Noteworthy: Back once a week… did you miss me?

By Bruce Penton on September 27, 2023.

Four years without a ‘Noteworthy’ column was too much for some people to endure, so like a bad rash, we’re back on a weekly basis for the foreseeable future.

– Everyone, it seems, has become a gas-price watcher, as the prices skyrocket, then fall, then go back and forth a few cents at a time. Because much of my time is spent on Strachan Road, it’s been fun to watch the occasional back and forth mini gas war between South Country Co-op and the PetroCan outlet across the street. The two locations don’t remain at the same price for too long. Costco, of course, is usually the lowest of the low in Medicine Hat, but the amount of gas you burn to travel to the northwest Medicine Hat site might negate some of the savings.

– It doesn’t hurt to repeat the fact that the Medicine Hat trail system for walkers and cyclists is second to none. Only complaint is with the dog owners who fail to pick up their pooches’ poo.

– What does the future hold for former Medicine Hat independent MLA Drew Barnes? There’s no election on the horizon, but judging by his continuing political commentary on various social media outlets, it’s a good guess he’s running for something. Maybe he’s just waiting for Danielle Smith to self-destruct, and then he’ll ride in and save Alberta.

– Medicine Hat Tigers enjoyed an improved season in 2022-23 and things look even rosier for the upcoming campaign. The price you pay in junior hockey for a championship team is a season or two of getting thumped while your developing youngsters get accustomed to the rigours of major junior hockey. A Tigers’ home game this season should be a can’t-miss event. Bossman Willie Desjardins has put together an outstanding team with championship potential with the likes of Oasiz Wiesblatt, Andrew Basha, Cayden Lindstrom, Brayden Boehm, Tomas Mrsic and the cherry on top, Gavin McKenna. A 2-0 start bodes well for the rest of the 2023-24 season. Co-op Place is going to be an exciting venue on Tigers’ game nights this winter.

– Has Ted Clugston dropped off the face of the earth?

– Is there a more annoying voice on TV than that of Buck Martinez on the Blue Jays’ telecasts?

– Judging by the number of contributions on the negative side of Ticked Off and Tickled Pink, it appears as if Medicine Hat is filled with a bunch of complainers. Always thought it was healthier for people to look on the positive side of things.

– Here’s something to give you a creepy-crawly feeling. According to the New York Times, there are 2.5 million ants for every human on earth.

– Once again, local homebuilders have put together a fantastic array of new houses for the Parade of Homes. There are six homes – two in Desert Blume, two in Coulee Ridge and one each in South Ridge and Dunmore – to walk through and see the latest innovations in home construction. This Sunday is your final chance to see what the builders have to offer.

– The city’s move to make the right lane at the bottom of the Dunmore Hill a right-turn only was a great call, but would the smart thinkers at city hall do the same for the right westbound lane on Strachan Road at 13th Avenue? It seems there’s always one vehicle at the front of the pack with straight-ahead intentions while 17 vehicles behind it are wanting to turn right on the red light.

– You’ll get no argument from me that Taber corn is absolutely delicious and a bargain at $1 a cob, but why were two of the corn huts in my neighbourhood closed up tighter than Fort Knox last Saturday around 5 p.m.? My assumption is they were sold out, which makes sense considering the corn’s popularity.

– If 105.3 radio personality Park Warden’s name is really Park Warden, then I’m a park warden in Banff.

– Stolen from Facebook: “If a drummer comes out of retirement, will there be repercussions?”

– One of my golfing buddies, Rick Withers, celebrated the eighth hole-in-one of his life earlier this summer out at Desert Blume and my question is: Who among the local crowd has more?

Until next week, be kind to people you encounter. They might be having a bad day and need a smile and some kindness from you to turn it around.