Saturday may have been Erin Karpluk’s last chance to hit up the high school principal for lunch money, as her mother Dale retires this year.

A television and film actress based in Vancouver, Karpluk took five this weekend and came to town for her mom’s send-off.

“I think Mom’s a little nervous and excited about retirement,” Karpluk said. “She told me the other night she’ll have more laughter than tears when looking back and is excited to move onto the next chapter.”

Just as her mother’s career winds down, Karpluk’s is taking off. She recently finished filming recurring appearances on television show The Guard, and wrapped up Wyvern, a film in which she plays the lead.

This summer Karpluk will move to Toronto to star in a CBC drama series called The Session, which is set to debut at the beginning of 2009.

Though she’s getting used to bigger cities like Vancouver and Los Angeles, Karpluk embraces the advantages of her small-town roots.

“I have something unique to offer that most city girls don’t,” she said. ”I can gut a fish and shoot a puck, and know what to do if an elk charges.”

No matter where she finds herself, Karpluk still calls Jasper home and looks forward to stopping in, especially to fish with her brother at Pyramind Lake or stop in for prime rib at the Tonquin.

“I love coming home to Jasper because it reminds me where I came from, who I am, what’s important,” she said. “I’m always proud to call Jasper home, and the older I get the more I appreciate the surroundings and community.

“It’s just one of the most beautiful places in the world.”