Today in High Prairie! See what’s happening today in town, celebrity birthdays, local history, world history and your daily horoscope. Please send your birthdays and community events to southpeacenews@hotmail.com and/or spneditor@outlook.com.

What’s Happening Today – March 27, 2024

Holy Week Bible Reading Marathon (Day 4 of 5). Access athdio.ca to participate.

10 a.m. – Big Lakes County meets in High Prairie in council chambers.

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. – Story Time at HP Municipal Library.

Noon – Grouard Seniors Lunch at Northland School.

1 p.m. – Play Mah Jong at Joussard Homesteaders Centre.

5:30 p.m. – Bingo at Kinuso Ag Hall. Pre-Call at 6:30 p.m., early bird at 6:45 p.m., regular games 7 p.m.

6:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Regional Multi-Sport Information & Registration Session at GBRC Auditorium.

6:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Kinuso Community Girl Guides meet at Kinuso Ag Hall. Snacks provided.

7 p.m. – AA meeting at Grouard in Brown Building behind Kapawe’no Hall.

7:30 p.m. – Play cards at Joussard Homesteaders Centre. Supper at 6 p.m. Cost is $3.

Today’s Celebrity Birthdays – March 27, 2024

1780 – August Crelle, Built the first Prussian Railway

1845 – Wilhelm Röntgen, Discovered X-rays

1863 – Henry Royce, Rolls-Royce founder

1868 – Patty Smith Hill, Happy Birthday to You writer

1899 – Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard actress

1901 – Carl Barks, Scrooge McDuck cartoonist

1907 – Claude Stroud, Breakfast at Tiffany’s actor

1930 – David Janssen, The Fugitive actor

1936 – Jerry Lacy, Play it Again Sam actor

1939 – Cale Yarborough, US auto racer

1942 – Michael York, Cabaret actor

1950 – Tony Banks, Genesis keyboardist

1952 – Maria Schneider, Last Tango in Paris actress

1956 – Brian Kelly, Edmonton Eskimo

1959 – Andrew Farriss, INXS keyboardist

1961 – Clark Datchler, Johnny Hates Jazz vocalist

1967 – Talisa Soto, License to Kill actress

1971 – Mariah Carey, American singer

1975 – Fergie Duhamel, The Black Eyed Peas singer

1984 – Emily Ann Lloyd, Apollo 13 actress

This Day in Local History – March 27, 2024

March 27, 1913: A meeting at Grouard’s Cunningham’s Hall results in the proposed boundaries for the new town of Grouard to be reduced.

March 27, 1915: The Grouard News reports the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia railroad is acquiring a townsite at Sucker Creek and will build their branch line into Grouard soon.

March 27, 1915: The Grouard News reports Louis Wender and A.F. Jones complete a 700-mile hike with dogs through northern Alberta.

March 27, 1915: The Grouard News reports Grouard town council is still confident the town will be selected as the new headquarters for the RNWMP’s Northern Division.

March 27, 1930: A meeting of the Big Meadow community club is held and they discuss the construction of a hall. It would be built sometime before 1935.

March 27, 1971: The first all-native hockey tournament in the Peace Country is held at the Sports Palace.

March 27, 1971: Doug Thornton’s rink scores an eight-ender at the High Prairie Curling Club.

March 27, 1974: It is reported that George and Laura Stephenson, of McLennan, are awarded the Herb Webster Memorial Trophy by the Travel Industry Association of Alberta for their work in promoting the tourist industry in Alberta.

March 27, 1975: Arthur Engstrom, 63, is killed after his half-ton truck collides with a three-ton truck one mile east of Enilda.

March 27, 1981: Faust receives its new fire truck.

March 27, 1985: South Peace News reports Hazel Paish wins her court case with the High Prairie Hospital board over mandatory retirement.

March 27, 1985: South Peace News reports a second inquiry into the plane crash that killed six people near Joussard Oct. 19, 1984 will be held.

March 27, 1985: The Right Rev. Robert Smith, national moderator of the United Church of Canada, dedicates the new church in High Prairie.

March 27, 1993: The High Prairie Golden Age Club celebrates the grand opening of the addition to their centre.

March 27, 1994: The High Prairie Midgets win the Alberta Midget B provincial championship in Vermilion after defeating the host club 5-2 in the final.

March 27, 1996: High Prairie town council endorses a community walking trails project.

March 27, 2002: Atikameg celebrates the grand opening of the new $12 million school. Chief Robert Grey cuts the ribbon to open the school.

March 27, 2010: David Paddon is named the High Prairie Firefighter-of-the-Year at the annual Emergency Services Banquet. Tony Belli also receives his Services Exemplary Medal for 30 years of service to the fire department.

March 27, 2011: The Treaty 8 Hockey Tournament concludes in High Prairie. Winners include the Sucker Creek Capitals, Loon River Stars, Loon River Chaos [Ladies], and Whitefish Lake Lakers.

March 27, 2013: South Peace News wins third place for Best Editorial Pages in the Canadian Community Newspapers’ Association newspapers competition.

March 27, 2014: South Peace News wins five Canadian Community Newspapers’ Association awards in its circulation classes including third in General Excellence, a Blue Ribbon Award for placing in the top third of its class, second for Best Front Page, and the Christmas issue places third for Best Holiday Edition. Jeff Burgar’s editorial Quacks Like a Duck places second.

March 27, 2015: South Peace News wins four Canadian Community Newspapers’ Association awards. SPN places third in General Excellence, Best Front Page and Best Editorial Page in its class; and third for Best Holiday Issue.

March 27, 2017: Funding of $21.6 million is announced for a new Northern Lakes College Campus in High Prairie.

March 27, 2019: Big Lakes County agrees to offer the sale of the old Enilda Fire Hall to the Enilda and District Society for Recreation and Culture for $1.

This Day in World History – March 27, 2024

1309 – Pope Clement V excommunicates Venice and all its population.

1513 – Spaniard Juan Ponce de León first sights Florida.

1613 – First English child born in Canada at Cuper’s Cove, Newfoundland.

1668 – English king Charles II gives Bombay to East India Company.

1790 – The modern shoelace with an aglet patented in England.

1848 – John Parker Paynard originates medicated adhesive plaster.

1849 – Joseph Couch patents steam-powered percussion rock drill.

1855 – Abraham Gesner patents kerosene.

1860 – M.L. Byrn patents corkscrew.

1866 – Andrew Rankin patents the urinal.

1915 – Typhoid Mary [Mary Mallon] is arrested and returned to quarantine.

1924 – Canada recognizes USSR.

1931 – Charlie Chaplin receives France’s distinguished Legion of Honor.

1931 – John McGraw says night baseball will not catch on.

1952 – Failed assassination of West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.

1958 – CBS Labs announce new stereophonic records.

1964 – First true Pirate Radio station, Radio Caroline in England, opens.

1964 – Alaska Earthquake [9.2 magnitude] is second largest ever recorded.

1964 – Great Train Robbers sentenced to a total of 307 years behind bars.

1969 – Launch of Mariner 7, flies 2,190-mi above southern Mars.

1972 – Venera 8 launches to explore Venus.

1977 – 583 die in aviation’s worst ever disaster in Spain.

1979 – US Supreme Court rules 8-1 that cops can’t randomly stop cars.

1980 – Mount St. Helens becomes active after 123 years.

1994 – Men’s Figure Skating Championship in China won by Elvis Stojko.

1997 – Martin Luther King’s son meets James Earl Ray, his father’s killer.

Today’s Horoscopes – March 27, 2024

Aries [March 21 – April 20] – Some down-to-Earth conversations with a love partner could result in advancing the relationship to the next level of commitment. The communication should be loving and supportive, but practical matters like money, work, and personal habits could be discussed. You will probably find you and your partner are more compatible than you thought. Move ahead, but with caution. Love is the beacon guiding most of us through life.

Taurus [April 21 – May 21] – The desire to make a particular purchase could have you reworking your budget today. This is a good time to do this, as your business and money sense are operating at a high level, and you are likely to be savvier about finance than usual. You may take more time than you need, however. Remember not to beat it to death or you will lose your focus. Do not be afraid to take breaks. Good luck!

Gemini [May 22 – June 21] – Suddenly you seem more glamorous than usual. You may exert a mysterious appeal that in the 1920s was called “it”. Current and potential love partners may take a second look and be intrigued. Do not be surprised if you attract admiring glances from strangers! This could make a big difference in your love life. Lovers you encounter today should continue to see something in you for a long time. Make the most of “it!”

Cancer [June 22 – July 22] – Your visionary tendencies are in the ascendant today, although they take more of a practical than mystical bent. You might look at your living room or backyard and suddenly find yourself redecorating it in your mind’s eye. If you have wanted to start some sort of long-term project to improve your surroundings, this is the day to get started. You will not only attain your vision, you may surpass it. Have fun!

Leo [July 23 – Aug. 23] – As a person who enjoys being gregarious and outgoing, days like this provide a wonderful outlet for your energy. You might spend a lot of time with your family today, but you will also probably touch base with many others. At some point you might find yourself in the spotlight. You will feel especially fond of everyone around you and appreciate your good fortune. Enjoy your day!

Virgo [Aug. 24 – Sept. 22] – Corporate kudos and increased income you may have been working toward for a long time may finally manifest today. Your effort and energy have not gone unnoticed. What you are doing now has impressed those in a position to advance your interests. Positive changes in your career situation could well take place, even if what you have been wanting is a whole new career. Congratulations! Keep up the good work!

Libra [Sept. 23 – Oct. 23] – This is a great day to deal with legal matters of any kind, including plans for a wedding, if one is in the offing! Your financial situation should be thriving and stable, and long-term educational goals may come to the forefront. Now you should be strongly focused on matters that are particularly important to you. Work performed today toward those ends should be accomplished quickly and efficiently. Go to it!

Scorpio [Oct. 24 – Nov. 22] – A keen ability on your part to blend the worlds of intellect and intuition could well surface today. The ability to focus both these methods of perception into material reality is apt to give a boost to your career and educational efforts. It also could enhance your romantic life. Anything begun or completed today has an advantage. Try to look closely at this new tendency and make it last. It is definitely a plus!

Sagittarius [Nov. 23 – Dec. 21] – Relationships of all kinds become stronger and more enduring today. Successes boost the strength of business partnerships; love relationships advance to the next level of commitment. Bonds of any kind formed now are likely to be strong ones, marked by honesty, loyalty, and affection. This is a great day to get together with anyone close to you; your relationship is very likely to grow because of it. Enjoy your day!

Capricorn [Dec. 22 – Jan. 20] – An interest in health and nutrition could come to the surface for you. New discoveries regarding the benefits of certain nutrients, exercise programs, or other forms of alternative therapy could attract your attention. You might want to attend a lecture of some kind in order to learn more about it. You will probably stick with any new program begun now, so go for it. Dare to strive for optimal health!

Aquarius [Jan. 21 – Feb. 18] – Have you been thinking about taking a course in one of the arts? Whether your preference is painting, music, drama, dance, or creative writing, if you commit now, you will probably continue with it. The practical arts of cooking, building, or interior decoration are also possibilities. Whatever it is, it will not be quickly abandoned. If you begin with the idea of eventually doing it professionally, chances are you will. Good luck!

Pisces [Feb. 19 – March 20] – If you own your own home, you may learn today that its value has increased substantially. If you do not own a home but want to buy one, this is the time to start looking. Any investments made now, particularly in land, will probably be solid and apt to gain in value, although results might take some time to materialize. Carefully consider all contingencies before committing, however. This is not the time to act impulsively.