Band and Choral Festival kicks-off in Moose Jaw

Performing at the Moose Jaw Band and Choral Festival isn’t just a musical experience for the thousands of youngsters taking part — but also a chance for many to see a new city.

    The Rundle College Junior High concert band from Calgary was the first to perform in this years’ 62nd festival at Peacock Auditorium on Monday.

    But instead of heading back home, the youngsters are planning to stay in Moose Jaw until Wednesday to explore the city and watch other bands perform.

    They are staying at the Pilgrim Inn in Caronport and arrived on Sunday.

    Director Mireille Robinson told the Times-Herald the group is looking forward to visiting the Tunnels of Moose Jaw as well as swimming, bowling and eating at local restaurants.

    “The musical benefits are performing at the festival and the clinician’s help.

    “We are watching other bands so they get to see what’s going on in other schools across the prairies but it’s also the bonding that happens and you get a good feel for your team mates when you do a road trip like this,” she said.

Read more in a future Times-Herald edition.

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The Underground Tunnels of Moose Jaw | CheapOair.ca

Located about 77 kilometres west of Regina in Saskatchewan, the people here are known as Moose Javians . The tiny city is surrounded by farmland and is a popular tourist destination and retirement town. But other than the epic statue of Mac the Moose, there’s another “must-see” in the city: the underground tunnels , linking buildings and originally used as a steam-heating system.

By the 20s, however, Moose Jaw had turned into the hub of a massive liquor distribution network during the Prohibition, transferring booze south to the USA, especially Chicago. The tunnels were used to carry out these operations. The police chief at the time, Walter P. Johnson, never managed to stop the flow of alcohol, and gambling and prostitution ran rampant in some areas of the city .

How’s that for a sleepy prairie town, huh? It’s hard to believe such a shady past has turned Moose Jaw into the quiet town it is today. Nowadays, for a small price, you can participate in two interactive theatrical tours. The website says you can “walk by the side of the early Chinese immigrant than lay low with the infamous Al “Scarface” Capone.” Each tour is 50 minutes, catered to small groups, and features animatronics characters and a multi-media presentation. In other words, a great place to brush up on your Canadian history.

BUT, here’s a piece of uncomfortable news...according to Corbin Fraser of iBackpackCanada , there is no proof whatsoever that Al Capone hung out in Moose Jaw—no names in the old hotel registries, no photos, nothing but a handful of personal accounts of meeting the mobster (and not necessarily in Moose Jaw). But isn’t it just so much more interesting to believe he was there?

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