It’s TOUR DAY 2, and we’re on the move again!

We have so much ground to cover today! There will be more schools to sing in, more choral music-lovers to amaze, and a bus full of children to inspire, so let’s CLUSTER up and get to it!

Morning Performances in Bow Island

Our choristers began their morning with a quick warmup and then a full performance for the residents of Pleasant View Lodge Seniors Residence in Bow Island AB.

Our choristers love having the extra time after the concert to meet with the residents, introduce themselves, and ask them questions.

HUGE thanks to Katie for always being quick on the hand sanitizer trigger after we’re in high-touch moments like meet-and-greets!

Our second performance of the day was at Bow Island Elementary School, where we sang for an ENTHUSIASTIC crowd of grades 1-2 students. These students sang along enthusiastically for Jambo Bwana and in the chorus of Seven! We remember visiting Bow Island Elementary just before the school’s modernization began, it was such a thrill to return and see the new facility!

Our choristers gave a stellar performance for this school community, we are so proud of all of the singing they have done for Alberta Schoolchildren on this tour!

Etzikom Windmill Museum

The Etzikom Museum was established in 1990 to display and interpret artifacts, as well as preserve the heritage of Southeast, Alberta. It began as a vision from one of our community members and with the help of volunteers grew into a place that displays and honours our past.

The main museum building is housed in the former Etzikom School which was built in 1957 and including the outdoor grounds consists of over 10,000 square feet of display area. Many of the displays in our museum commemorate the past way of life and how farming, ranching, and agriculture have evolved over time.

The outside display area is the site of the only restored historic windmill center in all of Canada! The windmill displays encompass the overall history of windpower utilization in Alberta, Saskachewan, other parts of Canada, as well as the United States.

Red Rock Coulee

A FAVOURITE spot of the Southeast tour route is RED ROCK COULEE

Red Rock Coulee is a natural phenomenon in the middle of the prairie. This area contains large red spherical sandstone concretions that have eroded out of the softer bedrock, the best example of spheroid rock formations in Alberta.

The reddish boulders are sandstone concretions and are up to 2.5 meters in diameter, among the largest in the world! The boulders were formed in prehistoric seas as layers of sand, calcite and iron oxide collected around a nucleus formed by shells, leaves or bones.

Look carefully at the concretions- you may be able to see their “growth rings” (layers of sediment deposition) and fossilized shells, leaves or bones. There are eroded steep-sided coulees and a small upland of fescue-needle grass. In places, hoodoos (columns of bedrock) have formed. Plants nearby include gumbo primrose, sagebrush, juniper, prickly pear cactus, prairie crocus, and broomweed. From the ground that feels like popcorn to the unique prairie plants and animals this is a great geological wonder to see.

After some unstructured exploring, the choristers all went into PHOTO SHOOT mode - the results are…. amazing.

Touring Tips: Cluster Groups

Choirs are BIG groups, and it can be challenging to move around crowded areas in an efficient and organized matter. During AB tours, we introduce CLUSTER GROUPS.

Each cluster group has a specific assigned chaperone who leads their cluster through the tour experience.

We take great care to ensure cluster groups are balanced teams that encourage choristers to get to know other singers on the tour - there’s always time to hang out with your friends!

That’s it for day two! Time for a quick hop in the swimming pool and then we’re off to bed to get ready for another big DAY THREE!