Alberta Culture Days is a month to celebrate and discover the different people that call Alberta home. The folks organizing the Woezo Africa festival is inviting the public over the three Saturdays, September 12, 19 and 26. The days will be filled with traditional African drum and dance, stimulating art, moving vocal artists and musicians - they've even got cooking classes! The theme for the festival is "Emerge from the Roots" and you can find out more online - woezoafrica.com. The woman who heads up the the festival, Wumni Idowu joined Russell from her home via Skype.

As the Covid situation continues to challenge how the arts can survive and sustain, many have taken unique steps to get out and entertain. Alberta's Michael Bernard Fitzgerald started hosting concerts in his backyard and now, he's hosting concerts in farm fields across Canada. His "Farm Tour 2020" invites audiences to a mobile concert hall where MBF plays live and chats with people. From the road, Fitzgerald is recording some "Letters Home" for Daybreak listeners and as a special treat, he also plays live from one of those fields. See his website on where he's playing next. http://www.michaelbernardfitzgerald.com/

“It’s always been about the songs,” explains JJ Shiplett. In August, the "Something To Believe In" hitmaker was nominated for the CCMA Roots Album of the Year, for his album "Fingers Crossed." Now, he's released a mirror image of that album with stripped back versions of those songs. Shiplett released the original album "Fingers Crossed" in March 2020 at the beginning and height of the chaos surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. As the landscape quickly shifted around him, he felt the weight of the pandemic, but it was the fans’ response to his voice and to the songs on the record that allowed him to remain hopeful. The new released, "Crossed Fingers," includes an emotional bonus track, “Bluejay Highway,” recorded by popular demand. https://www.jjshiplett.com/

Finding meaning in mid life is how author Julia Zarankin describes her journey in her new book, "Field Notes From an Unintentional Birder - A Memoir." In between careers, and dealing with the end of a relationship, Julia looked for a path forward and what she learned following the birds helped find her way.

The difference between a life at risk and a life fulfilled can be pretty close. It can mean the difference between taking a path that leads to ruin or one that can be a positive presence for others. Big Brothers Big Sisters is an Alberta organization that provides mentor relationships for those who may not have a significant role model in their life. During their fifth annual All-Stars For Kids Campaign, Big Brothers Big Sisters is celebrating one woman who's life was changed by her association with a Big Sister. Constable Stephanie Plachta is a Calgary Corrections Liaison Officer with the Calgary Police Service and from grabbing milkshakes, to visiting a local farm, to discussing life goals – Stephanie’s mentor helped shape the community leader she is today.

The saying goes, build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door. If it is built, it will likely be designed by an engineering technologist. For example, A team of former NAIT biomedical engineering technology students received a provincial award for the Capstone Project of the Year Award for their visionary invention of the VISAIDE Smart Cane. By touching buttons on the Smart Cane’s handle, a visually impaired user can connect with her or his iPhone to activate various functions. To find out more about the cane, and how engineering technologists play a role in all our day-to-day lives, Barry Cavanagh, CEO of the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET) joined Russell on Daybreak.

It seems like some businesses in Alberta continue to face challenges created by COVID-19. From finding and retaining customers, to managing health for staff and shoppers, it has never been harder for small and medium businesses to stay operational. Visa Canada recently did a Back to Business study and it found that one-third (33%) of Canadian small businesses do not consider their local community supportive of their business during this difficult time. Many of those small businesses expect it will take 10 months before they are back to normal, the longest wait of all countries VISA surveyed. However, the survey did find that 77% of Canadian small business is optimistic about the future. Connor Curran is with Local Laundry, a Calgary-based clothing retailer and he spoke with Russell about the VISA survey.

Alberta singer-songwriter, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, has racked up the praise and raves from audiences and critics alike, but when live performing was taken away from all musicians by Covid lockdowns, finding a way to do live shows meant getting creative. MBF started with concerts in his backyard, and now he's setting out across the country to do a series of small shows on farmland. See his website on where he's playing. http://www.michaelbernardfitzgerald.com/

Musician, Riell, was ramping up for an international tour before this global pandemic hit with the Edmonton singer booking in Asia, Europe and Canada. Those plans are on hold, but Riell is still planning a release of her debut album, "Paradise" on October 31st. In addition to her music, Riell also finds time to contribute to causes that make a difference. https://www.iamriell.com/

Once a month, Angie Abdou drops by to review a new Alberta book. Angie is the award-winning author of her books like "The Bone Cage" (Canada Reads Finalist) and "Home Ice, Reflections of a Reluctant Hockey Mom. But as always, she loves spreading the word about other people's books and this month, it's something new from Canmore writer and environmentalist, Stephen Legault.