When the province of Alberta rolls into Washington D.C. next week for a showcase event at the world-famous Smithsonian Institution, Jasper won’t lack for representation.

Local author, guide and environmentalist Ben Gadd along with his wife Cia, will be part of Alberta’s delegation at the Folklife Festival, an annual outdoor event hosted by the Smithsonian that focuses on culture and current trends from various parts of North America.

“Someone suggested that we be a part of this, and then I got a call that Alberta was going and would I be interested in going,” Gadd recalled in an interview the day before he and Cia were D.C.-bound.

“I feel quite honoured that they selected me and as far as I know this is the only tent like this in the whole exhibition.”

The tent that Gadd is referring to is where the Jasper pair will set up their display on wildlife, mountain culture and activities for the two weeks of the festival. They’ll be joined by a team of fishing guides from Okotoks and a soap-making botanist from Fort MacLeod.

“We have half of a tent that’s about 30 feet long,” Gadd said. “We’re hoping to get some air circulating through there because it will be hot and muggy as hell.”

The Gadds have already mailed most of their supplies to Washington and are planning an eye-catching display, with a mountaineering mannequin complete with backpacking campsite set up outside their tent to attract passers-by. Inside, they’ll be mounting poster-sized photos of wildlife, hiking and other mountain activities.

“The pictures are all from the Jasper area, so the Chamber of Commerce will love me,” Gadd joked.

Speaking of commerce, Gadd is looking forward to the opportunity to bring a different perspective to the thousands of people expected to frequent the Folklife Festival. The Alberta government has put a definite focus on industry, with the showpiece display being a massive dump truck from the Syncrude oil sands development outside Fort MacMurray.

“I can say whatever I please, but at the booth I’ll be talking mostly about the Rockies and the wilderness activities,” Gadd said. “It’s largely a positive event.”

That said, he will be participating in two “narrative sessions” — round-table debates on important topics facing the province.

“They are intended to generate some heat and I’ll be participating in two, one on energy and one on the future of Alberta. We’re hoping to show the people who come talk with us that Alberta has this wonderful physical environment, particularly in the Rockies, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy it without destroying it.”

Officials from Alberta Community Development, the ministry taking the lead on organizing Alberta’s delegation, are also looking forward to the event. The opportunity to be part of the festival was initially offered to Canada as a whole, but after the federal government decided the timing wasn’t right, Alberta stepped in, said government spokesperson Garnet Lewis.

“A curator from the Smithsonian travelled around Alberta, meeting with folks and visiting and she made a list of what she thought would represent the province to the world,” he said.

The Gadds aren’t the only piece of the puzzle with a Jasper connection. Former park warden Sid Marty will be part of the large contingent of performers taking part, and former Jasper resident Thomas Wharton’s novel Icefields was picked on a short-list of recommended reading from Alberta.

Anyone interested in finding out how Ben and Cia Gadd’s time in the American capital is going should tune into CBC’s Wild Rose Country at noon on July 4 or 5. The couple will be doing a live interview from their tent on the National Mall.