The September 6 and 7 Tough Mudder event is gearing up with the arrival of the event construction staff and plans for a downtown festival.
    Bob Cromwell, Event Coordinator with the event hosts, the Drumheller Festival Society, said the course’s early construction crew is getting familiarized with the terrain and the initial course outline.
    “They’re sort of mapping and charting it out, finding what the biggest obstacles are, in and amongst that maze down there,” said Cromwell.
    The course, designed by British Special Forces, starts on the Stampede Grounds and works it way into the valley.
    The Tough Mudder course holds more than twenty challenging obstacles over its 16  - 20 kilometre long stretch.
    Cromwell said that positive comments have been building about the course and where it’s laid out, noting it may be the ultimate Tough Mudder course yet.
    “The Tough Mudder office, head office in Brooklyn, New York, seems to be getting more and more ecstatic about this event,” he notes of the Drumheller Tough Mudder.
    He said that Tough Mudder has indicated attendance numbers are on track for the endurance obstacle course.
    The highest number of participants estimated for the event is around 8,000 people.
    Annette Nielsen, co-owner of CCE Productions, is aiming to entertain those Mudder attendees in Drumheller’s downtown.
    CCE is spearheading the assembly of a downtown festival  to run in conjunction with Tough Mudder.
    Nielsen said the festival is pending liquor licensing approval and the Town’s acceptance of the permit application.
    “We plan on having a festival downtown, with food trucks, merchants, a beer garden, and live bands.”
    The plan-to-date would have the festival start late Friday afternoon, September 5, and then again on Saturday afternoon.
    Nielsen said CCE already has bands and merchants confirmed for the downtown festival, adding they would welcome items made by local artisans.
    The festival will be held on Centre Street from the Napier Theatre on Third Avenue to the firehall on Fourth Avenue, notes Nielsen, adding:
    “The street has no retail on it, so it’s perfect.”

Sandy Lam, pictured, and her husband Gordon have closed the doors to Drumheller's Fred & Barney’s Family Restaurant. The Lams first opened their business in August 1994.

After twenty years in business and too many buffets to count, Drumheller’s Fred & Barney’s Family Restaurant has closed its doors.
    Owners of the building,  where the restaurant is located off Highway 9, didn’t renew any of the tenant leases.
    Lam has nothing but praise for the community and for the  customers who chose Fred & Barney’s as the place to eat  or host an event, and the place to celebrate special milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries. “We’re really missing the customers,” said owner Sandy  Lam.
    She said they’ve had a lot of regular customers who have been coming to the restaurant since her and husband Gordon first opened their doors back in August of 1994.
    Lam adds the gentleman who won their restaurant’s grand opening prize also returned to take part in their final day of business.
    She regrets that staff shortages over their final few days of business meant they weren’t able to offer their popular take-out  service for customers.
    The last three days of business were pretty hectic for them, with husband Gordon being the lone cook in the kitchen.
    However, he has a solid thirty years of experience as a Chinese cook that held him in good stead.
    She said she was really proud of him - he was pretty organized and had some prep-work help, but otherwise handled the cooking himself.
    A lot of the food served at Fred & Barney’s was homemade, Lam said.
    Her three sons, two from Calgary and the third from Drumheller, all came for the restaurant’s final day and they, along with a nephew, were kept busy helping out.
    Lam appreciates the hard work of all the staff over the years, and wanted to give a special mention to Lori Bugdale and Debbie Scarlett for their ten years of service, and  to Rose Harrison, for her sixteen years of service.
    Some of Fred & Barney’s staff have found other jobs, Lam said, and some are taking a rest.
    The restaurant equipment and items are being given away or sold, and Lam is unsure of what she’ll do with all her time after retiring from the restaurant, but in the short term, she’s planning a trip to Hong Kong to visit her Mother.
    Lam said running a restaurant can be very stressful, and she certainly won’t miss the stress.   

An Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals cattle seizure in January 2014 has led to (Robin) Byron Graham facing two charges under the Animal Protection Act. Graham returns to court in September.


    (Robin) Byron Graham appeared in Drumheller court Friday, August 15, facing charges under the Animal Protection Act.
    Graham appeared without a lawyer, and the matter was put over to September 26, to give Graham time to review the Crown’s evidence against him and allow him a chance to speak with legal representation.
    Graham faces charges of causing an animal to be in distress and failure to provide proper care to an animal under Alberta’s Animal Protection Act.
    If found guilty, Graham faces a maximum fine of $20,000 and the possibility of a court order prohibiting  ownership and care of animals for a specified period of time.
    “From our point of view, financial penalties against a person are less important than limiting their ability to care for animals,” Roland Lines, Communications Manager for Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told The Mail.
    “If we don’t think they’re a person that will provide proper care, then limiting their access to animals is what we’re more interested in as an agency.”
    Lines said the Alberta SPCA laid charges against Graham June 5, 2014.
    The charges stem from an Alberta SPCA cattle seizure on Graham family property in January this year. Over 100 cattle were removed by the animal protection agency.
    The cattle were later returned to the Graham property .
    In the spring of 2011, an RCMP investigation led to Livestock Identification Services and the Alberta SPCA seizure of cattle and horses from Graham property.
     At that time, more than 200 cattle and 148 horses were removed.
    Lines said when the cattle were returned in 2011, Byron  was identified as the person responsible for the cattle, which is why he is facing these charges.
    The original charges in 2011 were laid by RCMP.

The Salvation Army “Stuff the Bus” campaign to collect donations for their food bank runs Thursday,  in the ATB Finanial parking lot. Shown holding food donations are back row: Jerry Machacek, veteran volunteer, second row: (l-r), Sisi Xie, new Community Ministries Worker, Drumheller Salvation Army, and Shannon Wade, Community Partner/campaign organizer. At front (l-r) are volunteer Gary Toft, veteran volunteer, Jenny Scott, ATB Financial volunteer, and Lieutenant Laurie Sauder of Drumheller’s Salvation Army.

Encana matches Stuff the Bus donations $2 per pound for food donated and dollar-for-dollar cash donated, up to $10,000.

Registration is building for the valley’s Community Futures Dinosaur Valley Half Marathon.
    The fifth annual marathon, which runs September 14, has around 400 entrants signed up.
    The half-marathon of 21 kilometres now has 175 registered runners and walkers, and the full 42k marathon has 24 people signed up who want to conquer the course.
    The numbers to date are fairly close for the 5k and the 10k walk and/or run, with the 5k at 103 people registered and the 10k at 100.
    The total number of registrations are up 13.5 per cent over last year, which means 68 more people have signed up for the 2014 event compared to 2013.
    Community Futures has been the main sponsor of this event since it began four years ago.
    In those four years, the sponsorship and the participants have helped the Half Marathon organization contribute $53,000 to Drumheller’s Badlands Community Facility.    
    People interested in participating without running the course could assist as a volunteer for the event by contacting  Becky Kowalchuk at 403-820-620, or email becky.kowalchuk@gov.ab.ca.

RCMP photos show the rural area where they seized and cut down 100 plants Wednesday, August 20.

RCMP investigated a report of a marijuana grow op in a rural area in the Drumheller valley, and found 111 plants Wednesday.

The area searched on August 20 by RCMP included Crown land as well as private property, and police made inquiries of residents living in the area, but made no arrests or charges.

    A Three Hills man facing police charges of sexual assault at the Prairie Bible Institute made his first court appearance August 22.
    Thirty-three year old Renie Gall of Three Hills, presently in custody, appeared via closed-circuit television in Drumheller Provincial Court Friday.
    Drumheller’s Hugh Sommerville, acting for defense counsel Patrick Penny of Red Deer, waived reading of the charges, and asked for the matter to be scheduled in September, at which time Mr. Gall would appear in person.
    Crown prosecutor Ron Pedersen’s request for a publication ban was granted by Judge L.R. Grieve.
    The publication ban applies to the identity of the complainants and witnesses in the case.
    The case returns to Drumheller provincial court September 3 at 9:00 a.m.
    Gall faces charges from allegations of break and enter and sexual assault after the student dormitories of Three Hills’ Prairie Bible Institute were broken into and several students were sexually assaulted in the early morning hours of Sunday, August 17.

Barb Coney, left, and Ossie Sheddy, right, of The Drumheller Mail/InSide Drumheller take on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

A number of The Drumheller Mail staff took on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Friday afternoon.

The ALS Society has a goal of reaching three million dollars through its cool fundraiser that has taken off like wildfire over the past few weeks, with people taking part in the challenge posting their videos online.

The Drumheller Mail nominates Drumheller's Re/Max Realty, Hometown Realty, and Century 21 Power Realty to take the Ice Bucket Challenge.

ALS, short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and also known as Lou Gherig's Disease, is a neruo-degenerative disease that claims the life 2 to 3 Canadians every day. ALS presently has no known cure or effective treatment. For every person diagnosed with ALS, a person living with ALS dies. Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 Canadians currently live with this fatal disease.

Jeremy Augart, like many others, took on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, but added an intense angle by filling two Bobcats full of ice water in order to raise awareness for the debilitating disease. 

Friday, August 22, at 5:00 p.m. Jeremy (Jiggy) Augart from Drumheller Equipment took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, but added his own extreme twist to it.

Thanks to two Bobcat buckets full of ice water, Augart was completely soaked. On top of completing the challenge, Augart will be donating fifty dollars to the charity.

Augart challenged three other people, including his younger brother, ex-boss from The Last Chance Saloon, and close friend to complete the challenge.

If you know a business or someone who is taking on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and you want it featured, contact The Drumheller Mail at (403) 823-2580 or news@drumhellermail.com
 

    Suncor Energy Products Inc. wind turbine energy project in the Handhills is moving closer to receiving regulatory approval.
    Keith Knudsen, Renewable Energy Engineer and the Project Manager, said Suncor responded to the last round of information requests from the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) in May of this year,
    The application will now be advertised to accept any submissions from affected parties  until the submission deadline of June 26.
    “The two processes we’re going through at the moment are the AUC application and the inter-connection application, which are connected but they’re sort of two different approvals, so we’re working through both those; and the inter-connection - we’re facing the same kind of challenges (as BluEarth Renewables) with getting the infrastructure in place from the Alberta Electric System Operator perspective,” said Knudsen.
    The Mail reported in last week’s edition that BluEarth Renewables Handhills wind project deadline was extended to 2018, waiting on separate approval for transmission lines. 
    Knudsen said he hopes his company can help move that approval process forward.
    “Once we get that (AUC) permit, then we’re going to be pushing to get that inter-connection permit in place,” he notes.
    Suncor applied in 2012 to the AUC for approval of an 80 megawatt wind power plant about six kilometres south of Delia.
    If Suncor’s project permit is approved, Knudsen said pre-construction, such as roads and collector lines for the turbines, could start as early as this year.

“That’s a really good set of wheels,” said Raelynn McDonald, who tells us she’s almost eight-years old. Raelynn poses with her new bike that she was thrilled to win in The Drumheller Mail’s annual Canada Day Parade contest. Raelynn is staying with her grandparents Cathy and Rod Aikens of Morrin. Grandpa received a call at work from a neighbour telling him to look at the newspaper. Raelynn lost her bike earlier this spring when the rooftop carrier on the car broke. She was looking forward to getting home with her new bike to show it to her friends.

The boys bike has yet to be claimed, so be sure to check the top of page 3 in the July 2 edition of the The Drumheller Mail to see if you recognize the winner!

Patrice, left and Zeke Wolf of the Heartwood Inn hosted (l-r) Bindi, Terri and Robert, family of  famed Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin as they spent a busy weekend in the valley hunting dinosaurs and enjoying all it has to offer.

The valley had some high profile visitors last weekend when the family of  late Australian wildlife expert and zoo owner Steve Irwin came through Drumheller to get their fill of dinosaurs.
    Steve Irwin was a television celebrity with his show The Crocodile Hunter, and he and his family founded and built what is now known as the Australia Zoo. He was tragically killed in 2006, doing what he loved, working with wild animals.
    The family has continued to build the legacy he created. This week, his wife Terri, daughter Bindi and son Robert were through the valley.  The impetus for coming came from 10-year-old Robert.
    “I am absolutely obsessed with dinosaurs, I have been since I was two-years-old,” he tells The Mail. “I heard about Drumheller and the Royal Tyrrell Museum, and I just had to come.  It is so cool, the whole town is all about dinosaurs.”
    He explains that even as a 10 year old, he knows many palaeontologists who are aware and even come and work in the Badlands.  He worked on his mother lobbying to come.
    “I had my first experience with dinosaurs when I was about two-years-old in Paris. I spent the whole afternoon looking at fossils. From that day, I knew dinosaurs were one of my incredible passions.”
    Adventure runs through the veins of the family and aside from visiting the museum and a behind the scene look with Dr. Henderson, they spent a good deal of time trekking, including a six-hour jaunt through Horsethief Canyon in the blazing Drumheller sun.
    “We survived …just,” jokes matriarch Terri. “It was so much fun, we saw Richardson ground squirrels, some vultures and a hare, we just had the best time.”
    The cultural aspects of the area were not lost on the family either. They stayed at Patrice and Zeke Wolf's Heartwood Inn, and partook in Zeke's famous waffles. They also enjoyed a stop at Sublime Food and Wine, and a trip out to Rosebud to see its summer production of Chickens.
    “Because we travel so much we are blessed to go through New York frequently, and we said this (Chickens) was every bit as much fun, or more than anything we have ever seen on Broadway. It was so professional, so well done… we were slightly disappointed there were no live chickens,” Terri chuckles.
    Bindi, who has become a celebrity in her own right, is turning 16 this July. She raves about the valley.
    “I love that you have canola oil plantations all over, so you have these beautiful yellow flowers outside, then you drive in to Drumheller and you have the Badlands. The contrast is so amazing we feel lucky to have seen everything,” said Bindi.

ATCO Electric, led by Nancy Southern, Chair, President & CEO feels that Albertans should be concerned about the sale of AltaLink to an American company.
    Currently AltaLink is a transmission line operator that provides electricity to 85 per cent of Albertans.   Its parent company SNC –Lavalin has made application to sell its equity interest to Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company, owned by billionaire and philanthropist Warren Buffet.
    This week ATCO Electric put out full-page ads in major Alberta newspapers including The Drumheller Mail.  It states: ‘We’re Losing Control” referencing the pending sale of the electricity grid.
    “The pending sale of AltaLink to Berkshire Hathaway has serious consequences for the province we call home.
• Loss of control over our critical infrastructure
• Regulation oversight stops at the border
• Potential for more power exports”
 Southern recently told the Calgary Herald the company was placing the ads and in a press release urges debate of the possible sale.
    “The electric transmission system is critical infrastructure and in every other province, but Alberta, it is owned within the province,” said Nancy Southern, Chair, President & CEO, ATCO. “I believe this is a matter of principle that should be debated so that all Albertans understand the impact of such a transaction.”
    The formal review and scrutiny period for the sale by the Alberta Utilities Commission  (AUC) began on May 28. This is where they accept submissions from people who may have an interest in this application. The deadline for these initial submissions was June 20.
    The AUC will review the applications in a methodical, fully public, evidence-based process and produce a written decision, with reasons. The AUC may attach conditions to its decisions. Representatives of various stakeholder groups, for example consumers, are expected to be part of this proceeding as interveners. Individual Albertans may also provide a written intervention to the AUC in support of, or in objection to, the specific applications received,” states a press release.
    Under the Alberta Utilities Act, before the sale proceeds, it must be reviewed and approved by the AUC. It may also be reviewed and approved by Industry Canada.

A crew from the Town of Drumheller and Drumheller Kinsmen Club are hard at work in the heat July 16 installing the new playground at Greentree Park. On site are the Town’s staff along with Ashley Wright at the back, and at the front (l-r) Tyler Thompson, Keith Hodgson, Wes Chung, and Playworks installer Sheldon Tarry.  The Drumheller Kinsmen Club initiated the playground project - furnishing funds, being awarded a government grant, and receiving community and business donations.  Wright estimates the total project cost at $90,000. Hodgson said the tough part will be keeping the kids off the play equipment until the cement cures.

A severe thunderstorm alert is in effect today, with the warning stretching from late morning into this evening.
    Environment Canada expects severe thunderstorms to develop early this afternoon in the Drumheller, Red Deer and Airdrie regions and then spread eastward into the Hanna, Brooks and Medicine Hat regions.        
    The weather agency notes the potential that with these severe thunderstorms comes an increased risk for damaging wind gusts, damaging hail, heavy rain, and possibly tornados.
    The warning covers the Town of Drumheller, as well as Kneehill County: areas near Carbon, Acme, Linden, Three Hills, Torrington, Wimborne, Trochu  and Huxley.
    In Wheatland County: near Rockyford and Rosebud, and Highways 569 and 848.
    In Starland County: areas near Michichi, Delia, Morrin, Munson, Rumsey and Rowley.
    Special Areas 2 near Finnegan and Little Fish Lake Provincial Park, and areas near Hanna and Richdale.
    Environment Canada says conditions are caused by a warm and humid air mass over Southern Alberta.
    Find a complete list of Environment Canada’s Alberta Weather Alerts at http://weather.gc.ca/warnings/index_e.html?prov=ab

    A man named Drumheller is on a journey to trace and document his roots and made the logical stop in the valley.
 Wayne Drumheller and his wife Linda were through the valley last week. The writer and photographer is working on a book to discover his family and his connection to it, paralleled with his story growing up.
    “It hasn’t been easy tracing my family roots. Originally I was searching to see if I was a son of the American Revolutionary War," he explained.
 His search started with an innocent question from his grandson, asking where he came from.
    “I knew who my father was and my grandfather was but beyond that I didn’t know anything,” he said.
    At the time he was writing a book called "My Highway Home” the story of his coming of age. He left home at 17 in Nelson County, Virginia and joined the military. After his service, he became a newspaper photographer in California.
    “I wrote that and finished that and began digging into the question of who I am,” he said.  “I need to find out who we are because I grew up with Drumhellers that my mother told me I was not kin to, now I am finding out they are my first cousins.”
    In 1985, his great aunt gave him a book of his genealogy.  He is able to trace back the male direct lineage to 1588. He comes from skilled craftsmen.
    Along his journey tracing these roots, he hit a roadblock. He came across a Samuel Coulter Drumheller born in 1801. This is not the Sam Drumheller that founded the town, but he speculates he could be a relative.  The story he learned is that Samuel went west and disappeared from roughly 1819 to 1828.
    “The speculation is that he was so enamored about the Lewis and Clark Expedition that he travelled west. That is who I have been trying to track down. We know he got as far as the Missouri River,” said Wayne. “He returned to Virginia in 1857 and died in 1958.
    Wayne is trying to connect this Samuel Drumheller to the Town of Drumheller’s founding Father. While in Drumheller, Wayne spent time doing research with Linde Turner, Deb LaPlante and even Dorothy Bergos.
    The Town of Drumheller’s namesake is known to be the son of Jesse Drumheller and was born in Walla Walla County, Washington in 1864. Jesse may have been the son of Nicholas Lafayette Drumheller of Virginia. The legend of Sam Drumheller was that he won a coin toss with Thomas Greentree to become the namesake of the town.
    One thing that Wayne has learned about his family is they were cunning.
    “There is some question about the toss of the coin, that possibly that Drumheller could have set it up for Greentree because he was after fame rather than fortune,” he said. “This is a common thread all the way back to 1627.  Craft and cunning has been a common thread throughout the Drumhellers.”
    “Coming to Drumheller I didn’t know what I was going to find. What I have found is some essence of what the Drumhellers were. They were persistent, hardy people, and I know they made it everywhere.”
    At first when writing his book he was planning to skip over the small era between the two Samuel Drumhellers, but now he is more determined to bridge this gap.
    He appreciates any feedback he he can receive from those who know more about the Drumheller family and encourages them to email him at wd2999@yahoo.com

Nancy Guntrip, Site Manager for the Drumheller Health Centre, at the fundraising gala evening for Quilting in the Badlands.

The fourth Quilting in the Badlands quilt show has raised over fourteen-thousand dollars for the Drumheller Health Centre.
    Linda Ames of the Drumheller Area Health Foundation said the fundraising goal of $60,000 to buy two monitors for the hospital’s obstetrics department was surpassed, due in part to the the quilters’ fundraising gala evening July 4 and the sale of quilts over the four-day quilt festival.
    A portion of the proceeds from each quilt sale went to support the Drunehller Area Health Foundation.

The Drumheller Dragons are pleased to announce the signing of 17 year old Brodie Buhler.

Brodie is a 5’ 11” 180lb forward from Revelstoke, BC. He played the last 3 seasons for the Revelstoke Grizzlies in the KIJHL.

GM/Head Coach Brian Curran had this to say about the recent signing, “Brodie is a very hardworking, great skater who will bring that edge to the team that I personally look for in a player. I look forward to working with Brodie and helping him reach his future goals.”

Buhler had this to say about his recent signing, “I chose Drumheller because I wanted to be part of an organization where winning is mandatory! I also feel as I fit in with Coach Curran’s style of play. I am very excited to start the season and I hope to help bring a championship back to Drumheller!”

The Dragons organization would like to congratulate Brodie and his family on the recent signing and welcome them to the Dragons Family.

    A man is facing 90 days incarceration after leading Three Hills RCMP on a chase through the town last October.
    Nolen Labelle, 30 appeared in provincial court in Drumheller on Friday July 18. He pleaded guilty to failing to stop for police and impaired operation of a vehicle.
    The court heard how in October 2013, Three Hills RCMP were alerted to vehicle stemming from a complaint when a driver reported they were being chased on Highway 21.  RCMP stopped the vehicle near the Town of Three Hills, and parked its cruiser nose-to nose with suspect vehicle.  The driver took off, hitting the police cruiser and driving into the ditch. RCMP gave chase through the Town of Three Hills and out the other side, reaching speeds of 120-140 kilometres per hour. After about eight kilometres, a second stop was made.
    The constable observed significant signs of impairment.
    The crown and defense agreed on a joint submission for an intermittent sentence of 90 days incarceration. They cited a positive report and family support.  Labelle said he is no longer drinking and has a common law spouse who is expecting.
    Judge Schriar went along with the joint submission of 90 days to be served on weekends, followed by two years probation.

A Drumheller man known for his passion for family and soccer died Tuesday in Seaside, Oregon.
    Jerry Brett, 53, was on a holiday on the west coast of the United States and was at the beach with family. According to Seaside officials, at 5:22 p.m., he had gone underwater. He was pulled from the water about 10 minutes later three blocks from where he was last seen. Emergency officials were not able to revive Brett.
      Brett was a development officer with the Town of Drumheller before taking a position at Kneehill County,  where he was director of planning and protective services. Those who worked with him and who he dealt with describe him as jovial and very professional. He was past president of the Alberta Development Officers Association.
    Bob Long, Reeve of Kneehill County, knew Brett before he came to be employed by the county and considers him a good friend.
    “He was a very special person and like I said ‘you will be able to replace the planner, but you will never, ever be able to replace Jerry,’” said Long.
     Brett had a passion for soccer and was involved as a volunteer and coach with the Drumheller Minor Soccer Association for many years.  He was a wealth of information on the subject and this year made it back on the pitch to play in the Drumheller adult coed league.
    Born in England, he was a passionate fan of the Tottenham Hot Spur. Part of his recent trip to the Pacific Northwest was to see his favourite team take on the Seattle Sounders on July 19.
    Tom Dooley knew Brett well through soccer and coaching. They also played together on the same team as adults.
    Often family and soccer overlapped.  Dooley coached Brett’s son Nicholas on a team that won the U18 provincial championship. A few years later, Nicholas passed away. Dooley noted that after each game this year Brett played, he would go to a bench dedicated to Nicholas, and sit and reflect.
    “He loved his family and he was a good friend,” said Dooley.