Dear Readers;

Wow! What a summer we’ve had, since arriving back from our 5^th southern U.S. tour at the beginning of April (battling through high winds and whiteout conditions on the Monida Pass!) We headed straight into a busy April with 2 Easter events, plus an event for the beautiful Arden Theatre in St. Albert, Alberta, and school and T.V. happenings for Earth Day. May saw our third annual meeting with Thomas the Tank Engine for 4 days in Calgary, also opening events for Fort Edmonton together with the T.V. season launch. Plus the Northern Alberta Children’s Festival – a great event – and its still only May!

June saw a special day at the Edmonton Valley Zoo for children with disabilities from all over the area, plus there were three “Goodbye” events for our much loved United Church minister and his wife, who were heading to the coast and retirement. Many one day events, including 2 at the Ukrainian Village for 1500 children daily – then we took a few days break to show some U.K. friends around the Canadian Rockies.

July saw us in the community of Rosemary, Alberta for Canada Day, then on to Portage La Prairie (by Winnipeg) for our 4^th visit to their Industrial Exhibition, with all the fun of the fair. Back in time to fly Mary to Kentucky for the World Ventriloquist convention – at which we have previously performed.

August saw the Vegreville Exhibition, plus the ‘Under the Big Top’ festival in Sherwood Park (where children learn physical theatre, puppetry, magic and other skills), and of course the Fort Edmonton Harvest, which is a blast!

September we appeared at the Interior Provincial Exhibition in Armstrong B.C.; a great event and we met many new performer friends. We look forward to our return in 2010 – preferably without the hailstorm that came straight at the stage, (the +38c we can take)!

That brings us to the present, and the annual bus tour where Mary hosts 54 people from Western Canada around the Atlantic Provinces. Because we were in the U.K., we missed the tour last year, so it will be very special to visit those places – and possibly people – where we lived when first in Canada.

We will update you, our friends, again very soon!  

Peter and Mary 

Sent in by Mary on March 24th, 2008

As I write it is 34c degrees here in Palm Springs, California. Not bad for the end of March!

We have had a great tour, with approximately 30 shows, across Arizona and California, and next years tour of the same area is almost fully booked. The first show was on January 12th and we have been running since then, so we are looking forward to a leisurely drive up the coast and then across to Alberta.

It is amazing how much the Sonoran desert has come into our hearts with its wealth of vegitation and wildlife, (some of the latter has to be treated with great respect, i.e. rattle snakes and gila monsters!).

We are looking forward as always, to appearing at the Edmonton Earth Day Festival on April 20th having been at the helm for so many years.

May is going to be a busy month with appearances for children with Thomas the Tank Engine; the Edmonton Valley Zoo; and the Northern Alberta International Childrens Festival. Also the season opening of our beloved Fort Edmonton Park, where we appear many times in period costume throughout the summer.

If you have the chance, visit our Calendar on our website  www.peterandmary.net, it will give you an update on  forthcoming appearances.

Talk with you again soon.