Do you want to try camping? If you have never taken a trip to the lake, set up a tent, built a campfire, and roasted marshmallows, there are now Classic Camping Kits available to borrow at Pincher Creek Municipal Library, in partnership with Alberta Parks! With a kit, you can get a taste of camping without spending the effort and resources to gather all the equipment.

Each Classic Camping Kit includes:
A tent
Foam sleeping mats

Classic Campers seek out campsites that are tent-friendly, nicely tucked away in the forest, and wonderfully positioned in a cellphone-free zone. No need for water or power hookups - Classic Camps are usually a short walk to a well-maintained outhouse and water hydrant. Classic Campers travel in small groups and cook over the fire at night. Alberta Parks maintains a number of Classic Camp locations in Southwest Alberta, including Beauvais Lake Provincial Park, Oldman River Dam Provincial Recreation Area, and Cottonwood Campground

For more information about Classic Camping Kits, visit Pincher Creek Municipal Library!

Note: Library patrons signing out Classic Camping Kits supply their own food, sleeping bags, and must return all the equipment in clean, working condition. 

The Library Helped to Me to Play

I went into the library one afternoon in the fall of 2017 and noticed that there was poster advertising: "Drumming Lessons in the Library".  When I commented about it, the staff told me that there was also going to be violin lessons offered.  I have always loved fiddle music, but the thought of learning to play had never occurred to me and peeked my interest.  I borrowed a fiddle from a good friend, and sign up!

The class consisted of people who already played, played other instruments, and two (me and another) who had never played before.  I didn't even know how to read music.

The instructor started with some very basic information on how to put the fiddle on your shoulder and how to hold the bow.  Then she got us started using it: draw the bow down, finger off the string, back up, finger on the string, and vice versa.  And it sounded good! By the end of the lesson, I felt that maybe this was something I could do.

There were four lessons.  I learned a lot and they were fun.  Phil Lethbridge had arrived to help with the first class, which was a real thrill.  I have listened to him play and have danced to his music for years, and to have him there helping was very special.

That winter, my husband and I spent time with an old friend of ours in Arizona, who is a fiddle player.  He and I talked a lot about fiddling and reading music, which is like learning another language.  Without me knowing, he and harry bought me a student fiddle.  Our friend's words to me were "get a teacher".  

When I got home, I contacted another friend who plays the fiddle and had also helped with the lessons at the library.  He told me about a teacher he knew who is was very established and so I called her.

Since then, I have traded up to a better fiddle, bought a good bow, and continue with my lessons.  This would not have happened if the Pincher Creek Library hadn't offered the free group fiddle lessons. I am very grateful for that.  Being able to play music has added a wonderful new dimension to my life.