There’s an emergency coming to Canmore and it will happen during community celebrations at the end of the upcoming cross-country world cup.
A Joel Plaskett Emergency, that is.
The East Coast rocker will headline the final celebrations on the final day of the world cup event and local Seth Anderson, the Renegade Kid, opens.
Winter carnival enthusiasm specialist Sara Renner was excited this week to announce Plaskett would round out all the events that have been happening in Canmore since the beginning of February.
“This town party is going to be really fun,” Renner said. “I am sure the world cup athletes will want to celebrate after all the hard work.”
The big celebrations happen Saturday (March 12) at 7 p.m. downtown at the Civic Centre. It is a free community event with the Joel Plaskett Emergency providing his eclectic array of music, from blues and folk to rock, country and pop, with fireworks to end it all off.
Renner said she is also particularly excited about a brand new experience, a once in a lifetime opportunity being offered as part of the carnival on the Friday night (March 11) – winter camping overnight at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
Paying historical homage to the Nordic sport of cross-country skiing’s Scandinavian roots and the most iconic race in the world, the Homenkollen Ski Festival – it is the first time the provincial park has allowed overnight camping on its course.
Those who heard of the opportunity, as the camping experience sold out its 150 spaces within 24 hours of being available, shared the excitement. But it wasn’t until last Friday that Renner actually got the thumbs up to hold the 24-hour camping experience which includes campfires, roasting hot dogs and star gazing.
“I think people are really excited about this idea of a Scandainavian Nordic experience when you go out the night before the world cup and winter camp and have a fire, roast hot dogs and wake up in the morning and the best skiers in the world race by your tents,” she said. “It is going to be so kickass.”
That is what happens in Homenkollen during its ski festival, which Renner remembers from when she raced there during her successful cross-country ski career, which includes an Olympic medal.
“I really believe this can be something special for Canmore,” she said. “This is something where we can get together as a community and celebrate winter, food, cross-country skiing and be in nature.”
She said approval for the experience needed to go through all the steps to make sure plans were in place and details worked out to ensure it is done right and the Nordic Centre has been “extremely supportive” of letting the concept happen.
There are of course more events planned throughout the entire week of the cross-country world cup as part of the winter carnival – check out the list of planned events at Tourism Canmore’s website.
