The countdown is on for the Alberta International Air Show 20th performance anniversary celebration at the Lethbridge County Airport July 23-24. But it is only one of many big anniversaries this year.
“It will be a celebration of aviation,” said Stacy Green, the show’s public relations and publicity director. “It’s going to be a loud show, with lots of jets and lots of speed. There will be more pyro than we’ve ever had before other than with Tora Tora Tora.”
While the air show has been around for a long time, it has taken a few breaks due to circumstances beyond organizers’ control.
This year will be the 20th performance. This year also marks the 100 anniversary of flight in Alberta, the 45th anniversary of the now-defunct Time Air and the 40th anniversary of the Skyhawks.
So Green noted organizers have an excellent couple days of “soul-pounding excitement” planned for the 20,000 some people expected to attend.

Though it has only just begun, parents may already be hearing the common summer refrain “I’m bored; there’s nothing to do” from their offspring.
There’s one solution: send them to camp.
 In addition to a wide selection of sports camps, there are camps involving everything from tearing apart and reconstructing computers to acting, exploring nature, history and art.
Steve Cairns teaches a computer camp at the Immigrant Services building, 705 2 Ave. S.
“It’s hardware. We do very little with software, only the operating system and how to keep it running,” Cairns said just after giving a dozen students age 10 to 15 a demonstration of how to take apart a personal computer and then put it back together, and then leaving them to do it themselves. The computers were all donated by charitable organization Computers For Schools.
The 10-day camps run throughout July and August.

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.