Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/309330
10 w e s t w o r l d A l b e r t A | s u m m e r 2 0 1 4 Roll the Bones Bored with bocce? Try tossing bones at your next family barbecue. That's the basis of bunnock, a little-known lawn game played at summer cabins and sports fi elds across Alberta. Line up two rows of 20 white bones ("soldiers") fl anked by two black bones ("guards") – one line for each team. The object is to knock down all of your opponent's bones, starting with the guards, using heavier bones ("throwers"). Bunnock came to Canada with German immigrants in the early 1900s. Its origins are hazy, but supposedly soldiers stationed in northern Siberia invented the game as an alternative to horseshoes, which was diffi cult to play on frozen ground. They also had a surplus of horses' ankle bones. Today's bunnock sets are made of plastic that emulates real bones in size and weight. Ground zero is Macklin, Sask., where the annual World Bunnock Championships are held. But the Canadian Bunnock Championships in Vegreville, August 23 and 24, are gaining ground – last year, 24 teams participated. Also, the 3rd Annual Joseph H. Gartner Memorial Bunnock Tournament runs May 31 at Edmonton's Whitemud Equine Learning Centre Association. –S.R. Leading Ladies On October 18, 1929, Canada's Famous Five – Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards – won their campaign for women to be deemed "persons" under Canada's constitution. On June 20, the Famous Five Centre of Canadian Women will open its doors at Heritage Park Historical Village, as part of the park's 50th anniversary. The centre, a reproduction of McClung's 1907 Tudor-style Calgary home, is an opportunity "to not only share the stories of the Famous Five, but of all infl uential women in Canadian history," says Alida Visbach, park president and CEO. heritagepark.ca –Shauna Rudd IPAD SPECIAL: 35 Things to Do Around Alberta Meet an astronaut, luge on dry land, learn to play the accordion – and so much more! Download the iPad issue and let Westworld Alberta fi ll your summer calendar with the best Alberta events, sights and attractions. ama.ab.ca/WestworldDigital Minty Centre DID YOU KNOW? Bow Island, near Medicine Hat, is one of Canada's top producers of Scotch spearmint essential oil for industry giants like Wrigley and Colgate. is year, Alberta will meet around 25 per cent of North American demand. "Scotch spearmint oil is a relatively niche crop; there are only fi ve farms producing it in Alberta, and four are in Bow Island," says agronomist Gordon Reynolds of Dale acker Specialty Crops. –S.R. (leading ladies) edward kwong, (mint) istock, (roll the bones) dave tameling p08-11AroundAlberta.indd 10 14-04-29 9:11 AM