We just got home from the Silver Skate Festival, celebrating it’s twenty-third year, it is Edmonton’s oldest winter festival. In a bit of a Freudian slip, I initially typed Edmonton’s coldest festival (my hands are still a little chilly) the temperature wasn’t that cold, but the wind was very cold! Edmonton knows how to host a festival, even in winter, and we all had a great time.

We arrived just in time to catch our friend Jason Kodie playing his last song, L’Accodeoniste on the stage/tent. His fingers must have been so cold!

There were all kinds of activities to take part in: skating (of course), snow shoeing, cross country skiing, dog sledding, and the Mammoet Winter Triathlon.

Pond Skating at the Silver Skate Festival

Today was the day of skates, with an opportunity to try speed skating and meet members of the Canadian Olympic Speed Skating Team.

Speed Skating Demonstrations with Canadian Olympians

As is often the case our favourite place was the heritage village.

Heritage Village

The girls and I ate “La Tire” and they cooked their own bannock.

The girls eating “La Tire”

The girls cooking bannock

We slipped into the teepee to warm up just in time to catch the Cree Singers and a dancer perform his seeking dance.

Cree dancer

Cree singers and dancer

Tom and I really liked the iron works and hand-cranked forge.

The hand-cranked forge

We watched them working on the latest Fire Sculpture Installation but we didn’t stick around long enough to watch them set it on fire.

Setting up a Fire Sculpture

Thanks Edmonton for another excellent festival.

Cowboy Snow Sculpture