Background Information

Official Club Name: Friendship Force of Medicine Hat (Alberta, Canada)

Closest Major Airport(s): Calgary, Alberta (300 kms from Medicine Hat)

Closest Regional Airport: Medicine Hat, Alberta

Cost of transportation between the Calgary airport and our city: Our club usually arranges bus transportation from Calgary to Medicine Hat and return for a cost of approximately $85.00 (Can.) each way.

Maximum number of Ambassadors our club can host: Club can host 25 ambassadors, more if necessary.  Also, we would like at least 15 ambassadors on an exchange.

About the Club: The Medicine Hat Club was started May 1, 2003 and has 81 members (as of April 3, 2014).  The Club usually hosts 2 one-week exchanges and  a 2-week outbound exchange each year.  Our members have had positive experiences, feedback from the in-bound clubs has been great, and many friendships have been made.

About the Region: The City of Medicine Hat is located in southeastern Alberta, with a population of approximately 63,000.  Climate is semi-arid with 230 millimeters of rain and 2500 hours of sunshine per year.  We are located at  the crossroads of the South Saskatchewan River Valley and the Trans-Canada (#1) Highway.  The City dates back to l883 when natural gas was discovered.  This discovery lead to our booming economy and our fascinating industrial heritage at the ‘Clay Products National Historic District’.  The City is also home to the World’s Tallest Tepee and is the only city in Canada with its own natural gas and electrical utility company.

A couple of nearby popular attractions is the Cypress Hills Inter-provincial Park (rises l,466 meters above sea level & the highest point of land between the Canadian Rocky Mountains and Labrador > 45 minutes southeast) and the Dinosaur Provincial Park (designated UNESCO site > 1.5 hours northwest).

About the Journey: The Club starts the journey with a welcome supper.  Depending on the time of year, the club coordinates various tours within the City and surrounding area, as well as hosting mix and match suppers.  The journey ends with a farewell supper.