Westworld Alberta

10 W E S T W O R L D A L B E R T A | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 (sunshine skillet) foodcollection/maxx images, (curling) anil mungal IRON SKILLS Over the past few years, cooking competitions have shifted from TV screens to town halls, with foodies and chefs traipsing up and down the province to battle it out for cash prizes and bragging rights. Medicine Hat's Sunshine Skillet is quickly rising in the ranks. As the festival gears up for its third go this April 17–19, organizers promise an even bigger event. On day one, take your seat for an alfresco sunset dinner under the 66-metre-tall Saamis Teepee. On days two and three, the competitions heat up at the Medicine Hat Exhibition Grounds, with Shane Chartrand, executive chef of River Cree Resort & Casino, and Scott Pohorelic, SAIT culinary instructor and former River Café executive chef, among the judges. Contestants create a dish using a box of local ingredients revealed only minutes before the timers start. Each day, judges select winners in professional and amateur categories. Cheer on your favourite cooks, compete yourself or shop for local produce at the two-day marketplace. sunshineskillet.com –Tracy Hyatt POCKETS FULL OF POSIES Tucked between the buildings of historic downtown Black Diamond, 65 kilometres southwest of Calgary, are the town's pocket gardens – four tiny green spaces filled with flowers, foliage and benches. e gardens were created to fill gaps between struc- tures, as part of a restoration project to return the town to the boomtown look of the 1940s and '50s. "ey're unique because they're not on municipally owned land; they're on private property so they're maintained by volunteers," says parks and recre- ation manager Les Quinton. Another feature are 1930s billboard ads, displayed in frames along the garden walls. "at's the part that's kind of sad," says Quinton, "because they're fading and it's too costly to restore them." For now, appreciate them as you stroll down Main Street, ducking into these little oases along the way. town.blackdiamond.ab.ca –S.R. Top of the Rocks Here's your chance to see some of the world's best curling. The top 10 men's teams in the world will battle it out for a $100,000 prize in the first-ever Syncrude Elite 1, sweeping into Fort McMurray's MacDonald Island Park this March 18–22. Tickets for the full event, which is part of the Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling series, are $230 (general) or $330 (VIP); single-day tickets are also available. thegrandslamofcurling.com –S.R. Members save 20% on beans at Mad Hatter Coffee Roastery in Medicine Hat, where small batches of organic, specialty-grade beans are roasted daily. AMARewards.ca/ MadHatter Olds College Teaching Brewery coordinator Peter Johnston- Berresford supervises as student Jake Holland caps a growler; (bottom left) Canadian Olympic champion skip Brad Jacobs is a contender to compete in the new Syncrude Elite 1 in Fort McMurray this March.

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