Openings, closings, demos
It’s with a wistful sigh, but also best wishes, that Hatters bid adieu to Mario’s Restaurant, which will close permanently after dinner service tonight.
The News was the first to report the closure with a feature on retiring owners Kevin and Sharon Pudwell, and also noted that the building’s new owner is planning a restaurant in the space.
The Pudwells bought out their boss, Mario Dal Collo, 28 years ago, and kept it at just the right mix of classy and comfortable for all these years.
It’s also a nice, higher-end independently owned and operated restaurant, which is a bit of an endangered species these days.
Catching up on other happenings, the new 20-20 Vision Care expansion (which is across the alley from the stillopen original location, but accessible — with parking — on Fourth Street) opened its doors last week.
Also of note, Front Porch Classics, the new cafe taking over operations at the Medicine Hat Airport Terminal, is set to have its grand opening on Saturday.
Visitors will note the original terminal building that stood at the parking lot entrance is no longer. It was knocked down on Tuesday morning as part of the City’s general plan to clean up of the area and market more commercial land.
Catching up
It was largely unmentioned that late senator and jazz music great Tommy Banks, who passed away in Late January at the age of 81, had a Medicine Hat connection by marriage.
His wife Ida Banks (nee Heller) was described in a national newspaper last week as a model and singer when the pair met in Bank’s home town of Edmonton in the late 1960s.
Showing heart
This column wondered why there was a distinct lack of enthusiasm about town over the ongoing Winter Olympic Games. Reader Sharon Odland, who happens to manage the local Lammle’s Western Wear outlet, called to inform us that the Dunmore Road location has featured a big window display encouraging “Go Canada Go.”
“We’re big supporters and it’s up there for Willie and Linden,” Odland tells the News, noting men’s hockey team coach coach Willie Desjardins and player Linden Vey, both former Tigers.
At this point, bronze is the best the men’s team can do in South Korea, but hey, Go Canada Go!
Speaking of hockey
As usual, the WHL Tiger’s regular season ends on St. Patrick’s Day, which is suddenly not that far away. Nearby, the Brooks Bandits are done play next weekend before the Junior A playoffs start on March 10.
Beef bouquet
Canadian Cattlemen magazine lets us know that cattle boss Andy Hofer from Spring Creek Colony was named commercial breeder of the year at the Regina Agribition.
The Simmental and Red Angus cattle promoter is located west of Maple Creek, where 900 cows lead to 150 heifers being bred every year. The top finisher of the Medicine Hat commercial show was also the 2008 commercial breeder of the year by the Canadian Red Angus Promotion Society.
A look ahead
Monday’s public services committee meeting will hear about a public art purchase for the Canalta Centre.
The process for regulating cannabis retail operations in Medicine Hat will be discussed at Wednesday’s municipal planning commission meeting.
Further afield voters in Swift Current will go to the polls on Thursday to elect a new MLA to replace now-retired Brad Wall.
100 years ago
The Elkwater road would proceed under a 70-30 cost agreement between the province and the Municipal District of Excelsior, the News reported
The local councillors reported after returning from the ninth annual conference of rural municipalities.
The residents of Pearsonville (south of present day Suffield) were awaiting news of the fate of Will Phallen. The townsman had recently joined the U.S. Army and was on a transport ship that was torpedoed of the Irish coast.
Also, a Medicine Hat man known as “the fighting parson of Southern Alberta” would soon return from a German prisoner of war camp. Capt. Gillies Wilken had served as an Anglican reverend south of Bow Island.