Historic Downtown
Creating a Coffee Culture in Southern Alberta
Travel PRs from all over the world experience Medicine Hat's coffee culture through the Coffee Tour.
Travel PRs from all over the world experience Medicine Hat's coffee culture through the Coffee Tour.
On a sunny day in Medicine Hat, Karen Keller, along with an international team of travel PRs, rode a bus down a coulee and crossed the South Saskatchewan River on the Trans-Canada Highway. A left turn onto the oldest street, First Street, led them to the city's bright downtown, where they’d be introduced to the first coffee shop on the tour, Madhatter Coffee Roastery (now known as Poolhouse Roastery & Cafe).
Immediately, the crew felt friendliness and warmth and a charm Keller will never forget, along with the knowledge shared at the roastery about ethical coffee beans and why they taste and smell a certain way.
“It was this cute coffee shop in a small city in Alberta, but here’s this team working with communities to ethically harvest and cultivate coffee. It was the perfect small-town viewpoint meets global perspective on the work they’re doing, and they have the passion to make it happen,” says Keller.
The blue sky welcomed the group as they left the roastery; the sun giving heat to the downtown core. As they walked to the next coffee shop, they soaked in the energizing warmth while listening to stories about the historic downtown from Tourism Medicine Hat’s executive director and tour guide, Jace Anderson.
“Jace pointed out old cinemas and buildings with the original fixtures and the beautiful public art,” says Keller. “The coffee itself was a nice underpinning in getting to know the people and spirit of the city. There were great personalities behind each cafe, and it was clear that, at each place we went, people had a lens they were able to communicate well.”
After the group walked a couple blocks intrigued by the area, Inspire Cafe (owners have retired and is now note:) greeted them with sophisticated sweets and a delightful pour over. This cafe carried the passion and attention to detail in a different way for Keller. Although these cafes were close in distance, they each offered a very different experience.
Across the street, the owner of Station Coffee Company prepared coffee flights and tasting treats. He told stories about the historic building they all sat in and the coffee and the baked sweets they indulged in, while local art hung on the walls around them.
“A lot of our reps live in big cities — Frankfurt, Sydney, London — and they were all blown away by the quality, the care, and charisma from the owners,” says Keller. “The people who were put in front of us, they all had great knowledge of the city. They each had something to offer in terms of telling some history. Some pointed across the block and brought the conversation to Medalta, because they had Medalta pottery. The story itself is very cool, but when you put it in front of people, the story really comes to life.
Jace Anderson has been the executive director of Tourism Medicine Hat for eight years, but he has been a local hatter for over 25 years. Coffee has stuck by his side through many years of his life, and his love for the coffee culture in the city has only grown more day-by-day and cup-by-cup.
“It is not lost on me that Medicine Hat has a really beautiful appreciation for coffee, and to have as many independent coffee shops as we do, all within walking distance in the downtown, is really special. From a tourism perspective, my thought was what can we do to celebrate our uniqueness,” says Anderson.
This is when Anderson pieced together the coffee tour to highlight the independent approaches to coffee, as well as the stories that surround these coffee shops. The coffee shops are the thread, and it’s the narrative within the area that brings people from place to place, he says.
“You can find a great cup of coffee in most communities in Western Canada, but to be able to roll into a community like this and see so many independent approaches to coffee in an environment where they’re all supportive and working together — we wanted to draw attention, and the best way to do that was through the coffee tour,” says Anderson.
Watch racers from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia drive the only paved track in central and southern Alberta.
Feel the exhilarating thrill at Medicine Hat’s Speedway with a drink in hand, and popcorn or a hot dog in the other, while cars race to the finish line underneath the summer sun.
“On race day, the Speedway comes to life with burning tires and people doing what they love to do,” says Curtis Bigelow, president of the Medicine Hat Speedway. “It’s a great place to spend the day with friends and family, enjoying the action of different classes battling it out for top points for the day.”
Underneath a blue sky, families and friends are in the stands cheering for their desired driver, or just taking in the action, feeling the high-intensity thrill while watching the show. The family orientated club hosts events from mini cup cars, where racers start as young as eight years old, to the main class of street stocks that brings in a large number of cars and fans from all over Western Canada.
“Racing is a sport for everyone to enjoy, whether you’re a fan or competitor,” says Bigelow. “We bring in classes from around Western Canada such as the Super Trucks, Super Late Models, and Modified. We also host a demolition Derby that nobody wants to miss.”
Experience part of Medicine Hat's beautiful 190+ kilometre trail system.
From the north to south, through downtown, all the parks, and along the river, you can experience and view the city’s greatest qualities on paved-paths.
Director and event coordinator of Bike Medicine Hat Shelley Acheson says Medicine Hat’s largest cycling event The Great Big Pedal invites people to pump their tires, clip their helmets, and meet at Kin Coulee Park to bike the scenic pathways.
“The trails are so diverse. You’re immersed in so much nature, where you really feel you’re away from the city,” says Acheson. “If you keep your eyes open, you could see eagles, owls, deer, moose, and all the other wildlife that lives in the trees and bushes.”
This free event is accessible for all types of bicycles, from e-bikes, to road, recumbent, tandem, and mountain. In 2021, Kin Coulee Park’s massive green-grass field was filled with over 100 participants who chose a five, 10, or 20 kilometre trail that remained mostly flat. Knowing Medicine Hat, upward and downward hills can easily be added to the experience.
“Seeing the large groups of people ride together and the community socializing with one another has to be one of my favourite parts. It’s a very inclusive event, and it shows people that riding in a group can be done easily on our awesome trails in Medicine Hat,” says Acheson.
The community has been seeing more bikers over the years and, in 2021, Bike Medicine Hat hosted a ‘glow ride’, where 100 cyclists decorated their bikes with lights. They started the ride at The Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre and rode all around the downtown area in September.
“Biking is a great opportunity for people to be social, and it allows people to say hello and have conversations they wouldn’t normally have if they were driving.”
Bike Medicine Hat is a not-for-profit organization and is free to join. Join the club, and receive monthly newsletters that let you know when bike-related events are happening in the city.
watch the Great Big Pedal reel here.
@bikemedicinehat
Find five disc golf courses in Medicine Hat.
Gilwell Park hosts nine baskets. It neighbours Leinweber park, turning the course into 18 baskets total. The shaded area features a pond, and across the way is a panoramic view of the the city, with the South Saskatchewan River and Medalta in the Historic Clay District in sight.
126 Cuyler Rd SE
Neighbouring Gilwell Park is Leinweber Park. Choose to play only an nine-basket round or the full 18. Be sure to bring water, snacks, and dress for the weather.
12 Corbitt Way SE
A hub for activities, alongside the nine-basket disc golf course is a nature playground, water park, and local artist Marina Cole's chainsaw sculptures. The course is located snug in a relaxing and charming neighbourhood in the heart of Medicine Hat.
200 11 St SE
Pack discs and a lunch to play a game in this prime picnic park. Surrounded by beautiful coulees, Kin Coulee Park features fire pits, a playground, a beach volleyball court and baseball diamonds. Here you can spend more time in the sunshine playing more than one sport.
104 South Kin Coulee Rd SE
Outside of the city parks, find disc golf at the Medicine Hat College Campus. Whether you're playing a round after classes or looking to try out all the courses, the surrounding trees make this a beautiful spot to play a round or two.
299 College Dr. SE
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Owner of Skip Shot Disc Sports Ethan Knodel has played the versatile sport for six years, starting with a three disc starter set and growing his collection to 23.
“It’s like outdoor therapy, being outside and playing a super chill game of disc golf. It’s quite relaxing,” says Knodel. “You only need one disc to start, and it can be as competitive as you want it to be.”
Whether sunshine or grey skies, snow or rain, disc golf invites people to embrace the outdoors all year long. And disc golf league organizer Jared Zeigenhagel says Medicine Hat is an easy place to merge disc golf into because of the many beautiful parks in the city.
A game that can be played at the players own pace, no appointment is needed to start a game in the parks. Disc golf sets can be found online at Skip Shot Disc Sports, or in-store at Gravity Sports, Sport Connection, Games and Galore in Medicine Hat Mall, and at the Visitor Information Centre (330 Gehring Road SW).
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The Life of Medicine Hat artist, James Marshall.
"I saw all this clay making bricks in a big way. I knew I had a new art form." - James Marshall
Over 40 years ago, James Marshall carved his first brick mural unknowing he would eventually have 351 large murals across Canada, a few in the United States, one in Japan, and one in England.
The artist grew up in Medicine Hat drawing scenes of the World War he’d heard about and witnessed, painting, and creating commercial artwork for his father’s printing business.
After he worked in the family business for a decade, Marshall was introduced to the artistic side of bricks when he went to work with the international brick plant, IXL Industries Ltd. Marshall would travel to Toronto and the west coast to showcase a variety of bricks IXL offered. He would set up his easel and carve bricks while at exhibitions and convention centres, to show the versatility of the products.
Explore our James Marshall Mural Tour.
At the time he did pen and ink drawings. It was hard to make a living with that, so he started to create more pottery art and eventually installed his first brick mural in 1983 — he was the first artist to create brick murals in Canada.
The murals were always made in Medicine Hat at Marshall’s studio. His winters were full of creating three to five different projects a year — he’d draw the design to scale, build it, carve it, take it apart, dry the pieces, load them into a kiln to fire, and then spend his summers installing them. “Brick murals can last forever.”
Marshall has two new murals that will be installed in Spring 2022 in Medicine Hat. After that, the 84-year-old plans to focus on pen and ink drawings, paintings, and 3D sculpture.
If you’d like to read more about James Marshall, you can find his book, ‘The Art of James Marshall’ at Medalta in the Historic Clay District.
A local art festival, Medicine Hat Mural Fest.
“It’s cool to see these walls, that otherwise would have never been noticed before, carry a whole new life and meaning.” - Jeff Goring
Medicine Hat Mural Fest started in 2018 when Jeff Goring saw more possibilities for the vandalized brick walls in the city, so he invited artists from across Canada to bring colour and new stories through mural paintings.
The murals now found on every street in Medicine Hat’s Historic Downtown come from local and national artists who’ve painted in France, Mumbai, Ukraine, Spain, Portugal, and many other cities and countries around the world.
For the community, this mural festival has become something bigger than paintings on a wall. Local artists have the opportunity to paint beside, learn from, and collaborate with the out-of-town artists who share the same passion and artistic calling, through murals that give visitors and community members hope, inspiration, and a lovely piece of art to admire.
“In life, if you’re interested in large scale paintings, you don’t always have the opportunity to be given a large wall to paint on. To me, this is about showing local artists that they can really do this. Art is an outlet for a lot of people, and it’s a needed outlet,” says Goring. “We always try to add meaningful murals to the downtown. You can change the look and change the atmosphere just by putting up some quality and positive art.”
Explore the Downtown Mural Tour
Because Medicine Hat Mural Fest has grown over the years, Goring now meets with eight other mural festival coordinators every two months to celebrate, collaborate, and communicate about what mural fest look like across the country and how the artistic events are continuing to emerge year after year.
“I love it, because we just want artists to know they can do this — we'll give you all the materials. We'll pay you to do it. We'll cover all your food. Just take your time and create,” says Goring.
Not only does the Medicine Hat Mural Fest supply artists with materials and a canvas, the festival also collected donations during the 2021 holidays and put art packages together for children to have.
Goring is a graffiti artist himself that grew up in the Toronto area, and art has always played a huge role in his life. With graffiti usually having the word ‘illegal’ attached to it, he wanted to start Medicine Hat Mural Fest to allow artists to legally paint murals on buildings, including his son Niko who now has his signature ‘dinos’ painted around the downtown core.
“It’s really great to see where all of these murals pop up. I’ve seen them in photos and commercials, and it means a lot that people are taking the time to go downtown to check them out,” says Goring, who is also known as Sonz1. “It’s cool to see these walls, that otherwise would have never been noticed before, carry a whole new life and meaning.”
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An outdoor music festival in Medicine Hat's historic neighbourhood.
An outdoor event hosted in one of Medicine Hat’s most historic neighbourhoods, PorchFest invites local musicians to perform on front lawns and porches throughout the Southeast Hill.
The quaint neighbourhood is full of century-old homes and beautiful boulevards, where people can walk, bike, e-scoot, or skateboard from home to home to bask in the fresh air and watch the wholesome, live performances.
“PorchFest is designed in its nature to be as accessible, open, and inclusive as possible. It’s a great way for everyone to experience live music outdoors in a way that hasn’t yet been introduced to Medicine Hat. It’s amazing to see the Hill lit up with families, friends, and couples, year after year, smiling and being happy.” - Rob Pape, organizer of PorchFest with his wife, Shannon.
In August 2025, visitors and residents can house-hop from performance to performance throughout the day, with lawn chairs, snacks, water, and their furry friends. The event is donation-based.
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Artists travel from all over the world to perform at Medicine Hat’s almost 30-year-old Jazz festival.
Exquisite symphonies are performed at The Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre — on-stage in the beautiful, acoustic theatre, on the rooftop terrace, and in the dimmed lobby. There are also outdoor performances hosted on the lush, front lawn, next door to Alberta’s oldest brick residence, Ewart-Duggan House.
An exclusive evening presents a Latin band inside the Medicine Hat Regional Airport Hangar. Dancing guests and the live band are backlit with a sunset and airplanes. A sight to see and experience first-hand.
“This festival is entirely about bringing joy and good experiences to people. The energy the festival creates is transformative. You see life in a different way — you appreciate your City, your neighbours, and friends. We’ve really coined the phrase ‘You don’t have to be a jazz fan to be a fan of JazzFest’.” - Lyle Rebbeck, executive artistic director, JazzFest.
The Medicine Hat Jazz Society, then in its seventh year, hosted the first Medicine Hat JazzFest in 1997. 2025’s festival will swing to Medicine Hat from June 17-22, 2025.
medicinehatjazzfest.ca
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