What Upcoming Events Does CRAGS List on Its Website?

Updated

CRAGS (Calgary Rock & Alpine Garden Society) lists upcoming events on the "CRAGS Upcoming Events" section of its homepage. As of the site content reviewed, the featured listing is a lecture titled "Plants of the Chilean Andes" with Elizabeth & Danny Elliott, scheduled for Thursday, October 8, 2026. The listing gives a start time, a location, a free-parking note, and an online attendance option. The site also promotes a larger multi-day event, the North American Rock Garden Society (NARGS) Conference & Annual General Meeting, hosted in Calgary on June 25–28, 2026.

The Featured October Lecture

The event entry provides the following details:

Item Detail
Event "Plants of the Chilean Andes"
Speakers Elizabeth & Danny Elliott
Date Thursday, October 8, 2026
Time Hall doors open 6:00 p.m.; talk begins 7:00 p.m.
In-person location Lakeview Community Association Hall, 6110-34th Street SW, Calgary
Online option Also available on Zoom
Parking Free

The listing notes that "everyone is..." before the excerpt cuts off, so the full attendance policy (for example, whether non-members are welcome or whether a fee applies) is not confirmed by the available text. Check the full event page before planning to attend.

How to Attend

  1. Confirm the details on the site. Open the "CRAGS Upcoming Events" section and read the full entry, since the excerpt is truncated.
  2. Choose in-person or Zoom. The listing states the talk is available on Zoom as well as at the hall.
  3. For in-person attendance, go to the Lakeview Community Association Hall at 6110-34th Street SW. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., an hour before the 7:00 p.m. start. Parking is free.
  4. For online attendance, look for the Zoom link or joining instructions on the event page or in the full listing. The excerpt does not include the link itself.

Common snag: the date shown is October 8, 2026, while the heading in the site's event list reads "Thursday October 8, 7 p.m." Confirm the year and weekday on the live page before making plans, and check whether the Zoom option requires registration.

The 2026 NARGS Conference in Calgary

The homepage also highlights "High & Dry in the Chinook Zone," the NARGS Conference & Annual General Meeting, to be held in Calgary, Alberta, June 25–28, 2026. CRAGS invites rock gardeners to Calgary for the meeting, which the site describes as engaging and informative.

Key points from the listing:

  • Confirmed speakers include Vojtěch Holubec (Czech Republic), Jay Akerley (Kamloops, British Columbia), Todd Boland (St. John's, Newfoundland), Stephanie Ferguson (Calgary, Alberta), Mike Bone (Denver, Colorado), and John Noad (Calgary, Alberta).
  • Program themes include the opportunities and challenges of gardening in the Chinook zone, discussed during visits to CRAGS members' gardens and municipal rock gardens the club helped develop.
  • Field trips to the nearby Front Range of the Rocky Mountains offer a guided introduction to native alpine flora.
  • A conference schedule is available via a "Click For Conference Schedule" link on the page.

The site notes that Calgary sits at 1,045 m (3,400 ft) on the western edge of the Northern Great Plains, within sight of the Rocky Mountains, and that its elevation and cool nights favor rock and alpine gardens despite drying chinook winds. It also mentions six UNESCO World Heritage Sites with alpine or dryland rock-loving vegetation within a 2- to 7-hour drive.

What the Listings Do and Don't Tell You

The event listings are enough to identify what's coming up and where to be, but they are not a complete registration guide. The available text does not state ticket prices, membership requirements, or how to register for the conference, and the October lecture's Zoom access details are not included in the excerpt. For decisions about attending, use the full event pages and the conference schedule link on crags.ca as the authoritative source.