Go around the world in five hours when you celebrate Heritage Day, Aug. 3 in Galt Gardens.
The Southern Alberta Ethnic Association has been holding the event on the first Monday of the month which pretty much since Heritage Days was first decreed in Alberta by then Minister of Culture Dr. Horst  Schmid. The event has been moved to Galt Gardens this year.

“This year, we wanted to expand it to two days, unfortunately the roof of exhibition pavilion where we usually host it, broke,” said Southern Alberta Ethnic Association program co-ordinator John Pogorzelski.

“So rather than moving it to the South Pavilion which could seat 700 people, we decided to move it to Galt Gardens, where we can comfortably seat the 1,000 people we usually get at the event so we’re hoping for good weather,” he continued, adding it is difficult to say exactly how many people attended as they don’t charge children.

“We sold 1,100 tickets last year,” he said.
 Because the event is in Galt Gardens this year, it will be free event with plenty of food and entertainment from all over the world.

“There will be a plethora of food. We have food from all five continents — including South America, Asia, Europe and Africa,” he said, noting numerous ethnic communities are taking part in this year’s Heritage Fair including Polish, Hungarian, Columbian, Filipino, East Indian and Blackfoot plus Argentinian, Sudanese, Bhutanese.

“There are also beverages, but not like Pil or Coors that you can get anywhere.There will be beverages from all over the world for you to test your palate,” he added.
He said the many different ethnic communities enjoy participating in  Heritage Days.

Two new exhibits opening at CASA tonight feature clay and queeriosities.

“Transmissions features new works by Southern Alberta artists Jamie Hume, Giselle Peters and Mark Porcina.
“ The three artists all have  put their unique interpretations using the medium of clay,” described curator Darcy Logan. There are 20pieces in the exhibit which runs  June 27-Sept. 10.

“ They are exploring their personal history as well as the mythological world,” he continued.
 Artist Jamie Hume explored her family history through her pieces.
“I’ve been exploring my family history,“ she said, noting  finding an old photograph of her grandmother, Jessie Martin Hume.

Hume is a first and second generation Canadian as her mother was born in England and her dad’s mom and dad were both born in Scotland but met and married in Canada. 

“ I love history and I never got to talk a lot with my grandmother before she passed on. Her family claimed to be Pictish descendents. They had darker skin and darker hair. they weren’t the stereotypical red haired, fair haired Scottish,” she continued.
 She created a clay sculpture of her grandmother, but while exploring the history of Pictish mythology, was inspired to create a couple of larger, more fantastical sculpture.
“ They’re a little more mysterious,” she said.

 The second exhibit is  Cabinet of Queeriosities III, which has expanded from old cabinets at the old Bowman  Arts Centre to an entire room.

The fourth annual Nishikaze anime festival is a year-long project for it’s enthusiastic organizers.


“It’s an open community for everything to do with Anime — Japanese animation. It’s a day filled with activities and of course Cosplay,” enthused University of Lethbridge New Media student Stefie Simms, who has been hard at work sewing two intricately detailed costumes based on two of her favourite Anime characters for the fourth annual Nishikaze — Lethbridge’s Anime Festival—June 16 event at Merkin Hall.


“I’ve been working on them for the past year. I actually can’t wait for this to be over so I can start working on the next one,” bubbled Simms, who is the co-ordinator of her favourite part of the festival — the cosplay portion of the event, which takes place from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. 
She has taken part in the cosplay competitions at Anime festivals all over Western Canada and even out to the east coast, and through her participation, has earned the title of Master in Cosplay.


She will be dressed as Maou from the cartoon Maoyu.


“I love her attitude,” she said.


She also created a second  costume — a far less elaborate maid's outfit which she will be wearing while working the Café Ayaku maid café which will offer snacks and a variety of games.

She suggested patrons check out the Pokemon League as well as the U of L Fine Arts and New Media Department’s  Cute Em Ups, which she won’t be able to attend due to working the maid‘s cafe.
 She spent between 30-40 hours on each costume.


Maid Cafes are popular in Japan where the staff dress up as maids and act as servants, treating customers as masters and mistresses in a private home rather than as customers.
The annual event is a celebration of all things related to the Japanese form of animation — anime.


“It’s a great community of people who really enjoy doing what they love doing,” she enthused.