En route to Bonnyville, Alberta, I visited a few oversized attractions like the world’s largest Mallard Duck in Andrew. Cultural heritage, local landmarks such as the Dickie Bush Russian Orthodox Church, showcased Alberta’s unique sand rich history.
I am staying in Bonnyville Alberta as I am poking around the NE corner of YEGVille this week. The NE quadrant of YEGVille just stretches to this town and some of the places I will be visiting are definitely Beyond-YEGVille’esque. Still, there is still a lot things to see in this corner of Alberta, and a stunning Fall day was just the way to do it!
Trusting Google Maps (mostly)
Looking at a map, taking Highway 28 from North Edmonton seems to be the way to go. Google Maps had other ideas which I was okay with. It took me on a bit of zig-zag which let me visit the kitschy oversized attractions and a stunning Russian Orthodox church overlooking the North Saskatchewan River valley.
DUCK Andrew!
Andrew Alberta has the world’s largest Mallard Duck. Not sure how many other large Mallards there are out there but a bigger one has to be have more than a 7 M wingspan. Built in 1992, it recognizes nearby wetlands such as Whitford Lake [1]. Just be glad it is mounted low enough that you can’t park under the duck.
‘Shrooming in Vilna
Persumably not to be outdone by Andrew (and many other nearby towns with oversized attractions), Vilna has the world’s largest mushrooms… and for a darn good reason!
In the 1900s, the area became home to Ukrainian settlers who brought along their love of mushroom hunting. They found good pickings in the forests and fields around Vilna. One of the prized finds was the Tricholoma upstale mushroom, which can be cooked or dried and features in many of the region’s ethnic dishes. The World’s Largest Mushrooms stand some six metres (20 feet) tall and are both a landmark and a tribute to the area’s heritage [2].
Shandro Community Hall
Not kitschy but instead a beautiful stone building constructed during the depression. According to reference on Flickr: The Hall That Grit Built. In the middle of the Great Depression, volunteers used 199 wagon loads gathered by farmers to build the hall and sold $20 certificates to raise cash for lumber. During a year when frost wiped out 100% of crops.
One of the most beautiful abandoned buildings in Alberta. It is the Shandro Community Hall. Finished in 1935, built out of field stones but currently unsafe to enter.
Dickie Bush Russian Orthodox Church
Sts Peter & Paul Church, Dickie Bush, AB is just north of the Shandro Community Hall on Highway 857. It has a commanding view of the valley below. Construction started in 1906 and was completed in 1909. As for the name, Dickie Bush is not a locality and is likely a combination or corruption Slavic and English names for the area [3].
YEG Ville 