Two Cowboys are Getting Lost in the Boundary Country of British Columbia

Boundary Where?

When you tell someone that you are from the Boundary Country, they have no idea where it is. Where? The Boundary Country is in British Columbia. It is the strip of country nestled between the Okanagan and Kootenay Valleys that is hugging the US Border to the South of Canada.

It is understandable that people don't know much about the area. It dates from a different era. American miners poured across the border in 1859 during the Rock Creek Gold Rush. In subsequent years they were followed by the discovery and industrialization of the area's abundant mineral resources. 

DO YOU WANT YOUR BUSINESS FEATURED?

Copper provided the industrial base for development in the region, with many large mines and smelters, and associated mining camps and communities. At one time these settlements were large enough that there were two provincial electoral seats in the area - Greenwood and Grand Forks. At one time, Greenwood was even in contention for the Capital of the Province.

The communities of Boundary had three major railways connecting them to the rest of the world. The Kettle Valley Rail Trail and the Columbia and Western Rail Trail now form part of The Great Trail (formerly the Trans Canada Trail). Another trail, the Dewdney Trail ventures east from Christina Lake.

Several towns from this era have since disappeared or vanished beyond recognition. Among them are Eholt, Deadwood, Cascade Falls and Phoenix. Many more are following in their footsteps. When you drive through, it seems the rest of Canada forgot about the Boundary. Names like Phoenix, Beaverdell, Rock Creek, Westbridge and Bridesville means nothing to folks that are not from there. If you mention Big White, Grand Forks and Christina Lake, there may be a flickering of recognition.

Observations

Why bother with the Boundary Country?

We are not giving you a fluffy destination tourism pitch of nice weather, clean air, and great tasting water. It has all of that by the bucket load, coupled with a good dollop of history and natural variety. On the tourism front, it has the potential to outcompete with many destinations in Western Canada, even its closest cousin - Kelowna (yes, we know we are pushing it - hear us out).

Here is another angle. We think it is a place caught in a twilight zone between the end of industrialization and the potentialities of the neo-digital revolution. It combines affordable living and lifestyle, with digital reach and old-school faculty. Heck, the second busiest highway in BC runs through it, and it borders agricultural breadbaskets to the West, East and the South!

It is bound to be discovered by digital road warriors and the feck-this-9-5-life, time-to-become-an-artisan folk. It is similar to places like Revelstoke and Canmore. Only, it is still affordable. It offers the potential of natural living to highly educated people that are looking to break out of mad-rush city careers and cutthroat mortgages in favour of artesian lifestyles and meaningful lives.

Boundary Country offers plenty more space, affordability, quality living, good infrastructure, and all the possibilities to make a living working online, blowing glass, weaving, building furniture, spinning pots, brewing beer, blacksmithing, raising goats, roasting coffee, chocolateering, planting stuff, or running a butcher shop or deli on the side.

It offers a digital future with 18th-century charm - without breaking the bank.

You can still buy a plot of land for under $50,000, and build a nice little house for less than $250,000 in one of the many typical small towns. They all have the requisite infrastructure, lack restrictive and overbearing zoning, and are within striking distance by road and air to the leading centres in BC, Washington, Idaho, Montana and the world.

It is a transport corridor and a tourism destination without bounds, that offers nature trails, history, lakes, mountains, skiing, hiking, biking, boating, swimming, etcetera. It has the best weather and water in Canada - milder winters and balmy summers.

The only thing the Boundary Country needs is to be discovered by people looking for a better way of living. We think it has the potential. That is why we are here, and why we are telling the world about it. Prepare to hear a lot more about it from the Two Cowboys. Get in touch if you, like us, want to visit or relocate to this newfound affordable little paradise. Come and build something new here where it is still possible, where people once thrived, we can do it again.

Together with those that are already here, we look forward to welcoming you.

Merry Christmas. See you in 2019!

Hendrik
Boundary Cowboy

We earn our livelihood by producing great content and supporting inspiring people, businesses, and communities. Please book us here so we can tell your story too.

Photos

Passing Through

The View

Town Hall Greenwood

Golden Mornings 

Living Wood

When Travel Gets Real: The Two Cowboys - New Zealand Beer and Culinary Experience 2018

Parking the Elusion

Here are some big numbers to keep in mind: Travel & Tourism constitutes ten percent of the world's GDP. The GDP contribution of travel touched $8 trillion in 2015 and is set to be rising to almost $12 trillion a decade from now. It is also one of the most fragmented, complex and misrepresented industries in the world!

Yet, for a small country like New Zealand, international visitors deliver $40 million in foreign exchange to the economy each day of the year. This is one in five export Dollars earned by the country. Domestic tourism contributes another $59 million in economic activity every day. Tourism generated a direct contribution to GDP of $14.7 billion, or 5.9% of GDP in 2017. Why is New Zealand so prosperous in their tourism campaign?

DO YOU WANT YOUR DESTINATION OR BUSINESS FEATURED?

We have our views about why New Zealand is punching above its weight in this sector. Firstly, the New Zealand landscape is unique. It has an incredibly diverse natural beauty from the North Island to the South. You don't have to go far to be in awe with the shades of greens, blacks, blues and whites that are dished up to your camera lens, all hours of the day and night. It is a nature photographer's paradise.

New Zealand has a rich and diverse cultural landscape too. It blends Pacific, European and Asian into a beautiful tapestry of people and community. It is probably one of the only places where you wash down a lamb dim sum donburi with limoncello, and have a creampuff with your kumara madras.

Speaking of food, it is an absolute culinary paradise. Everything grows and thrives in the fertile New Zealand climate. Agriculture has been the backbone of the economy since the country's inception. It was only in 2013 that Tourism took over from dairy as the dominating export of the nation. New Zealand attracts great culinary talent with all this beautiful produce, that is locally grown and innovatively cultivated. There is no shortage of food celebrations, shows and festivals which, together with sports, make the country an event magnet.

Getting Real Marketing Done Deep Downunder

Here is the real reason why we love New Zealand: Small businesses thrive! Competition is healthy, and people are innovative when they bring products and services to market. The tourism product is good, and it keeps growing. They know to celebrate their successes and tell their stories. Marketing is a crucial foundation for everyone involved in New Zealand's tourism businesses.

Our Canadian Provinces are missing this crucial point. It doesn't matter how many Dollars you throw at the not-for-profit staff-bloated destination supposed marketing organizations, if the product is not solidly good, even they cannot put lipstick on a pig. There must be an incentive for tourism and travel operators to market themselves. Like so many other matters, leaving a government in charge of this crucial business task is courting disaster.

Canada has a lot of natural splendour, but its entrepreneurs have lost their motivation. What should be a help to develop the tourism product of Canada has become like so many things in the country, just another destination marketing gravy train for tenure incentivized bureaucrats. What remains to be marketed then is... natural splendour. If only we - the Two Cowboys - can get a more significant chance to highlight Canada's tourism product and related businesses, then we may just be able to light the flame again of entrepreneurship and blow it stronger for Canada, our other home country.

In the meantime, while we sit out the cold winter months, we cannot get enough of exploring this great little country of New Zealand. We can call it our village because we also carry a Kiwi Passport. We are and remain committed to its success!

Enjoy our travels deep Downunder and we hope you can make the journey with us in person, one day. See you back in Canada again, soon.

Hendrik
Kiwi Cowboy

We earn our livelihood by producing great content and supporting inspiring people, businesses, and communities. Please book us here so we can tell your story too.

Episodes

Episode 2: Flying from Kelowna, BC to Auckland, NZ

Episode 3: Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival

Episode Next: Cooking in the Coromandel

Getting Lucky with Lucky Rentals

The Best Cafe in Dunedin

Wanaka, New Zealand

Lucky 2

Hosed for a Handpulled Beer

Lekker Man!

Weta Hot Chocolate

El Humero

Two Cowboys: Come for the View and Stay for Comfort at Murrieta's in Canmore, Alberta

A Comfortable View

(Learn: * Inspire: * Amaze: ** Live: ****)
(The Two Cowboys Subjective Rate-o-Meter.)

There are many perfect spots for restaurants in Canmore. There is one that is a little more perfect than the others. This is where you will find Murrieta's Restaurant.

The restaurant is centrally located on Main Street in Downtown Canmore. One floor up from street level you get the best views of the surrounding mountains and the hustle and bustle of mountain town holiday shopping. Murrieta's makes the most of it with large windows to the North, West and South. It is located across from the iconic and historic Canmore Hotel.

Get More on Patreon: Click Here

"For as little as $1/month you will get the inside track on content like this and follow the travels of the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Join here."

Murrieta's has spectacular surroundings, and it makes the most of it. As you'd expect from a property in a mountain town it has the compulsory comforting hearth, vaulted ceilings, majestic beams, open plan and captivating scenery. It combines this with soft rays of natural light that flood in from the expansive glass windows. Day or night, prepare to be amazed by open vistas or bright starlight. Have I mentioned the view is spectacular?

Observations

We met up with their new Swiss Chef Marco who recently joined the restaurant. His is doing his second stint in the Bow Valley. He recently revamped Murrieta's menu with new dishes for the Winter season from high-quality ingredients sourced locally and abroad (from B.C. and other places with Sablefish). The cuisine offers up an adventurous, refreshing and inviting blend of seafood, meat dishes and pasta. Ask for the Two Cowboy version of the Pork Chop. Trust us, you will like it. All is served with uncompromising flair and style.

Cody Marks, the Assistant General Manager assured us their trusted favourites are still on the menu. "We keep it on for the locals that know that Murietta's is not just about good food and great views, but also about comfort", he said. "Here you can do a weekly stop for a cold beer, glass of wine or a cut-above bar nibble. It is not just a Sunday place."

Murrieta's is a restaurant with white tablecloths, starched napkins and silverware that includes more than one knife and fork. You will find more than one wine glass at your table, which is necessary when you discover their extensive list of wines on offer. However, Murrieta's is not pretentious. It is a comfortable place where you can bring your wife and girlfriend, out-of-town business guests or the whole family on a Sunday to have comforting well-prepared food.

Everyone is going to get something they like off the expansive menu and people won't look funny at you when you accidentally drop your fork.

Come for the view, the ambience, and the food. If you are local, come to see friends at Canmore's original white tablecloth restaurant. The place with the best views in town.

Hendrik van Wyk
Pork Chop Cowboy

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers: Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys and our Producers when you subscribe to our email list.

We are a content company. We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. It allows us to have a closer relationship with our collaborators and grow our audience. If you Sponsor us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twocowboys or Donate to our cause on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/twocowboys we can do a lot more for you, your business, event or community.

Photos

Home

Happy

Service Up

The View

o-CNN: Destination Marketing Just Tanked in Canmore, Alberta

The Mountains Are All We Need

Or is it?

Canmore Business and Tourism (CBT) packed it in, closed, retired, ceased operations and left the building. The voice of, and for Canmore business is silent. Call it what you will, but things are not going to be what they've been before.

I am not going to make this a long post. Watch the video for our thoughts on the matter. 

Alberta's businesses are hurting, and as a result its people are hurting. For a short while, here in the mountains we thought we may be immune to the contagion that is murdering the enterprising spirit of Entrepreneurs and Producers in the rest of the province. Business is good in Canmore we tell ourselves. Tourism is up. We are lucky. People can work. While it is famine everywhere else, the mountain towns are thriving. 

It is then unfortunate that here too finally we have to face the reality that maybe our own community is not really as immune as we thought. No, we are not referring to the fall in oil revenues as the driver for our misfortune and the supposed cause for the Alberta recession. Rather, we are pointing to a lack of realization and understanding of what makes a community and a Province's future possible and successful in the first place: It is its Producers, the entrepreneurs, their businesses that follow, the jobs that are created as a result, and the opportunities it presents for people to move here, live and thrive. We profile them and make videos of what they do. You can see who they are on this site.

Contrary to (more recent) popular belief: Without a healthy and thriving business base, there is no community. As they say in the country of my birth - Africa: "If you eat the chicken, you have no more eggs." Give businesses a reason to be here and Entrepreneurs the encouragement to establish themselves, and see how well the rest of the people do as a result. Why is this so hard for our politicians to get? Market this destination.

Every weekend, thousands of cars drive by our town. Thousands of opportunities are lost until we flag them down and tell them our story, and show them what we have on offer. Canmore Business and Tourism was tasked to do this job, and they've done well with what they had at their disposal.

While the model for Canmore Business and Tourism was less than ideal, its motive, commitment and results were exemplary. Surely, there was a way to make it work then, Mr Mayor?

Canmore is not a business friendly town. Ask any entrepreneur and established business owner that tries to start or operate here, and they will testify to the hazards of navigating high operating costs, stupid property lease fees, labour shortage, skewed zoning laws, high living cost, autocratic and overbearing permitting, and a less than business friendly Town Council. Then add the more recent Provincial Government's taxation and legislative agenda, and it is a wonder any business is left in Alberta.

It is sad to see the one party, who was seen to be standing for the success of businesses in this town decide to call it quits. I personally don't blame them.

CBT just had to finally do what most businesses do under similar circumstances: They close down and/or leave. As a community we are going to be worse off for it. I cannot fathom what our Town Council was thinking to let this happen. Someone will have to take this one for the team.

Hendrik van Wyk

Canmore Business Owner

P.S. If Canmore Town Council think they can step in and do the job of destination marketing, then it will be time for us to reconsider our commitment to this lovely town too. I hear Nordegg is looking for new businesses... and they have mountains!

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

o-CNN: Canada Day 2016, Eh! - Canmore, Alberta

Its Your Birthday!

Canada Day is the national day of Canada. As a federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the Constitution Act, 1867 (then called the British North America Act, 1867). Canada existed prior to 1867 within both the French and British empires.

Canada Day is frequently referred to as "Canada's birthday". This is a misnomer, as Canada Day is the anniversary of only one important national milestone on the way to the country's full independence, namely the joining on July 1, 1867, of the colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a wider federation of four provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec). Originally called Dominion Day, the holiday was renamed in 1982, the year the Canada Act was passed.

Canada Day celebrations take place throughout the country, as well as in various locations around the world, attended by Canadians living abroad.

Alberta joined the Federation much later.

On May 2, 1670, King Charles II of England issued a charter granting trading rights in the Alberta region to Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). The area, Rupert's Land, was named after Charles I's nephew, Prince Rupert of the Rhine and the first Governor of HBC. Inn the Rupert's Land Act 1868, HBC ceded Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory to the Dominion of Canada, abolishing the monopoly held by HBC. In 1872, the Dominion Lands Act passed, encouraging settlement of the Prairie Provinces by granting land rights to farmers.

In 1882, the Alberta region became the District of Alberta, established as part of the Northwest Territories. The land was named after Queen Elizabeth's daughter, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta. With the closing of the American frontier around 1890, and the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1883, Alberta's population grew by hundreds of thousands of new settlers.

Alberta formally came into being on September 1, 1905, at the same time as Saskatchewan. The Autonomy Acts, which gave the two provinces their places in Confederation, were matters of considerable controversy in Ottawa in the months preceding their passage. Haultain, premier of the Territories, had proposed the establishment of one large province, but Ottawa rejected this plan.

The rest, as they say is history. No matter which day is really Canada's Day, we are proud to be part of this great place in the North, everyday!

Enjoy our video of this year's celebration in Canmore, Alberta.

Hendrik van Wyk
Canadian Cowboy

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com).

Photos

Candian

Real Canadian!

Making Something

Fan!

Big Fans

All the Bears

o-CNN: Gourmet at the Market - Valbella Gourmet Foods, Alberta

Yes Chef!

Farmers' and Outdoor Markets play a significant role in bringing communities together. Its role is even more prevalent when large Producers lend their support to a local market to interact with customers. It brings people together. 

Valbella’s commitment to excellence paired with its European tradition, and simple love for fine food has done it again. They've snagged one of the Bow Valley's finest Swiss chefs to deliver gourmet creations with a farmers' market twist. Valbella stands out as one of Western Canada’s most recognized meat processors. 

The founder, Walter’s constant product innovation and keen market sense keeps customers and top chefs awaiting new and tantalizing products, whether they be for a gourmet menu, or simply for a backyard BBQ party. Where else can you zip in for a Beef Wellington, Turducken or double smoked bacon? Soon these will be available at the market too.

We caught up with the next generation, Chantal his daughter, at their new Canmore Mountain Market Food Trailer. How does Pork-belly Kimchi, or Bison Rhubarb Burger sound for your Thursday lunch hour. Come and get these and similar creation at your simple market in downtown Canmore over your Thursday lunch hour. Everyone else is there anyway...

Don't forget to join our mailing list for special offers and experiences from our Producers. You can join here for special offers from Valbella.

Hendrik van Wyk

Building a Valbelly

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers: Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys and our Producers when you subscribe to our email list.

We are a content company. We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. It allows us to have a closer relationship with our collaborators and grow our audience. If you Sponsor us on Patreon: http://www.travelingcowboys.com or Donate to our cause on GoFundMe: http://www.forwardthefavour.com we can do a lot more for you, your business, event or community.

Photos

One More Mommy

Minime

Valbella Here

Yum Yum

Candied Bacon

That Burger

o-CNN: Small Town Coffee Roasters in Canmore, Alberta

Spoiled for Choice

In Canmore we are spoiled for choice when it comes to coffee. The Two Cowboys checked in recently with two local roasters that produce their coffee for the Bow Valley coffee shops, and consumers in the surrounds of the Foothills of Alberta. We have good coffee in Canmore.

Rave Coffee is the newest addition to Canmore, and brings knowledge, experience and a solid track record from operations in the U.K.

 Mountain Blends Coffee Roasters is the longest established in the Bow Valley, and now under the careful management of owner: Jennifer Web. They existed in Canmore, long before the Bow Valley knew the difference between Cappuccino or Latte. 

How can there be two roasters in a small town like Canmore? 

Firstly, as you saw in our previous instalment, Canmore likes its coffee. We have a discerning clientele that visits from all over the world, and we need to ensure they get the best we can offer. 

Secondly, because competition is a good thing. Canmore can have even more coffee roasters so that they compete to be better. If there is competition, then there is innovation and progress. It is a simple principle of business, and of life. We applaud our producers for that. As consumers we are better off with better coffee.

Enjoy our introductions to our proud small business producers in the coffee business in Canmore, Alberta.

Hendrik van Wyk

Cowboy

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

o-CNN: Cowboy News Network - The State of Coffee in Canmore, AB

Cappuccino Hunting in the Bow Valley

Many people's dream lifestyle is to have a little coffee shop in the mountains, somewhere beautiful. 

In Canmore, Alberta we are in the mountains where it is beautiful. We have a lot of coffee shops. People are living their dream, for sure. The coffee is here, but is it any good?

Ten years ago, you probably would have had to drive over the border (to B.C. or way further South) to get a decent Italian coffee. Today, our little mountain town boasts two established, popular and recognized coffee roasters: Rave Coffee and Mountain Blends, and many coffee serving establishments.  

If that isn't enough, Calgary has seen some amazing roasting and coffee evolution of its own, over the last two decades. The likes of Fratello, Phil and Sebastian, Priddis' Crickle Creek Coffee and others are all working to raise the bar in prairie coffee.

You probably know that we've travelled the world as wandering fake South African Cowboys. Because of our time in coffee mad New Zealand we've become accustomed to some pretty darn good coffee. We therefore decided to do a bit of a review of some of the better known coffee you can get in Canmore. The big question that we asked was: 

"What is the state and standard of coffee in Canmore?"

We don't think we've settled the question yet, and you should stay tuned for further instalments. Calgary Coffee establishments be warned, we are coming your way too.

Observations

A coffee connoisseur once noted that everybody in the coffee value chain can do their jobs perfectly.

The right plants can grow at just the right place. The plants can get just the right weather to produce the perfect berries. A willing farmer and his family can lovingly treasure, work and harvest their crop. They can pick it at the right time, ferment, dry and sort the beans by hand in the blazing hot summer sun. Then, they can send their beans thousands of miles to destinations they've never heard of, or will ever see.

The beans can then be roasted with computer precision and timing for the ultimate perfect aromas to be unleashed. With years of experience, expertise and a sophisticated palate, the roaster can then blend it for the perfect delivery of the very best shot. And then it takes something as simple as a 21 year old hipster barista to fek&^% it all up in 2 minutes. Many not knowing their cappuccino from their macchiato, when it comes to making a good cup of coffee. 

Let's just say: "Canmore, the majority of your Baristas need some help." There are a few outstanding one's around (with Kiwi or Ozzie accents). The rest need a hand. Here is an idea: We are offering to send them to Barista school. We volunteer to launch a training trust fund for Barista's in Canmore. Let us know in the comments below if you are keen to get involved.

The second observation relates to the other half of a good coffee: The milk. Starbucks succeeded in making aspiring "expert" coffee mixologists of everyone that can plonk down a loyalty card for their next "Venti Skinny Soy Caramel Macchiato with Double Whipped Cream and Two Extra Decaf Shots To Go".

However, a real coffee comes with silky caramelly, rich and creamy milk. Granted, this is something which is in general short supply in deconstructed and reconstituted, homogenized and pasteurized chalky white water Canada. 

We are pleading with our coffee shop owners to pay particular attention to the milk they use. Yes, we know customers have preferences, but that is probably because they simply don't know any better. If it was up to us, every coffee would be made with Half & Half or something even richer. This is why New Zealand (the land of the many dairy cows) is so committed to their coffee. It comes with great milk!

Enjoy the video.

We look forward to bringing you more instalments, so coffee shops beware ;-)

Hendrik van Wyk

Flat White Expert

P.S. Send us an email if you think your Barista needs help. We know the right people: twocowboys@profiledproductions.com

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.
Please help us to bring you more of these programs by supporting us on Patreon: www.forwardthefavour.com. 

Photos

Brave Soldiers

Guinea Pig

Needing Help

o-CNN: Cowboy News Network - Canmore Uncorked, Quartetto Perfecto!

A Progressive Dinner with Raw Emotion

A perfect night, and another bottle of crisp chablis was Uncorked in the Rocky Mountain town of Canmore, Alberta.

We hit the downtown courtesy of the Canmore Uncorked food festival with twenty good friends and four world-class travelling musicians. Communitea Cafe was the start with a refreshing Vodka and salad (and some tea... I think), while we were serenaded by Quartetto Gelato.

Before we knew it, we were swinging away to Latin rhythms and reciting love poems for lovers long gone, or yet to be found.

The music was a classy touch to another innovative Progressive Dinner Tour from the organizers of this great food festival. Our palates travelled through the wonderful flavours and aroma's of Canmore's best dining establishments, and we were swept away to far away destinations and foreign cultures, by the sweet sounds of the Quartet that beautifully paired their songs with the establishments, meals and wine.

Upstairs at the Hive we were treated to Blake's White Gold cheese, factory ricotta stuffed burrata, Evoolution dill olive oil, fennel crystals, black pyramid salt, radish, Korean chilli and Canmore micro greens. If you weren't wax lyrical after this, you were then given a paint brush and a blank table cloth to express your hidden inner artist. Another cocktail or two had to follow.

This is where it all came undone. The sensory overload of the magnificent elixirs, exquisite food and breathtaking art stirred raw emotions that were amplified by the solo of the Oboe, and accompanied with nostalgic Chello and Violin. Someone shed a tear...

The tour concluded in a ruckus haze where the Buffalo Roam. Another fine night. Thank you Canmore for the privilege to call you home.

Hendrik van Wyk
The Singing Cowboy

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.
Please help us to bring you more of these programs by supporting us on Patreon: www.forwardthefavour.com. 

Photos

Tea Time! 

Promise

Focus

Somewhere Out There

Just Call it Blake

My Horse

Chablis

Make Something!

o-CNN: Cowboy News Network - Canmore Uncorked, Whisky and SpiritsFestival

This Is A Grown-up Event

Who would have guessed that you can get so much class and talent into one room for one evening?
Yes, you can indeed. You should have been at the Canmore Uncorked Whisky and Spirits Festival to see, taste and experience it all. Another amazing event for 2016's festivities took place, and we were there for your sake. And what a lovely sake this one was ;-)

We are talking about celebrating the drinks of men, and the talent of Master Distillers from near and far away. There were Whisky, Scotch, Vodka, Gin, Scotch, Rum, Sake. Did I mention Scotch?

The Corner Stone Theatre was the classy venue for this year's grown-ups' event. It certainly is a place familiar with talent considering its one-of-a-kind flexibility for weddings, meetings, conferences or special events like hosting the best whiskies and spirits you can get into one room on a Friday evening in Canmore, Alberta.

We've really travelled this year with tastes from the motherland of distilling (Scotland) to Banff. Yes, Banff has a distillery now. Who would have guessed? So is Turner Valley and some strong contenders from Calgary and Quebec.

Highwood Distillers from High River keeps reminding everyone that they were first (in the world of Alberta) to legally muster the nectar of the gods at the Foothills of the mighty Rocky Mountains. Their Vodka-like Whisky is see-through, with a strong foundation of Oak and Alberta grains. Maybe they know someone upstairs that we don't. It all depends on the serving temperature. Apparently.

Tasting their elixir will revive any old rumrunner gene you may still done in your Alberta veins. The old folk from the turn of the last century will encourage you to question your commitment to oil, and applaud you for joining the new old gold of Alberta distillation, that made this Province famous in the first place. Remember we were distilling in this part of the world long before we were pumping oil. Sign me up for diversification of this economy. Fire up the stills!

Eau Claire Distillery from Turner Valley tempted us again with the long awaited upcoming 2018 release of their first Whisky. Every time we see these folks we remind them that we want to be on the ballot for that auction. I hear it will cost you your right pinky to have a seat at the the table for the first bottle out of those casks.

Enjoy our video. We certainly had fun filming it all. Andrew Nickerson (CEO, Canmore Business and Tourism) and his team found their rhythm. Keep playing the beautiful music of food and drink festival, and the world will follow you to Canmore.

Glad to be part of it.

Hendrik van Wyk
Did I mention Scotch?

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.
Please help us to bring you more of these programs by supporting us on Patreon: www.forwardthefavour.com. 

Pictures

The Man! 

Quebec!

Heaven in a Glass

Where they Invented It

A Hard Day's Nigh

Ladies Attended Too

o-CNN: Cowboy News Network - Canmore Uncorked, Long Table Dinner

Many Many Courses Later...

The weather was good. The mountains were beautiful. The sweet aroma of roast pork filled the air as the guests arrived for the pinnacle event of the Canmore Uncorked Festival: The Long Table Dinner. 

You couldn't have asked for a better venue, weather or company at this years dinner. Not one seat was empty. A hundred and fifty guests were treated to more courses than they can remember. Remembering appeared to be the main challenge this year while the wine flowed, the beer was crisp, and the waiters were galloping plates of delicious edible creations to an enormous table in the middle of the road, in downtown Canmore.

The event is usually sold out long before the tickets go on sale. Yes, you heard it right. You need a local to scalp you tickets for this one. 

Canmore Uncorked is about talent, dishes, and superb beverages. The long table dinner never disappoints. Set your watch and calendar for 2017's dinner reservations, and make sure you befriend a Canmorian (or, as some old timers refer to us: "Canmorons") to secure your ticket. Without this treasured relationship, you will be exactly where you are this year. A spectator!

You should be here...

Hendrik

Still Recovering Long Table Dinner Chef (Yes, I made the Gelato for your desert...), and roaming Cowboy News Network Reporter

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.
Please help us to bring you more of these programs by supporting us on Patreon: www.forwardthefavour.com. 

Photos

Three Amigos

Looong Table

Just One More Please

Delicious 

See the Wine

Did Someone Say: Gelato?!

o-CNN: Cowboy News Network - Farmers Market, Calgary

Calgary Farmers Market - This is a Food Town

Located just off of Blackfoot Trail and Heritage Drive, the Calgary Farmers’ Market was built to be a family friendly, dynamic place for community engagement. Big words for a lot of good food and fun!

Over eighty vendors supply fresh local produce, art, meat, poultry, international food, organic goods, jewelry and more. Yes, they are local. We've checked.

Vancouver has its Granville Island, and Cowtown has its Farmers' Market. Granted, the name is not as fancy, neither is the setting, but at this market you get a solid dose of Alberta production and produce. It appears simple and underwhelming at first until you start talking to some of the vendors. You quickly realize that this market is local market. It is Alberta Producers and their products are on sale.

The market has an amazing array of food vendors. It also caters for the budding entrepreneur and aspiring chef through events such as "Cooking with Your Kids", "Meet the Markers", and "Vino Value Tasting". Sign me up!

Calgary, you have a gem. It is called the Calgary Farmers Market. This town is not only about oil. It is a food town. It is our town.

You should be at the market!

Hendrik van Wyk
Cowboy News Network and Market Enthusiast

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Photos

Our Market

Hand Crafted Chocolate

The Wall

Them Too