Havre, Medicine Hat invite each other for Visits A push is on to promote across-the-border travel, especially with extended summer hours at the port of entry north of Havre. Havre Mayor Tim Solomon, co-chair of the Wild Horse Border Committee, said Canadians from both Alberta and Saskatchewan are regular visitors to Havre and the attractions in north-central Montana. “They are very much welcomed,” he said. He said that groups on both side of the border have been promoting travel in both directions, especially with a pilot program extending longer summer hours at the Port of Wild Horse between Havre and Medicine Hat, Alberta. The 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours, normally from May 15 to Sept. 30, run this year from March 1 through Oct. 31. The committee and the chambers of the two areas, along with other groups including the governmental border agencies, are working to promote the extended summer hours, Solomon said. Dave Lane, assistant manager of the Tourism Medicine Hat visitors center, said the Albertan town typically has many visitors over the summer, both as a destination and as a one-day stop for people passing through. The trips to the town often start with the visitors center, he said. “It’s a very popular destination for travelers,” Lane said. The center also is easy to find — just off the highway and where people can see the 20-story tall tepee on the southern edge of town, a major draw in itself. Along with the travelers center, Lane said, people can find out about attractions and events at the organization’s website, tourismmedicinehat. com. “It has a very good events calender there,” he added, which is listed under the “Things to do” button on the website. The city has an extensive list of hotels and motels, with many just a short distance from the local attractions, he said. Two of the major events are annual — the annual jazz festival in June and the Medicine Hat stampede in July. The Medicine Annual Stampede, set to run July 27-30 this year, is a full-fledged fair and rodeo. “It’s a bit of a debate whether it’s the oldest or the Calgary Stampede is,” said Lane. The Medicine Hat Jazz Fest, now in its 15th year, is set to run from June 20-26. The festival has performances throughout the city by artists from Canada and around the world. Several historical sites also are in or near the city. The Medalta Potteries National Historic Site is an interactive museum showcasing the site that once produced 75 percent of the pottery in Canada. The downtown of Medicine Hat also has much to offer, Lane said. There is a national historic district of buildings in the downtown section — “There is quite a lot of history there” — as well as the museum, art gallery and performance gallery. Lane said the performance gallery has one of the bestacoustically rated theaters in the region. “It’s kind of an amazing thing for the size of the city,” he said. The town also has more than 100 parks as well as four camp sites outside its borders, as well as some 60 miles of trails throughout it. “That’s a very popular spot for the locals and for the people coming in,” Lane said about the trails. Between Havre and Medicine Hat, and extending into Saskatchewan, is the Cypress Hills Provincial Park. Lane said the region, a mass of hills rising out of the flatland, also is a popular spot. “It’s quite a strange thing to see rising out of the prairie,” he said, adding that it is a very attractive spot for camping and for day trips. 65