A lost pair of 'pincers' gave this town its name. Daybreak Alberta was live from Pincher Creek
Welcoming crowd shared stories from the small town in southern Alberta
Pincher Creek residents were waiting outside the local shop even before Daybreak Alberta started broadcasting live from their downtown this month.
The show got a warm welcome and a good crowd at Seeds, a cafe and store in the small southern Alberta town, about two hours south of Calgary on the Cowboy Trail. The town is south of Highway 3, within view of the snow-topped mountains and is a common-stopover for folks driving from Calgary to Waterton Lakes National Park.
The March 1 broadcast was part of CBC Calgary and CBC Edmonton's Out Your Way library project, which aims to bring people together and keep discovering the unique communities across Alberta. It's a collaboration with The Alberta Library (TAL), a non-profit that supports more than 300 libraries across the province.
Daybreak Alberta host Paul Karchut kicked off the show by interviewing Jacalyn Anderson, owner of Seeds, who shared the shop's origin story. She said it grew from a local farmers' market where Anderson used to sell flowers.
Now the shop sells baked goods, homestyle meals and coffee, in addition to local products. It's a bright, welcoming space where visitors can buy anything from yarn to flower seeds or birthday cards.
Libraries are often centres of conversation and connection within their communities, and the Pincher Creek library was critical to making this event happen. Library manager Kayla Lorenzen helped the CBC team learn about the hidden gems of the town and introduced them to many local movers and shakers.
In a string of live interviews, Karchut and local residents shared stories about the thriving local music scene and the many activities happening around town, such as efforts to preserve the history, increase opportunities for cross-country skiing and restore the historic local hotel.
Gord Tolton, with the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village, said the name of the town came from a lost pair of "pincers," a tool for reshodding horses.
Residents also talked about the Grassy Mountain coal mine that's proposed for near Pincher Creek.
Supporters welcome the opportunity for economic growth, while detractors are worried about the environmental impact. A decision on whether the proposal can move ahead is currently with the Alberta Energy Regulator.
Daybreak Alberta spoke with Bette Mitchell, ranch manager for Flint Rock Ranch at the south end of the Porcupine Hills and north of the Oldman Reservoir. She is also a treasurer with Livingstone Landowners Group.
She called it "a very contentious issue" for the area, and one that has been dragging on for a long time because of multiple provincial decisions. The proposal was denied in 2021 before being reopened.
"A lot of ranchers, and I can't speak for all of them, but for sure the landowners groups … are frustrated that we're back looking at this again."
Pincher Creek Mayor Don Anderberg also joined Daybreak Alberta to discuss coal mining, the changing demographics in Pincher Creek and water security.
It was great to see how busy main street and Seeds was because of the event, he said.
"Everybody coming together [from] all kinds of walks of life here," said Anderberg. "Myself and everybody else here, we're engaging with people we might not even know. It's great."
The show wrapped up with an interview with the cultural program co-ordinator with the Piikani First Nation, Jaron Weaselbear. He gave a traditional Blackfoot introduction, and shared that his traditional Blackfoot name translates to Singing in the Water.
"I hold great value to that name, because that was given to me by my great grandmother," said Weaselbear.
"Our traditional Blackfoot names — that pretty much tells you who you are going to be in life and basically all my life I've been a singer. So [my grandmother] pretty much knew what I was going to be doing when I was growing up."
With a federal election call looming, Pincher Creek residents who came out to the event also talked with CBC staff about their priorities for the campaign. Listen to some of that here.
Local resident Muriel McPherson said she really appreciated the event.
"I would never miss an opportunity to come to a live CBC production and really appreciate CBC reaching out to small communities," she said.
Others agreed.
"I think it's awesome. It's great our community gets to showcase itself yet again, and it's wonderful to put faces to names," said resident Cody Johnson. "We listen to CBC and I'm so glad to see people here."
Karchut said they're already looking for more opportunities to get on the road.
"I love getting into the communities that we serve," he said. "Meeting the Daybreakers where they're at, hearing about the passion they have for where they live. The ways they're trying to make it better. It's invigorating and a reminder of why we do what we do."
Daybreak Alberta is doing another live show March 15, broadcasting from the Library Cafe in the Red Deer Public Library at 4818 49th Street.
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