Member Letters
AMA’s centennial summer issue brought back many memories for our members. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF AMA
I have just read my recent AMA Insider, A Century in Motion, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It brought back many wonderful memories. This week, I had lunch with “the Girls,” which we do regularly. The six of us have been friends since Grade 3 at Stanley Jones School. We are now in our late seventies. We were all members of the original School Patrol Band, sponsored by the AMA back in the early ’60s. We talked about the fun we had, the Grey Cup trip to Ottawa, Sergeant Hansen, Constable Chisholm, all the summer road trips — the best of all was the Stampede Parade. –Linda S.
“We were all members of the original School Patrol Band, sponsored by the AMA back in the early ’60s.”
WHERE IN THE WORLD?
The Summer 2026 issue has a nice pic of the “World’s Largest Mushrooms” in Vilna, Alberta. My father has a farm nearby, and one of our favourite things to do in Vilna was to go to the grocery store, purchase an ice cream cone, then sit on a bench outside the store and watch the world go by. An Alberta-flavoured version of the Otis Redding song (Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay. –Brian T.
Taking a walk down memory lane in Vilna, Alberta. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF BRIAN T.
My mom grew up on a farm near Vilna. She grew up foraging for and enjoying wild mushrooms, wild strawberries, saskatoons, blueberries, high bush cranberries and other treats found in the area. She passed her knowledge and love for these treasures to her children and grandchildren. We all have happy memories of harvesting, preserving and eating them. –Grace M. My son, T., was a climber from an early age, using our Golden Retriever as a step stool to get onto the counter in order to climb onto the fridge. It wasn’t easy to get up this pipe under the toadstool. It’s wider than you can grab with your legs and arms. Getting up involved a coordinated effort of starting on my shoulders, then grabbing on and getting further support to shimmy up higher.
–Ross L.
Reaching new heights atop a giant mushroom at Mushroom Park in Vilna. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF ROSS L.
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