Prince Albertmonthly newsletterto subscribe to our free monthly e-mail newsletterand receive a regular update on what is happening in this special place simply click hereFOR INFORMATION ON OUR 2012 CELEBRATIONS CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR BROCHUREThe Olive Branch February 2012 A
Gala Event hosted by the Prince Albert Municipality on 20 January
launched our year-long celebration of 250 years and marked the
Municipality's commemoration of 110 years since its inception in 1901.
Events and personalities that had made their mark on the town were
honoured and former Mayor, Samie Luttig, challenged With celebrations in
mind... Tickets are now available for the Valentine’s dance on
18 February when the "Kieliebeentjies" will celebrate their
10th birthday. Tickets cost R30 per person and if you would like to 'bring and braai' an additional R20 will be charged for hot coals.
There will also be a cash bar available. Tickets can be bought at the
Tourism Association office 023 5411 366. Get out your diaries as
CREATIVE PRINCE ALBERT extends an invitation to you to visit us from
25 May to 3 June 2012 and participate in the courses, lectures,
workshops, exhibitions, demonstrations & excursions we are busy
planning. Photography, cookery, floral art, calligraphy, art
appreciation, jewellery making, wood restoration, botanical,
geographical and archaeological excursions and more… visit our 2012
page for the full list! The
final programme will be available from 1 March 2012 It
is with great excitement that we report that full versions of all the
2011 editions of the Prince
Albert Friend are now available online at
http://princealbertfriend.blogspot.com/
Now you can enjoy reading the Friend online in pdf. In October we
shall celebrate our newspaper's centenary in style. Our local hospital received a compliment from Peter
Fischer, a tour guide in Speaking of health issues: when
HRH Prince Albert died 150 years ago, it threw his wife Queen We thought it might be fun to add a dustbin
of the month feature to our newsletter for the rest of 2012 and
in our Ambassador Jason Jaftha's honour we decided the first of our
decorated, informative bins should be the one across the road from the
Prince Albert Tourism Association office. It celebrates our being the
first town in the country to establish a multi-racial rugby team in
1984. We look forward to
welcoming you to our beautiful town at the foot of the Swartberg during
this year of celebrations!
The Olive Branch January
2012 Welcome to 2012 and the start of our 250th Anniversary
Year with its myriad birthday celebrations. We will look back to the
arrival of the De Beer family and the establishment of the farm
Kweekvallei in September 2012 but before then we have lots of other
anniversaries to celebrate! January and February have a fairly local
focus and then we launch into the activities which lots of visitors will
come to share. Here are a few of our earlier events:
We hope that you will join us for one or more of the
exciting events scheduled throughout the year. The
full programme can be downloaded from our 2012 page Our
Municipality celebrates 110 years
during January with the opening of the Thusong Centre on 20 January and
a Community Street Market on
Saturday 28 January with a mini-marathon, sports events and food and
craft stalls. Radio Gamkaland will be broadcasting live from the
festivities. By
then we will have installed all 104 of the anniversary dustbins which
are causing a real stir among visitors. The superb art work and the
historical information on each bin along Kerkstraat has added to the
sense of local pride in During
February we take the 2012 celebrations to our schools to "inspire our
youth" with Patchwork
Theatre's production of The
Prince Albert Story: a light-hearted, bilingual, informative look at
our heritage from the pre-history days of the shallow During
February the Prince Albert Garden
Club celebrates their 10th
birthday and have invited renowned expert on indigenous gardening
Ernst Van Jaarsveld to deliver a talk: Succulent Riches of Southern Africa followed by champagne, cupcakes
and camaraderie. Join them on Wednesday, 1 February 2012 at 5pm in the
Jans Rautenbach Schouwburg. Tickets are just R65 each and are available
at the Prince Albert Tourism Office 023 5411 366. Why not come up to We
have some really good news about the Swartberg
Pass: two Extended Public Work Projects are underway to restore
the dry-stone walls and drainage aspects of the road and to provide
appropriate benches, information boards and discrete toilet blocks at
the more popular sites. Not only will these projects protect and enhance
the Pass but also provide much needed local employment. Helena
Marincowitz's excellent book on the We look forward to
welcoming you to our beautiful town at the foot of the Swartberg during
this year of celebrations!
The Olive Branch December 2011 Here
we are at the end of another year. A fun-packed December lies ahead and
then we step into our 250th Anniversary Year with all its celebrations. Please
join us at 10h00 on Saturday
morning 3 December outside the Prince Albert Gallery for the
unveiling of the collection of 94
dustbins that have been decorated to commemorate the
250th anniversary of the founding of A
"Plaasmark" will take place on the farm Drie Rivieren
on Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 December from 09h30 – late. Stalls include jewellery, gifts, preserves, art &
crafts, Avroy Shlain skin scanning, tea garden, sosaties &
roosterkoek. A braaivleis will be held at 18h00 on Saturday, breakfast
from 09h30 on Sunday morning and potjiekos for lunch from 12h30. For further details contact Madri on 083 383 2591 or Johanna on 023
541-1908. Our
new Art and Design Route for
visitors to All
the fun of a Karoo Christmas will take place at our Christmas
Market
on Saturday 17 December, from 8.30am, just the place to stock up on
unique Christmas gifts. African
Relish
is offering its highly popular Christmas in the The
Prince Albert 2012 Calendar
with full colour paintings by children from the Prince Albert Children's
Art Project and which includes the programme of events for next year’s
celebrations is now available. Kindly contact Sonja Mc Kenna on 023
541-1618 if you would like to purchase one.
Click here to see some of the artwork. Astrotours
will offer their tour of the night skies in For
all of you spending New Year's Eve in Ghost
Walks, farm and vineyard visits, artists’ open studios, delicious
food, fine wines, fresh fruit, the peace which is Prince Albert … all
good reasons for a visit during the school holidays! The Prince Albert Tourism Association Committee join Zelia in wishing you a very happy Christmas and New Year. We look forward to welcoming you to our unique home beneath the Swartberg.
The Olive Branch November 2011 The first fruits appeared on our Saturday Market last week: delicious, succulent nectarines, just a foretaste of the riches to follow as Spring moves into Summer: apricots, peaches, figs, melons. The list makes me think of Robert Gordon’s diary entry in 1786 when he recorded that the farm Kweekvallei "was a pleasant sight for us who had been travelling for a long time through the dry parched country. We found everything in abundance here with delicious fruit such as grapes, watermelon, peaches etc." Our Saturday Market offers an abundance of all manner of
things: Brett 'the Vet' Bard and Dr Pete 'Pampoen' Reinder's
harvest their organic vegetable gardens as the sun rises so we can enjoy
the visual beauty of the veggies on their colourful stalls and
the wide variety of tastes at our tables. One visitor had no intention
of eating the magnificent gourds and pumpkins she bought a few weeks
ago, they were to be the subject of a still life painting. Pies, jaffles, boerwors rolls and roosterkoek are on sale
too, so the lunch menu for Saturdays is easily arranged. Cakes, biscuits
and puddings can be found at other stalls and since we start at
breakfast time you might be tempted to indulge in a bacon and egg roll,
a cup of coffee and some pancakes. The Tourism Association umbrellas
cheerfully flutter over tables and chairs, turning the little market
square into an open-air restaurant and a place to greet old friends and
make new ones. Our stallholders are sheltered from the sun by reed roofs
and many have their own favourite booth. Anna Burger always occupies the
same spot where she stocks tray cloths, runners and other items she and
her brother have woven or knitted. Anna learnt to spin and weave in the
1940's as a sixteen year old at a course in Fraserburg. Next door you
will find the Thursday Ladies' White Elephant stall, a cornucopia of
those essential things that you didn't know you needed until you saw
them at some ridiculously low price! All the proceeds go to local
charities. The following stall belongs to Sue Goosen whose assortment
of Health Foods seems to grow every week. Zelia from our Tourism
Association office sells olive products, jams, pickles, t-shirts, aprons
and the Prince Albert Friend newspaper and when her mum is visiting, her
Prego rolls sell out on the double. On an adjacent stall there are
colourful bags, delicate baby clothes and sturdy toy trucks created from
oil cans. Recently exotic
French pastries appeared at the market and sometimes local cookery
school African Relish treats us to tastes from their kitchen.
Goodies and food galore, the buzz of conversation, bags
overflowing with fruit and vegetables, the atmosphere reminds one of
days gone by and probably differs little from 1855, when Governor George
Grey gave Our children are wonderfully creative and Christine
Thomas' Art Group's paintings will feature in a colourful 2012
Calendar which will also act as a diary of the numerous events we are
organising to celebrate our 250th anniversary, an ideal
Christmas present! If you would like to place an order please telephone
Zelia on 023 5411 366. Proceeds will go to the Art group which provides
a creative, safe place for many children from North-end to grow and have
fun. On
Sunday 27th November at 7.00pm villagers will once more come
together for our annual Advent Karoo
Carols by Candlelight service at St
John's Church. Join us to sing the traditional, familiar
carols in English and Afrikaans and hear the Christmas story. Entrance
is free, a closing collection goes to local charities. Next
month we’ll bring you lots of news about our 2012
celebrations. 1762 - 2012 Honour our Roots ~
Inspire our Youth
The Olive Branch October 2011 October in Astrotours
will offer their tour of the night skies in Prince Albert from 1 - 8
October (contact Tilanie on 072 732 2950 to make a booking) and African
Relish Cookery School have three special weekend courses: Karoo
Spice Girl Preeti Bardolia will spice things up with Indian Fusion not
once, but twice and Sonia Cabano and Michael Olivier will 'Relish the
Karoo', creating preserves and relishes.
Phone 023 5411 381 or e-mail: virna@africanrelish.com for details. The
Prince Albert Movie Club
meets in 'Die Dam' next to the Join the people of After extensive maintenance and upgrading the Swartberg
Nature Reserve has re-opened its one day and overnight hiking trails
and a 4x4 route. Please note that you must obtain a permit from
the Cape Nature central reservation office in Cape Town on 0861
CAPENATURE (227 362 8873) or 021 483 0190. You can find out more about
the trails on their website at www.capenature.co.za. Looking ahead to 2012 and our 250 year celebrations... events are already being organised and
we've set up a special page on our website to spread the word! As we get
nearer to the start of 2012 we'll add more details and specific dates,
but for a preview, visit our 2012
celebrations page and enjoy the photos of some of our children
using their artistic talents to create one of our 'art' projects.
Art will feature large on the But that's next year, in the meantime October days in Read about our Spring
Specials CLICK
HERE
for all the details.
The Olive Branch September 2011 The
first day of Spring brought sunshine and bright, cheerful flowers to During
August Zelia entered Speaking
of promoting skills development, This
month’s Prince
Albert Friend (our local newspaper) carries an interesting
article about dustbins - yes, dustbins. Over the next few months local artists and
children will be sharing their artistic skills as they convert oil drums
into works of art which will then be mounted on swivels to serve as
dustbins throughout the town. This is the first of many projects to
raise awareness about our long heritage and our responsibility to care
for and conserve our town and the surrounding plains and mountains. In
2012 it will be 250 years since the farm de Queekvalliej was established
at the foot of the Zwartberg by three de Beer brothers. They arrived
here in 1762 and from their fertile farm grew the thriving, peaceful
community of today. By January the bins will be in place, each painted with appropriate designs to celebrate an aspect of our history and community endeavours. Besides keeping the town neat and tidy they will provide an art exhibition all of their own. Throughout 2012 we will be holding special events to commemorate our 250th birthday. The slogan for the year will be: Honour our Roots ~ Inspire our Youth and you are invited to join the celebrations. There'll be more details in the October issue of The Olive Branch. In the meantime, if your surname is de Beer, or you know any de Beers please alert them to the notice about a 2012 De Beer Reunion on our website... You
don't have to wait until next year to visit us. There are lots of
details about local activities on the forthcoming
events and what’s
to do pages of our website and we hope you'll come to see us
soon! Read about our Spring
Specials CLICK
HERE
for all the details.
August 2011 We begin with a tribute to
Outa Lappies (Jan Schoeman),
the philosopher-artist who 'made something out of nothing',
who died on 7 July 2011.
Outa
spent his long life exploring and deeply experiencing his surroundings,
encouraging people to discover what was really important in life and
creating art from odds and ends others had thrown away. He made his mark
on the South African art scene with his embroidered 'lappies' which told
his life story, his 'karretjies', his 'light house' lanterns and more
recently, the hands he made from recycled tin and glass - always
creating 'something out of nothing'. As the Western Cape Tourism
Personality in 2001, Outa, in his colourful patchwork clothing, became a
Outa
encouraged hard work and creativity and so two special events taking
place this long weekend would have pleased him: On
Saturday 6 August the NG Kerk Bazaar opens
at 8.30 am, don't miss this opportunity to stock up on Karoo meat, to
taste 'egte, regte Karoo kos' and enjoy the wonderful community
atmosphere. On
Sunday 7 August our annual 30 x 40 exhibition and silent auction takes
place at the Prince Albert Gallery.
Viewing is from 2.30pm and the auction begins at 4.00pm. This hugely
popular event centres on unsigned canvases - all the same size and all
starting at the same price. The canvasses include work by famous South
African artists. For more details call Brent:
082 749 2128. The same weekend 5 - 7 August, photo journalist Sam Reinders will be offering a Photo Workshop course on the techniques of travel photography followed on both 8 and 9 August by two Photo Editing Workshops where you can learn how to edit your photos in Picasa. Phone 078 121 3098 or e-mail: samreinders@gmail.com for more details. On Sunday 7
August you can join our Sunday
Lunch Club as they enjoy lunch in the veld at Waterkop.
Phone Gill to book your place at the table: 083 412 7325 or 023 541 1566.
August
has lots more in store: Paul
Eilers,
well known actor and director of the film "Roepman" will be
visiting Prince Albert at the invitation of the VLV and will be doing a "boekvoorlesing"
(to read out loud) on Friday 12 August at 7.00pm at the Jans
Rautenbach Schouwburg. The VLV will serve soup and bread and you are
welcome to take along your own drinks. Tickets cost R85 per person and
are available through Dalene
Coetzee: 082 500 2252. On
21 August our NG Kerk congregation
will celebrate 150 years since the cornerstone was laid for the Church
and 125 years since the organ was installed with a special service at
9.30am. Louis Botha will be offering two "Introduction to Advanced Photography" courses (25 to 28 August and 1 to 4 September 2011). Tel: 082 453 5130 African
Relish will be blending wines, mastering pastry, loafing around (!) and
finally cooking Karoo Bistro style with Societi Bistro's Stefan
Marais during August -
visit www.africanrelish.com
for all the info. And looking ahead ... The
* Our Winter Specials are still on offer - and there are a couple of new entries to the list! CLICK HERE for all the details.
The Olive Branch July 2011 We
are proud to announce that on Saturday, 2 July 2011 the Local
photo-journalist Sam Reinders has won another accolade, joining the
ranks of the Mail and Guardian's
200 Young South Africans for 2011. The award recognises their
contributions to building "the Besides
the good news there's plenty to see and do in July: The
travelling exhibition on South
Africa's Nobel Peace Prize Winners is on show at the Fransie
Pienaar Museum and while you are there, have a look at their bookshop.
If you fancy a drive to explore the Karoo - and winter is a
great time to do that, then local author Dick Metcalf's new book: 'Outward
Bound from Prince Albert,'
with its well researched information, including routes, GPS
co-ordinates and simple maps, is just the thing. Pop
across the road to the The
Cultural Foundation will hold their AGM on Tuesday 12th July,
during which Darryl David and Philippe Menarch will launch their book '101
Country Churches in On Friday 15th July villagers and visitors will gather for another of our popular 'Moonlit Markets' - the market square will be alive with chatter as we share good, warming winter food and drinks under the Karoo moon. The following day the annual Prins Albert Skoudans promises 'lekker musiek en dans.' From
19 - 21 July the Jans Rautenbach Schouwburg will host Afrikaans film
aficionados from around the land as Kyknet and Nationale Pers se Media
24 launch the National Afrikaans
Film Festival right here in Forward
planning for August 2011 -
our NG Kerk Bazaar takes place on 6 August -
don't miss this opportunity to stock up on Karoo
meat, enjoy 'egte, regte Details
about all these events are available from Zelia at our Tourism
Association office: 023 5411 366. All
our usual attractions are also available! We
are also very pleased to announce that many of our accommodation
providers, restaurants and businesses are sending staff to the SA Host
training workshops taking place here in Speaking
of the early settlers, in 2012 we shall celebrate 250 years since the
first farmers arrived and there are a great plans afoot for a year of
festivities. Mari du Toit is keen to gather as many de Beers as possible
for the De Beer re-union which will take place from 21 - 23 September
2012. Please contact her if you would like to be part of the
celebrations! 023 5411 808 or huiskweekvallei@telkomsa.net Remember our Winter Specials. CLICK HERE for all the details.
The Olive Branch June 2011 Our
village has been under the media spotlight again: Newspapers reported
that The
Getaway
team found "Ghosts,
grapes and garments" in Leisure
Wheels is another celebration of Bearing
that in mind and to really make the temptation irresistible, a number of
local guest houses are offering Winter
Specials. CLICK HERE for all the
details. Escape the wet chill of the coast and head into the See
you soon...
The Olive Branch May 2011 The
Royal Wedding and the Prince
Albert Olive Festival in
one glorious, sunny long weekend - who could ask for anything more? One
of our local schools arranged for all the pupils and teachers to draw a
name from a hat and create invitations for each other to view the
wedding at school on a big screen. Everyone dressed appropriately on the
big day, the youngest wearing party frocks and homemade crowns and the
older pupils dressed to the nines. One young man had even borrowed his
dad's suit. Our two ex-pat teachers were particularly well turned out,
one wearing a floral headpiece which quite put to shame many of the hats
guests wore to the Abbey. The
official Royal Wedding website reveals that the bouquet carried by HRH
the Duchess of Cambridge contained myrtle from the plant grown from a
sprig from the posy given to Queen Here
in the Karoo the last day of April dawned bright and sunny and nearly
150 runners set off on the Zwartberg Runners ½ This
year the activity centred on the Fransie
Pienaar Museum and
down onto the Zwartberg High School fields. The food
stalls and beer tent formed a square where the 'Mej en Mnr Olyfie'
competition saw toddlers in action and later olive pip spitters of the
highest order staked their claim to the Clive van Hasselt trophy.
Clothes, spectacular flower pots, plants, jewellery, books, local
produce and baked goods were on sale and local Sunday School teacher
'‘Juffrou Blom' sent many an eyebrow sky high when she was spotted
selling witblitz distilled at the Museum still! With
old fashioned photo opportunities, garden meanders, Stage
and screen events included our children's theatre troupe Patchwork
Theatre with their story telling and 'The Importance of Being Earnest';
The Merry Scholar's eco-friendly stories; Eric Nobbs as Oom Schalk
Lourens and two Classic SA Film shows. Ghost
Walkers took to the dark streets and boeremusiek kept feet
tapping at the Landbouskougenootskap Dance. Locals
mounted an educational display about the dangers of fracking and many
signatures were added to the 'Don't frack with our All
in all, the 2011 Olive Festival was one to remember. We've left the programme
on
our website so you can see the details – how about joining us next
year?
The Olive Branch April 2011 On 2 April the Fransie
Pienaar Museum hold a Witblitz stoking – distilling the local
firewater. Tickets are available from the Museum. If you can’t join
them for the ‘stoking’ and a potjiekos supper, make sure you visit
the Museum during your next visit to buy some of the ‘brew’! Throughout the school holidays
Hennie Boshoff will present daily tours at Villa
Kruger, Art House and Garden at 11.00am and 6.45pm. Tel 083 267
2436. Have you made your plans for the Prince
Albert Olive Festival yet?
The clock is ticking, it all starts on 30 April, so give Zelia a
ring on 023 5411 366 to make a booking. Here’s a taste of what’s in
store: ·
Local fare: Olive
talks, tasting & pressing tours, Wine tasting, Cheese tasting and
Mampoer stook. ·
Walks & talks: Nature Walks, Stargazing, The
Ghost Walk and a wander through our ·
Theatre, Film & Music: Children’s Theatre,
Classic SA Films, “Leopards, Love Potions and Other Marico Tales”
and live music. ·
For the competitive: The Prince Albert Half Marathon
and Fun runs; Baby, Master & Miss Olive Competitions, The famous
Olive Pip Spitting Challenge ·
For the adventurous: Helicopter flips over ·
Food: A
Steak Dinner & Dance, Braai and Street Stall fare with ·
Visit our local shops, galleries and the Museum and
enjoy the ‘geselligheid’ of life in our Karoo Oasis. FOR
THE FULL OLIVE FESTIVAL PROGRAMME CLICK HERE! If
you would like to hire a stall please click here We are all very sorry to bid farewell to Vanie Padayachee,
who has been with African Relish since its inception two years ago. We
will miss her incredible warmth, glorious laugh and lovely smile – and
all the lekker kos! Go well, Vanie and come to visit us OFTEN! We extend our condolences to Marius Koonthea’s family and
all at Bokkie Botha’s Olive Branch restaurant. Marius’ quiet, shy,
but joking and playful presence and his wonderful skills as their meat,
veg, and sauce chef will be sorely missed.
The Olive Branch March 2011 February gave us all a surprise with lots of rain -
so our gardens have received a new lease of life in the midst of the
summer heat. The furrows are flowing with vigour, the surrounding veld
is green and lush, thorn trees are laden with yellow baubles and the
bees are busier than ever, as are our gardeners: Renu-Karoo
have
expanded and celebrated the opening of their nursery shop on the corner
of Kerk and van Dyk streets during February. Our Garden Club will be
celebrating the opening of the new memorial garden at our retirement
centre Huis Kweekvallei at 3.00pm on 2nd March followed by a
talk in the garden at 4 de Beer Street about Prince Albert's most
successful recycling programme and how to Re-use, Re-invent and Recycle
in the Garden. Oudtshoorn's KKNK festival is almost upon us (2 - 9
April) and you will find the Bookings are rolling in for the
long Easter break and for the Olive Festival, so please make your
plans and contact our Tourism Office for details. The
Olive
Festival (30 April - 1 May) will centre around the Museum and We end this letter on a serious note. Hundreds of
Karoo farmers, landowners and community members have formed a collective
to protect the breathtaking, untouched http://www.causes.com/causes/582303-stop-hydraulic-fracturing-in-the-karoo
The
Olive Branch February 2011 Some of our local stores advertise their unique ways
of dealing with the heat. Homeware Hardware sell "Yskoue ys"
(that's ice-cold ice!) and Mix coffee shop offers "Homemade
icecream and Ginger Beer." African Relish regularly change the saying on the
board outside the cookery school, recent offerings include: "Everyone
has a price - mine is ripe figs and witblitz" and "I cook
with wine, sometimes I use it in the food."
A most appropriate recent entry on Ishay
Govender's blog about resident chef Vanie read: "Chefvanie
at African Relish - she's warm, entertaining & encourages you to
play with your food!" Ishay visited in January, full details of her
Prince Albert
sojourn appear on her site: foodandthefabulous.com On the other side of the Swartberg a winery recently
displayed a new sign at their gate: "Save water, drink wine." Which brings us to local wine... Bergwater Vineyards
in the Prince Albert Valley (22km from the village) are open for wine
tastings and sales Monday to Thursday from 9.00am to 4.30pm, on Friday
from 9.00am to 4.00pm and on Saturdays from 10.00am to 3.00pm, Tel: 023
5411 703. Perhaps you’d like to arrange a picnic basket from one of
our restaurants or cafes to enjoy under the willows on Bergwater farm
accompanied by their sparkling rose, new "Pienk Pikkewyn" or one of
their other award-winning red or white wines. Soet
Karoo,
the wine estate in our main road, is open for wine tastings and sales
from Monday to Saturday from 9.00am to 1.00pm. Herman and Susan Perold
make their wine right here, so they can be adventurous and instead of
blending their four grape varieties into one wine, they have produced
three separate labels. Contact Susan on 023 541-1768 to make an
appointment for a tasting. Valentine's Day is just around the corner and if you
are thinking of a long romantic weekend away, Cafe Albert are offering an evening to remember. You can sit on
the stoep, watch the summer sun slip below the horizon, the stars and
moon illuminate our
The Olive Branch January 2011
The year started particularly well for all living in
the Great Karoo, we received rain on New Year's Day. Already the veld
has a greener, softer face and yesterday we saw five Leopard tortoises
in the space of 10km, grazing beside the road between Please watch out for these giants of the tortoise world
crossing the roads as you travel through the To return to Klaarstroom, besides offering
accommodation in their charming Victorian home in this one horse town,
Jeremy and Sharon of the Klaarstroom
Guest House serve breakfast and tea to travellers heading towards
Meiringspoort and Oudtshoorn. Pop in for a chat and a cuppa in their
cool haven. Visit their website at www.klaarstroom.co.za. Last year The Ghost Walk is now featured on South
Africa's tourism website at www.southafrica.net where it is noted as
"one of South Africa's loveliest, because not only are the
ghosts all amiable and approachable, but you'll also walk through little
streets unchanged over the centuries, past buildings full of history,
amid the unique beauty of this Karoo village." Contact Ailsa at 023
5411 211 to make a booking. Plans are afoot for our annual Prince
Albert Olive Festival - you
might like to diarise 30th April & 1st May so
that you can join us. Book your accommodation bright and early as the
town will be packed for all the fun of the fair. The Prince
Albert Half-marathon and a fun run will take place that weekend. Click
here for more information. We look forward to welcoming you to
The Olive Branch December 2010 My
goodness, it's December, where has the year gone?
As our schools close and our guest houses and farms prepare for
holiday visitors we have some local news to celebrate: Congratulations
to Sue and Richard Dean and all the staff at Renu-Karoo,
who were recently declared winners in the "Most Innovative
Sector" at the national 2010 SMME Award ceremony. This acknowledges
their trail-blazing work in establishing a business which incorporates
an indigenous seed and plant nursery and offers professional advice on
the ecological restoration of Karoo veld. They also received a Special
Award from The
While
most end of year celebrations take place in a local restaurant, some
people are more adventurous. The Bacchus Wine Club of Cape Town headed
for a long weekend in Talking
of food, African
Relish are running two Christmas holiday courses: Christmas in
the All
the fun of a Karoo Christmas will take place at our Christmas
Market
on Saturday 18 December, from 8.30am, just the place to stock up on
unique Christmas gifts. Later that day, a 5.00pm, join us at the Prince
Albert Gallery when local palaeontologist Dr Judy Maguire opens
JP Meyer's latest exhibition: Exchange,
which explores JP's fascination with pre-history and the evolution of
consciousness. All
the usual holiday treats will take place during December and January. We
look forward to entertaining you to a The
Prince Albert Tourism Association Committee join Zelia and Annelien in
wishing you a very happy Christmas and New Year. We look forward to
welcoming you to our unique home beneath the Swartberg soon.
The Olive Branch November 2010 Speaking
of stars ... the Prince Albert Friend
is our local newspaper, first published in 1912 and now produced eleven
times a year by our Tourism Association under the editorship of Linda
Jacquet. It is eagerly awaited on the streets and with many residents
posting it to friends and family, it reaches far beyond the village
bounds. Recently a The
Flower Festival was the usual, joyful event. The Karoo labyrinth is
available for walks and meditations all year round and if you'd just
like to sit and admire the indigenous garden you can do so on a locally
made bench set against the church wall. It was made by Basie Smit who
creates finely crafted garden tables and benches. "Basie se
Bankies" are often on show at the Saturday Morning Market and
can be ordered in a variety of sizes. Phone 023 5411 558. There’s
a photo of the bench here... You'll be able to see Basie's
benches and tables at the Prince Albert Harvest Market which
takes place from 08h00 - 12h00 in the "markie" on 20 November
2010. Join us as we celebrate our bountiful harvest. The Harvest
Market is a larger version of the weekly Saturday Morning Market with
lots of fresh fruit in season and other local produce including jams,
preserves, olives, olive oil, freshly baked bread and organically grown
vegetables. Internationally acclaimed chef Reza Mahhamad will no doubt
be doing some shopping at the "markie" again - his Cookery
weekend at African Relish is already fully booked but he'll be back in
2011. Contact Virna for details: 023 5411 381 or virna@africanrelish.com The
following weekend will be filled with music: The New Apostolic Church
Choir and Orchestra from
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