Snap It! The Great Saskatchewan Photo Contest Wants Your Pictures

Mac the Moose, a fiberglass moose in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Photo by Sue Frause.

I've been to Saskatchewan twice: My debut was in 2004 while on a press trip to Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and the second was five years later on Closet Canuck's Great Big Canadian Train Adventure -- my ten-day VIA Rail Canada trip from Halifax to Vancouver. But I want to get back to the province, having spent only a few days in central Saskatchewan (including Regina and Moose Jaw) and passing through briefly on my train trip. It was only a 25-minute stop in Saskatoon on that dark November night, and I didn't get off. So the city named after the Saskatoon Berry still remains at the top of my Canadian cities bucket list.

As a promotion for the province, Tourism Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport is sponsoring Snap It! The Great Saskatchewan Photo Contest. Entries are being received in seven categories through September 30, 2013. They include:

• Saskatchewan People | Photos that reflect the character and spirit of Saskatchewan people (no studio photography).
• Nature in Saskatchewan | Photos of flora and fauna in natural habitat.
• Prairie Scenic | Scenic photos from prairie regions of Saskatchewan, including traditional scenes, as well as hidden treasures such as the Qu'Appelle Valley, hills and badlands, and features not typically categorized as "prairie"
• Woods and Water | Scenic photos reflecting parkland, boreal forest and lake settings
• My Saskatchewan Vacation | Photos of people having fun during their Saskatchewan vacation. Images may capture adventure, recreation, relaxation or celebration at a favourite attraction, event or destination in Saskatchewan.
• Urban Life | Images that portray the excitement, sophistication and spirit of our Saskatchewan cities and towns. Photos can also feature events and attractions you experience while visiting our "urban playgrounds." 
• Provincial Parks | Photos of your most treasured memories that took place in a Saskatchewan provincial park.

Seven category winners will be awarded, each receiving a $250 gift certificate from Don's Photo. A Grand Prize winner will be selected from the seven, and will receive an additional $250 gift certificate. Five honorable mention winners in each category will also receive a prize.

To Enter: Only digital (.jpg or tiff format) submissions will be accepted. Email to snapit@sasktourism.com and include your full name, address, and phone number. Specify the locale of each photograph and indicate which category it falls under. The contest is open to residents of Canada (except Quebec) and the United States.

JUNO Awards: Carly Rae Jepsen and Leonard Cohen Among Winners

Michael Buble is host for the JUNO Awards CTV broadcast on Sunday, April 21. 

The Prairies were humming with music on April 20 as 1,150 Canadian music industry members gathered to toast 35 JUNO Award winners at the 2013 JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards. Hosted by Jian Ghomeshi at Regina's Credit Union Eventplex, the evening featured performances by JUNO Award nominees and winners, along with tributes to some of Canada's most influential names in music. 

The celebration started off with a country medley featuring four 2013 JUNO Award nominees: Dean Broday with Colin James, Donny Parenteau and Kira Isabella. The musical Cohen family was well represented, with Leonard Cohen winning Artist of the Year the same night that his son Adam Cohen made his JUNO Awards debut as both a nominee and a performer. The elder Cohen wasn't in Regina to accept his award, but his singer-songwriter son picked up the statuette for his father. 

The Weeknd was a big winner, earning JUNO Awards for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and R&B/Soul Recording of the year. Metric's album SYNTHETICA picked up three awards: Alternative Album of the Year, Jack Richardson Producer of the Year to band member James Shaw and art director Justin Broadbent Recording Package of the Year.  Carly Rae Jepsen won for Pop Album of the Year with Kiss. A special tribute was made to Tom Cochrane as the recipient of the 2013 Alan Waters Humanitarian Award. A complete list of winners may be found online at the JUNO website.

Seven remaining JUNO Award categories will be announced Sunday, April 21 during a broadcast on TV from Brandt Centre in Regina. The show is hosted by Canadian crooner Michael Buble, who has a new CD coming out April 23 titled To Be Loved. Here's the broadcast schedule: 

• Atlantic Canada | 9 PM AT (live)
• ON/QC | 8 PM ET (live
• SK| 6 PM CT
• MB/AB | 8 PM CT/MT
• BC | 8 PM PT

New Brunswick starts Charles & Camilla's tour

They won't be receiving the adulation of the hundreds of thousands that showed up to welcome newlyweds William and Kate in 2011, but it's still a big deal when the Royals touch down on Canadian soil.

Prince Charles and Camilla's Royal Tour 2012 started on Sunday, May 20 when they landed in Fredricton, New Brunswick. I've only passed through New Brunswick during my Great Big Canadian Train Adventure in 2009, and I think was sleeping. But the province is on my Canadian bucket list, and my hubby and I are planning a visit there en route to a meeting in New York City in 2013. It will be springtime, and it should be lovely.

The Government of Canada has put a link on its website with full details of the tour at Itinerary - Royal Tour 2012. Their four-day visit includes:

• May 20 - Arrival in Fredericton, New Brunswick
• May 21 - Canadian Forces base Gagetwon and Saint John, New Brunswick
• May 21 -  Toronto, Ontario
• May 22 - Toronto, Ontario
• May 23 - Regina, Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly Building in Regina | Summer of 2004
Photo by Sue Frause

Think spring in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Summer flowers in bloom at the provincial capital of Regina
Photo by Sue Frause

Spring has arrived in Saskatchewan and Gardenscape 2010 is the third largest show of its type in Canada. Located at the Prairieland Park Trade Centre in Saskatoon, it runs March 26-28, 2010.

It's both for home gardeners and those in the horticulture industry, whether you want to finally fix up your yard or learn more about gardening and food production.

On site will be 420+ booths with exhibitors spread throughout four buildings. In addition to display gardens, there will be demonstrations and workshops during the three-day event.

There is also a Gardenscapes Art Show & Sale; Prairie Berry Cafe, Bistro & Wine Bar; Butterflies & Blooms live butterfly exhibit; and a plant auction on Sunday, March 28 at 6:30 PM.

Last year, more than 26,000 people attended the show.

Regina: Canadian Comedy Awards

If you like to laugh, head for Regina. What, you don't think Regina is funny? Well, from October 1-5, the Canadian Comedy Awards and Festival will be rockin' this Saskatchewan city.

Jeremy Hotz and Shaun Majumder lead an all-star list of more than 100 performers that includes The Simpsons' senior producer and writer Tim Long; Corner Gas stars Lorne Cardinal and Janet Wright; and comedians Debra DiGiovanni, Sean Cullen, Mike Willmot and Steve Patterson.

Jeremy Hotz has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and appeared in numerous motion pictures. Shaun Majumder is part of the This Hour Has 22 Minutes team, and had a recurring role in the hit TV show 24.

Here are some of the highlights of the festival:

* Impressionist Rick Miller’s MacHomer, a version of Macbeth featuring more than 50 voices from The Simpsons TV show;
* Tapings of CBC Radio’s The Debaters and The Comedy Network’s Best of Fest TV program
* The Simpsons lecture with the show’s senior producer and writer Tim Long;
* The SaskTel Funniest Person in Saskatchewan Amateur Talent Show;
* Nightly standup, sketch and improv shows at various venues;
* The Last Laugh Gala.

More than 100 comedians have been nominated for awards. The Beavers, as they are known, have been honored in 20 different categories, including the fan-voted Comedy Person of the Year.

And what a nice break from politics, eh?

Pictured above Shaun Majumder

Corner Gas: TV show's last season on TV, finale in 2009

Last Chance for Gas!

Corner Gas creator and star Brent Butt announced that the Prairie Pants Productions' series will come to an end following the conclusion of its upcoming sixth season. Production on the final 19 new episodes, to be broadcast in 2008-2009 in Canada on CTV and The Comedy Network, begins May 15 in Regina and Rouleau, Saskatchewan. The series’ finale will air sometime in the spring of 2009.
But just because the show is over doesn't mean all is lost. CnT Conventions and Tours of Regina offers guided tours of the Corner Gas sets in Regina and Rouleau from May 25 to September 14. With the series ending this season, 2008 is your last chance to take a unique look at a piece of Canadian television history.

RCMP's lose their luster

RCMP cadets at the Training Academy in Regina, Saskatchewan. Photo by Sue Frause.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or RCMP, is the Canadian national police service and began as the North-West Mounted Police in 1873.

But with the recent taser death of a Polish man at Vancouver International Airport, the men and women in red serge have come under public scrutiny and criticism.

The Globe and Mail ran a story titled BC Mounties face growing public outrage in both today's print and online editions.

Canadian Country Music Awards presented in Regina

The Radisson Plaza Saskatchewan Hotel Regina. Sue Frause photo.

I tuned into the CBC last night to watch the Canadian Country Music Awards hosted by Paul Brandt. Held at Brandt Centre (no relation to Paul) in Regina, the big winner of the evening was Emerson Drive. The group snagged three awards, including Single of the Year for Moments. It's the first single by a Canadian band to hit No. 1 on the Billboard country chart.

Other winners were Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Female Artist of the Year and Brad Johner, Male Artist of the Year. The most unusual award was the Kraft Cheez Whiz Fans Choice Award that went to Terri Clark.She's received it seven times in 11 years.