The Dawson Creek Farmer's Market is open!

One of the best things about spring is the opening of the Farmers Market and this year is no exception!

Although May is a bit early to find produce, it's the best place to find fresh homemade baking, preserves and local eggs.

Along with the poppy seed cake, cinnamon buns and chocolate chip cookies, I bought a big loaf of unsliced white bread and a jar of local Saskatoon jam.

Cut a big thick slice of bread, toast it, butter it and slather it with jam... can a Sunday morning breakfast treat get any better than that?

There are lots of craftspeople that bring their wares to the market too.

The market is held in and around a big white tent on 8^th Street on the corner of the Co-op Mall parking lot. The tent is stuffed with vendors!

There is plenty of easy parking for RV's and such and along with the locals who make the market part of their weekly shopping; visitors enjoy the bounty as well.

The Dawson Creek Farmer's Market is open!

Kicking Off The Christmas Shopping Season With Style In Dawson Creek

We went to the Art Gallery in Dawson Creek for the annual opening of the Christmas Gift Show and Sale.

The Grain Elevator Gallery is one of the few places in the city that is big enough to house a 15 or so foot Christmas tree, and I learned that each year, the Art Gallery uses all it's decorations from the previous year to decorate trees downtown to be auctioned off as a fund raiser.

The Gallery was bursting at the seams with top-drawer work from artists and artisans from the bottom gift shop and lobby all the way up the spiraling ramps that go to the top.

I saw woodwork, jewelry, pottery, watercolors, stained glass, fiber arts, soaps & lotions, metalwork and Christmas decorations. I checked off much of my gift list for the season.

There were trays of goodies and glasses of punch being served the whole time I was there. At 2 pm a local woman's choir came in to sing Christmas carols for an hour.

This annual event is a favorite for many shoppers whether they live in the community or come in as visitors and it's always well attended. It's more than just going shopping; it's a chance to participate in a celebration of community, art and Christmas. I wouldn't miss it.

Kicking Off The Christmas Shopping Season With Style In Dawson Creek

A Man Made Marvel of the Peace River Country.

I have evolved into the unofficial tour guide for friends and family when they visit.

A favorite day trip from Dawson Creek is to the W.A.C. Bennett Dam on Williston Lake. It takes about an hour and a half to get there and is the perfect way to spend a day visiting and seeing something amazing at the same time.

It's a real treat to drive across the dam itself, it's huge!

The trip wouldn't be complete without taking the bus tour deep into the belly of the dam on the bus. You will have to wear a hard hat.

The guided tour costs six dollars for adults and lasts about an hour.

Once I get over my immediate feeling of claustrophobia, I really enjoy the tour. The air once you are underground is cool and you can feel the energy vibrate and hum in the stone all around.

Visitors are always blown away by the project.

My Dad worked on the Dam from start to finish, so I have lots of stories to tell them, like the day the water was first released and the bear clinging to a floating log being swept away...

A Man Made Marvel of the Peace River Country.

The Scoop on the Alaska Highway Road Conditions

• Do we need 10 sets of spare tires?
  
• Will our windshields get smashed out by rocks?
• How many miles of gravel will there be?
• Is there still muskeg?
• Do we need to carry spare gas?

These are the questions that came up around the fire with our friends who were on their way up the highway this year. They had heard horror stories from people who had traveled the Highway years and years ago.

The Alaska Highway is a fairly smooth road all the way from Dawson Creek. BC to Fairbanks, Alaska. It is pretty much paved all the way.

The ongoing issue is that every year the ground freezes and thaws and the pavement ripples and heaves and cracks in spots.

Maintenance crews are constantly repairing the road and you will have periodic waits while flag people get you through safely.

You will undoubtedly come across patches of loose gravel and occasional rough spots but as long as you are well prepared to begin with, you will be just fine.

The road is a pleasure to drive.

The Scoop on the Alaska Highway Road Conditions

Memorial Roses in Gardens North!

There is Chinese proverb that says "A little fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses" and I'm sure the people who tend the flowers at Pioneer Village's Gardens North have experienced that.

At the entrance to the Village is a memorial rose garden. Beautiful rose bushes greet you as you begin your journey into the lives of our pioneers. The roses have little memorial plaques at their bases.

I found plaques with the names of several former community members I recognize and varieties of roses I had never seen before. It is a touching tribute.

The rest of the themed gardens in Gardens North are beautiful and lovingly cared for. There were many folks from the neighboring RV Park strolling through enjoying the flowers. I chatted with a couple from Texas and talked about the differences in climate and types of plants we grow. They had photos on their camera and showed me their desert garden.

I had a pad of paper with me and wrote down a couple of new rose names and went to the local nursery and was thrilled to find both varieties for sale and hardy to this zone.

Memorial Roses in Gardens North!

Rocking at the SweetWater905 Music & Arts Festival

Just outside of Dawson Creek in the hamlet of Rolla, a yearly Music & Arts Festival is held each September. The talented artists come from all over western Canada to participate in this jewel of an event.

I've gone every year as an enthusiastic supporter and am continually amazed at how far people travel to enjoy this festival. A field of campers and tents attest to the numbers and dedication.

The festival is held on a private working farm and the artistry of the owners is apparent with each building and garden. All the stalls in the farm's two barns have been turned into individualart galleries, there are films offered in Albert's Loft, the small performing art center above the main barn, butter churning and ice-cream making in the yard and stock dog demonstration and pony rides for the kids.

I also took a tour of the farm on a wagon pulled by a beautiful team of Fjord horses as an extra treat.

On Friday night, after a short but intense storm, we were rewarded with the most spectacular triple rainbows I have ever seen. We gathered around bonfires well into the night visiting, listening and dancing to great music.

Sitting on a bench near a flower garden, I especially enjoyed the Saturday morning offerings in the main yard. A group of women poets who have recently published a book graced an enthusiastic audience with selected readings.

If you are looking for something extra-ordinary, this 3-day event is not to be missed!

Rocking at the SweetWater905 Music & Arts Festival

Watching the Best of the Peace Compete at the Dawson Creek Fall Fair & Exhibition

We have such a great Fall Fair and Rodeo here in Dawson Creek. I have been going every year since I was a kid.

I love to go early on Saturday morning with a fresh cup of coffee, a few bucks in my pocket and fresh batteries in my camera to take in all the exhibits and competitions.

Every type of animal has it's own facility and over the years, it keeps getting better. All the barns are brightly decorated, there are flowers everywhere and so much to see and appreciate about the agriculture that is the backbone of this community.

I spend the whole day walking around talking to people, looking at the exhibits and watching the various shows. Children handling big cows, heavy horses pulling great skids of weights, llamas wearing halters, dressage in the light horse ring, displays of grains and quilts and jams and sweet peas. It truly is a wonderful fair!

Over the years, the booths have been built to resemble a western town. There is excellent fair food offered by the local service groups and everyone has their favorites.

There is always great country band in the Watering Hole Beer Gardens and it seems that everyone knows how to two-step! People from all over the world make this weekend a holiday destination!

Staying to watch the nightly fireworks is the perfect end of a great day of fun and community.

Watching the Best of the Peace Compete at the Dawson Creek Fall Fair & Exhibition

Defying Gravity at the Fall Fair

Going for a spin with friends on the Tilt-A-Whirl is one thing, but hanging upside down and being whipped around for 5 minutes in a gravity defying machine is quite another.

It's Fall Fair Days in Dawson Creek and it seems like the whole region comes out to celebrate.

A big part of the Fair is the Midway. As usual there were bumper-to-bumper line-ups of people of all ages waiting to get on one of the rides for an adrenalin rush. Several of those rides are not for the faint of heart.

I love the way the Ferris Wheel faces to watch the Chuck Wagon races. We were lucky this time and were loaded first on the Wheel so we got extra airtime while they loaded the rest. We watched a Pro Chuck Wagon race thunder around the track from the best seat in the house, high above in the sky.

The Midway wouldn't be the same without the smell of cotton candy, loud music that almost drowns out the screams of delight and the sight of people walking around with stuffed toys they won at a game. I spent my usual amount tossing rings at little floating duckies and even threw a few darts... no luck this time... but there is always next year.

What do you love about the fair?

Defying Gravity at the Fall Fair

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words: our downtown murals

It's pretty hard to miss all the wonderful murals while walking or driving around Dawson Creek.

My favorite is the one of the three woman standing around the telephone pole in the alley near the Mile O Post. I wonder who's mothers they are, surely they were local women during the building of the Alaska Avenue.

These murals bring the history of our city, agricultural roots, local wildlife and the building of the Alaska Highway alive. They tell our story in art and color.

The Dawson Creek Art Gallery, the South Peace Art Society, and the City of Dawson Creek have been sponsoring the annual mural project in the business center of Dawson Creek since 2000 and a diverse selection of talented artists of all ages have created them.

Local residents and tourists watch with fascination the creation of a mural during the warm summer months.

It's not uncommon to see a group of artists in paint-splattered clothes climbing up and down scaffolding wielding paintbrushes and carrying paint buckets.

We never know what's in store for the upcoming season and where the next mural will be created. I guess we'll just have to watch for the signs... a bunch of people standing in front of a blank wall, sketch books in hand, making sweeping arm movements with contemplative looks on their faces... what else could it be?

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words: our downtown murals

Fly! Fly! Fly! The Dawson Creek Air Show

Swooping and looping, upright and upside down... We just had another amazing Air Show here in Dawson Creek.

Hundreds of people showed up to be thrilled and delighted... ooohing and aahhing as plane after plane performed in the sky.

It was very exciting. My favorite is always the daredevil on the bi-plane. I've seen that in movies, but seeing it up close and personal is a whole other thing.

The snowbirds were spectacular as usual. They just get better and better.

A real crowd pleaser was the Sailplane. No motor, great music and pyrotechnics on the ends of the wings. My friend described it as " a beautiful dance in mid air."

What a great yearly event!

Fly! Fly! Fly! The Dawson Creek Air Show

Bison, Wild Pigs and Mountain Goats! Sewell Valley Game Farm

I love it when we can find the perfect activity to do with our out of town guests! Our "city-folk" friends were up for a visit with their children. They live in a big southern city and this was their first trip to the north.

On Sunday, after a leisurely start to the day, we piled in the vehicle and headed out to the Sewell Valley Game Farm about a half hour drive north of Dawson Creek. I had thought ahead and made an appointment for our visit.

What a treat to watch the kids meet the baby animals. We saw young fallow deer, wild boars, bison and a mountain goat and lots of other animals. Our 2 legged 'kids' met their 4 legged 'kids'.

The farm is amazing. Clean and organized, the owners obviously take their role as caretakers very seriously. The animal's environments seem well designed for comfort. All the animals are the picture of health and seemed to have names and a story.

My favorite was seeing a large herd of bison with their young grazing peacefully in a field. It was a flash back to the times when they roamed free.

When we finally had to leave, my friend bought a necklace made from an antler in the gift shop and I bought some bison meat to barbecue that night for dinner.

It was a great day! Our friends really enjoyed themselves.

Bison, Wild Pigs and Mountain Goats! Sewell Valley Game Farm

The "Surveyor" Keeps Watch on the Alaska Highway

We have a remarkable statue sitting atop a tower in the middle of the traffic circle in the center of Dawson Creek. You can't miss it.

Known as "The Surveyor" he was created by one of our local artists, Karl Mattson. Karl used old rusty scraps of metal he found laying around the region to create this monument to the building of the Alaska Highway. His clothes and transit are iron replicas of those from the 1940's.

Powerful and haunting, "The Surveyor" stands outside in all elements, pointing north showing everyone the way to Alaska just as his real life counterpart did all those years ago.

Dawson Creek is proud of the artistry behind our landmarks. You'll see for yourself when you get here.

The "Surveyor" Keeps Watch on the Alaska Highway

The Mile O Post: One Of The Most Photographed Landmarks In Canada

Anyone who lives here in Dawson Creek is used to driving carefully through the downtown core so as not to run over the frequent tourists jaywalking into the middle of the intersection to have their photo taken on our world famous Mile O Post.

Its quite common to see local residents offering to take the photo so that everyone gets in the picture. I wonder how many photos of our post exist. I know I've taken my fair share for all of our out of town guests.

The Mile O Post is one of the most recognizable and frequently photographed landmarks in Canada. It symbolizes the beginning of the Alaska Highway and lists the distances to major destinations along the highway in miles.

• Fort St. John 48
• Fort Nelson 300
• Whitehorse 918
  
• Delta Junction 1398
• Fairbanks 1523

The original post sat a couple of blocks away at the traffic circle, but apparently someone ran into it in 1946, so it was replaced and moved to the center of town especially for visitors to our community.

Make sure you touch a piece of history when you come to Dawson Creek and have your picture taken at the Mile O Post.

Don't hesitate to ask one of us to take the photo for you, we're always glad to do it.

The Mile O Post: One Of The Most Photographed Landmarks In Canada

Summer Means Farmers Market in Dawson Creek

Saturday mornings in the summer finds me headed out armed with my reusable bags early to stock up on the bounty at the Farmers Market.

There is no comparison between fresh, homemade goodies and produce bursting with flavor and nutrients and their store-bought counterparts. I especially love the bread and eggs and local honey for our tea.

And of course, there is always a new lily variety or two to add to my collection!

There is a festive atmosphere at the market, a sense of community where old friends and new friends meet and visit and shop and sell. There are a wide variety of vendors selling everything from wire jewelry to local beeswax candles and everything in between.

Last Saturday I found a couple of amazing pottery mugs to take home for our morning coffee and all the fresh food we needed for our weekend at the lake. The family favorites are fresh salads for lunch and thick sliced bread, roasted over a campfire with a dollop of homemade Saskatoon jam on top. Camping just doesn't get any better than that for us.

The market is open on Saturdays from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm from May to October. Look for the big white tent at the Co-op.

Summer Means Farmers Market in Dawson Creek

Catching the Wind on Bear Mountain

Ask anyone who lives in the Mighty Peace River Country and you'll hear that we've always had plenty of wind.

We decided to do something worthy with all that power...

The next time you are driving into Dawson Creek on the Hart Highway, from Prince George, Vancouver and all points south, you'll know you are getting really close when you see our Bear Mountain with its 34 brand new wind turbines... turning... turning... producing clean, renewable energy.

Along with everyone else in our city, I watched the installation with fascination and amazement. The turbines are very impressive to say the least. They stand like bright sentinels on our ridge and you can see them from practically everywhere around.

Each one stands 78 meters (256 feet) to the hub with a rotor diameter of 82 meters (269 feet) The equivalent of 50 loads of concrete was poured for each foundation.

The land they sit on has been used for hikers, cross country skiers and other recreational users for years as well as providing both private and community cattle grazing as well.

Great care was taken to respect the environment and leave as little impact as possible. Cattle still graze there, restoration of the habitat is ongoing and the public is very welcome to visit.

Make sure you plan your own trip to experience the Wind Turbines up close and personal... feel the wind on your face and enjoy the awesome view.

Catching the Wind on Bear Mountain