Edmonton is Canada's premiere festival city

If you're open to them, life is full of serendipities—once in a lifetime opportunities that happen your way out of the blue. An invitation to the annual Creative Age Festival in Edmonton, Alberta was a serendipity, a not-to-be-forgotten visit to one of Canada's stunning cultural centers.

Although on our short visit we were able to enjoy many of the city's attractions, it was the Creative Age Festival that drew us to this northern city, which started out as a fur-trading post in the late 1700s and today boasts more than 700,000 residents. A three-day feast of lectures, workshops and stage performances made the area's newest "festival" worth the trip. With creative aging being the focus, we participated in a yoga "laughing" class that was not only fun but excellent food for thought. Laughing, it turns out, is seriously good for our health.

A music composition workshop was equally interesting and informative. One woman brought a song to share that she and her son had written together many years ago when he was a small boy. We also created improvisational compositions as a group that left us laughing and inspired to do more.

A water color class was filled to capacity with aspiring artists looking for tips and techniques. Best of all, everything was free for those age 55 and older.

AT LARGE IN EDMONTON
In between classes my companion and I took a tour of the city,