Cover Story

Dale Woodard
For the Sun Times
Thirty-three years of burning rubber and counting.
   For over three decades the Street Wheelers’ Street Machine Weekend has been geared toward car enthusiasts, be it showing off in the show and shine or tearing up 100 feet of pavement in the quickest possible time.
Now, as the Street Wheelers rev into their 33rd year, the annual event remains as much of a passion for cars as a family affair for chairman Jordan Vander Woude and vice-chairman Raymond Huppee.
“The club has been around for about two or three years longer than that. My father (Lauren) and a whole bunch of his friends started it back then. That’s how I got roped into it,” said Vander Woude, whose brother Dustin is also a member and his main car a 1969 Beetle. “(Lauren) was a big car guy. He and his friends were all car guys. They got together and started a club and decided they should do something with it. It’s been 33 years of that and I’d like to say it’s still going strong.”
The amount of participation the event enjoys each year backs up that theory.
“I think it’s something people look forward to now that it’s been here for 33 years,” said Vander Woude. “You would hate to stop it. I know I would be heartbroken if the event shut down and that’s why I’m a part of it. Being a car person, it’s a major weekend Lethbridge has. They have lots of other car shows that are put on well, but I think this is the biggest one.”

The streets of Lethbridge will be alive with the sounds of music for Canada Day.
   As per usual, there will be something for everyone at both Henderson Lake Park all day long until the fireworks and in Galt Gardens during the day.
While Henderson Lake has a variety of family activities from 10 a.m. until the fireworks predicted to start at about 11 p.m., it is all about the music in Galt Gardens
“The only requirement was that they be good or show promise,” said Jill Skriver, who has been organizing the music in the park for the past seven years.
 Bridgette Yarwood kicks things off with a solo set at 10 a.m..
“How do you get better than that?” Skriver asked.

With gasoline prices spiralling upward, a lot of people are vacationing close to home. And why not? People from all over the world come to southern Alberta to explore a variety of options in our own backyard from music and art, haunted mansions in Stirling and ghost towns.
In Lethbridge alone, there are music and arts festivals, 140 kilometres of walking paths, five public swimming pools, not including private pools such as the YMCA pool. There are also trails, mountains, national historical sites like Fort Whoop-Up down in the coulee, all within easy access — some within walking and cycling distances.
“Lethbridge has a lot in the community, so make sure you take a walk,” said Brenda Neufeld, marketing co-ordinator of Age Care, addressing a fascinated group of seniors at the Crossings branch of the Lethbridge Public Library during its Café Chat on June 16. She began by asking the group a series of questions about what they thought Lethbridge’s attractions were, which echoed the presentation of Chinook Country Tourism’s Phil Edmundson.
Edmundson said Chinook Tourism operates two tourism centres which attract about 45,000 people a year, 10 per cent from Lethbridge and the rest from outside of the city.
“We just want you to get out there and enjoy all of the things we have here,” summarized Edmundson, concluding a lengthy presentation outlining many of southern Alberta’s tourist attractions.

Richard Amery
For the Sun Times
Jazz music has the reputation of being wild, crazy and spontaneous, but the Lethbridge Jazz Society wants to show it is also accessible as well.
So the Lethbridge Jazz Society is getting jazzed for the first official annual Jazz Festival, June 16-19 under the banner of the newly formed society.
Last year was such a success that the organizers decided to make this year’s bigger and better, expanding the number of venues emphasizing local talent and including the jazz programs in the local schools.
In addition to primary venues like the Southern Alberta Art Gallery, which hosts the Lethbridge Big Band, 5 Decades of Swing program to kick off the event, June 16 at 8 p.m., as well as the Slice, Tongue N Groove, Sterndale bennett Theatre, there will also be a supper-time jazz program throughout the week at Ric’s Grill, the Mocha Cabana, Plum and Streatside.
“We’ve expanded it. We’ve tried to keep it so there are more opportunities for musicians to play,” said Lethbridge Jazz Society president Don Robb. “It’s all pretty mainstream. There isn’t going to be a lot of freestyle. There will be a lot of music people will recognize. It’s very accessible,” Robb continued. He is pleased Lethbridge is able to do their own jazz festival as they were associated with the Medicine Hat Jazz festival last year. He is happy to continue working in conjunction with them this year.