The Flagstaff County Podcast

Send us Fan Mail With the Red Serge Ball happening next month, Flagstaff County Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna  sits down with Noreen Metz, program manager of Flagstaff Victim Services, and Jessica Docksteader, program facilitator of the Family Resource Centre in Killam, which is operated by the Parents For Fun in Flagstaff Society. Flagstaff Victim Services and the Parents for Fun in Fl...

Send us Fan Mail Jessica Docksteader, program facilitator with the Family Resource Centre in Killam, joins Flagstaff County Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna to discuss the facility that is operated by the Parents For Fun in Flagstaff Society and that is so much more than just an indoor playground.

Send us Fan Mail Fire Chief Derek Homme, of the Flagstaff Regional Emergency Services Society (otherwise known as FRESS), and Capt. Chad Kuefler, of the FRESS Forestburg station, join Flagstaff County Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna to talk about a big event on April 20, 2024 in Forestburg, where firefighters will be toasted and pigs will be roasted!

Send us Fan Mail Leslie Cholowsky, editor of The Community Press, takes a lookback at the local stories and events that shaped 2023. With Flagstaff County Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna as host, Leslie identifies eight news themes that wove their way through the past year.

Send us Fan Mail Flagstaff Scottish Club co-founder Ian Malcolm chats with Flagstaff County Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna about the upcoming Robbie Burns Night in Killam. Ian also plays a few songs on the bagpipes.

Send us Fan Mail Flagstaff County Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna kicks off Season 4 of the podcast with local musician Tom Lichak.

Send us Fan Mail As we near the end of 2023, I urge you to subscribe to the Flagstaff County Podcast. We have a great lineup of episodes already planned for 2024 – covering a wide array of topics relevant to Flagstaffians (or is that Flagstaffers? Or Flagstonians? Or maybe Flagites?) – anyway we don’t want you to miss any episode, so please click that subscribe button. Listen now at: https://flags...

Send us Fan Mail For several weeks in the mid-1930s, a farmhouse south of Daysland, Alberta is seemingly terrorized by a "ghost". Many, including homeowners Mr. and Mrs. Louis Lansing, are convinced that an "evil spirit" has taken up residence there. Listen, as Flagstaff County Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna narrates this Depression-era tale, to find out what happened...

Send us Fan Mail One year later, we revisit the Alberta government's historic announcement to return the Manitou Stone to its rightful home in modern-day Flagstaff County, which is on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional meeting grounds, gathering place, and travelling route to the Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Métis, Dene and Nakota Sioux.

Send us Fan Mail Ken Eshpeter, a director with the Friends of the Battle River Railway Society, stops by to tell Flagstaff County Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna all about the little railway that could. If you're interested in riding the rails in Central Alberta, be sure to visit the Battle River Train Excursions website at: battlerivertrain.com .

Send us Fan Mail The grand prize in our 2023 Flagstaff Fitness Challenge features 10 online training sessions (valued at $500) with personal trainer Josh Damberger. Josh tells Flagstaff County Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna why he got into the fitness industry and what services he offers, before sharing some tried-and-true fitness tips that are sure to keep you on track in this year&apos...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew Pfeffer sits down with Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna to talk about what he does as Agricultural Foreman, and then reminisce about his hockey and swimming careers.

Send us Fan Mail How many people can say that something they've created is in a museum? Flagstaff County Parts Technician Kelly Harris can. A lavish Russian coronation cloak that Kelly created during her time with the Czar Theatre Guild, as well as some Fabergé eggs that she had a hand in creating, are housed at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton. Kelly, now a Sedgewick resident, discusses...

Send us Fan Mail Flagstaff Food Bank board secretary Lynne Jenkinson provides Flagstaff County Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna with a wrap-up of the recent Tower of Toilet Paper Challenge. Lynne also updates Cary on the latest statistics from the Flagstaff Food Bank.

Send us Fan Mail Flagstaff County Reeve Don Kroetch gives the podcast version of a State of the County address. With Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna hosting, Reeve Kroetch looks back at the County's accomplishments, as well as the challenges faced by the County, its residents, businesses, and regional and community partners, in 2022. The reeve then offers a glimpse at some of what Fl...

Send us Fan Mail Flagstaff County Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna chats with county resident Sharleen Chevraux, who helped bring the Manitou Stone back to Alberta in 1973. The Killam businesswoman and retired English high school teacher says she has mixed emotions after the recent announcement that the meteorite is slated to return to its historic location in Flagstaff County, which is Tr...

Send us Fan Mail Maryse Bourgault is an assistant professor in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan. She is also the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) Integrated Agronomy Research Chair. The drought and agriculture researcher chats with former Flagstaff County Agricultural Fieldman Harry Brook about the effects of heat stress on crops, in particular...

Send us Fan Mail Former Flagstaff County Agricultural Fieldman Harry Brook gets the not-so-sweet lowdown on what honey bees are facing – including some common diseases and the impacts of pesticide exposure – from Elizabeth (Liz) Walsh. Liz is a postdoctoral researcher at the Beaverlodge Research Farm in the Peace Region of Alberta, under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, where she works on honey b...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Syama Chatterton, a pulse crops pathologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, and former Flagstaff County Agricultural Fieldman Harry Brook discuss pulse diseases.

Send us Fan Mail Brent Hoyland started working at Flagstaff County on Tuesday, January 2, 1990, as Agricultural Fieldman. He retires Friday, July 29, 2022, as Assistant CAO. Brent sits down with Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna and looks back at his 32 1/2-year career at Flagstaff County.

Send us Fan Mail Nick Dunn, Flagstaff County's new agricultural fieldman, discusses the extensive responsibilities and services of the Flagstaff County Agricultural Service Board. Nick, who recorded this episode recently while he was still serving in the role of assistant agricultural fieldman, can be reached via email at: ndunn@flagstaff.ab.ca, or by phone at: 780-384-4138. For more informat...

Send us Fan Mail Flagstaff County Council is responsible for developing a plan to determine the long-term strategic direction of the municipality. The 2022-25 Strategic Plan contains Council's vision for the future of our Community of communities. Flagstaff County Communications Coordinator Cary Castagna sits down with Reeve Don Kroetch and Deputy Reeve Howard Shield to discuss the plan. Flag...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Vern Baron, forage researcher with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lacombe, and former Flagstaff County Agricultural Fieldman Harry Brook broach the topic of climate change and the future of farming.

Send us Fan Mail Megan Andre, executive director of the Agroforestry & Woodlot Extension Society (AWES), sits down with Flagstaff County Agricultural Fieldman Harry Brook and Assistant Agricultural Fieldman Nick Dunn to deliver a presentation on the restoration and maintenance of shelterbelts. For more information, visit the AWES website at: www.awes-ab.ca .

Send us Fan Mail Alberta Agriculture and Forestry insect technologist Shelley Barkley gives Flagstaff County Agricultural Fieldman Harry Brook the lowdown on insect surveys and which bugs are being monitored throughout the province.