Front cover of the Medicine Hat and Southeast Alberta Colouring Book now available for $15 at the Visitor's Centre in Medicine Hat. -- NEWS PHOTO SAMANTHA JOHNSON
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
Library technician Leanne Stock with Medicine Hat Public Library is a very talented woman. She and the library collaborated on a colouring book last year, and that project led to a second colouring book – this one in collaboration with Tourism Medicine Hat.
Tourism didn’t want to do the same thing as the library and chose to focus on the partnerships they already had with Alberta Parks, Cypress County, County of 40 Mile, Bow Island and Redcliff for the creation of the Southeast Alberta Regional map.
Jace Anderson, executive director at Tourism Medicine Hat, is excited about the colouring book.
“When we saw Leanne and the library produce that first colouring book in the community we fell in love with it,” he said. “It celebrates some of those spots and attractions in the community that are important to us from a tourism perspective because it’s a matter of pride of place. It reminds the locals and gives them something they can appreciate. It is something we can share with visitors as well. We are hoping folks will take it home, colour it and send us pictures.”
Stock says she started doing urban sketches around five years ago.
“(It was) something quick that would be fun,” said Stock. “I started getting noticed online for these because I do lots in the Medicine Hat area.”
Art is something Stock fits into her schedule whenever possible. Local scenes from Medicine Hat and Southeast Alberta are depicted throughout the colouring book.
“I had the chance to go see all these places to get pictures and reference for the pages that I would do,” she said. “It was an enjoyable experience and I hope that whoever picks up the colouring book would decide to go see these places for themselves.”
It took about a year for Stock to complete the physical drawings for the colouring book, which was printed locally. The Medicine Hat Visitor’s Centre is already seeing businesses in the community reach out and ask if they can sell it, and there is a wholesale price available for that option.
The Medicine Hat and Southeast Alberta Colouring Book is available at the Visitor’s Centre for $15. The centre had some closures over the past couple of years due to upgrades, construction and the pandemic. However, they are open year-round again.
Current hours are Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
