Midway Magic

Stampede is so much more than the richest rodeo show. Stampede Park is a vibrant collage of Midway attractions, kids’ events, food vendors (don’t forget those Kubie Korn Balls), Western art exhibitions (the photography exhibit was inspirational), agricultural attractions (my favourite: a sow with umpteen squealing piglets suckling) and great shows. This year the stars include Kate Perry, Kenny Chesney, New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, Kevin Costner, Sale and Pelletier and even a human cannonball fired across Saddledome Plaza twice daily! Another attraction I find strangely compelling: the World Championship Blacksmiths’ Competition. There is such a potpourri of events and attractions here – there’s something for everyone…which is exactly what a Midway should be all about.

Stampede Friends

My Stampede experience has been facilitated and enhanced by some wonderful people in Calgary. Lindsay Jardine is the Stampede Tourism Sales Manager who set up my visit and radio broadcasts and who looks magnificent in a Fascinator. Sally Leung, Tourism Sales Coordinator, worked hard on all the details of my trip and still managed to be perky on almost no sleep. Jennifer Booth, Publicity Manager, was my effervescent guest on both my radio shows – knowledgeable and entertaining. And Hala Dehais, PR Manager at Tourism Calgary, seduced me into experiencing bulls’ balls, but was kind enough to let me escape the rigours of the mechanical bull. To all: my grateful thanks. And I can hardly imagine the excitement of next year’s 2012 Centenary Calgary Stampede!

Quebec’s Cantons-de-l’Est

There’s a corner of Quebec that I have long wanted to explore and I have the opportunity to do so at last, linked to a Travel Show on Quebec. Facilitated by Danie Beliveau of Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est, we are spending an idyllic few days meandering through what we Anglophones still call the Eastern Townships. As we are to discover, this land doesn’t merely flow with milk and honey, it also gushes with wine, cider, cheese, chocolate, roses and more..

Trains and Boats

It’s good to hand over the wheel to someone else once in a while, the better to take in the scenery. Even though the weather is a little uncooperative, the Orford Express tourist train is a relaxing and rather luxurious way to take in the delights of the Cantons-de-l’Est countryside as we wend our way from Sherbrooke to Magog and Eastman, supplemented by a gourmet dinner. As the sun sets and the shadows deepen, a local chanteuse adds to the joie de vivre on board.

From rails to the waters of Lake Memphremagog’s new cruise boat which plies the waters of this unpronounceable lake that stretches long and thin all the way south into Vermont. This sparkling new ‘Grand Cru’ excursion boat from Escapades Memphremagog also offers a first class service and floating cuisine to match, as the mountainous shoreline slips by, dotted by gorgeous lakeside properties.

Cider With Roses

Laurie Lee comes to life! A beautifully sunny day spent sampling all kinds of tasty, visual and scented treats…Val Caudalies in Dunham is a great place to taste the local wines – and also a speciality of this region: ice cider. Deliciously sweet and bursting with flavours, I highly recommend this!

Then on to Rose des Champs near Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, where you can wander among thousands of roses of all kinds and sample the many products made from rose petals, including jellies, jams, perfumes and soaps. The countryside around here is particularly beautiful.