Vegreville ( uk, Веґревіль) is a town in

central Alberta Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province. Agriculture and energy are important to the area's economy. Geography Central Alberta is bordered ...

, Canada. It is on Highway 16A approximately east of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, Alberta's capital city. It was incorporated as a town in 1906, and that year also saw the founding of the ''Vegreville Observer'', a weekly newspaper for the region. A large percentage of Vegreville's population is of

Ukrainian Canadian Ukrainian Canadians ( uk, Українські канадці, Україноканадці, translit=Ukrayins'ki kanadtsi, Ukrayinokanadtsi; french: Canadiens d'origine ukrainienne) are Canadian citizens of Ukrainian descent or Ukrainian-born p ...

descent, and it is home to the

Vegreville egg The Vegreville egg is a giant sculpture of a pysanka, a Ukrainian-style Easter egg. The work by Paul Maxym Sembaliuk is built of an intricate set of two-dimensional anodized aluminum tiles in the shape of Congruence (geometry), congruent equilater ...

, the world's second largest

pysanka The tradition of egg decoration in Slavic cultures originated in pagan times,Kazimierz Moszyński – Kultura ludowa Słowian, Kraków 1929Anna Zadrożyńska – Powtarzać czas początku, Warsaw 1985, and was transformed by the process of ...

(Ukrainian Easter egg).Giant Pysanka
/ref>

Geography

Climate

Vegreville experiences a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Dfb'').

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Vegreville had a population of 5,689 living in 2,463 of its 2,735 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 5,708. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Vegreville recorded a population of 5,708 living in 2,429 of its 2,734 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 5,717. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. The Town of Vegreville's 2012 municipal census counted a population of 5,758, a 1.3% decrease over its 2010 municipal census population of 5,834. ;Age distribution: * 0 to 19: 26.3% * 20 to 64: 50.3% * 65+: 23.3% ; Mother tongue: * English: 4,185 * French: 105 * Other: 1,015

Economy

The primary economic base of the town is agricultural.

Arts and culture

Due to Vegreville's close relationship with the

41 Combat Engineer Regiment 41 Combat Engineer Regiment (41 CER, French: ) is an Army Reserve (militia) unit of the Canadian Military Engineers/Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE) in Alberta, Canada. The unit consists of: * Regimental Headquarters (RHQ), * 25 Engineer Squadron ( ...

, a

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Forc ...

Reserve unit based in Edmonton, the Regiment is the only Canadian Forces unit with Freedom of the Town and parades held on

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

in the town.

Pysanka Festival

The Pysanka Festival, founded in 1973, occurs annually during the first weekend of July. The 2015 festival featured grandstand shows, cultural variety shows, a pioneer village, Ukrainian music, a Zabava (evening Dance) featuring Kolomeyka music, folk arts creating

Pysanka The tradition of egg decoration in Slavic cultures originated in pagan times,Kazimierz Moszyński – Kultura ludowa Słowian, Kraków 1929Anna Zadrożyńska – Powtarzać czas początku, Warsaw 1985, and was transformed by the process of ...

(Ukrainian Easter eggs), and a market place. The festival has hosted the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company, the

Ukrainian Male Chorus of Edmonton The Ukrainian Male Chorus of Edmonton (UMCE) was founded in 1984 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and has performed at many events and festival both in Canada and internationally. Performances include Expo '86, the International Choral Festival, alo ...

, and the

Kubasonics The Kubasonics are a Ukrainian-Canadian speed-folk band based in St. John's, Newfoundland. Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, The Kubasonics are honoured in the Ukrainian Canadian community for recreating traditional Ukrainian melodies, with a tw ...

Attractions

Vegreville's

, the second largest Ukrainian Easter egg in the world, was created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

in 1974 and to celebrate Vegreville's ethnic heritage. On July 6, 2009, the pysanka was one of four attractions featured on the first set of the Canadian Roadside Attractions Series of

stamps Stamp or Stamps or Stamping may refer to: Official documents and related impressions * Postage stamp, used to indicate prepayment of fees for public mail * Ration stamp, indicating the right to rationed goods * Revenue stamp, used on documents to ...

issued by

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...

Media

Vegreville is serviced by the ''Vegreville News Advertiser'' weekly newspaper, an independently-owned newspaper established in 1950.

Infrastructure

The town is bisected by Canadian National Railway's Vegreville Subdivision, a rail line connecting Vegreville to Edmonton in the west and to

Lloydminster Lloydminster is a city in Canada which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city is incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administrati ...

in the east.

Notable people

George Bures Miller George Bures Miller (born 1960) is a Canadian artist noted for his collaborative works with his wife Janet Cardiff. Miller and Cardiff represented Canada at the 2001 Venice Biennale. They are based in British Columbia, Canada. Solo works Works ...

, artist *

Kyle Brodziak Kyle Brodziak (born May 25, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He previously played for the Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, 214th overal ...

, NHL player * Dennis Kassian, NHL & WHA player * Cam Cole, journalist * Linda Craddock (b. 1952), visual artist *

Laurence Decore Laurence George Decore (born Lavrentiy Dikur; June 28, 1940 – November 6, 1999) was Canadian lawyer and politician from Alberta. He was of Ukrainian descent. He was mayor of Edmonton, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and ...

, Ukrainian Canadian lawyer, former mayor of

, Alberta, and former leader of the Alberta Liberal Party * Roderick D. Fraser, 11th President of the University of Alberta (1995 - 2005) *

Herschel Hardin Herschel Hardin (born 1936) is a British Columbia-based writer, playwright, commentator and political activist and consultant best known for having contested the leadership of the New Democratic Party of Canada in 1995. Life and career Hardin grew ...

, writer, playwright, and politician *

Simma Holt Simma Holt, (née Milner, March 27, 1922 – January 23, 2015) was a Canadian journalist, author, and the first Jewish woman elected to the House of Commons of Canada. Born in Vegreville, Alberta as Simma Milner, the sixth of eight children, s ...

, journalist, author, former Member of Parliament, and Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

Daymond Langkow Daymond Randolph Langkow (born September 27, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He was the fifth overall selection of the Tampa Bay Lightning at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He played junior hockey with the Tri-City American ...

, former

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

forward *

Don Mazankowski Donald Frank Mazankowski (July 27, 1935 – October 27, 2020) was a Canadian politician who served as a cabinet minister under prime ministers Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney, including as deputy prime minister under Mulroney. After retiring fro ...

, politician and federal Deputy Prime Minister under Brian Mulroney * Virgil P. Moshansky, Ukrainian Canadian jurist and former mayor of Vegreville * David Motiuk,

Catholic bishop In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy Orders, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of Holy orders in the Catholic Church, holy orders and is responsible ...

Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton The Eparchy of Edmonton is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church that governs parishes in the Canadian province of Alberta. It uses the Byzantine Rite liturgy in the Ukrainian language and E ...

* Lillian Sarafinchan, Canadian visual artist, teacher, and production designer *

Brent Severyn Brent Severyn (born February 22, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with six teams between 1989 and 1999. Playing career Severyn was drafted 99th overall by the Winnipeg Je ...

, former

defenseman *

Valerie Sweeting Valerie Sweeting (born July 9, 1987 in Redvers, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian curler from Lottie Lake, Alberta She currently plays third for Team Kerri Einarson. Sweeting skipped Alberta to a silver medal at the and Scotties Tournament of Hea ...

, curler

In popular culture

Season 4, episode 14 of

Fox Television The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations and ...

's ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who ...

'' series entitled "Memento Mori" references Vegreville. FBI Agent

Fox Mulder Fox William Mulder () is a fictional FBI Special Agent and one of the two protagonists of the Fox science fiction-supernatural television series ''The X-Files'', played by David Duchovny. Mulder's peers dismiss his many theories on extraterre ...

realizes the town name is the password needed to hack into a computer after discovering a Vegreville pysanka souvenir

snow globe A snow globe (also called a waterglobe, snowstorm, or snowdome) is a transparent sphere, traditionally made of glass, enclosing a miniaturized scene of some sort, often together with a model of a town, neighborhood, landscape or figure. The sph ...

on the desk next to the computer.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1906 establishments in Alberta Towns in Alberta Ukrainian-Canadian culture in Alberta