👋 Hello Neighbours:
Big week in the Foothills. Friday March 6 is stacked — three major events running simultaneously in Okotoks alone, plus a concert in Diamond Valley. The weekend stays busy with a Women's Showcase, Oilers hockey on back-to-back nights, and Oscar-nominated shorts screening all three days. Midweek is quieter but full — libraries, seniors clubs, and family centres are running programming every single day. Plenty of reasons to get out there.
✨ In Today's Edition:
🏆 Okotoks' Got Talent — local fundraiser talent show
🎵 Tracy Millar country concert at the Old Church
🎬 Oscar-nominated shorts — three days, three packages
👩🎨 Heart of the Foothills Women's Showcase — 65+ vendors
📰 News
📅 Spring Recreation Registration Opens Thursday, March 12 Okotoks residents can register for Spring 2026 community programs and aquatics starting at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 12 at activeokotoks.ca. Non-resident registration opens March 19. If there's a fitness class, swim program, or drop-in activity you've been wanting to try, Thursday morning is your window.
🌟 Community Spotlight
🎵 Tracy Millar Brings Pure Country to the Old Church — Friday Night
If you grew up on classic country, Friday night at the Old Church Theatre is worth clearing your calendar for. Okotoks-based singer Tracy Millar brings her show "My Roots Are Showing" to the intimate Elma Street venue, a set described as a time machine to the heart of country music.
Millar has been a fixture on the local music scene for over two decades, and this is a proper concert — not background music. The Old Church is one of the best small-hall venues in the region, which makes this the kind of Friday night that feels rare: no big commute, an artist who genuinely knows her craft, and a room where you can actually hear every note.
Show runs 7:30–9:30 p.m. at 3 Elma Street E, Okotoks. Tickets through the Town of Okotoks events page.
💛 100 Women Who Care Foothills — Quarterly Charity Event & AGM
Here's a simple premise with a remarkable impact: 100 women. One hour. One local charity gets a meaningful boost.
100 Women Who Care Foothills is holding their quarterly Charity Selection Event and Annual General Meeting on Thursday, March 12 at the CanAlta Hotel in High River — and both members and guests are welcome to walk through the door.
The model is beautifully straightforward. Members gather, hear short presentations from nominated local charities, vote, and each write a cheque directly to the winning organization. No overhead, no bureaucracy — just community members pooling their giving power to make a real difference for a Foothills-area cause. When 100 women each give $100, that's $10,000 landing in one local organization's hands in a single evening.
If you've never attended before, this is a genuinely easy entry point. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for optional social time, with complimentary coffee and tea. The official meeting starts promptly at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free — though pre-registration through Eventbrite is appreciated so organizers can plan accordingly.
It's also an AGM, so existing members will have a chance to reflect on the group's year and the cumulative impact of their collective giving across the Foothills region.
For anyone who's been curious about joining — or who simply wants to see how a small-hall, community-driven giving circle actually works — Thursday evening is a low-barrier, high-reward night out.
📅 Thursday, March 12 🕕 Doors open 6:00 p.m. | Meeting starts 7:00 p.m. 📍 CanAlta Hotel, 1512 13th Avenue SE, High River 🎟️ Free admission — register at Eventbrite 🌐 100WomenFoothills.ca
🎉 Events
Friday, March 6
🏆 Okotoks' Got Talent — 6:30–9:00 p.m., Viking Rentals Centre, 204 Community Way, Okotoks. An all-ages fundraiser talent show supporting United Way. All proceeds stay local. Tickets via Showpass.
🎵 Tracy Millar: "My Roots Are Showing" — 7:30–9:30 p.m., Old Church Theatre, 3 Elma Street E, Okotoks. Pure country music in an intimate venue. See Community Spotlight above.
🎬 2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts — Documentary Short Films — 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., Okotoks Cinemas, Bay 180, 100 Stockton Avenue. $10/package or $15 for all three packages (Fri–Sun); add $5 for VIP recliners.
🎸 Rumbolt-Tuff Concert — 7:00–10:00 p.m., Diamond Valley United Church, 125 Royal Avenue, Diamond Valley. Live music in Diamond Valley.
Saturday, March 7
👩🎨 Heart of the Foothills Women's Showcase — 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Viking Rentals Centre, 204 Community Way, Okotoks. An International Women's Day celebration with 65+ female-founded artisan vendors, live performances, family activities, and photo ops. Free entry.
🏒 Okotoks Oilers vs. Spruce Grove Saints (BCHL) — Approx. 7:05 p.m., Viking Rentals Centre, Okotoks. Regular-season home game.
🎬 2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts — Animated Shorts at 3:00 p.m., Live Action at 9:00 p.m., Okotoks Cinemas. Same pricing as Friday.
💻 Okotoks Library — Coding for Kids (ages 8–12) — 10:30–11:30 a.m., Okotoks Public Library. Week 2 of a free five-week Saturday series. Registration required.
🧒 Greater Foothills Family Centre — Stay & Play — 9:00–11:30 a.m., 303 9th Ave SW, High River. Open playroom with crafts and sensory activities. Free.
Sunday, March 8 — International Women's Day
🏒 Okotoks Oilers vs. Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL) — Viking Rentals Centre, Okotoks. Time TBC. Back-to-back home weekend for the Oilers.
🎬 2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts — Final Day — Live Action at 3:00 p.m., Animated at 9:00 p.m., Okotoks Cinemas. Last chance before the Oscars.
Monday, March 9
🧘 DV Sustainable Living Centre — Maker's Mondays — 6:00–8:00 p.m., Valley Makerspace, 218 Kennedy Dr. SE, Diamond Valley. Weekly drop-in, different hands-on activity each week.
🧘 Buddhist Meditation Classes — 7:00–8:15 p.m., Okotoks Public Library. Drop-in, $15.
🏓 Valley Neighbours Club — Floor Curling 9:30 a.m., Euchre 1:00 p.m., Diamond Valley.
Tuesday, March 10
🎖️ Okotoks Legion Branch 291 — General Meeting + Games Night — 7:00–9:00 p.m., Okotoks Elks. Monthly meeting followed by Euchre, Darts, and Dominoes.
🧵 Sheep River Library — Sew & Craft Together — 6:00–8:00 p.m., Diamond Valley. Bring your own project. Free.
📖 Diamond Valley Book Club — 2nd Tuesday of each month at Sheep River Library. 1:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
🔧 Valley Makerspace — Tech Tuesday — 7:00–9:00 p.m., Valley Makerspace, 218 Kennedy Drive, Turner Valley. The second Tuesday of every month is your chance to get hands-on with high-tech tools — including a CNC machine, laser cutter, and 3D printer — with friendly guidance available. Free drop-in, no experience required. Part of the DV Sustainable Living Centre's monthly maker nights running through May 2026.
Wednesday, March 11
☕ Okotoks Library — Coffee and Conversation — 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Okotoks Public Library. Drop-in social with free coffee. Tell stories, laugh, and listen.
🧒 Priddis Community Association — Parented Playgroup — 9:30 a.m., Priddis Hall (preschool room, NW entrance). Free for PCA members.
Thursday, March 12
📅 Spring Recreation Registration Opens — 8:00 a.m. online at activeokotoks.ca. Okotoks residents only today; non-residents register March 19.
🧵 Okotoks Library — Sew It! Teen Fibre Arts Club — 6:00–7:00 p.m., Okotoks Public Library. Sewing, felting, knitting, and crochet for ages 13–17.
🏓 Priddis Community Association — Indoor Pickleball — 1:00–7:00 p.m., Priddis Hall. PCA members, sign up via SignUpGenius.
🖼️ Ongoing This Week
Okotoks Art Gallery — Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., 53 North Railway Street, Okotoks. Free admission. Two exhibitions on now through March 27:
"The Promise" by Lanhee Cho — lotus paintings in thread and oil on canvas
"Field Studies" by Deanne Underwood — Canadian prairie felt landscapes
Leighton Art Centre — Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., near Millarville. Admission by donation (min. $10/vehicle). Two exhibitions running:
"Words To Wander To" — land-based writing and installation (through June 14)
24th Annual Juried Members Exhibition: "Rooted" — multi-genre member show (through April 5)
Okotoks Public Library — Easter Colouring Contest — Pick up pages at any service desk. Submit by March 25, winners announced April 1. All ages, free.
☀️ Weather (Foothills snapshot)
A classic Foothills rollercoaster is on the way this week. Friday and Saturday bring a taste of spring with sunshine and highs around 10–15 °C, making it a great window to get outside. By Sunday, temperatures dip and rain may turn to snow, with a few centimetres possible as the system moves through. Early next week turns colder, hovering around 0 °C or slightly below, with periods of flurries and cloudy skies lingering through Thursday.
💬 What Locals Are Talking About
🏒 Oilers playoff push — With two home games this weekend, the conversation around the BCHL playoff race is heating up. Good time to get out to the Viking Rentals Centre and make some noise.
👩🎨 Women's Showcase vendors — The Heart of the Foothills Women's Showcase has been generating buzz all week, with 65+ female-founded businesses confirmed. If you're a local maker or know one, this is a great event to support.
🎬 Oscar shorts in Okotoks — Not many towns our size get a proper Oscar nominations screening. Worth taking advantage of — all three packages running Friday through Sunday.
👉 Thanks for Reading
That's your week, Foothills — a stacked Friday, a big Saturday, and a steady run of great programs right through Thursday. If you've got an event we missed or something coming up, send it our way for next week's edition.