Southern Alberta offers entertaining options

Art and culture should be fostered in any community or region in our diverse country.

Canada is home to many entertainment icons and from coast-to-coast the country hosts many concerts, live theatre shows, festivals, and special events.

Entertainment, in southern Alberta, should be celebrated and more art and culture festivities should take place to soothe the inner thespian, artiste and rock/pop/country star.

Lethbridge County is home to great family-friendly destination attractions — the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, Prairie Tractor and Engine Museum and the Gem of the West Museum to name a few.

The City of Lethbridge hosts many concerts throughout the year. Recently, KISS and Elton John appeared live and The Backstreet Boys and The Abba Show were featured at the Enmax Centre.

North Americans seem to love tribute shows. The Abba Show, which was held earlier this month, and the upcoming Michael Jackson History Thriller Show in June are well-received and well-attended. Many said The Abba Show was as if Abba was live and in person and Kenny Wizz, indeed knows how to wear the glittery glove, perform the signature Jackson dance moves and even sounds like the late-great “King of Pop.”

Southern Alberta also welcomes Rascal Flatts and Alice in Chains this summer and Stuart McLean and the legendary Gordon Lightfoot in the fall.

Calgary also has a lot to offer, to not only tourists, but southern Albertans looking to get away for the day or weekend.

Calaway Park is open for the season and the Calgary Stampede is coming up in July. Cowtown also hosts the annual Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo and is home to the Glenbow Museum, which currently has actual original masterworks of art from Salvador Dali, impressive. Lethbridge is also home to the Lethbridge Entertainment Expo in the fall and the Galt Museum.

This summer — Coaldale has its Settler Days, Picture Butte has its Jamboree Days, Coalhurst has its Miners Days, Taber has its Corn Fest and Lethbridge has its Whoop Up Days.

Whether into live theatre, concerts, fairs, sporting events, festivals or artifacts — southern Alberta has a lot to offer, in terms of being entertained and enjoying time well spent with the family.

There’s also Waterton Lakes National Park and a wide-assortment of provincial parks nearby to camp, cook hotdogs and marshmallows on an open fire while someone plays a guitar, hike, and perhaps fish and/or swim.

Not too far away in Medicine Hat the Esplanade Theatre also features many must-see performances by some of the biggest names in show business. This summer the Esplanade features Scott Weiland, former frontman for Stone Temple Pilots and Burton Cummings. The Hat welcomes Glass Tiger, Steve Earle and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Medicine Hat is home to the Stampede too.

Fort Macleod hosts the South Country Fair in July and Calgary brings a plethora of acts to the big city this summer including Michael Buble, Cher, Queen with Adam Lambert, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry and Motley Crue’s final tour in the fall.

Southern Alberta is alive and well in 2014.

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