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The Olive Branch August
2010 This
month’s newsletter comes to you bright and early to alert you to the
fun we’ve lined up for the long weekend of 7 - 9 August. We
hope you’ll arrive on Friday to give yourselves a really LONG weekend.
Astro
Tours and the Ghost
Walk offer insights into our ‘night life’ every evening this
weekend (bookings are essential for both) and you’ll want to make your
supper bookings at our local restaurants too – click
here for details. The
NG Church Bazaar takes place on Saturday 7 August. A traditional Hennie Boshoff presents his “Art After
Dark” tour in English at Villa Kruger on Saturday evening. Which
brings us to Sunday, and our annual 30
x 40 exhibition and silent auction at the Prince
Albert Gallery. Mary Anne and Brent extend an invitation to
locals and visitors alike to take part in this fun event which starts
with the viewing of an exhibition of unsigned canvases -
each the same size and all the same reserve price – at 14h00. The auction is held from 17h00. A
cash bar will be available and snacks will be served.
With work by artists of the calibre of
Philip Willem Badenhorst, JP Meyer,
Wendy Malan and Diane McLean, amongst others, it’s bound
to be an exciting evening. Part of the proceeds will be donated to the That
leaves Monday – giving you an opportunity to enjoy a leisurely
breakfast on Women’s Day, time to wander around the village, perhaps
take a drive into the magnificent We end this newsletter with a great big THANK YOU to Chantelle Freysen, whose position at the Tourism Office has been made redundant due to financial constraints. Thank you for your cheerfulness, your enthusiasm and hard work and good luck in your new job!
The Olive Branch July 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP IN As we move towards the closing matches in the FIFA
World Cup, remember that there is a tranquil little haven, far from the
crowds, where you CAN still
watch the matches and then relax in the peace which is The
big screen for the FIFA World Cup matches is at the VGK Hall in North-end. There
is also a large screen TV at Prickly Pear Restaurant in Kerkstraat. At 6.00pm on Sunday 4 July, our VGK church will host an exciting
evening of choral music by the Canticum
Novum choir from Stellenbosch. There is no charge. Allister
Sparks will
speak about his book First Drafts
at a Cultural Foundation gathering in the Prince Albert Gallery on
Thursday, 8 July at 17h30 for 18h00. To
download a Calendar of Cultural Foundation events and outings, including
the dates for the South African Classic Film Festival, please visit the
“what
to do” page on the Christmas in July will takes place here on Saturday 24 July, villagers will be hauling out
the faerie lights and tinsel to deck the halls. Contact Chantelle at 023
5411 366 for details about Christmas Dinner and other festive
menu’s.
Other
news: Our
first Moonlit Market was held on the 25th of June; music,
good company and the fascination of a familiar place experienced in a
new way added to the allure of the evening. Steaming hot food and drinks
kept us warm and the moon played her part, providing silvery Speaking
of good food … Gwynne Conlyn, who chats about food and travel every
Sunday around 12.45 on Radio Today (DSTV Audio channel 169), reckons
that her soul resides in The
Karoo-Renu website underwent a face-lift during June. If you are looking
for Karoo plants and seeds make sure to visit Sue and Richard Dean’s
website at www.karoo-renu.co.za
They also offer guided botanical and nature walks for visitors to Our
Cultural
Foundation is passionate about preserving the The PACF has prepared a
poster outlining the key issues and project details which is on display
at our Tourism Association office. The Pass, which is a World Heritage
Site and part of the National Estate, was on the agenda for the
Collaborative meeting between the Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn held in
April, unfortunately several key role players failed to attend the
meeting. The PACF will continue to monitor the situation and we’ll
keep you up to date on developments. At this stage it would appear that
without adequate funding, the project cannot reach fruition and only
crisis management may be possible.
The Olive Branch June 2010 The
brochure was launched at a meeting of the Tourism Association hosted by
the Swartberg
Hotel. Make sure you have a look on-line or pick one up from a
Tourism Office near you! If the local office doesn’t have one ask them
to give us a ring on 023 5411 366 and we’ll gladly send some their
way. The
meeting was also an opportunity to provide feedback on the 2010 Olive
Festival and the Tourism Association executive is already planning to
make the 2011 Olive Festival a grand opportunity for you to experience
all that makes Prince Albert such a wonderful place. In the meantime… GO BAFANA! FIFA WORLD CUP IN
Big
screen for the FIFA World Cup matches – at the VGK Hall in North-end. There
is also a large screen TV at Prickly Pear Restaurant in Kerkstraat. Join Sue and Richard Dean
of Renu-Karoo on a botanical and nature Ecotour: minimum
4, maximum 12 people @ R80 per person. Tel. Sue Milton-Dean 082 770
0206 or Richard Dean 082 845 9588, e-mail renukaroo@gmail.com Take
a pre-dinner Ghost walk with
the Story Weaver to discover more about local characters and the ghosts
who don’t want to leave town… 6.00pm most evenings in June and July,
R40 for adults, R20 for school children. Booking is essential so give
Ailsa a ring at 023 5411 211. e-mail: story@storyweaver.co.za Hans and Tilanie Daehne of Astro Tours will be
available for stargazing in Prince Albert on the 5th and from the 12th
to 19th June 2010 and from the 3rd to 10th July 2010. For bookings,
please contact Tilanie on 072 732 2950. "Art at Sunset
/ Under the full Moon"
Hennie Boshoff presents "Art at Sunset / Under
the full Moon" tours at Villa Kruger. English:
3, 10, 17, 24 June and Afrikaans: 4, 11, 18, 25 Junie. Tickets
are available at the Tourism Office at R50 pp. More information: tel:
0832672436 or e-mail villakruger@azazel.com
Hans
van der Veen will be offering a flash photography course including the
use of Photoshop Lightroom at the Swartberg Hotel on 10 June. Those
interested can contact Hans at hans@grandstreetstudios.co.za,
or Anobe at anobe@swartberg.co.za. African
Relish is offering several cookery courses
during June and July: 4 - 6 June 2010 Culinary Crusade South African specialities. 25 - 27 June 2010 Potjies & Praatjies Winter dishes around the fire with local storytelling. 16 - 18 July 2010 Spice Girl Repeat of popular Indian Fusion with Chef Vanie. Tel: 023 5411 381 or e-mail:
virna@africanrelish.com The Cultural
Foundation will screen films by well-known and well-loved South
African film-makers Jamie Uys, Jans Rautenbach, Emil Noval en Katinka
Heyns at the Jans Rautenbach Schouwburg during June, July and August.
Dates will be loaded to our Forthcoming events page as soon as they are available. Join John
Claassens for a trip to Gamkaskloof in John’s Donkey tel 082 575 5133 or contact Lindsay Steyn of Dennehof Tours
for trips into Gamkaskloof and around the Fancy a bicycle ride around town? Hire a bike from the National Garage 023 5411 797 or Lindsay on 082 456 8848, who can
also arrange a bike ride up and/or down the After all the excitement of watching a soccer game you might find a massage
or a BodyTalk session relaxing! Contact Erica on 023
5411857 or 084 7728306. The Linden
Choir from Hoërskool Linden will perform at 10.00am on 24 June at Huis
Kweekvallei. There is no charge. Join us for a Moonlit
Market on Friday 25 June from 18h00 in the "markie" next to the Museum. Lots of hot food for an
Autumn evening and puddings, cake and gluwein. At 6.00pm on
Sunday 4 July, our VGK church will host an exciting evening of
beautiful music by the Canticum
Novum choir from Stellenbosch. There is no charge. Christmas
in July will takes place on Saturday 24 July, villagers will be hauling out the
faerie lights and tinsel to deck the halls. Contact Zelia at 023 5411
366 for details about Christmas Dinner and other festive menus. Remember you can visit our Where to eat and Forthcoming eventsand What to do pages for contact details and more information on all there is to taste, see and do in Prince Albert at the Gateway to the Great Karoo.
The Olive Branch May 2010 With
every bed booked the village was looking forward to lots of guests and
our effective brochure drops in surrounding towns brought the day
visitors too, so The
Zwartberg Runners Half-marathon and fun run provided exercise for the
health conscious, the olive pip-spitting competition offered a novel
challenge for those who thought they’d seen and done EVERYTHING and
the Garden and Home tours presented interior decorating ideas and
gardening savvy to those who collected their map from the Tourism
Bureau. Visitors were also able to visit Artist in residence, Sally
Arnold. Live
entertainment included the ever popular Patchwork Theatre Children’s
Tales, where more than half the audience was made up of adults who are
forever young. Mark and Ailsa raised the roof with their “Dinner for
One” and Brian Finch, our local Prince Albert Primary School Choir and
visiting musicians kept the beat going with live music. Popeye and Olive
Oil paraded for the Mayor and film aficionados were delighted to find
Classic South African films on show. There
were the old faithfuls: the Historical and Ghost Walks, Star-watching
and Art exhibitions. Then
there was the food… stall after stall offering delicious We
have left the Olive
Festival programme on our website, so you can take a look and remember the
fun or perhaps be tempted to join us next year! Just
in case you think that the Olive Festival is all we did in April,
here’s more news: Film
production designer Johnnie Breedt, whose CV includes the critically
acclaimed films Hotel Rwanda, Catch a Fire, Paljas and The
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, has just produced and directed a
short film, The Far Far Tree,
in and around Prince Albert. Local actors, including Michael Brunner,
star in the film which will be launched at a premiere in the village
later this year. Prince
Albert Olives opened a new olive press; African
Relish was the venue for a guided tour and business studies
presentation for learners from All
this and balmy Autumn days, what better time to visit the Great
Karoo and its crowning glory:
The Olive Branch April 2010 This
newsletter reaches more than a thousand readers world-wide each month. Yet
more readers beyond On the
local scene, the Autumn edition of Village
Life, the exquisite magazine produced by Maré and Annalize Mouton,
features an article with text by Helena Marincowitz and Mary-Anne Botha about
our The
BMW Motorcycle Club celebrated their annual "BMW Bike Fest 2010"
during the long weekend in March. On the Sunday loads of hungry bikers made
their way from Oudtshoorn to Earth
Day was suitably observed in The village is all abuzz with preparations for the Olive Festival! Bookings are coming in fast and furious, so if you are planning to join us give your favourite guesthouse a ring or contact Zelia, Chantelle and Annalien who can help you arrange your accommodation. Click here for our Prince Albert Olive Festival programme – the highlight of our year: 30th April - 1st May ~ SEE YOU THERE!
The Olive Branch March 2010 The
Human Rights Day long weekend of 20 – 22 March will give you an
ideal opportunity to enjoy our balmy ‘not quite Summer but not yet
Autumn’ weather and relax in The
weekly Saturday Market kicks off the weekend, Hans and Tilanie Daehne of Astro Tours will be available for stargazing
(for bookings, please contact Tilanie on 072 732 2950) and on Monday
22nd the Prince Albert Tennis Club offer you the opportunity to exercise
your right to play Tennis!
Bring you own "tekkies", a tennis racket and a sense of
humour! Other
activities you might want to investigate and enjoy this month are… The
Deep South, another of Peter McEwan and Chrisna Smit’s popular music
evenings on Saturday 13 March
at St John’s Church. Tickets (R50 each) are available from Peter at
023 5411 076. Hoërskool Zwartberg will host an Easter Bazaar on Friday
26 March in the "markie" next to the Museum. Join locals
to buy curry vetkoek, bazaar
pudding, cakes, sweets, fresh veggies, jams & preserves,
pancakes, home made bread and find loot at the jumble stall. The Prince Albert Community Festival, organised to
raise funds for our Municipal
Bursary Fund and built around our children’s performances with Jazz
Art, was a great success and we know that the energy and vibrancy will
be carried forward into our Prince
Albert Olive Festival at the end of April! Speaking of which… The countdown has started! Entertainment plans
include "open garden” visits arranged by the Garden Club; Lydia
will once again take guests on historical walks and open her
"mineral collection" to the public. The Cultural
Foundation plan to screen "antique films". Patchwork Theatre
will be telling children’s stories, the Ghost Walker will be abroad at
night, Zwartberg Runners are organising the half marathon and a 10km
walk/run and African Relish is offering a cooking course and has invited
Dave Ferguson, blues harmonica player, to perform once again this year.
One of the highlights will be our celebrated local production of
"Dinner for One"! An application form is available on-line for
stall-holders wishing to sell their wares at the Olive Festival. So,
although we might appear to simply slumber away the hot summer months,
there’s always something happening here and we look forward to
welcoming you to the ‘Prins-dorp’ of the Great Karoo.
The Olive Branch February 2010 The
next few months promise old favourites – and new delights. From 5
– 7 March the JazzArt Dance Theatre will entertain young and old as they
run a theatre workshop for our children who will then parade and perform for
the townsfolk. This forms the focus for the Prince
Albert Community Festival with food and craft stalls on the Odendal
Sportsfield, a Variety concert, Fun Run, Rugby and Soccer matches and a Gospel
Choir ‘Fees’ on the Sunday. All proceeds will go to the Municipal Bursary
Fund, so come and join the villagers as they have fun together and support a
good cause. On Saturday
13 March Peter McEwan and Chrisna Smit will host another of their popular
music evenings of at Plans
are in hand for the annual Prince
Albert Olive Festival on 30 April
– 1 May. Experience true African
Relish Cookery School recently
featured in Country Life. They have a host of events lined up from now until
the Olive Festival. Their courses
have intriguing titles which hint at the fun which accompanies the learning:
Wine Harvest; Mosbolletjies and Moonshine; Kitchen Cowboys with Pete Goffe-Wood; Escape to Culinary Karoo and Let's get Saucy! with
Jacques Erasmus. Full details can be found at www.africanrelish.com You
don’t have to wait for festivals or special events to enjoy Then
there is the wonderful countryside which surrounds us. Gwynne Conlyn will be
chatting about Gamkaskloof, the Swartberg and So
plan a visit to Prince Albert
– you’re assured of a warm welcome!
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