Weekly Roundup — May 29

Here's what's making news in Leduc and area this week:

• A group of Leduc County farmers says Altalink "put the cart before the horse" when drawing up potential routes for a new high-voltage transmission line south of Calmar.

• Leduc mayor Greg Krischke has been honoured with an inaugural Leadership for Active Communities award.

• May's Artist of the Month is a multi-talented high school student.

• Edmonton's pro basketball team will bring the "Energy" to Leduc Composite High School on June 5.

• Taxes for Leduc County residents will be much the same in 2009 as last year.

• A local teen is headed to Vancouver for the summer to appear in a production of the hit musical Rent.

• It's almost time for the 20th annual Rona MS Bike Tour, and while 30 local high school students are getting ready to volunteer for the two-day event, a Thorsby woman with MS is training for the 183-km ride — her sixth.

• In county news, the Town of Calmar has passed its budget for the next three years and is gearing up (pun not intended!) for its annual Show n' Shine, while the Village of New Sarepta has opted not to fund a local playschool.

• Laura, despite not being the sports reporter, has all your inside dish on sports in Leduc, including the upcoming women's fastball provincials.

It's all in the May 29 Rep.

(Photo: Grade 4 East Elementary School students Kennedy Kiss, left, and Skylar Gee, watch in awe as a teddy bear flips a pancake — with a little help from teacher Dianne Brunes. Students at East Elementary raised $1,900 for the MS Society and celebrated with a pancake breakfast and pyjama day May 22. Photo by Alex Pope.)

Divas hypnotized

Last night was the Leduc and District Chamber of Commerce's "Divas L.A. Style" ladies-only party at the curling rink. Hypnotist Colin Christopher provided the entertainment and several ladies fell right under his spell.

I had never been in the audience for a hypnotism show, so it was pretty interesting to watch. Some of the ladies who volunteered to go up on stage didn't go under at all, while others seemed so out of it they flopped right over in their chairs like rag dolls (see above).

I volunteered to be hypnotized at a similar show at my campus pub a few years back. I don't remember much about it, but I do recall that I didn't really feel like I had surrendered my consciousness to the hypnotist. I simply felt I should go along with the act because hundreds of people were staring at me expecting, well, to see someone do silly stunts at the will of somebody else.

I remember that I had to pretend my chair was the sexiest man I'd ever laid orbs on and he was waiting for me to make the first move.

I've done a lot of improv in my life, so it wasn't hard to feign something like desire and wrap myself around the back of the chair. I could have dropped the act and walked off the stage anytime, though — I think.

So last night, watching the show unfold, I wondered how this whole hypnotism thing works. Are some of the subjects really at the mercy of the hypnotist, suspended in a dreamlike state between sleep and waking? Or does a hypnotism show work on the power of suggestion — everybody is thinking everybody else around them is really hypnotized so they'd better play along for the sake of the show?

I guess it's one of those things that only the hypnotist — like the magician who masters sleight of hand and optical illusion — really knows.

Weekly Roundup — April 24

Here's what's making news in Leduc and area this week:

• It was all about volunteers this week! The Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Authority held a special breakfast to recognize the contribution Leduc's hundreds of volunteers make to the community, and guest speaker Sandy McLeod called volunteers "the most powerful force on earth."

• Local emergency personnel are gearing up for a baseball tournament in support of Little Warriors.

• Blackgold Kennels are preparing for their busiest season by adding space for more lost and abandoned animals.

• The tragic death of a 10-year-old Calmar boy in an ATV rollover last weekend has prompted calls for more safety precautions.

• The City of Leduc is planning for future traffic headaches by highlighting areas for improvement on the city's roads.

• Stageworks is finishing off their season with three upcoming performances.

• In sports, a local team triumphed at a major pool tournament in Edmonton, the Leduc Drillers are preparing for their epic 200-km bike ride to raise funds for cancer research, and the Leduc StrayCats got their season off to a good start.

Check out our website or pick up a copy of the Rep for all this and more, including full coverage of what to expect at the 40th annual Black Gold Rodeo, which kicks off this Thursday!

(Photo: Magician Kent Wong demonstrated a little-known technique for relieving neck and head tension on Kaylee Dewar at the EDA's volunteer appreciation breakfast on April 21. Photo by Alex Pope.)

Weekly Roundup — April 3

Here's what's making news in Leduc and area this week:

• Leduc County decided not to make a decision on a proposed amendment to its land-use bylaw that has caused a lot of controversy in the region

• Four municipalities held an emergency planning exercise that simulated a critical water shortage

• Black Gold Regional School Division is working on setting a new direction for special education

• A school program that encourages junior high students to help each other stay away from smoking is looking for support from the community

• In sports, the Leduc MNP Riggers held their season-ender awards banquet on March 28, while the Leduc Roughnecks Atom AA team finished their season as Alberta Central Cities Hockey League champions

• Community members got together to reflect on and pray for those in leadership positions at the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast on March 28

For all this and more, pick up a copy of the Rep or visit our website.

(Photo: Taylor Davies, Emma Faulkner and Keri Bierke of Beaumont's Daisy Chain Theatre Productions performed a mini-musical called Nuts with other members of their Tiny Broadway class at the group's year-end recital at the Maclab on March 27. Photo by Alex Pope)

Theatrical thievery

On March 14 at the Maclab Centre for the Performing Arts, Raven the Trickster (played by Jonathan Fisher) hatched a plot to steal the sun, moon and stars from Eesh (Carlos Rivera) and his daughter Seik (Nicole Joy-Fraser) by disguising himself as Eesh's grandson in Red Sky Performance's production of Raven Stole the Sun. Did it work? You'll have to check the March 20 Rep to find out. (Photo by Alex Pope)