Rob Peters

If there are yellow jerseys on the field at the Calgary Polo Club…… and people like Gael-Anne Hatch and Chad Oakes (producer of must-see TV shows Fargo and Hell On Wheels) in the VIP Lounge…… then it must be the 2015 Veuve Clicquot Calgary Polo Classic. This is where the bubbles meet the storied hardwood of the Ranch House bar.Leslie Echino, owner of Blink Restaurant, and Katy Bond of Parker Bond PR managed to look dewey fresh and delightful despite 30-degree heat.While Rob Peters, the man who started Peters & Co, Elaine Duncan and leather-vest wearing horse whisperer John Scott kept cool inside.Katrina Prokopy, the inspiration behind hubby Ross’ team KatSaw Farms (he named it for his wife and son Sawyer), knows this is no time for a Mona Lisa smile. Especially with a pair of Prada Baroques perched above. Go big or go home!Meanwhile, alpha male Ross Prokopy of GMP Securities proves that not only does he play an aggressive game of polo, he also makes a mean mimosa.Despite the talent in Club League, I celebrated a rare summer week of bruise-free legs. Veiled spectator-sporting Paula Marie took support staffing to a stylish new level.While Gordon Ross of Remax and Bernadette Geronazzo, who’s accustomed to being In The Public Eye, toasted the game…… that was still in progress, beyond the revelers at the Ranch House. Mitch Horne checks up for Land Rover, under Allison Rooney’s watchful eye.It was only fitting that Team Veuve, aka Northern Blizzard, took home the cup. John Rooney, CEO of Northern Blizzard Resources, hoists his bubbly, with long-time pro Joe Henderson in the background. Cheers!

Online crowd funding may make it easer on indie filmmakers to get the cameras rolling, but nothing beats a good old fashioned fundraiser — especially if it takes place at the lovely (and fully functional after last year’s floodageddon) River Cafe.It turns out that Chronic Wasting Disease (the ‘mad cow’ of elk and deer) is a highly contagious brain-destroying disease that can jump to humans. Not cool. Scientist Darrel Rowledge, at the podium, explains that this could make AIDS look like a picnic. Like the film’s title, it’s No Accident. Domesticating wildlife through game farming has created a situation similar to influenza from chickens and SARS from palm civets.Brian Keating, world-renowned naturalist, took time out from his birthday to tell the untold story. The filmmakers hope to raise $1.7 million to produce An Inconvenient Truth meets Sicko documentary. I counted 4 polo players in attendance: Rob and Ruth Peters, Shannon Peters and Jessica Schneider. And myself. As someone who almost got run over by an elk taking my horse out of the pasture last week, I hope this fundraising mission succeeds. This is a film people need to see.