Noteworthy: Homegrown, as big as it gets and coming to the Hat in November

By Bruce Penton on October 5, 2023.

Back in 2004, when Kalan Porter and his Canadian Idol run was all the rage, it would have been foolhardy to believe any Hatter could be more famous in the entertainment industry.

Now, of course, Kalan’s sister MacKenzie Porter is one of the biggest country music stars in the industry. She’s had numerous No. 1 country hits, toured last year in Australia with American star Brad Paisley, gave a pre-game performance for the Atlanta Braves earlier this summer and is now getting set for a six-stop Canadian tour, which hits Medicine Hat’s Esplanade Nov. 8 for a show almost guaranteed to be the hottest ticket in town. Social media note: Porter has 162,000 followers on Instagram.

– Speaking of the Braves, Calgary’s Michael Soroka appears to be at the end of the line with the team after a spectacular rookie season (13-4 record) in 2019. He twice suffered a tear of his Achilles tendon since then and this year’s comeback attempt has not been very successful. Atlanta is likely to cut him loose after this season.

– The perfect location and name for a ‘gentleman’s club’ in Medicine Hat would be right next door to Skinny’s Smokehouse in the Box Springs area and, of course, it would be named Smokey’s Skinhouse.

– Plenty of details yet to come, of course, but my initial reaction to the UCP’s proposed Alberta Pension Plan is no, no, no and no again. Two immediate reasons: 1. A bird in the hand, etc., etc.; 2. I guess I care more about my fellow Canadians in other provinces than does Premier Smith, whose APP plan has the potential to do serious damage to the national CPP.

– Not sure what would be worse: A retired couple running out of money, or Medicine Hat running out of water.

– I don’t know too many Denver Broncos’ fans, but one of them out there, Jeff Sandford, must have been in agony when his beloved NFL team was eviscerated 70-20 by the Miami Dolphins a week or so ago. Sorry, Jeff. You’ll be encouraged by the Broncos’ comeback win a week later over the Chicago Bears.

– As if we didn’t have enough to worry about with the reported return of COVID, the medical community is now saying that West Nile Disease is on the rise. And you thought mosquitoes were just a pest?

– A reminder that Nov. 1 is the deadline to apply to sit on various boards and committees run by the City of Medicine Hat. Things like the Library Board, Assessment Review and Municipal Planning, etc., need public representation. See the city’s website for further info.

– A Ryder Cup reporter posted on X (formerly Twitter) a sign he saw in an Italian public restroom: “Please flush only toilet paper. No paper towels, lipstick, love letters or old shoes.”

– The biggest name in the world of sports these days is a non-athlete, singer Taylor Swift, because she’s dating Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. I couldn’t name a single title of a Swift tune and since she’s a world famous megastar, I’m not sure if I should be proud of that, ashamed or merely ambivalent.

– If I were a career-seeking Medicine Hat high school student wondering what to do after graduation, I’d give serious consideration to becoming a pilot. The pay is good, the hours can be quite nice, and the demand for new pilots is great, which guarantees employment.

– Southern Albertans who closely follow the fortunes of the Toronto Blue Jays had a tense couple of weeks in September, but can breathe easy now that they have secured one of three American League wildcard spots. Their strong pitching led by Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt, could carry them a long way, but having to win a three-game series against the Twins in Minnesota to kick off the playoffs will be a challenge. Jays won 89 games this year, two more than Minnesota, but the Twins get to play the wildcard series at home (Tuesday, today and tomorrow) because they were the winners of the Central Division.

– I worked for a few years with Chris Brown at the Medicine Hat News and know that he’s a smart, conscientious worker with good public relations skills. After his News career, Brown helped put together CHAT TV news for a couple of years and did some television reporting, but starting this week, he’s off on a new adventure – head of marketing and community engagement at the Medicine Hat Public Library. He’ll do great, of course, and the library will be a better place because of his involvement.