The Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site received a boost from the federal government on Monday, $50,000 for the Atlas’ next phase of tipple restoration.

MP Kevin Sorenson was on hand at the site to commit the funds to the Atlas’ project to keep the tipple standing for generations to enjoy and learn from. He praised the Atlas’ work and the importance of tourism.

“We have a real tourist destination in Drumheller, East Coulee and all through this valley. We certainly recognize that by having partnerships we keep it that way. That we keep enhancing the facilities we have to ensure that more and more people come to visit, we do whatever we can to make that happen,” said Sorenson.

He said that it is important to continue to invest in key infrastructure across Canada.

“Not only in major centres with public transit…but making sure infrastructure dollars get out to rural Canada as well. So our government is proud to stand with organizations such as the Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society, which plays an important role in our society, that plays an important role in tourism, and also strengthens and supports our communities,” he said. 

Executive director for the Atlas Coal Mine Julia Fielding stressed the importance of the tipple.

  “Having the last standing wooden tipple in Canada preserved for future generations is a wonderful achievement for the Drumheller Valley. The Atlas Coal Mine is proud to keep the Valley’s coal mining heritage alive, telling the miners’ stories to thousands of visitors every year,” she said. 

The funds are from the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. This is a commitment of $150 million to Canadian communities to support renovation, expansion and rehabilitation to existing infrastructure that provides community and cultural benefit.

“We want to make sure going into our 150th anniversary that we invest back into those communities through the creation of 150 Community Infrastructure Program, we are providing significant support for projects that benefit our community from coast to coast,” said Sorenson.

A hockey hero who has served the game and the people who play it, locally and nationally, has been officially inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Mail reported in its February 25 edition that George Kallay was to be inducted. 

The ceremony took place in Canmore on Saturday, July 25 and he was inducted along side former Calgary Flame Lanny McDonald and the 1979-1980 Red Deer Rustlers. Jim Fisher had the honour to present Kallay with the award.

“It was a really nice thing last Saturday night,” said Fisher, who has been a presenter  for the Hall of Fame for the last four years, and is now known as the “Official Voice of the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame.”

Kallay was honoured in the builder category.

His involvement in hockey spans more than two decades, and throughout that time he has been dedicated to player development in every role from player and parent to official from the minor hockey level all the way up to an executive member of Hockey Alberta, The Hockey Alberta Foundation and Hockey Canada.

He served as chair of the Hockey Alberta Foundation from 2005-2009 and the chair of the Hockey Canada Development Committee from 2005-2008.

    For his work he was presented with the Hockey Alberta Development Award in 2005, the Hockey Alberta Centennial Award in 2007, the Hockey Alberta Volunteer of the Year in 2008 and the Alberta Cup 25th Anniversary Builders Award in 2011.

George and his wife Barb resided in Drumheller for a number of years following his retirement and now reside in the Edmonton area.

A filephoto of a collision at Morrin Corner in July of 2013 where two STARS choppers responded. In November of that year, four-way stops were installed at Highway 9 and 21 and at Morrin Corner.

It has been almost two years since two major intersections in the area were changed to four-way stops, and while it appears there has been an improvement, Alberta Transportation says it is too early to say whether the intersections are indeed safer.

In November of 2013, following public consultations, four-way stops were installed at the intersection of Highway 9 and 21, and at the intersection of Highway 9, 27 and 56, known as Morrin Corner. These, along with other improvements including rumble strips and signage were hoped to improve the safety of the intersections.

Spokesperson for Alberta Transportation Carrie Sancartier says it is too early to decisively say the changes have made a difference.

“The stop signs were put in place to improve safety, but we require five years of stats before we can draw any conclusions,” she said.

According to the statistics provided by Alberta transportation, over the five year period, 2008 to 2012, there were 10 intersection-related collisions at the junction of Highway 9 and Highway 21: One fatal collision, six injury collisions and three property damage only collisions. These collisions resulted in one fatality and 21 injuries.

A review of the preliminary data for 2013 and 2014 finds one fatal crash and one property damage only collisions during 2013 and one fatal crash and three property damage only collisions during 2014.

At Morrin Corner, over the five year period, 2008 to 2012, there were nine intersection-related collisions at the junction of Highway 9 and Highway 27/56: Zero fatal collisions, six injury collisions and three property damage only collisions. These collisions resulted in 13 injuries.
A review of the preliminary data for 2013 and 2014 finds two-property damage only collisions during 2013 and no collisions during 2014. (The Mail reported that a 90 year old woman died in a collision on April 27, 2014).

She says to keep in mind that this information is preliminary and subject to change.

Submitted

The Drumheller Association of Skateboarding Enthusiasts (DASE) received a large donation this past week from ATB Financial Drumheller Branch. The financial institution donated $10,000 to DASE to help with the completion of the new skateboard park between the Drumheller Aquaplex and the Drumheller Memorial Arena. Brooke Christianson said DASE is “so excited and grateful that ATB has chosen to step up in such a big way to contribute to the skateboard park. This is yet another confirmation of the importance of this park and a great example of the widespread community support we have here in Drumheller to make it happen.”  Pictured above from left to right are:  Nick Sereda, DASE, Brooke Christianson, DASE, Paul Salvatore, DASE and the Town of Drumheller, Adrian Hartman, ATB Financial Drumheller Branch Manager, and Sue Schmidt, Relationship Manager for Business and Agriculture.

There is a familiar face and voice back in the valley as Jaydee Bixby reignites his country music career in Wayne.

Bixby is back working on a new album, has a new record label and is back on the road touring. Part of his western Canada swing begins this Thursday at Wayne, where a guitarist will accompany him, and his parents might even make it onto the stage.

It has been about two years since his last appearance on stage in Drumheller.

“I’m excited for this,” he said. “ For this tour I was set up with an agent through my new record company. She has been doing a fantastic job with bookings.”

“The big jump off starts with Wayne, and then we are going all the way to Ontario. I won’t be back until the end of September.”

This is part of his new relationship with Mid South Music, his new record company based in Memphis.

 Bixby said he is working on an album that he is aiming to drop in the fall. He is in a unique position because while he has been busy recording new material, he also has an extensive Canadian catalogue.

“Basically none of my material has been released in the States before, so I am taking a couple of the best songs from my three albums, along with some new songs I have written and we are going to make a whole new album for international release,” Bixby tells The Mail.

Along this tour through Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, he will be introducing his new material on radio along the way.

Along with his music career getting busier by the day, there were more life changes for Bixby, who became a father, coincidentally on Father’s Day.

“My son will be here, I‘m excited for that, it will be his first time in my home town, he said adding that his family will accompany him along some of this tour.

The life change also affects him artistically.

There is a whole new group of songs I can get away with singing now,” he chuckles. “It is a new experience with little ones, and I could sincerely sing about it without knowing what I was talking about.”

Bixby performs at the Last Chance Saloon, Thursday, July 30.

(Submitted)

Get your cowboy and cowgirl hats and boots ready. The longest running STARS fundraiser takes place in less than two weeks. 

The Rumsey Ride for Stars, in its 26th year, takes place on Sunday August 9. 

The event, will take place at the TL Bar Ranch just east of Trochu on Highway 585.

“It’s not just Rumsey, it’s all the little towns in the area (it is) Rumsey, Rowley, Morrin, Munson, Big Valley, Trochu and Three Hills,” Ride for Stars spokesperson Rob Richmond said.

He told the Mail, this is the longest running fundraising event for STARS, mentioning that STARS itself is celebrating its 30th year. 

“The ride has been there pretty much from when STARS actually started up,” he said. 

Richmond explained that a group of people from the Rumsey area came up with the concept. One of the main people involved was Rosalie MacFarlane.

“Rosalie had heard about this service that was going to start up. They wanted to do a fundraiser for STARS, one thing lead to another, and it is where it is today,” he said.

The main event is the trail ride, he explained. Last year it was a huge event, with it being the Ride’s 25th year.

“We always say it doesn’t matter how much you raise as long as you raise something for the service, you know $25,000-30,000,” he explained. 

“Last year, the Ride and all the other little events that go on, we raised over $60,000. It was a pretty moving thing, it was a huge day. It was all the hard work of everybody.”

“The volunteer part of it and the community spirit part of it, that’s kind of two big aspects for the ride,” Richmond said. 

“There’s lots of food and there is lots of fun. We have the pancake breakfast, we have the lunch at noon and then we have an awesome BBQ beef supper and a silent auction,” he said.

A lot of the smaller events wouldn’t be able to happen without the help of families in the area.

“The Richmond family, we do it to honour my dad who was a long time volunteer and we do a raffle. When it first started way back when, in the early years, it was a couple hundred bucks, last year for the raffle we just about raised $3500,” he said adding that Fresen Bros. in Drumheller, where his brother Ken works, are a huge sponsor and promoter for the Ride. 

Richmond said it is sometimes difficult to know what to expect in terms of a turn out because of the other various events and activities going on in the area. 

“We always tell folks, at the very least if you can try, donate in whatever way,” he said continuing by saying he has been doing promoting through Facebook the last couple of years. 

“Since STARS has celebrated their 30th year, they have flown almost 30 thousand missions,” he said.

He explained that the group who organizes the Ride were deciding if they should put on the event again this year and said they thought it would be a, “disservice if they didn’t do it.” 

“Everybody has had people (whether it be) neighbours, co-workers, friends, family or whoever that have had to unfortunately use the service. If it is two bucks, five bucks or $1,000, it doesn’t really matter what everybody donates,” he said. 

“For a lot of us it is kind of our part to do the volunteering part of it. It kind of makes a person feel good when little communities come together like that. There are a lot of moving parts and a lot of good volunteers that help make the Ride go,” he said.

Those looking for more information can contact Ernie Goddard at 403-368-2132 or Mary Newton 403-368-2121 or visit the 26th Annual Ride for STARS Facebook page. 

The Rotary Park will be a dinosaur obstacle of fun on August 14 for children in Drumheller.

Children’s Rehabilitation Services will be bringing their obstacle course to the Drumheller area for the second time this summer. 

The program has been bringing an obstacle course to the spray park since 2009. The obstacle course allows children to have fun while allowing parents to ask Children’s Rehabilitation Services questions about their child’s development. 

Steve Tetz, Area Lead with Children’s Rehabilitation Services, said the event happens twice a year. This year, on July 15, they included the Passion for Health, which is a part of Alberta Health Services. 

“The idea was to just get some more exposure in the community and give people a chance to learn about child development and ask questions about child development. It is all fun and the kids have a great time,” Tetz said.  

“At the same time, it gives us a chance and parents a chance to watch how their child is moving, how they hold things. There are some communication pieces to it as well for the speech perspective.” 

He said by bringing the obstacle course to town it allows parents to ask questions they might have about child development. 

 “It also lets people know our services exist and what kinds of things to look for with child development,” he said. 

“We have had a few families say ‘I don’t even know if this is an issue, but do you want to take a look?’ so I’ve watched a (few) kids walk,” he said, continuing by noting that a lot of times if parents were to go elsewhere they are told to wait or that their child will outgrow it. Tetz is also an Occupational Therapist.

“This gives people a little bit of exposure to the concept of child development and motor development and allows them to ask any questions they might have,” he told the Mail. 

Tetz said that some of the less Urban centre’s don’t always realize these services are available to them. 

“They think it is a city based service… We do walk in clinics as well where people can drop in and if they have a question do a quick screening with one of our people and get some answers that way too.” 

He said the best way to find out about the location and dates for the walk-in clinics, as well as more information about the services they offer in the Drumheller area, is to contact the Children’s Rehabilitation Services coordinated intake at 1-855-420-7986 for the Drumheller area and 1-855-414-5272 for closer to Red Deer.

A couple of the members of Goouch’s gang are hanging out in Drumheller today (Friday, July 31).
Rob Richmond, and his mom, are at Freson Bros. Drumheller selling raffle tickets for the 26^th annual Rumsey Ride for STARS taking place Sunday August 9.
The pair will be at the grocery store until about 6 p.m. selling tickets to raise money for STARS.
Tickets are $2 each, $3 for 5 or $25 for 25 tickets.
Prizes include first prize of a homemade quilt by Eleanor and JoAnne Richmond,  a second prize of $250 worth of Freson Bros. gift cards donated by Drumheller Freson Bros., third prize is two tickets for the steam train trip  donated by Alberta Railway Excursions in Stettler, fourth prize is artwork donated by Lee Cawiezel, fifth prize is a patio table set and pool donated by Angie and Rob Richmond and sixth prize is a $100 gift card for Co-op donated by Central Alberta CO-OP’s.
All money raised from the raffle ticket sales will be donated directly to STARS.

Drumheller will be welcoming some new businesses to the downtown area soon.

Although there may still be for lease signs in front of the properties on Centre Street and 3 Avenue West, they have indeed been leased. 

Bob Sheddy, Commercial Real Estate agent for Century 21, said the four properties with these signs are leased which leaves only one or two vacancies in the downtown core. 

“The other impressive thing is that I estimate another $100,000 of landlord renovations will be put into them to make them bright and beautiful,” he said.

“It is important for me to relay to my fellow Drumhellerites, that there are 60+ retail spaces in the downtown core so one to five vacancies in a recession is not unhealthy. Sometimes we focus on the empty spaces and don’t rejoice the entrepreneurship in the other 55 spaces,” he explained.

He told inSide Drumheller that downtown retail and office spaces are typically 1/3 of the cost of spaces along the highway. 

“I have to applaud the administration and Council a few years ago, for making the decision to strategically pave parking lots in behind our downtown main streets, allowing the shop keepers to park in the alleys and customers to park along the main streets,” he said.

Sheddy said that he is “confident that downtown Drumheller is not dying. Retailers find it hard to compete head to head with big box stores. The downtown retailers that survive think outside the box and provide a service or specialty product that big box stores do not offer. This is the true definition of entrepreneurship, finding opportunities in the market,” Sheddy said.

Susan Kolenz, owner and broker of Re/Max Drumheller said downtown is not dead.

“It’s struggling right now and I think more than anything it is just the global recession,” she told inSide Drumheller.

“I truly believe that the entrepreneurs and business owners of downtown Drumheller need to stay open and welcome business to downtown Drumheller,” she explained.

“I think we are going to be here for a long time. Drumheller has been through this before and we are going to go forward.”

Hope College is getting ready for the fall semester.

The college had their first graduating class this spring, and is ready to start taking registration for fall on Tuesday, September 8.

The college has announced its programs for the Fall semester and will begin classes on Wednesday, September 9. 

The programs being offered this fall include: Business, Tourism, Justice, Nutrition, Massage, Personal Training and Herbal Health.

The classes are offered in both evening and daytime classes. 

“It is a mix. There are some daytime classes and some evening classes,” Hope College President Jon Ohlhauser said.

He mentioned the programs offered this year are the same as previous years, but the college is hoping to add new programs, such as nursing, in years to come.

The programs are offered on a part-time and full-time basis to allow for students to study while still working. 

“There are some courses that cross over,” he said. “A writing course shows up in all of the programs, except massage.”

Ohlhauser said if there is a course someone might be interested in, they aren’t required to take the entire program, but just the course of interest. 

“If someone says ‘oh I’d just like to take that one course, I don’t want to take the whole program’, that’s possible as well,” he said. “It’s not really part time, it is special interest. 

“If you (want to take) a communications course or an English course, accounting, business ethics, anything like that you can take as an individual course,” he said.

 Hope College also offers a Community Referral Bursary.

 “The community referral bursary is designed to get the word out there about the college,” he told inSide Drumheller. 

He said the idea behind the bursary is to help encourage people such as grandparents, parents and even neighbours to recommend people they think should go to college. 

“There might be a grandma out there or a parent who says ‘you know, my grandson or granddaughter or my neighbour’s kid should go to college’ and they give us their name and we call them, and if they end up enrolling they will get a $500 Community Bursary in honour of their grandmother or whomever referred them,” he explained. “These are relevant programs taught by local instructors,” he said. “It is not done via the internet or through distance education it is hands on with local experts.”

For more information on which courses are offered contact Hope College at 403-856-8108.

nt used his summer to explore a career path working in medicine in a developing nation.

About this time of year, readers might be used to hearing about Sam Brown, Grade 12 student at DVSS, taking on a marathon or a triathlon. This summer he just returned home from Bolivia after spending two weeks there seeing doctors in action and learning more about the county’s culture and medical system.

The educational and volunteer program was through Projects Abroad.  He was part of an international team of eight youth. They were based in the city of Cochabamba.

“It was a special medical program for high school kids my age. We lived in a house together with a host family,” said Brown.

“We went to a lot of places. We did workshops in the offices of Projects Abroad, we spent time at a hospital, and then another for children burn victims,” he said.

It was a powerful experience for him to work with some of the young burn victims, assisting with their treatment. At the main hospital, they were able to observe the operating room, which he found fascinating.

“I learned a lot about medicine and alternative medicine because they don’t have nearly as many medical materials as we do here,” he said. “I gained an appreciation of how systems work in a hospital and how complicated it can be. In addition, we learned about Bolivian Culture. It was a trip where we still had fun, but at the same time it had great education and volunteer value.”

He worked all year raising the funds needed for this excursion and learned about Projects Abroad on the Internet.   

“I have always wanted to work with Doctors Without Borders, or some sort of organization that have doctors like the United Nations or Red Cross,” he said. “This experience was a lot like that because it was in a developing country.”

Sam plans to study medicine after he finishes high school.