Local gelato store moves to new location
Celebrating one year in business, locally owned Geppetto’s Gelato recently moved a little closer to its ice cream-loving customers.
Now located at 24 Muir Drive, just off St. Albert Trail, the small shop offers 24 different flavours of gelato and ice cream. The old shop was just around the corner, at 18 Muir Drive.
Zsuzsana Varga, employee at Geppetto’s Gelato, said owner Victor Garcia opened the original gelato shop to fill a perceived void in St. Albert for Italian ice cream.
She added that Garcia also owns a hair salon and his customers talk a lot about gelato.
“People that travel, they always talk about that they had ice cream like this or Mexican type fried ice-cream. So there is always that kind of talk in the hair salon,” she said, adding that Garcia
“So he thought, ‘Hey, why not?’ ”
The store purchases from Alberta-based producers Foothills Creamery and Pinocchio Ice Cream. Customers can get everything from a simple banana gelato to maple or cappuccino flavours.
Varga said children especially love the colourful and bright bubblegum, birthday cake and wet paint ice cream, while many adults, including Varga, enjoy the creamier, Italian gelato.
“Uh, decadent, and I do mean decadent Belgian chocolate. You have to try that stuff,” she said.
“That’s my favourite. And then you have your traditional royal vanilla and different flavours like coconut and pistachio gelato.”
Morinville Youth Basketball receives donation
The Morinville Youth Basketball Association will soon be sporting a new name and new uniforms. Founder Serge Froment said the name will be about cats or dogs but nothing has been decided on.
The change comes after a $12,000 investment by Morinville-based Champion Petfoods.
The company announced this week that it would help cover the costs for new uniforms, equipment, training for coaches and gymnasium time.
“Champion was looking to get more involved in the community and they mentioned our organization,” said Froment.
“They have been incredibly good to work with. When you make some changes that affect the organization you are always worried, but it turned out to be absolutely perfect.”
The association, formerly known as the Morinville Roadrunners, started up eight years ago with 13 players. Now they have more than 100 players and eight teams.
Froment said the donation helps offset the growing financial needs of the association and will make for a better experience for the children.
“It will be a fresh change for us and for the kids and we get fresh new uniforms and I am sure they don’t mind that,” he said.
Jobless rates fall in April
Last month, unemployment rates in Alberta dropped to 4.4 per cent, down from 4.8 per cent in March, reported the monthly Labour Force Survey.
That’s nearly 15,000 new jobs, offsetting the loss of 11,300 jobs in March.
Canada’s unemployment rate remains at 7.2 per cent. The country added only 12,500 new jobs nationally.
Provincial numbers include workers 15 years and older and reflect seasonal changes. The report said that Alberta’s unemployment rate was pushed lower in April due to strong job creation.
The two categories with the strongest growth were professional, scientific and technical services (plus 6,800) and construction jobs (plus 6,400).
Alberta’s unemployment rate remains the second lowest in the country, with Saskatchewan’s rate at 4 per cent.
