"Kalyna Country" is new tourist destination in Canada (06/07/98)

A Ukrainian Summer: where to go, what to do...

"Kalyna Country" is new tourist destination in Canada

EDMONTON - Canada's oldest and largest Ukrainian rural bloc settlement, located in Alberta northeast of Edmonton, is successfully being transformed into a multi-focal heritage district for promotion as a "must-see" tourist destination.

The 15,000-square-kilometer (5,790-square-mile) region straddling the North Saskatchewan River as it flows east from the Alberta capital, is now being advertised under the name "Kalyna Country," reflecting the distinct Ukrainian flavor of the scenic countryside where wild kalyna (the highbush cranberry or guelder rose) grows in abundance.

Work on the eco-museum began in 1991-1992 as part of commemorations marking the centennial of Ukrainian settlement in Canada. To honor the memory of the pioneers, the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, in partnership with the Alberta Historic Sites and Archives Service, commissioned a 25-year development strategy for the colony founded in 1894 by immigrants from Halychyna and Bukovyna. Encompassing a territory three times the size of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, Kalyna Country is dotted with former post offices and school districts whose names have an unmistakably Ukrainian origin: Borschiw, New Kyiv, Chernowci, Cossack, Mazepa, Brody, Buczacz, Slawa and Ispas. Other toponyms are unusual hybrids such as Ukalta, for Ukrainian Alberta; Kolokreeka, the name of a school beside a creek; and Dickiebush, a blending of dykyi (wild) and bush.

Kalyna Country's major attractions include the open-air Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, which re-creates a Ukrainian community between the years 1892-1930. Interpreters attired in Ukrainian folk costumes allow visitors to travel back through time to meet authentic pioneers encountering their everyday struggles and triumphs. Other important eco-museum "exhibits" are the Edna-Star site of the first farms to be occupied by Ukrainian colonists, the monument to the Ukrainian pioneers in Two Hills, the Basilian Fathers Museum in Mundare, and the celebrated Vegreville Pysanka - the world's largest Easter egg. Besides featuring the picturesque remains of old homesteads, Kalyna Country also boasts over 100 Byzantine-style Orthodox and Catholic churches built by the early settlers and their descendants.

Among annual events that are celebrated in the former bloc settlement are the Pysanka Festival in Vegreville, now in its 25th year; the Pumpkin, Sunflower and Garlic festivals, held respectively in Smoky Lake, Thorhild and Redwater; and Ukrainian Day at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. Of special significance is Ss. Peter and Paul Day in Mundare, which since 1903 has attracted thousands of the faithful to the grotto and Ukraina Park beside the Basilian Fathers monastery.

Kalyna Country's Ukrainian history spans 10 decades, having been the home of many colorful personalities and prominent community leaders, including the first Ukrainians ever elected to provincial and federal parliaments. It is appropriately the burial place of the trail-blazing pioneers Iwan Pylypiw and Wasyl Eleniak, who landed in Quebec City in 1891 and settled with their families near Lamont, Alberta.

The region was immortalized in the fiction of Illia Kiriak, author of the 1,100-page trilogy, "Syny Zemli" (Sons of the Soil), and was the subject of Myrna Kostash's "All of Baba's Children," a Canadian bestseller. It also provided the setting for many of the stories by the late Gloria Kupchenko Frolick, whose father taught at various schools throughout the district. Kalyna Country is also where the internationally acclaimed artist, William Kurelek, was born and spent the first seven years of his childhood, later returning on painting trips and family visits in the 1960s and 1970s.

Although the Ukrainian facet of Kalyna Country is an important focus for the conservation efforts of the volunteer society overseeing the creation of the eco-museum, the area is endowed with other features that make it a uniquely fascinating tourist destination. Local aboriginal culture, with roots extending back more than 10,000 years, can be experienced at two First Nations Reserves in Kalyna Country, one of which hosts a major pow wow each year.

The Kalyna Country region also happens to be the oldest part of Alberta in terms of European history, having been initially scouted by explorers in the second half of the 18th century, and subsequently opened to the fur trade. Six trading posts were eventually established along the North Saskatchewan River between 1792 and 1864, including forts that for a time bore the name of the future city of Edmonton. Two of these have been developed into provincial historic sites: Fort George-Buckingham House, just east of Elk Point, and Fort Victoria in Smoky Lake County.

A blend of classic prairie and parkland topography, Kalyna Country has one national park, two provincial parks, and approximately 40 areas designated for wildlife viewing, orienteering and other outdoor activities. Besides Elk Island National Park, where it is possible to see bison, elk, moose and other fauna year round, Beaverhill Lake near Tofield offers nature buffs the opportunity to observe up to 250 species of birds, depending on the time of year. Hunting is permitted in specific areas within season, and there are a number of trout ponds and private shooting ranges.

The objective of the long-term project is to create a Western Canadian equivalent to the Cajun area of Louisiana, and to make Kalyna Country as renowned as other popular Alberta destinations such as Banff-Jasper National Park, and the famed Badlands. Easily accessible via an extensive network of highways and well-maintained country roads, all of Kalyna Country's attractions are within a 45-minute to three-hour drive from downtown Edmonton. A growing number of bed-and-breakfasts can be found throughout the territory of the eco-museum, which at the same time is served by a variety of motels and campgrounds. Specialty gift shops, tea houses and restaurants that offer Ukrainian food on their menus can be found in most Kalyna Country communities, several of which have golf courses and other amenities such as swimming pools or nearby recreational facilities like the Edmonton Soaring Club at Chipman where the general public can try a hand at gliding.

Kalyna Country is ideally suited for daytrips from Edmonton to country fairs and small-town rodeos, or for relaxing weekend getaways. However, with over 20 local museums and a host of other attractions, it can also keep visitors happily occupied for longer vacations. Travelers on the Yellowhead Highway may want to spend a couple of days exploring Kalyna Country, which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. While the eco-museum is most completely and comfortably enjoyed during the long days of summer, in the winter months it is possible to go snowmobiling, cross-country or downhill skiing - the latter at Long Lake Provincial Park, just 90 minutes from the Capital City region.

For more information on the eco-museum, write to Kalyna Country, Box 756, Lamont, Alberta TOB 2RO. North American residents can also leave a short message on the toll-free line at 1-888-4KALYNA (1-888-452-5962). Those with internet access are invited to look up the region's website at: http://www.cantravel.ab.ca/kalyna.html, or use e-mail: kalyna@telusplanet.net.

A Ukrainian Summer

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