Markerville Church Fundraiser

Above: Dana Tapley (left) and Jim Escott waiting for the crowd to find their seats on Sunday, May 25th.

At the recent church fundraiser, the audience was treated to a truly uplifting performance by VISIONS COUNTRY GOSPEL. Known for their soulful harmonies and heartfelt delivery, the group had intended to perform as a trio. Brian Snow was not available on this date, but Dana Tapley and Jim Escott took to the stage and delivered a powerful set that filled the historic Church with joyful energy and warmth. The duo captivated the crowd with their harmony and thoughtful song choices that celebrated faith, hope, and community.

The Country and Gospel Concert was a fundraising event, with proceeds going towards Church Steeple repairs. Dana and Jim’s chemistry and vocal blend turned the afternoon into a memorable occasion.

This was an enjoyable way to raise funds for repairs, but we still have a ways to go! Stephan G Stephansson Icelandic Society has also teamed up with Crowdfunding Alberta to create an online campaign to help us reach our goal. An added benefit is that the Alberta Government will match funds up to $5,000; which means your donations will be doubled through this limited-time offer! Crowdfunding for Church Steeple Repairs will run until we reach our goal, or will end on August 30th, 2025, whichever comes first.

SGSIS is grateful for the support we receive from the community and friends.

You can reach our Crowdfunding Alberta page from our website, or by following:
https://fnd.us/MarkervilleChurch/pay

Please enjoy these photos from Sunday’s concert with Visions Country Gospel!

Book Launch for “Churning Butter”

Friday, May 23, 2025, Historic Markerville Creamery had the pleasure of hosting a Book Launch for Churning Butter by Rolf Buschardt Christensen. By early afternoon every seat in the Creamery Parlour Café was filled. Creamery Manager Pam Oxtoby and SGSIS President John McKechnie welcomed the author and visitors to Markerville for this new book celebration.

Rolf gave a stimulating presentation of some of the details his research revealed about the history of the dairy industry in Alberta. His book covers several people that played a part, but early on he realized the best way to present this story was to frame it around the life and times of Christian Peter Marker, Alberta’s first Dairy Commissioner.

Shortly before the book signings got underway, Rolf extended thanks to several guests at the event including Janice Goldberg, Granddaughter of Christian Marker; Ed Kuhlman, Vice president of Federation of Danish Associations in Canada; and Arjan Ijzerman, Board Member of Alberta Milk. He presented Janice and Arjan both with a copy of this new release.

Churning Butter, Christian Marker and the rise of the Alberta Dairy Industry by Rolf Buschardt Christensen is available for purchase in the Creamery’s Kaffistofa store at Historic Markerville.

About the author
Rolf Buschardt Christensen has written numerous articles about Danish settlements and organizations in Canada, as well as a host of short biographies of Danes in Canada. In 2005 he was awarded the Martin Luther Medal by the Missouri Synod for his article about the Danish Lutheran Churches in Canada. In 2006 he was knighted by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, becoming Ridder af Dannebrog, for his work within the Danish community in Canada. Moreover, he has written extensively about the European Union and Canada/EU relations. Rolf is president of the Federation of Danish Associations in Canada. He has a B.A. (Hons.) in history from the University of B.C. and an MA from Carleton University. In 2023 he published Cape Scott Pioneer. He lives in Ottawa with his wife Vita.

Image of the cover of a book by Rolf Buschardt Christensen called Churning Butter, Christian Marker and the rise of the Alberta Dairy Industry
A book launch for Churning Butter by Rolf Buschardt Christensen is being held on May 23, 2025 at the Creamery Parlour Cafe in Markerville, Alberta

CHURNING BUTTER, Christian Marker and the Rise of the Alberta Dairy Industry, is 342 pages in length, and contains just over 100 illustrations. The book launch was held Friday, May 23rd, 2025.

Opening Day 2025

Opening Day in Markerville is always a lively event, and Saturday, May 17th, 2025 was no exception!
The day began at Fensala Hall for Pancake Breakfast with staff and volunteers ready to greet the many visitors that began showing up at 9 am. With sausages, ham, scrambled eggs, watermelon; and pancakes with syrop, berries and whipped topping, there were tasty offerings – including gluten free options – to please everyone.

As breakfast was winding down, staff were already finishing preparations for the Kaffistofa and Creamery Museum opening at 11 am and ready to serve up some ice cream this long weekend!

Icelandic Baking Day

Icelandic Ladies Aid, better known as Vonin, recently met at Fensala Hall to practice traditional Icelandic baking. This spring’s gathering saw a wonderful turnout, with 22 people in total! We were delighted to welcome summer staff from the Creamery Museum and the Stephansson House, as well as some lovely friends from the community who came to learn and lend a hand.

Everyone found a job, and together we made many batches of delicious flatbread and pönnukökur. These will be featured on the menu at the Creamery Kaffistofa this summer, so be sure to try them! Last week, Vonin members made vinarterta, which can be enjoyed when you come for coffee in Markerville.

It was a productive and enjoyable time together.

— Bernice Andersen

Cemetery Cleanup 2025

Above: Headstone of Gudbjorg Hannesdottir, Stephan G. Stephansson’s mother

Cemetery cleanup was spread out over a few days, with an impressive job done by workers from the Bowden Institution. Both Tindastoll Cemetery and Christinnson Stephansson Family Cemetery received their annual maintenance.

Ron Stephansson shared a video of the Christinnson Stephansson Family Cemetery after the cleanup was completed on May 10, 2025. Workers from the Bowden Institution painted posts, cleaned headstones, and pruned trees.

Season Cleanup 2025

Above: Marie, Marlene (and d’Arcy behind the camera) are happy with the fruits of their labour at the Church.

Historic Markerville’s May 10th, 2025 cleanup went very smoothly, with only a few items left to check off the “to do” list. Some of the volunteers and other helpers this year spread the workload over a week or so, from raking leaves and gutter clearing to Cemetery cleanup, and even the big red Tent in front of the Creamery Stage was put up the day before! Still, there were cobwebs to sweep, gazebo and picnic tables to wash down, signs to put up, and some ongoing work on the little library to do.

All in all, we’re pretty much ready for PANCAKE BREAKFAST and OPENING DAY on May 17th, 2025.

d’Arcy G., Marie S. and Marlene P. took on the Lutheran Church, vacuuming and wiping everything down; making sure that it’s ready to go for the upcoming COUNTRY AND GOSPEL CONCERT FUNDRAISER on Sunday, May 25th!

Kari Fisher: 44(H) X 50(Y)

Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency Followup

On April 10th, 2025, one of the artists who took part in the Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency in 2024 held a one day Exhibit at the VENUE in Red Deer.
It was titled 44(H) X 50(Y). The numbers represent 44 homes in 50 years…

Kari Fisher, from Vancouver Island, stayed in the Buttermaker’s House last year to work on her project. After accepting a challenge of incorporating art into her daily life by her son Isaac, Kari has been on a journey exploring her roots by redrawing the floor plans of 44 houses that she has lived in since her birth and gathering flora connected to those homes. These floor plans were initially drawn in wax crayon, then, cyanotype ‘blueprints’ were created with each sheet having two exposures.

Stephan G. Stephansson Icelandic Society (SGSIS) was very honoured to have played a small part in Kari’s artistic journey and congratulate her on the wonderful, thought provoking exhibition. It gives one pause to think about our own journey in life and where it takes us and what memories we create.

Well done Kari and hopefully you will bring your exhibit to Markerville and the Fensala Hall one day.

— Submitted April 17, 2025 by d’arcy Gamble

Find more information on Historic Markerville’s Buttermaker’s House and how you can apply for an Artist Residency.

REST / REFLECT / CREATE / CONNECT
Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency in Markerville

View the VENUE’s Instagram Reel

Visit the Buttermaker’s House post of Kari’s visit

Sol James at Fensala Hall

Above: Sol James and Aaron Shorr on April 12 at Fensala Hall. Photo by Roberta Fetch.

Our final concert of the 2024/2025 season was held April 12th, 2025 at the Fensala Hall in Markerville, and it was a fantastic, high-kicking sold-out season finale if ever there was one! Sol James (aka Heitha Forsyth) brought along her long-time friend Aaron Shorr, and the duo broke ground with “Big Sky” and captivated the audience. The night was filled with her original songs and some covers; she kept us laughing and listening, took some requests, and even coaxed the crowd to sing along a couple times.

The sets were comprised of lively tunes, with a couple of personal and heartfelt numbers by Sol including a song she wrote for her Icelandic grandfather, along with some marvellous guitar solos by Aaron for good measure. Time vanished and before we knew it the duo was closing with “Me and Bobby McGee” for their encore.

Here are some photos from the evening.

Roberta Fetch at Sound Check for the concert
Sol James and Frank Sigurdson

Winnipeg-based Sol James is a force to be reckoned with, with a voice to match. She has completed two degrees, A Bachelor of Music (Jazz Studies) and a Bachelor of Music Therapy. Beyond her busy performing career, Heitha has been teaching the art of singing to students of all ages and stages through the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts, The University of Manitoba Preparatory studies as well as private lessons.

A unique take on roots/blues with a soulful flair, her music is joyful and honest, leaving audiences smiling, dancing, and celebrating the great stuff of life. Sol’s stage presence calls out to even the meekest of souls, breaking down walls and bringing the light in. She does this with a dependable dose of hilarity; you can hear a Sol James audience laughing a mile away.

Aaron Shorr began playing guitar as a young teenager, and developed an interest in jazz through his grandmother’s record collection. He studied at Humber College in Toronto, The University of Manitoba, and privately with international jazz icons like Jonathan Kreisberg, Miles Okazaki, and Bruce Forman. He has performed with William Bonness, Derrick Gardner, Nial Cade, and Curtis Nowosad, to name a few.

Sponsored in part by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts!

YouTube post of “Big Sky”

Markerville Picnic, 1921

In 1891, Helga Stephansson, along with Sigurlaug Kristinnson (Stephan’s sister), established Vonin (or “Hope”), a ladies’ aid society.

In the early years, the members met in each other’s homes to plan social events through which they could raise money for community projects. Their projects were wide-ranging. For example, if a woman living in the area, whether of Icelandic descent or not, was ill, Vonin was there with personal items such as a nightgown or slippers, or perhaps a box of oranges. Other fundraising targeted specific projects. Perhaps the library needed money to subscribe to Icelandic newspapers or perhaps a family lost its home to fire or was in dire straits.

As today is Random Acts of Kindness Day, how will you show kindness to someone today?

Image courtesy Provincial Archives of Alberta, “Picnic at Markerville, Alberta”, 1921, A2236.
— Facebook post from February 17, 2024 by Stephanson House Provincial Historic Site

Ryan McMahon at Fensala Hall

Above: Photo of Ryan McMahon provided by the artist for promotional material.

The March 8th, 2025 Fensala Hall concert with Ryan McMahon had ENERGY: with stories, Dad jokes, and of course GREAT music that made the evening soar! He brought his old lamp and comfy kitchen chair and welcomed us all to join him for an evening of heartfelt music and laughter!

Ryan played a couple of covers including “Old Man” by Neil Young. During his performance we were treated to original songs; many from his latest album “Live Now”, plus his just released “Used to be You”.

Ryan “lost an hour” in Markerville, staying overnight in the Buttermaker’s House. He joined the Kaffistofa coffee gang on Sunday for a few more stories and laughs to start the day, and had a photo taken with Marie Sveinson and Frank Sigurdson for good measure!

Ryan is a third of the way through his LEARNING TO SHINE: 25 Years in Music tour. He plays Ponoka on March 10th, and then it’s on to Saskatoon and Wynyard. His tour takes him to Manitoba and Ontario; hitting Alberta again for several shows, and finally BC for even more during the last week of March and onward!

Check out the itinerary on his website at https://ryanmcmahon.com/

Photos by Byron Nilsson

After spending 2023 recording & releasing his seventh studio album and touring as Burton Cummings’ & Tom Cochrane’s support act, Ryan McMahon is spending his 2024/2025 on the run once more. No stranger to Canadian highways, Ryan will be embarking on several months of tour dates between Sept 2024 & April of 2025.

A 25-year veteran of Canada’s musical landscape, Ryan has long been a genre fence-sitter, blending the boundaries of folk, rock, roots & country. He’s shared the stage with everyone from Mother Mother to Lisa Loeb to Aaron Pritchett, and at the age of 44 has just begun writing music for his next album. Equally at home fronting a full band or playing solo like so many folk troubadours before him, Ryan’s sincere songwriting & dynamic delivery resonates with any audience.

Sponsored in part by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts!