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They Know Who They Are
Brendan Cummins Photography:Baron PhotoGraphics

travezty THE ROOM IS SMALL, CROWDED AND NOISY.

The five guys hanging around by the instruments seem to fit right in. They're nice, hip and have no trouble talking to the people around them. They seem to be here for a good time just like everyone else, waiting for the band to start up, just like everyone else. Then someone steps up to the microphone and tells the crowd about the band that's going to rock them tonight. "Give it up for The Travezty!!!" The crowd looks around and the guys hanging beside the instruments are now the band, up close and personal; and for The Travezty, they wouldn't have it any other way.

The Travezty is Jason Ilczynski, Brad Ilczynski, Jason Robison, Danny Douglas and Scott Robinson. The five all live in Taber and work in and around the area during the day. Their nights tend to be taken up with their music. The four original members, the two Jasons, Brad and Danny, have been playing together for years; they met Scott through Brad's brother. "I was working the rigs and heard they were looking for a singer," says Scott. "I said, ‘I can sing,' but no one believed me." Eventually Scott proved he could sing, and his joining the band proved to be the last piece of the puzzle.

 

 
Revisiting the Past
Sherry Wasilow-Mueller Photography: David Tanaka

alecarmsONCE AGAIN THIS YEAR, a partnership of community groups will host Historic Lethbridge Week, the fifth annual since its inception. Originally modelled after Edmonton's Historic Festival, now in its 10th year, Lethbridge events are designed to promote local history, highlight historical buildings, and encourage the public to share in the heritage of Lethbridge and surrounding communities. Last year's event also included partners in Magrath, Stirling and Raymond.

 
Time For a Gathering
PaulGerhart Illustration:Maya Ichikawa

cowboyIT'S BEEN A LONG DAY, but the work's done, and now it's campfire and supper and a bit of entertainment before sleep and the next day's cattle drive. It's miles to the closest settlement; and the nearest MP3 player, television, or even radio is still further away; decades into the future, so the entertainment is all live and right here.

 

 
Of Bluebirds, Boxes, and Happiness
Roger York Photograph:Shelley Coffey


bluebirdTHERE IS A STORY that if you see the bluebirds returning in the spring, you will have good luck all year long. However, a mere 60 years ago, seeing that ‘bluebird of happiness' may have been a bit of a challenge as the Mountain Bluebird, the type most common in our area, was an endangered species. This was due in part to a lack of proper nesting places and encroachment from humans as well as the use of pesticides, but mainly to the introduction of English Sparrows and starlings, both non-native and invasive species, to the bluebird habitat.

 
Global Understanding
Colette Acheson Photography:David Tanaka


ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA, the online encyclopedia, "Town twinning is a concept whereby towns or cities in geographically and politically distinct areas are paired, with the goal of fostering human contact and cultural links. In Europe, such pairs of towns globalare known as twin towns, friendship towns or partner towns; in North America, India and Australasia, the term sister cities is used for the same concept; and brother cities is the term in the former Soviet bloc." This idea of connecting people worldwide through the twinning concept was a dream of the late American president Dwight D. Eisenhower. His hope was that the world as a whole would move towards greater peace and understanding by building on mutual respect and friendship between individuals and communities from different cultures.