The Pulse: April 15, 2021

As Premier Jason Kenney attempted to lighten the news of increased COVID-19 restrictions last week by optimistically claiming the coming months would be the "best summer in Alberta's history," arts and festival organizers rolled up their collective sleeves and stared at the many un-jabbed arms around them. Gathering in any large capacity, it seems, could still be a ways off.

As the likes of Edmonton Folk Fest and Big Valley Jamboree made tandem announcements that they would not proceed this year, seasoned festival producer Brent Oliver told CTV that he does not foresee any of the province's marquee summer gems like Edmonton Fringe and Calgary Stampede happening, especially not with their usual über high attendance and international programming.

"The big thing about any of these events is that they can't happen in a vacuum. They need some planning," Oliver said. "You can't get national artists to come to Edmonton or Calgary or wherever without some significant safety concerns."

• The Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB, the first of its kind in Canada, launched Wednesday, backed by more than $2 million in funding from three levels of government in search of a foothold in what is expected to be a multibillion-dollar industry. "The race is on, and we will move as quickly as possible to be a part of the market," Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw told the Globe and Mail.
• The University of Alberta is proposing tuition hikes across the board ranging from 17% to 104%, and some are worried about how it will impact the accessibility of the university. “Students are quite disappointed about these increases,” Joel Agarwal, president of the U of A Students’ Union, told CTV. “My worry is for parents out there who may be sending their kids to university, they’ll be choosing options outside of Alberta.”
• A new poll commissioned by CBC News and The Road Ahead found that if a provincial election were held now, the Alberta NDP would likely form a majority.
• A council committee discussed a $1.9 million cleanup of Hawrelak Park's lake to make it more amenable to kayaking and paddle boarding.
• Calgary students in grades 7 to 12 are shifting back to online learning as COVID-19 cases rise, but Edmonton's school boards have not yet requested permission to do the same, despite a spike in cases.

On this day in 1895, a local drugstore owner was advertising his fresh stock of vaccine.

The ad doesn't give much information about exactly what vaccines G.H. Graydon had in stock, other than their claimed freshness (which was probably a real concern at the time, when refrigeration technology was still new and expensive). Although back in 1895, the choices were limited — smallpox, rabies, cholera and tetanus were the only vaccines in existence.

Diphtheria, a contagious condition caused by bacteria, is another possibility. "The Strangler," as it was called, was especially deadly to children and those over 40. While a vaccine wouldn't be invented until the 1920s, government vaccination records show that Alberta purchased and administered diphtheria antitoxin in 1895. However, the antitoxin would technically have been a treatment, not a vaccine.

Whatever it was that George H. Graydon was advertising, it's pretty likely that people were buying. Graydon had arrived in Edmonton a year earlier to take over a failing drugstore. He would continue to run the store for 46 years and was dubbed the "dean of Alberta dispensers" by historian Tony Cashman in Edmonton: Stories from the River City.

The Graydon name remains part of the city in Graydon Hill, a neighbourhood in southwest Edmonton. It isn't named for the druggist, however, but rather his wife Rosetta; she was a trailblazing advocate for animal rights and the founder of the province's first humane society.

Almost 125 years later, pharmacies are again advertising their vaccine supplies as Alberta rolls out shots to protect against coronavirus. More than a million doses of vaccine have now been administered in the province, many by 1,300 participating pharmacies. To find out more about when you can get your shot, visit the Alberta Health Services website.

This is based on a clipping found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist @revRecluse — follow @VintageEdmonton for daily ephemera via Twitter.

• Rapid Fire Theatre's Bonfire Festival runs Fridays and Saturdays April 9-24.
• Northern Light Theatre presents Something Unspoken by Tennessee Williams, starring Patricia Darbasie and Davina Stewart, streaming online April 16-24.
• Mitchell Art Gallery (MAG) is displaying the 2021 Fine Art Grad Show from April 16-May 15. The exhibit can be viewed online or drop by outside to watch video art projected onto the east windows of Allard Hall.
• Workshop West Playwrights Theatre is offering a five-week courses for playwrights and content creators to hone their practice. Rattle Your Own Cage - Devised Theatre Techniques for Text-Based Playwrights, led by David Van Belle, begins on April 17.
• Brian Webb Dance Company is running its 41st annual art auction, viewable online until April 25. Private in-person viewings will be available by appointment on April 17-18.