPA approved for installation in B.C.

• If you are installing a wood appliance in a mobile home, it has to be mobile home approved.

• Make sure the store understands the type of home you are heating so the wood appliance meets your heating and chimney requirements.

• Read your manual carefully as there will be a CSA sticker usually located on the back of the stove. This will give you all of your clearance information.

• All new installations will need approval and a wood stove permit which costs $130.

For more information, call the village building inspector, Steve Barnes, at 250-566-4435. 

Elections: 

Considering running for mayor or council? Nomination packages are now available at the Village Office. 

Ash Street Lift Station and control system upgrades: 

The upgrades to the Ash Street Lift Station and lift station controls have been completed. This project was funded two-thirds by government grants and one-third with Village reserves. 

MCBRIDE:

Theatre season: 

The McBride Roundhouse Theatre announced the 2011-2012 season beginning on  Oct. 23 with the Northern Orchestra. This is an afternoon event of symphony performed by 35 members of the Northern Orchestra under the direction of Gordon Lucas. 

DUNSTER:

Community forest conference:

The Dunster Community Forest Society is pleased to announce the first annual Carbon, Climate Change and Community Forests (C4F) Conference to be hosted in Dunster in conjunction with the Future Forest Ecosystem Scientific Council (FFESC), the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), and Simon Fraser University (SFU). The event will be held on Oct. 13 and 14 at the Dunster Fine Arts School. This year’s theme is “Managing the Interior Cedar-Hemlock Wetbelt of Interior B.C.”

The purpose of the conference is to bring together all Dunster community forest stakeholders to discuss the vision and future of the community forest area in the context of ecology, governance, economics and management strategies. Please RSVP by Oct. 1. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Debby Ladouceur, secretary Dunster Community Forest Society, by email or call 250-968-4429.

Community Quilt tickets on sale:

Dunster quilt tickets are still on sale at the Dunster General Store. Draw date is Oct. 29. Proceeds go to the Dunster Fine Arts School. Drop in at the Dunster General Store to get your raffle tickets for the beautiful quilt.

The first Dunster Community Quilt was made and raffled in 1976. Every year since, a new theme has been chosen for the current, unique version. A number of local ladies interpret the theme in their own way and work it with embroidery and/or applique on their block. The basic rules are no paint, liquid embroidery or laser printing. Embellishments such as beads, buttons, etc., are welcomed. All who are willing, get together in a traditional quilting bee to hand quilt the ‘sandwich.’ This year, “All Buttoned Up” was quilted in the sunshine outside Dunster’s Community Hall — perfect conditions!

We are always looking for people willing to take on the challenge of working their idea of the current theme onto a square of fabric and/or helping with hand quilting. For more information contact Marg Johnson at 250-968-4351 or Bonnie Culp at 250-968-4309.