The Word from Waterton Park
September 2004

A Note From The Editor...

Welcome to the twenty-second edition of "The Word From Waterton Park!" Thank you for expressing interest in our friendly internet newsletter. If you would prefer to be removed from our mailing list, you can e-mail us at info@watertonpark.com and we will take you off our list. If you have any feedback or if there is something special you would like to see in the newsletter, please let us know. Please note the address from which this newsletter is sent is for sending purposes only and messages addressed there might be missed. We look forward to seeing all of you in Waterton Park sometime soon!


In this edition...
1. Since We Last Spoke...
2. Monthly Draw Winners
3. Once Upon A Time in Waterton
4. Kilmorey Tasting Country
5. A Light Moment
6. Wok with James

1. SINCE WE LAST SPOKE...

It has been a while since we last spoke and so much has happened. Summer has been great and although everything is still quite green and beautiful in the park, fall will soon be on its way.

July and August were fantastic. We had a nice, sunny July, which our Gazebo patrons really enjoyed. You have to love a summer day by the lake with a margarita in hand! The summer flowers were amazing and there were very few mosquitoes to be found! We were happy to welcome visitors from all over the world to our beautiful little corner of the Rockies. It seems like we are seeing more and more motorcycles and cyclists in the park every year. People must be hearing about the amazing mountain scenery and fun roads. We had a little more moisture in August than expected but it has kept everything in the park looking incredible and after the dry summer last year, the trees are very grateful!

As everyone probably already realizes, for the past several weeks Parks Canada workers have been on strike. I am happy to announce this has hardly affected Waterton Park visitors at all. In fact, entry into the park has been free on a few occasions! For a few days there were some picketers in very attractive orange vests hanging around the park entrance and campground but as long as you dodge everything orange, your park experience is unaffected!

Summer is a beautiful time for weddings in the park and we would like to offer congratulations to Wayne and Shelly Crawford, Trevor and Krysta MacBeth and Rene and Dionne Kowalchuk. These couples all had their wedding ceremonies at the Kilmorey Lodge. Thank you to all the other couples that also celebrated part of their wedding here in the past couple of months.

We will also like to offer congratulations to a couple of our staff. Jennifer Muza married Gregory Stone in August and threw a great party! Visitors in the next few months can come in and congratulate Jennifer as she will be working at the front desk and in the lounge and wherever else we can put her to work! Congratulations also to new mom Gabrielle Bintu who also worked at our front desk for a couple of years. 

As we approach the winter months it seems like a good idea to point out some of the upcoming theme weekends and packages! We will be having our hilarious trademark Murder Mystery Weekends on November 5-7 and again February 25-27. There is still space for both weekends but you may want to sign up soon! We will also be featuring three of our Winter Spirits Wine and Cooking Weekends this year with exciting sessions lined up for wine tasting, scotch tasting, spirit tasting, unique recipes, creative Mixology and much more! Dates for the Winter Spirits Weekends are November 12-14, February 4-7 and March 18-20. 

Back by popular demand will also be our Newsletter Readers Package for any two nights between January 2 and January 14. Your package includes two nights accommodation, a three-course dinner for two, two breakfasts for two, lunch for two, all taxes and gratuities. For the meals we will provide you with anything you like off our menu, including non-alcoholic beverages. This package will be only $314.00 per couple or upgrade to a suite for only $359.00 per couple. In addition, if you would like to extend your stay we will provide a 40% discount off our regular rates on the room of your choice. If you can only make it for one night, we will still give you 40% off the regular room rates. This special deal is for newsletter recipients only. First come, first served! Thank you readers!

Also returning this year is our Winter Wedding Package which includes a Suite for one night, Roses, Champagne, a Three Course Dinner for Two in the award winning Lamp Post Dining Room, Breakfast in Bed, the Marriage Commissioner for your Wedding Ceremony, use of the Library or Gazebo for the ceremony, all taxes and gratuities. The cost for all this is only $504.00 inclusive. We will provide a suite to the bride and groom for a second night for 20% off the regular rate and 10% off regular rates for your guests if more than six rooms are reserved. This package is available weekdays or weekends between October 15 and May 1.

Pretty soon the Kilmorey Lodge will be a spooky place as we prepare for Halloween. Then soon after that Christmas will be here! We LOVE Christmas! Visitors to Waterton Park from the beginning of November to the beginning of January will be able to see just how much! Soon the Historic Kilmorey Lodge will be transformed with lights and decorations from tip to toe. It takes more than a week to put everything upand it is definitely worth seeing! Keep the Kilmorey Lodge in mind for your yearly party. Treat everyone to a fantastic evening of fine dining, come for a night or come for the weekend. We are happy to arrange special entertainment such as music, comedians, seven course gourmet dinners or our popular Murder Mysteriesjust to name a few! Many companies have made their Christmas season stay in Waterton Park a yearly tradition.

Before any of that we will have Thanksgiving, featuring a traditional Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings. Stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy and pumpkin pie, of course! If you missed this in other years, make sure to book your dinner reservation with us this year. The food is fantastic and the extra bonus is, we do all the work!

After Thanksgiving, life in town shifts down into a slower gear, making it an ideal retreat from the rest of the world. When you walk down main street, you will feel as though you have the whole park to yourselves (except for all of the traffic from deer, sheep and elk)! We all look forward to the unique beauty and the tranquil atmosphere of Waterton Park at this time of year and we hope to have the opportunity to share it with you soon!

We will have a booth at the Calgary Home and Interior Design Show September 16-20 so if anyone is in the area, stop by and say hello! We have a show special to make it work your while, too. Otherwise, please feel free to call us toll free at 1-888-859-8669 if you have any questions, would like to reserve or just want to catch up on all the Waterton news!

2. MONTHLY DRAW WINNERS

Past guests of our award winning Lamp Post Dining Room, our cozy Rams Head Lounge and our famous Gazebo Cafi on the Bay may remember filling out a comment card. At the end of the meal your server presents you with an opportunity to give your feedback regarding your service, your meal and your overall dining experience. This feedback is extremely valuable to us in maintaining and improving the quality of our product and service. 

To show our appreciation for the time taken to fill out these comment cards we have a monthly draw where every guests completed comment card from the previous month is entered to win a complimentary lunch for two to a value of $25.00.

We are proud to announce the winner for June was Fred McCarley from Everett, Washington, the winner for July was Sean Hickey from Calgary, Alberta and for August, Mr. McLean of Calgary. Congratulations everyone! We look forward to welcoming you back to the Kilmorey Lodge!



3. ONCE UPON A TIME IN WATERTON

Strange Animal Encounters and Other Fun Stuff!  by Kristin Roblick  

One of the great things about working and living in Waterton Lakes National Park is meeting people from all over Canada. It is always interesting to hear what drew people to Waterton Park and what they enjoy doing with their time while they are here. Kilmorey Lodge employees, Skye McEwan and Colleen Curran, both from Windsor, Ontario (although they did not know each other before moving out west) have embarked on many adventures since they both arrived in May. 

These two girls developed an immediate love for hiking, climbing mountains, and taking advantage of their natural surroundings. They have done a considerate amount of back country camping, scrambling up mountain tops and peaks (almost 10), over 20 hikes, and they were even energetic enough to take the 17 hour journey to climb the highest peak in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Mount Cleveland. 

On June 24 the girls set off bright and early to hike Mount Richards which is located just north of the USA/Canada boarder. About half way into the hike they stumbled off the trail and found an old cabin. They were a bit taken back at first and could not stop thinking of the Blair Witch Project. The shack had 4 walls, no roof, a sunken in floor, window frames, and a few other interesting objects including rusted cans, jars, the glass top of a kerosene lamp, beer bottles, and a wine bottle ( that had the year 1930 on the bottom of it). 

When the girls arrived back in town they started to tell people of the mysterious cabin they had found. Apparently, not even Parks Canada staff were aware that it existed! According to Parks staff and community residents, they believe that it was built some time after the 1935 Boundry Creek Fire and it could have been a winter bunk house for loggers. Congrats to Skye and Colleen for uncovering a piece of Waterton Lakes National Park history.

The determination of these two young ladies is admirable, nothing can stop them, let it be rain, heat, wildlife, or tiredness, they are always on the move and discovering the many wonderful perks that Waterton Lakes National Park has to offer. Their best hiking memory so far (also took place on Mount Richardson)...the girls were trying to get down a steep area with lots of rocks while carrying backpacks. Skye had the idea for Colleen to drop the pack down to her to make it easier for Colleen to get down. Colleen did drop the backpack down to Skye and it fell about 2000 feet and so did everything in it. The girls food, plastic bags, first aid kit, water, and bear spray went crashing down boulders and cliffs. The highlight, the bear spray was going off and spraying everywhere, including on Colleen. To conclude, they felt like it was Easter time and going on a treasure hunt for all of their belongings (which they found by the way).

Even though these young ladies only met each other in May, they feel as though they have known each other for a lifetime. I guess there is something about discovering the true beauty of a place with a person that cannot be explained. If you are looking for a bit of a wild time next time you come to Waterton Park, remember to stop by the Kilmorey Lodge and find Skye and Colleen. Just another friendly reminder of the daily perks of life in the park!




4. KILMOREY TASTING COUNTRY

One of the many fun aspects of being in this industry is tasting products as they are introduced. We had the opportunity to do this with a new deluxe vodka recently. Level by Absolut is produced by continuous distillation and batch distillation. These distillation methods combine to ensure unparalleled smoothness and taste. A light herbal nose leads to a smooth slightly sweet palate with hints of herb. This vodka when chilled is excellent for sipping straight up and makes exceptional martinis. We should be stocking this tasteful libation shortly, so if you would like a treat ask your server for a Level Martini next time you visit us. 

Enjoy! 

Your taster, 
Paul



5. A LIGHT MOMENT

A man was lonely and decided life would be more fun if he had a pet. So, he went to the pet store and told the owner that he wanted to buy an unusual pet. After some discussion he finally bought a centipede, which came in a little white box to use for his house. 

He took the box back home, found a good location for the box, and decided he would start off by taking his new pet to a restaurant to have a meal. He asked the centipede in the box, "Would you like to go to Frank's with me and have a bite to eat?" But there was no answer from his new pet. This bothered him a bit, but he waited a few minutes and then asked him again, "How about going out and having a snack with me?" But again, there was no answer from his new friend and pet. 

So, he waited a few minutes more, thinking about the situation. He decided to ask him one more time - this time putting his face up against the centipede's house and shouting, he said, Hey, in there! Would you like to go get some food with me?" "A tiny little voice came out of the box: " I heard you the first time! I'm putting on my shoes!"



6. WOK WITH JAMES

Snapper with a Potato Pecan Cornmeal Crust 

Serves 8 

2 = lbs. Red Snapper Fillets 
= cup Dijon Mustard 
2 large Russet Potatoes, peeled and shredded 
= cup Pecans ground 
1 cup Cornmeal 
< cup fresh Italian Parsley chopped 
Salt & Pepper to taste 
> cup Canola Oil 

Combine shredded Potatoes, ground Pecans, Cornmeal and Italian Parsley in a shallow dish. Place Mustard in a shallow dish as well. Coat each piece of Snapper with Mustard then dredge through the Potato Mixture. Heat < cup oil in a heavy bottomed skillet. Add Snapper to skillet in batches. Season all fish with Salt and Pepper. Add Oil as needed. Flip each piece when browned, remove when cooked 3 - 5 minutes per side.

Bon Appetit! 
James Rowley, Chef - Kilmorey Lodge 

...and remember to "wok" your dog every day. It is good for your heart and will make his tail wag! 

Thank you for reading our friendly Internet Newsletter! If you have any feedback or if you would like to contribute to our newsletter, please e-mail us at info@watertonpark.com, attn: Nicki. For more information on Waterton Lakes National Park and links to many other area attractions,
check out our website at www.watertonpark.com