Lightchasers 2023 – Check-in, Local Amenities and More!

Less than one week to go until conference! I can’t wait to see you all and kick things into high gear! Check-in opens at 3pm and runs until 6pm on Thursday and opens again from 9am-1030am on Friday. Come to the main conference room at the Heritage Inn to check-in for the event and pick up your badge and swag bag! Your badge has a large blank space on it that you’re welcome to write your name and favourite social media handle on so you can get to know people easier!

 

There are no physical tickets for the event and we’ll just be checking names off at the door. You’re welcome to bring a print out or screen cap of your confirmation email if you’d like.

 

Some of you may be wondering what the local gastronomical situation is like for the conference and in Pincher Creek in general so here are a couple of tips:

 

Our host hotel, the Heritage Inn, has the Seasons Cafe that’s open from 7am – 8pm on Friday and Saturday and from 7am to 2pm on Sunday. They will specifically be running a lunch buffet each day for quick and easy meals for attendees during our lunch breaks.

 

The Hut Cafe is generously offering Lightchasers attendees a 15% discount for online and phone orders for pick-up and delivery. The Hut is quite small and dine-in space is limited but those wishing to dine-in there will receive 5% off. Simply present your badge at time of purchase to receive discount.

 

https://thehutcafepc.business.site/

 

Boston Pizza is offering all Lightchasers attendees a 10% discount for take-outs and deliveries. Present your badge at time of purchase for discount.

 

https://bostonpizza.com/en/locations/pincher-creek.html

 

Oldman River Brewing in Lundbreck (a 20 minute drive from Pincher) is offering a 10% discount to Lightchasers attendees for the weekend. This might be of great interest to those attending our Lundbreck Falls field session from 8-10pm on Saturday, however it’s worth noting that they are only open until 10pm and food service closes at 9 so an early dinner before the session might be best. Reservations are recommended.

 

https://www.oldmanriverbrewing.com/

 

Vegan and vegetarian options are more limited in Pincher Creek but The Hut does have some great vegan options and Soo Sushi has some solid vegetarian and vegan dishes as well.

 

There are many of other great places to eat in Pincher Creek including fast food outlets like Tim Hortons, A&W, McDonalds, Subway, and DQ for quick grabs. And if you’ll be exploring Waterton from Pincher, I have it on good authority that the Twin Butte General Store and Mexican Place has some of the absolute best food in the area.

 

We have two hour lunch breaks scheduled at 1pm on Friday and Saturday and a one hour lunch break at 1pm on Sunday so please plan accordingly. *Please note that meals are not included with your conference ticket.

 

The weather is looking fairly typical for the area at the end of May. Highs of 20-26C (70-79F) and lows of 6-8C (around 50F). Maybe a chance of a shower here and there. The good news about this forecast is that it often results in great light. Please note, the weather can change on a dime in this area at this time of year so make sure you check the forecast before you leave and pack accordingly. If you’re attending the Late Night session at Sierra West and you’re new to shooting astro, definitely pack warm clothes as it doesn’t take long to get really cold on night shoots. Note that Pincher Creek and Waterton are often WINDY. Smoke from the Alberta wildfires has been and may be an issue during the weekend. Hoping the rains today and tomorrow help and that the winds keep it away. You can monitor the smoke situation at https://firesmoke.ca/

 

Don’t forget that our Title Sponsor, Fujifilm, still have some GFX and other cameras available for loan for the weekend! Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to try out this amazing camera system! Pre-registration is required and can be done at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/fujifilm-x-gfx-loans-lightchasers-nature-photography-conference-tickets-579055930877

 

And if you’ve missed our previous updates, we’ve collected them all here on our website. And don’t forgot you can join in on the event discussion on our Facebook page !