Month: May 2025

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!