VITAL SIGNS P. 2 HORSESHOES P. 8 LEWIS' WOODPECKER P. 15 - Bowness Community Association

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VITAL SIGNS P. 2 HORSESHOES P. 8 LEWIS' WOODPECKER P. 15 - Bowness Community Association
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE BOWNESS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MYBOWNESS.COM   JULY/AUGUST 2020

VITAL SIGNS P. 2
HORSESHOES P. 8
LEWIS’ WOODPECKER P. 15
VITAL SIGNS P. 2 HORSESHOES P. 8 LEWIS' WOODPECKER P. 15 - Bowness Community Association
CONTENTS
  ON THE COVER-
  A Boy and His Dog
  Photo Credit: Verle Arndt

  2       Vital Signs
  3       MLA Report
  5       Bowtanical Gardens
  7       Stampede 2020
  8       Horseshoes
  10      Pioneers
  10      We Love His Music!
  11      Historical Society
  13      Business Directory
  13      Dale Hodges Park
  14      BCA Directory
  14      Community Directory
  15      Lewis’ Woodpecker

 HAPPENINGS
 •    Check https://www.mybowness.com/
      programs for what’s happening virtually
      in Bowness every week
 •    Follow us on facebook and instagram @
      mybowness for updates on events and
      program

VITAL SIGNS
Throughout the month of April, Bowness Community                   This year the survey looks a little different and we hope that
Association (BCA) staff had the opportunity to call our            this new format helps you do the survey quickly but still gives
members to see how they were doing. The purpose of our call        you the opportunity to give the feedback that is important to
was simple, we just wanted to check in and offer support if any    you. When we tried the survey it took us about 15 minutes
support was needed. We anticipated that some needs might be        to complete. Please take that bit of time to check in and help
food, help applying for provincial and federal supports, feeling   build the road map for Bowness. The survey is open now and
isolated or lonely, struggling with working from home while        closes on September 15th.
balancing parenting demands. There was no way to know
for sure if this would be what people needed until we started      We don’t know exactly what these next few months will mean
calling.                                                           for gathering together and in person conversations. The
                                                                   health and wellness of our neighbours is our most important
Vital Signs is very similar, only so much bigger and it happens    consideration and so for now the survey is available on our
every three years. Leading up to Vital Signs the BCA along         website (mybowness.com) under Happenings and then Vital
with other partner organizations try to organize questions to      Signs. Through partner organizations in Bowness we are also
ask everyone living in Bowness (not just BCA members) to help      reaching out to those who normally don’t have internet access
us check in. The purpose is also pretty similar, we all want       to have as many voices as possible included. If you need
to see how Bowness is doing. The check in from Vital Signs         assistance accessing the survey please call Lee-Ann at the BCA
will help design the road map for the next three years that        403-288-8300 ext. 130 – your voice is important.
Bownesians and organizations like the BCA and our co-located
partners can work on.

2 I JULY/AUG 2020 I THE BOWEST’NER
VITAL SIGNS P. 2 HORSESHOES P. 8 LEWIS' WOODPECKER P. 15 - Bowness Community Association
JULY/AUGUST 2020

The Bowest’ner is published bimonthly
by the Bowness Community Association.
The views expressed by contributors are
not necessarily those of the Bowness
Community Association or its Board of
Directors.                                  EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR                          TREASURER
                                            Michelle Dice, mdice@mybowness.com          Beverley Sheridan
Copyright is retained by the respective
authors. Articles may be reprinted          BOARD OF DIRECTORS                          SECRETARY
for non-commercial purposes with            iheartbowness@mybowness.com                 Scott Hutchison
appropriate credit to the author and The
                                            PRESIDENT                                   DIRECTORS AT LARGE
Bowest’ner.
                                            Jason New                                   Cindy Amthor, Jeff Riedl, Paul Sipos,
EDITOR/PRODUCER                                                                         Teresa Davidson, Ben Kaczmarek,
                                            VICE-PRESIDENT                              Christina Pilarski, and Andrea McLean
Jessica Clark, editor@mybowness.com
                                            Kurt Kinnear
DESIGNER
                                                                                        BOWNESS COMMUNITY CENTRE & ARENA
Jocelyn Zoller                                                                          7904-43 Ave. NW, Calgary AB T3B 4P9
CONTRIBUTORS                                                                            403-288-8300
                                                                                        iheartbowness@mybowness.com
Verle Arndt, Beverley Sheridan, Teresa
Davidson, Scott Penny, Marg Weber,                                                                            mybowness.com
Bowness Historical Society, MJ Karelse,
                                                                                                              /mybowness
Henry, Sonya and Bryenna Chapman
                                                                                                              @mybowness
PROOFREADING
Janis Giroux, Anne Campbell, Marg
                                            VOLUNTEERING IS THE BEST WAY TO SHOW YOUR LOVE OF BOWNESS.
Scott and MJ Karelse
                                            •   Meet new people and make new friends    •   Develop professional networks
CIRCULATION
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The Bowest’ner is distributed by Canada
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Post to nearly 6,000 residences and             important community issues
businesses in Bowness, and is available
at the Bowness Community Centre and
Bowness Library.                           Dear friends and neighbours,                encourage you to shop local and show
                                                                                       them your support!
Please direct any delivery concerns to
                                           This month is a time to celebrate the
editor@mybowness.com
                                           history and diversity that make our         On May 27th, I returned to the
ADVERTISING                                province and country a great place          legislature to debate legislation that
403-288-8300, editor@mybowness.com         to live. I take great pride in being        will make life better for our community
                                           Canadian and I wish everyone a very         as Alberta reopens. I am pleased
                                           happy Canada Day!                           to be continuing this work with the
                                                                                       introduction of bills that affirm parents’
                                           After a difficult beginning of the year,    rights to make choices in their children’s
                                           our province has been gradually             education, strengthen public safety, and
                                           reopening businesses and facilities.        reduce red tape. Each of these new bills
                                           Our province’s relaunch strategy puts       continues the commitment we made to
                                           the health and safety of our community      always better the lives of Albertans.
  NEWS & ADS DEADLINE FOR                  first. Our province has expanded its        With the increased activity around the
                                           testing capacity and contact tracing        West Ring Road which many of the
       SEPT/OCT 2020                       ability, and put a rapid response plan      communities Calgary-Bow encompass,
                                           in place for possible outbreaks to          I encourage you to stay informed of
                                           ensure that our province can continue       these activities by visiting the website or
                 JULY 24                   to prevent the spread of COVID-19.          subscribing to their regular newsletter
                                           General workplace and industry-specific     at: www.westringroad.ca
                                           guidelines, which can be found at
                                           alberta.ca/bizconnect, are in place         As always, it is my honour to serve as
       editor@mybowness.com or             to protect employees and customers          your MLA.
              403-288-8300                 to businesses across the province.
                                           Our wonderful local businesses are          Demetrios Nicolaides
                                           at the heart of our community, and I

                                                                                            THE BOWEST’NER I JULY/AUG 2020 I 3
VITAL SIGNS P. 2 HORSESHOES P. 8 LEWIS' WOODPECKER P. 15 - Bowness Community Association
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                                 BOWNESS MONTGOMERY LAW OFFICE

 Continuing the excellent tradition of providing sound Legal Services to the Bowness & Montgomery
 Communities for over 20 years.

 BMLAW OFFICE - Trusted for your legal needs in:

 • Residential & Commercial Real Estate Law           • Immigration Law
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4 I JULY/AUG 2020 I THE BOWEST’NER
VITAL SIGNS P. 2 HORSESHOES P. 8 LEWIS' WOODPECKER P. 15 - Bowness Community Association
THE BOWTANICAL GARDENS

It may be a sign of advancing age, but there are some                replant. I have found that some of the older varieties tend to
days when I wish there was no work to do in my garden.               live longer than the newer Pacific Giants. Aphids are the only
Alternatively, maybe I have never admitted to myself that I am       pests that seem to cause these plants any distress and they can
actually lazy. I want lots of healthy flowering plants, but some     usually be controlled with a spray from the garden hose or an
days I am not willing to work for it. Many years ago I found a       application of dish soap and water in a spray bottle.
partial answer to this dilemma in a selection of well mannered,
dependable perennials that offer years of pleasure without           There are a number of less well known long-livers that I would
years of fuss and attention. In fact, most of these plants rebel     encourage you to try. The first is Dictamnus, often called
when divided or moved. My aching back immediately fell in            Gas Plant. Dictamnus grows about two to three feet tall and
love.                                                                produces tall spikes of flowers which give off a strong lemon
                                                                     scent. Wonderful on a summer evening. Flower colours are
If you are looking for some additions to your garden that            white, pink or mauve and, once established, this plant will be
are undemanding and will perform, in some instances for              with you for a decade or more. Dictamnus hates to be moved
decades with no intervention from you, the following are a           and will sulk for years if uprooted, so site selection is critical.
few suggestions. All of these plants have grown in my Bowness
garden undisturbed for 10 plus years. The only caution with          If you have a shade garden, Aruncus, or Goat’s Beard, is a
respect to all these plants is that you must take extra care         good choice. These plants grow about three to four feet tall
when selecting an initial planting site and preparing the soil       and produce plumes of white fluffy flowers on long stalks in
and planting hole. Are the conditions right for this type of         early August. Aruncus takes a couple of years to become
perennial?  Is there sufficient area for it to grow and expand       established, but then will bloom reliably for you for years.
over a number of years? Is it in the correct place with respect      A good companion for Aruncus in a shady garden is Hosta.
to height and other plants that will surround it? Remember,          These deceptively tough plants are not only long-lived, but also
once established these gems require only a touch of compost          well adapted to withstand our dry climate. Some of the newer
or fertilizer each spring, a bit of extra water in a dry spell and   variegated varieties add a spectacular dash of colour to the
some deadheading to make them look neat and respectable              front of a perennial bed.
when they are done flowering. Goodbye split, dig-up or move.
Patience is also a requirement. Most of these plants take two        If you have a rock garden or need some colour in the front of
to three seasons to become well established and are generally        a bed, try one of the shorter varieties of Geranium (this is the
moderate to slow in their growth. A little babying on the front      perennial geranium genus, not the annual variety), often called
end however, pays huge dividends for years.                          Crane’s Bill. Geranium forms tidy clumps over about a three
                                                                     year period and will be covered in pink, magenta, white or red
If you have any gardening experience you have no doubt               blooms for several weeks in July. Some varieties also produce
already discovered the joy of growing several of these               nice red fall leaf colour. Be sure to check the hardiness rating
wonderful plants. The number one winner in the long-lived, no        when you purchase Geranium, many are not Zone 3 /4 hardy.
fuss category is the peony.  Twenty-five years is not exceptional
for these plants to go undisturbed. They can often be found          A personal favourite that blooms in my garden in early spring
still growing quite happily around old building foundations          is Euphorbia polychroma or Cushion Spurge. This is a well-
long after the original structure has fallen into ruin. Thanks to    behaved cultivar, not the spurge on the Alberta noxious weed
decades of hybridization there are now hundreds of varieties         list.  Euphorbia produces what look like bright yellow flowers in
to choose from, many of which still retain that wonderful peony      early spring.  They are actually coloured bracts; the flowers are
fragrance.  Check out the Canadian Peony Society’s website at        very tiny, non-descript things. Left undisturbed, Euphorbia will
www.peony.ca for where to buy and how to plant. These plants         form large mounds about 12 to 14 inches high. I have several
are a must in any garden; I have 65 of them!                         plants scattered about my back garden. They are a welcome
                                                                     sight in May after another long Alberta winter.
Second on my list after peonies is delphiniums. Given sufficient
room they will gradually grow into a substantial clump that                                                          - Beverley Sheridan
comes back year after year without the need to divide and

                I’m Beverley - I am a member of the Bowness Garden Club. They are a group of new to experienced gardeners
                who just love growing plants. If you are interested in becoming a member of our garden club, or would just
                like more information, please contact Anne Campbell at annecampbell2@shaw.ca or 403-288-3295.

                                                                                                  THE BOWEST’NER I JULY/AUG 2020 I 5
VITAL SIGNS P. 2 HORSESHOES P. 8 LEWIS' WOODPECKER P. 15 - Bowness Community Association
6 I JULY/AUG 2020 I THE BOWEST’NER
VITAL SIGNS P. 2 HORSESHOES P. 8 LEWIS' WOODPECKER P. 15 - Bowness Community Association
PLANT A SEED AND
     WATCH IT GROW
     The earth is warming up from all the winter snow
     Spring air and light breezes blow
     Little did you know….
     that a dormant seed would grow

     You begin like only a speck of sand,
     Uncurl and make your way to stand
     Breakthrough the heavy weight of land
     Starting often with only a fragile strand

     Shedding your shell,
     You are ready to show and tell
     New places to see and smell
     No longer a confining space to dwell

     Roots dig down deep
     Water will surely seep
     Stretching out as you creep
     Stability to brace the body like feet

     Arms rising to the sun
     Now with freedom to stretch and run
     Look at all the outdoor fun
     Can’t go back now, this won’t be undone

     Let’s all shed that outer shell that binds
     No need to live in that lifestyle that confines
     Grows, flourishes, explores and climbs
     Raising our head to THE ONE who shines

                                          - Teresa Davidson

STAMPEDE 2020
If you’re like us, you were deeply saddened by the cancellation   outside and exercise while practicing social distancing. We
of the Calgary Stampede this summer. Last summer was my first     would love to see Bownesians with festive bikes out in their
in Calgary, and I had an amazing time helping to organize the     neighbourhood, parks, and bike lanes on July 4.
Bowness Stampede Parade and Breakfast (as well as eating
many fried foods at the Stampede grounds). The BCA and            Send us your photos so we can share the excitement with
the Bowness Lions were excited to get the community more          Bowness! While you’re at it, why not cook up some pancakes
involved in the planning process of the event, and making         before your ride? Create your own mini-pancake breakfast
the parade and breakfast a great experience for everyone          in your home. Although the parade has been cancelled, our
involved. However, the health and safety of our close-knit        excitement and community spirit cannot be, and we can still
community comes first, and the Bowness Lions made the right       protect our loved ones while celebrating the occasion. Let
call by cancelling this year’s Bowness Stampede event.            us know how you are honouring the Bowness Stampede by
                                                                  emailing iheartbowness@mybowness.com or tagging us on
Just because the parade is cancelled doesn’t mean that we         facebook or instagram @mybowness. If you love this event
can’t harness the Stampede spirit in other ways. That’s why we    and are excited to have it back in 2021, consider joining
are encouraging people to go all the way back to the earliest     the volunteer planning committee in January, check your
days of the Bowness Stampede Parade, and decorate your            Bowest’ner in 2021 for how to join.
bicycles for the occasion. Bike paths are a great way to get

                                                                                              THE BOWEST’NER I JULY/AUG 2020 I 7
VITAL SIGNS P. 2 HORSESHOES P. 8 LEWIS' WOODPECKER P. 15 - Bowness Community Association
Bringing Back SOCKS        &   SANDALS:
The Grand Old Game of HORSESHOES Returns to Calgary Parks
Bringing Back Socks and Sandals: Way back in time, at a back-         alone - no crowd or competitor now - throwing that effortless,
forty family reunion somewhere between Moosamin, SK and               arching, one and a quarter turn pitch into twilight. His was a
Millet, AB, an old-boy holds court around a hard-used, sand,          small mastery, but goes to show that even a one-trick pony
horseshoe pit. He’s a farmer for sure, 60 plus, big bellied in        needs to practice.
a plaid shirt, suspenders and jeans, under a hot prairie sun,
his only concession to summertime leisure – brown, leather
sandals with grey, flannel socks.  And he’s an entertainer to
boot, beer in one hand, horseshoes in the other and posturing
on the throwing plank like it was a stage performance. When
the handful of spectators in lawn chairs clustered around the
pit start calling out his choice of footwear, he kicks a little pit
sand back in their face.

He punctuates his punchline by tossing two picture perfect
ringers from 40 feet out, both horseshoes striking hard, top of
the pin and dropping around the stake. “Two dead” they call
it in horseshoe lingo and true that, the old-boy is killin’ it, a
classic double down with comedic timing that stays with me to
this day. I mean, who knew horseshoes could be kinda cool,
right? I also remember later that evening, he was still at the pits

                                                                      “Horseshoes ain’t no beach” still strikes me as funny because
                                                                      it’s true; the dusty, landlocked, largely disappeared game
                                                                      of “barnyard golf” doesn’t rank too highly these days as
                                                                      a preferred recreational outdoor pursuit. Ever since lawn
                                                                      darts took hold in the ‘70s (ultimately outlawed under the
                                                                      category of great fun, but essentially a bad idea), horseshoes
                                                                      has steadily lost ground in popularity to more portable, less
                                                                      difficult, lazy day, open-space tossing games like ladder ball
                                                                      and cornhole.

                                                                      But once upon a summertime, horseshoes ruled rural Alberta
                                                                      as a go-to pitching contest when chorin’ was done. It’s
                                                                      former appeal can still be evidenced throughout Southern

8 I JULY/AUG 2020 I THE BOWEST’NER
VITAL SIGNS P. 2 HORSESHOES P. 8 LEWIS' WOODPECKER P. 15 - Bowness Community Association
Alberta: public use park sites in Olds and Drumheller boast
12 tournament style pitching lanes that surely hosted vigorous
and competitive play back in the day, though faded and a little
broken from neglect now. High River and Cochrane recently
cut similar large sites down to size, removing a half dozen pits
each, acknowledging a shrinking demand and ever diminishing
demographic for this once timeless classic. Somewhere along
the way over the last 50 years, horseshoes got old and tired
for everyone.

                                                                    your drink on) strategically placed one foot farther back than
                                                                    usual to discourage flying sand from landing in your beverage.
                                                                    (Priorities after all.)

So, let’s call it a comeback: in fall of 2019, the same Calgary
Parks team that brought Crokicurl – winter’s  newest outdoor
novelty game - to Bowness Park decided to reach back in
time and break ground at Baker Park, installing a set of three
regulation sand pits in an effort to resuscitate and re-introduce
horseshoe pitching in a family friendly environment for summer
2020.

Well located in an underused greenspace at the u-turn of
Baker’s east end parking lot, the site’s slightly modernized pit
design widens the tight lane spacing of yesteryear, allowing
plenty of elbow room between players. The minimalist timber/
turf/sand/steel construction borrows from the best elements
of those small-town Alberta pits and has also been favourably
described as Japanese Zen-like in its simplicity - but of course
only by yours truly. Most innovative is the longer pitching
plank featuring a wooden backboard (doubly useful to set

               I’m Scott - I have lived and worked in Bowness for over 15 years. In my spare time, I am self styled “open
               space use advocate” and occasional freelance writer with an affinity for any free outdoor activity (horseshoes,
               lawn darts, disc golf, bocce ball etc) that involves throwing things at a distant target just for the heck of it.

                                                                                               THE BOWEST’NER I JULY/AUG 2020 I 9
VITAL SIGNS P. 2 HORSESHOES P. 8 LEWIS' WOODPECKER P. 15 - Bowness Community Association
Wood’s Riding Academy which was              was a pioneer in the setup, running and
                                               located on Chinook Avenue (now 34            teaching of a bronc riding school.
                                               Ave). This was a wonderful place to          Marty was married to Jean Roth in the
                                               meet friends and was a focal point for       1950s and they had one son, Chip. The
                                               many years in Bowness. Marty rode his        couple divorced in the late 1960s and
                                               first contact horse at Olds, Alberta.  He    Marty had one partner for the last 35
                                               also sometimes rode bareback horses          years, Kelly McCormach. He retired in
                                               and bulls, but he decided to drop these      1974 due to the cumulative effect of his
                                               to focus on saddle bronc riding. He took     injuries and went on to train American
                                               up rodeo in the early 1950s and soon         Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds for
                                               specialized in saddle bronc riding and as    racing and jumping.
        Marty Wood                             an amateur won saddle bronc riding in
                                               his first professional rodeo.                His Honours include:

        PIONEERS                               Marty was the Canadian Champion
                                                                                            . 1991 Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
                                                                                            . 1994 Alberta Sports Hall of Fame
         of Bowness                            Saddle Bronc Rider in 1954, 1955, and        . 1994 Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
                                               in 1963. He was the Rodeo Cowboys            . 2006 Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame
June 4, 1933 – Aug 10, 2019                    Association World Champion in 1958,          . 2008 Rodeo Hall of Fame of the
                                               1964, and in 1966 and he won the             National Cowboy and Western Heritage
We honour our pioneer families in              Calgary Stampede a total of five times in    Museum
Bowness and the Wood family are                1954, 1957, 1961, 1964, and in 1965. He
definitely pioneers. Harry and Dorothy         was Calgary Stampede Parade Marshall         Marty Wood died in Pendleton, Oregon
Wood moved to Bowness in 1940                  in 1965. He also won at Cheyenne             on August 10, 2019 from cancer at the
with their son, Marty. Marty’s great           Frontier Days; Madison Square Garden,        age of 86 years old.
grandfather was Henry Wise Wood                New York City; San Francisco Cow
who was the founding president of the          Palace, California; Fort Worth, Texas;       The plan is for the Bowness Historic
United Farmers of Alberta and has a            Houston, Texas; Salinas, California;         Society to name a park in Bowness in
Calgary school named after him. Marty’s        Boston Garden, Massachusetts; and            honour of Marty Wood on 34 Ave.
dad had a pony for him when he was             Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, rodeos. He          behind Bowest Motors.
three years old so Marty had been              qualified 15 times for the National Finals
riding since then. The family operated         Rodeo. Marty also trained horses and

WE LOVE HIS MUSIC!
But we will not hear it this year at the Bowness Stampede            as their fourth child. Their next door neighbour, Curt Seely
Breakfast and Parade because of the COVID –19 pandemic.              who is a Bowness boy, turned out to be a perfect neighbour
                                                                     and their mutual love of music soon had them playing together
Normally, Gord and the band “Vintage Express” are very busy          every chance they could, and their first band was formed, “The
with their music. They are especially busy during Stampede week      Backyard Jammers”. Later they changed the name to “Vintage
playing at various places in Calgary such as; the Bowness Legion,    Express” and have been making music together for the last 13
Bowness Pub, Silver Point Pub, Jubilee Legion #286, Chapelhow        years together.
Legion #285 and many bars and pubs. And the band has played
at the Bowness Lions Stampede Breakfast and Parade for the last      Their son, Corey, was the bass player in the band for many years
12 years.                                                            before moving with his wife to Vegreville, and daughter, Danielle,
                                                                     joined the band about 10 years ago.  When she officially turned
Gord has been a member of the Bowness Lions Club for the last        18 she was able to play in the bars. Jesse their oldest son, plays
21 years, and has been President and Vice President, as well         a bit of the drums, but didn’t play in the band as they didn’t play
as other executive positions. He works very hard with the club       “his kind of music”. Ha! Ha! Good friend and sax player Derek
activities. He is also a long time member of the Bowness Legion      Routledge has been with the band from the beginning and about
#238 and holds a position on the executive board of that Legion.     eight years ago Gord’s brother, Ron “Buckshot” Rage, joined
He also was involved with summer sports in Bowness when his          the band on keys. There have been a few other members over
children were younger. He was awarded the Bowness Volunteer          the years, but in 2013 the drummer moved on and Corey moved
of the Year.He was also a cub and scout leader with the 169th        away. Harve McCool joined the group on bass and Curt took up
Bowmont Scouting group for over 15 years and is still currently      drumming, and that has been the current lineup ever since.
on the executive of the Bowness Ratepayers Scout and Guide Hall
Association.                                                         The three Barge children attended Belvedere Parkway, T.B. Riley
                                                                     and Bowness High Schools and loved it.
Gord and Jody, his wife of 32 years, moved to Bowness in
November of 1989 with their son, Jesse. Soon their second            We will miss hearing “Vintage Express” this summer but look
son, Corey, was born. In 1995 their last child, Danielle, was        forward to next year when this pandemic is over!
born.  Later the family took in Danielle’s best friend, Courtney,
                  I’m Marg - I moved to Bowness as a youngster in the mid 1950s and have never left! I attended Parkway
                  School (as it was known then) and Bowness High School. My daughters also attended Belvedere-Parkway and
                  Bowness High School and four of my grandchildren attended Bowness High.

10 I JULY/AUG 2020 I THE BOWEST’NER
News Past
         Co�r�e�y o� t�e Bo�n�s� Hi�t�r�c�l So�i�t�
                                                                  from the
                                                                                   b�w�e�s�i�t�r�c�l�o�i�t�.c�m

Growing up in Early Bowness-                                        Somewhere in this era, we had a measles quarantine sign on
                                                                    our front door, and I was confined to a dark room in order
Part VI                                                             to protect my eyes from harm. That was hard to understand
                                                                    at that age.

                              Here are some more memories           The perpetual orange glow in the southern sky from “Hell’s
                              of the 1930s and 1940s from           Kitchen” in Turner Valley was a sight for many of those early
                              former Bowness resident, Les          years. As we were without a car, we never got to see the
                              Hamilton.                             huge flare.

                               Some of the sights of summer
                               in the ‘40s were the big semi-
                               trailers carrying huge loads of
                               ice blocks down Main Street
                               from the Calgary Ice Plant on
                               their way to Calgary ice boxes.
                               On a hot July day, it was a
novelty to pickup a slab of ice that would often fall from the
trailers. The plant was located on the hill just north of the
Shriner’s Headquarters at Stoney Trail Northwest.  The lake
the ice was taken from is now just a water feature with a
fountain in front of the Shriner’s building.

Halloween in early Bowness was somewhat different than
today’s version the city children experience.  As this event
was one of very few where the kids could get free treats, it
was taken seriously by many families. It was not unusual for
the kids to return home with a pillowcase full of apples (the       Hauling Blocks of Ice, 1911.
most common donation), then change disguises and go out
all over again. For a homeowner to not answer the door
would lead to a good soaping of the windows of their house
and, in many cases, the outhouse in the back yard would
be tipped over. I recall one year when there was a row of
four or five outhouses that sat blocking Main Street in front
of our house at what is now 65th Street. Main Street was
also number 8 provincial highway in those days. As we had
no police department in that era, the RCMP were a frequent
sight at the schools and around town. It was a barometer of
the social problems that persisted in a limited but noticeable
bunch of families.

On July 14, 2019, the Bowness Historical Society dedicated
a park at 6704 Bow Crescent as Tony and Ruby Schmaltz
Park. In the ‘40s, this was a vacant lot with a deep wide
ditch, the purpose of which was to carry storm water that
flowed through the streetcar subway and get it under Main
Street and into the river. It was one of the few spots that one
could access the Bow to do some fishing. In later years, it
was a skating rink.                                                 Two workmen operating power saw, Alberta Ice Company.
                                                                    Keith Alberta, 1937.
There is another memory from the early ‘40s. Our milk man
was none other than the famous chuckwagon driver from
High River, Ron Glass. I rode with him in his little red pickup
truck and carried bottles of milk to his customers’ doors. I
was on top of the world!

                                                                                                   THE BOWEST’NER I JULY/AUG 2020 I 11
www.stedmundscalgary.org

    The Church Building is quiet and
     empty but the Spirit of Christ’s
      Community is loud & joyful!
     St Edmunds sends Love to our
  community and thanks for all who are
     bringing our Socially Distanced
       neighbors closer together!
            We❤Bowness!

12 I JULY/AUG 2020 I THE BOWEST’NER
BUSINESS DIRECTORY
    PLEASE TELL ADVERTISERS YOU FOUND THEM IN THE BOWEST’NER

                                                                                   Appreciate life
                                                                           All her beauties, joys, splendors

                                                                                 A new world awaits

                                                                                     - MJ Karelse

DALE HODGES PARK RECEIVES AN EMERALD AWARD!
The Emerald Awards celebrates outstanding environmental achievements
in Alberta. This year, Dale Hodges Park was a recipient of the Shared
Footprints category that recognizes those who have exemplified land and
water stewardship, built shared knowledge, improved air quality, reduced
land disturbances, and encouraged ecotourism.

Councillor Sutherland would like to congratulate the many people
responsible for this achievement - Sans façon; WATERSHED+; AECOM; O2
Planning + Design; Source2Source; Wilco Contractors Southwest Inc and
the staff and artists from the Public Art Department, Calgary Parks, and
Utilities and Environment Protection from The City of Calgary.

                                                                                            Photography by: Sans façon

                                                                                      THE BOWEST’NER I JULY/AUG 2020 I 13
BCA DIRECTORY

  Bowness Community Association       We are closed until further notice but                            www.mybowness.com
  7904 43 Avenue NW                   available by phone 403-288-8300                                   General Inquiries:
  Calgary, AB T3B 4P9                 (leave a message and someone will                                 iheartbowness@mybowness.com
                                      return your call)

 Our staff may be reached by dialing the main number 403-288-8300 and then selecting the extension listed below:

  STAFF CONTACT                       NAME                        EXTENSION                          EMAIL

  Executive Director                  Michelle Dice               127                                mdice@mybowness.com
  Office Manager & Rentals            Molly MacRae                125                                rentals@mybowness.com
  Events & Volunteer Coordinator      Laddie Miller               121                                events@mybowness.com
  Bowest’ner Newsletter &             Jessica Clark               122                                editor@mybowness.com
  Communications Coordinator
  Community Hub                       Lee-Ann Baines              130                                communityhub@mybowness.com
  Community Planning /                Sydney Empson /             134                                planning@mybowness.com /
  Accounting                          Deb Hall                                                       accounting@mybowness.com
  Arena Office                                                    135
  Facilities                          Kale Daniels                126                                kdaniels@mybowness.com

                                                                                                                 CITY OF CALGARY        calgary.ca
                                                                 COMMUNITY DIRECTORY
                                                                                                                 Municipal services            3-1-1
                                                                 BOWNESS CLUBS & SERVICES                        Non-emergency social services 2-1-1

                       JOIN US!                                  Bow Ridge Little League Baseball.......................... bowridgebaseball.com
                                                                 Bow River Bruins........................................................ bowriverhockey.ca
                                                                 Bowmont Serniors Assistance Association.......................... 403-286-1811
                                                                 Bowmont Youth Justice Committee..................................... 403-288-6922
                                                                 Bowness Community Association/................................... mybowness.com
                                                                     Bowness Community Centre & Arena............................ 403-288-8300
                                                                 Bowness Historical Society................................................ 403-288-1737
                                                                 Bowness Lions Club.......................................................... 403-286-1648
                                                                 Bowness Responsible Flood Mitigation Society .................. bownessrfm.ca
                                                                 Bowness Seniorsʼ Centre................................................... 403-286-4488
                                                                 Bowness Soccer Club................................................ bownesssoccer.com
                                                                 BowWest Community Resource Centre............................... 403-216-5348
                                                                 Boys and Girls Club of Calgary, Bowness:
                                                                     Club Programs............................................................ 403-571-0517
    Become a BCA MEMBER!                                             Ready, Set, Go! Preschool........................................... 403-999-5827
                                                                     Home-Start................................................................. 403-571-0516
    Not a member yet or need to renew? It’s easy.                    YEAR (Youth-centred Engagement, Action & Respect).... 403-669-5533
                                                                  CARYA (formerly Calgary Family Services)....................... 403-269-9888
    Drop by the office or go online!                                 Northwest & Central Outreach for Older Adults............ 403-286-1811
                                                                 Calgary Northwest Basketball.................................................... cnwb.ca
                                                                 Calgary Police Services, District 2 Zone 4, Cst. D. Down ........ 403-428-6241
    Memberships are $5 for seniors, $10 for                                                                         pol3847@calgarypoliceservice.ca
    individuals, $20 for a family, $30 for an                    Calgary Public Library, Bowness Branch............................ 403-221-2022
                                                                 City of Calgary, Calgary Neighbourhoods........................ 403-476-7221
    associate or a business.                                     Distress Centre/24-hour Crisis Line.................................... 403-266-1605
                                                                 Family Pride Parent Link Centre......................................... 403-288-1446
    Renew or purchase your BCA membership to be                  Girl Guides District Commissioner...................................... 403-710-5775
                                                                 Miskanaw ah................................................................... 403-247-5003
    entered to win a $20 gift card from a local                  Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 238 Bowness.................... 403-247-1234
    Bowness business.                                            Scouts, 169 Bowmont....................................................... 403-829-9956
                                                                 United Way of Calgary & Area:
                                                                     Bowness Montgomery Neighbourhood Collaborative.... 403-875-1278
    Or, get in touch at (403) 288-8300 or                        West Valley Softball............................................. westvalleysoftball.com
    iheartbowness@mybowness.com.
                                                                 ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES

         www.mybowness.com                                       Calgary Board of Education Trustee Joy Bowen-Eyre......... 403-294-8487
                                                                 Calgary Catholic School District Trustee Serafino Scarpino.. 403-500-2550
         facebook.com/mybowness                                  Councillor Ward Southerland, Ward 1.............................. 403-268-2430
         @mybowness                                              MLA Demetrios Nicolaides, Calgary-Bow.......................... 403-216-5400
                                                                 MP Ron Lipert, Calgary Signal Hill................................... 403-292-6666

14 I JULY/AUG 2020 I THE BOWEST’NER
with binoculars and cameras to get a glimpse of the Lewis’
                                                                     Woodpecker. We talked to everyone who came by and
                                                                     learned how very rare it was for this bird to be in this location.
                                                                     Apparently the Lewis’ hasn’t been reported in Calgary since
                                                                     1999, even that spotting was unique. Allegedly, it has been
                                                                     spotted three other times in Alberta this year. This bird is most
                                                                     commonly seen in interior of B.C. and the Western U.S.

                                                                     Throughout the week, we had a couple people per day on

                     Lewis’                                          our street wielding binoculars and cameras, hoping for a
                                                                     glimpse of the Lewis’ Woodpecker. Lewie (as we affectionately

                     Woodpecker                                      named him) hung around for about two weeks. The children
                                                                     happily neglected their school work to watch him out of our
                                                                     front window taking from our crab apple tree. Also distracting
                                                                     us from school work are the chickadees, sparrows, squirrels,
Sunday night my children and I were sitting down to supper           robins and just this week about a dozen yellow rumped
when my amateur bird watching son jumped up and exclaimed:           warblers visiting our yard. We will always cherish our days
“I’ve never seen that one before!” and pulled out his binoculars     with Lewie, and are grateful to live in Bowness where we can
and bird field guide. As he was marking down his find in the         see a variety of creatures.
field guide he realized the bird he identified as a “Lewis’
Woodpecker” didn’t travel into Alberta, let alone Calgary.
We all spent a few minutes looking through the binoculars and
taking photos, trying to identify the bird. It looked exactly like
a Lewis’. Was it possible the field guide was wrong?

I posted our find on the INaturalist app and also messaged a
couple of friends who were into birds. My friends confirmed it
looked like a Lewis’ Woodpecker and almost immediately we
got a message on INaturalist asking us to confirm that this was
indeed spotted in Calgary. It was at this point we realized we
had seen something special. Another birding acquaintance
recommended we obscure our location on the app, otherwise
we would have a hundred people on our front lawn by
morning. We quickly did so.

But by morning word was out, or at least a whisper made
it out. That morning we had about five people show up

                  Birders, Henry (11) and Sonya (9), have been proud Bownesians for the past seven years. You will often run
                  into them at Dale Hodges or Bowmont Park with their binoculars and bird field guides, happily identifying
                  everything they see. As their mom, I am usually close behind carrying the snacks and water. If you see us,
                  please say hi and tell us about the birds you’ve been spotting.

                                                                      THIS IS THE TIME TO BE SLOW
                                                                                         This is the time to be slow,
                                                                                              Lie low to the wall
                                                                                       Until the bitter weather passes.

                                                                                       Try, as best you can, not to let
                                                                                          The wire brush of doubt
                                                                                           Scrape from your heart
                                                                                             All sense of yourself
                                                                                           And your hesitant light.

                                                                                         If you remain generous,
                                                                                           Time will come good;
                                                                                       And you will find your feet
                                                                                    Again on fresh pastures of promise,
                                                                                        Where the air will be kind
                                                                                      And blushed with beginning.

            Poem selected by Sherra Molyneux                                                                        - John O’Donohue

                                                                                                THE BOWEST’NER I JULY/AUG 2020 I 15
KEN RICHTER
                        RE/MAX Real Estate (Central)
                                                   Each Office Independently Owned and Operated

                                                        403-630-6363
          Challenging Times Requires Top Advice
                and Extraordinary Service!
                                                   Active Listings by Ken Richter
                                       FO                                              FO                                        FO
                                            RS                                            RS                                       RS
                                                AL                                            AL                                      AL
                                                    E!                                           E!                                     E!

          Asking $569,900                                               Asking $579,900                          Asking $749,900
        6409 34 Avenue NW                                             2000 Home Road NW                        4923 21 Avenue NW
                                       FO                                               FO                                       FO
                                           RS                                               RS                                     RS
                                               AL                                              AL                                     AL
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        Asking $1,200,000                                               Asking $1,200,000                        Asking $599,900
      6530 Bow Crescent NW                                             8018 48 Avenue NW                       7340 36 Avenue NW

                                                 REDUCE                                                                      SOCIALLY
                                                                                                                          STAY
STAY SAFE!                                       the RIS
                                                         K!                        BE WELL!                               CONNECTED!

                                                                                    403-630-6363
                                                                                    www.KenRichter.com
                                                                                    Ken@KenRichter.com
                                                                                    www.BowCrescent.com
                   Not intended to solicit properties already listed for sale.      *based on number of closed transactions

16 I JULY/AUG 2020 I THE BOWEST’NER
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