HIGH RIVER NEWS

When most people think of Spruce Meadows’ president Linda Southern-Heathcott, it’s show jumping that springs to mind, but it may surprise many to hear that dogs actually play a big part of the CEO’s day-to-day life as well. As the former Olympic showjumper gears up for the historic venue’s inaugural PetFest this weekend, (Apr. 19-21), she gives […]

On Friday, April 26, join the High River Gift of Music volunteers for an unforgettable evening capturing the spirit, stylistic approach and distinctive sound of a glorious musical era and celebrate their 15th season finale. Step back to a flamboyant moment in musical history with cellists Elinor Frey and Rosa Barocca, under the direction of Claude […]

Independent filmmaker Levi Holwell from Calgary directed “Magic Hours”, a documentary which looks at a few movie houses in small communities in Alberta, including the Wales Theatre, and had a showing at the theatre on Saturday, April 6. “There’s something special about old independent movie theatres across the country but, unfortunately, many of them are […]

There is a new exhibit at the Museum of the Highwood called “Be Prepared: Guiding and Scouting in High River” and will be on display until the May long weekend, May 18th. The exhibit was curated by Delainey Niven, the Young Canada Works Building Careers in Heritage Museum of the Highwood intern. “I was excited to do this […]

The Highwood Memorial Centre Society “Giving Gala”, for Saturday, April 13 has been canceled and the silent auction and 50/50 Raffle has been moved on-line. “Unfortunately, we had to bite the bullet and cancel the gala this past week. We could not see a way to hit close to a break even on it with […]

A prominent voice on Sun Country 99.7FM, AM 1140 and the Eagle 100.9FM is retiring. Golden West Broadcasting news and sports director Don McCracken has decided to drop the mike and leave the stage after 39 years in broadcasting. “Right out of high school, I took the two-year program in business administration and flunked out […]

The room at the Highwood Memorial Centre was full as the Windmill Theatre Players hosted their “Stroll Down Memory Lane Tea and Fashion Show” on Saturday, March 16. Fashions from the Windmill Theatre Players 50 years of productions were worn by the actors that played the role themselves and 94-year-old Francis Ferguson was there to […]

AHS made an announcement on Mar. 21 about the private ambulance transfer services. The talk was about IFT (Interfacility Transport) Private Operators moving patients between hospitals and home. Medavie West has been awarded the contract. Paramedic Don Sharpe says that they are a respected company but there could be problems. “There are major problems with […]

Chelsae Petrovic, MLA for Livingstone-Macleod, will assist Adriana LaGrange as the province restructures its health-care system

Over 100 people attended the Robbie Burns Night, hosted by the Highwood Highland Dancers on Friday, Feb. 9 at the Masonic Hall in High River. “For those of you who may not have Scottish heritage or may not realize that in January and February annually, Scotland celebrates the life and work of her national poet […]

The Town of High River will soon be seeking feedback from residents and business owners on a proposed Pilot Entertainment District in the downtown area. Entertainment Districts are designated public areas where adults can consume alcohol while enjoying entertainment options within defined boundaries. If approved, a pilot period for the district would be scheduled from […]

At the Town Council meeting on Monday, Feb. 26, Town Council approved the allocation of the 2024 Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) Community Grants, as recommended by the FCSS Community Grant Task Force, to come from the 2024 FCSS budget, as follows: · $ 10,000 to the BGC Foothills Club; · $ 7,500 to Connections Program […]

The meeting on the Big Rock Solar Farm west of High River (at East Longview Hall) did not go as expected for Enerfin. The goal of the meeting was to answer questions for visitors. There were about 200 people who attended on Feb. 22. Enerfin Energy Company is proposing a 430 acre /90 megawatt solar […]

“Grease” is the word for the next Windmill Theatre Players musical coming to the Highwood Centre stage in April. The musical is co-directed by longtime Windmill members Karen Lawrence Stevenson and Jim Goodwin. “You can’t direct a play when you haven’t done one before, so Jim is my co-director. I am really excited about my […]

The Red Dog Black Cat Pet Products store, 55 – 8th Avenue SE, held their open house on Sunday, Feb. 18 and saw many fluffy and furry pets come through the doors. The Laidley family opened the doors of their store back in January, 2024, and they have a lot of Canadian made products in […]

A public meeting is being held on Thursday, Feb. 29 at the Blackie School Gym at 6:00 p.m. In January, Enfinite put forth a proposal for a battery storage facility that they want to locate and build in Foothills County near Blackie. Enfinite is proposing the construction of a 100-megawatt (MW) battery storage project located […]

Enerfin Energy Company is proposing a 430 acre /90 megawatt solar farm on the Archie and Janet Hogg Park road, 64th Avenue West, and the corner of 466 Ave West, on the west side up on the hill, 27 kilometers west of High River. Enerfin Energy is part of the Elecnor Group, a global company, […]

The community gathered on a much nicer Saturday and watched world renowned ice sculpture artist Scott Harrison from Calgary and three of his colleagues perform their craft on ten blocks of ice for each sculpture that turned into a rearing Mustang and a dancing dragon throughout the day. Harrison did his homework and wanted to […]

The Town of High River hosted a free public event at the Highwood Memorial Centre to show off a collection of photos and stories that the community shared with them from their “Magic of High River” project on Saturday, Feb. 10. Many people wandered through and browsed the displays and enjoyed a fine array of […]

The Ubuntu Eats Spicy Pie Challenge has declared a winner and that was Lee Braaten, co-owner of High River Dairy Queen, who has generously donated his winnings to Food for Thought in High River. “The spicy challenge was fun – for those watching! Last year we had school students, local media and four businessmen take […]

The Integrity Group of Companies, a Foothills-based leader in post-frame construction and building product supply, proudly donates to the Foothills Country Hospice Society for its current expansion project. The sizable gift-in-kind contribution comes in the form of framing materials for the construction of the Hospice expansion, effectively doubling its current size and capacity. “This gift […]

Back by popular demand, Steve Hillis will be performing classical music at the Spitzee Bar and Grill. The Voices of Legends Tribute Show, featuring Steve Hillis – a veteran tribute guy is coming back to High River by popular demand. The show will take place on Mar. 9 at the Spitzee Bar and Grill at […]

After much anticipation, Steakhouse by My Pizza opened their doors this week and started a new chapter in their family’s restaurant history. “I’m excited. I’m excited for the change. The change was needed and I think we have brought a lot of good things to this community and want to make it a staple here […]

A live auction sale for the Carol Allsop estate takes place this Sunday, Feb. 18 in Nanton. The sale will feature household items, as well as collectibles, vehicles and more, and starts at 10 a.m. at the Nanton Community Memorial Centre, 2204 18 St. Visit lalondeauction.com for the listing and photos. The sale is being […]

A five game win streak has seen the High River Brewing Company Flyers vault above the Strathmore Wheatland Kings into a potential playoff spot. The Flyers sit with 39 points in the Heritage Junior Hockey League’s (HJHL) South Division, one ahead of the Kings with a game in hand. High River swept two games over […]

High River resident Bruce Wood has his own disc golf net in his yard on 5th Avenue SE and practices daily. “My kids got me a disc golf net for Christmas and we set it up in the yard. I was told there was a disc golf course in High River but there isn’t and […]

On Tuesday, Feb. 6, Shelby Opheim from 2 Hearts Equine was riding her horse through High River and was pulled over by a High River peace officer. “This is the fifth time in six months that we have been stopped but this is the first time we were told we’d be arrested. We were told […]

After a month of being closed to the public for renovations, the High River Royal Canadian Legion Branch #71 is once again open for business. The walls have a fresh coat of paint, the floor in the entire building was replaced and there are new chairs. “The floors are wonderful, they look great, and they’ll […]

Over 50 people attended the Windmill Theatre Players Trivia Night, the first of many theatre events to be held celebrating their 50th Anniversary year. Did you know the year that Windmill Theatre Players did their first musical was in 1976? It was “My Fair Lady” and there have been 98 main stage shows since its […]

Enfinite, a green energy supplier from Calgary, is planning to develop a Laramide Battery Storage Facility between Blackie and High River. They are planning to place 105 lithium batteries with 24-hour lighting near Roxanne Weeks farm. “Our farm is the only property within 400 metres of the location, so legally they were only required to […]

High River residents love the community’s trails and outdoor living. The Town plans to build on this with the formal adoption of High River’s first “Active Transportation Plan” by High River Town Council. The Town received $50,000 in funding from Infrastructure Canada to complete the plan, which focuses on improving and expanding its Active Transportation […]

The Foothills Flyers u11 teams (tier 3 and tier 5) hosted the Flyers New Year’s Invitational hockey tournament and both won gold. The tournament was played from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7 Teams from all over Alberta from as far as Duchess, Blackfalds, Strathcona, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, all the way to Fort McMurray competed […]

Rotary Club of High River Canadian Flags 2024 Campaign has started. Would you like to be a part of having a Canadian flag on your front lawn or give a flag as a gift to a neighbour, family member or a friend? A Rotary Club member will drop off a card to your home address, […]

The first baby born at the High River General Hospital in 2024 was a nine-pound four-ounce boy, Myles George Wheeliker at 7:52 p.m., delivered by Dr. Patty Lee, on Wednesday, Jan. 3. His mom, Shannon, and dad, Geoff Wheeliker are from south Calgary, and this is their second child. They have a seven-year-old daughter, Caroline. […]

The High River and District Seniors Friendship Centre is looking forward to 2024. “We hope to see more new members in 2024. We are currently sitting a little over 200 members and when I came on as president about a year ago, we were around 130. I would like to see every senior in High […]

For the past three years, the volunteers at the Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre have lit up the grain elevators seasonally and for special occasions. “Our main intent on lighting up the elevators was to raise awareness of them and to use it as a way to spread and bring joy. We are trying to […]

It’s a time of year that often puts extra pressure on us. Christmas could affect your mental health if you wish you didn’t have to deal with Christmas, or find it stressful because of other events in your life, or you may feel alone or left out because everyone else seems happy when you’re not. […]

Gratuitous, formerly Gratuitous Platypus of High River, has their debut single “Zoomer” releasing on Friday, Jan. 5, alongside a music video directed and produced by another High River local and award-winning film industry member, Jason Nolan. The video is being featured with an exclusive screening at Wales Theatre on Friday, Jan. 5 at 6:15 p.m. […]

Akshobya Kadampa Buddhist Centre in Okotoks is ready to offer a relaxing class on Buddhist Meditation. Resident Teacher at Akshobya Kadampa Buddhist Centre in Okotoks, Kelsang Khacho says that her classes can be beneficial to many, as stress and anger are built up in lots of people. The Buddhist Meditation classes are open to everyone […]

An estimated 10,000 people lined the downtown streets of High River in -3C weather to watch in wonder as the colourful lights on floats slowly went by them. The participants in this year’s 37th Annual Santa Claus Parade were judged on music, lights, theme and participation. “The criteria is pretty simple and we judge each entry […]

The Highwood High School basketball season is underway with two pre-season tournaments under the books. On Dec. 1, it was the beginning of the Highwood High School Basketball season. The JV Boys played in the Bearspaw Christian School Tournament. They edged Calgary Christian, 42-40, in their first game. The boys came up short in the semifinal, […]

Highwood High School is preparing a coming-of-age war time story, centering on women of the March family. Jo March isn’t your typical Victorian lady. She’s unconventional and headstrong, and determined to be a great novelist one day; Meg hopes to marry and start a family; Amy wishes she could hurry and just grow up already; […]

In honour of Remembrance Day, Seasons High River held its annual Pennies for Poppies fundraiser from Nov. 1 until Nov. 11. Seasons Retirement Communities across Ontario and Alberta actively raised funds for Royal Canadian Legion branches locally, paying tribute to the veterans who have served our country with honour and dedication. Paper poppies were ‘planted’ […]

Just in time for the holidays, the Buzz Brass quintet is coming to High River. This concert will feature brass at its best, delivered with intelligence, whimsy, and skill. Five horns – trumpets horns and trombones to fill your senses. Join the Gift of Music, on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the High […]

Lise Brisebois Blouin is retiring as the Director of Central Community and Rural Facilities for the Alberta Health Services for Calgary Zone. She has been working at the High River Hospital since 2000 and will indeed miss her time here. She also oversees Diamond Valley Oilfields Hospital, the Okotoks Health and Wellness Centre and allied health in […]

It’s time to light up High River for Christmas. Now that the Rotary Club of High River and a team of community volunteers have decorated George Lane Park with lights and displays creating such a wonderful sight-seeing experience, imagine what feelings the whole of High River dressed up in lights might cause. This is the […]

The 37th Santa Claus Parade, “Celebrating Moms”, returns to downtown High River on Friday, Dec. 1, at 6:30 p.m. The parade began 37 years ago when John Nieberg asked his wife, Sue, what she wanted for her birthday and she said a Christmas parade. “John got together with Active 20-30 members and the first Santa […]