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Flood mitigation finally comes to Drumheller

February 26, 2016, 1:43 pm
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Drumheller has finally seen the start of flood mitigation funding come in from the Alberta government.
 
On February 26, mayor Terry Yemen was at a meeting in Calgary, and was granted $6.4 million towards projects in Drumheller.
 
There are three approved projects this initial grant will fund, including additional dyking in Newcastle, additional dyking in Midland, and raising the curb heights in Midland and downtown Drumheller.
 
In total, $25 million was given out to various communities in Alberta.
 
"These projects are shovel ready, they're ready to go, once the money comes in, we'll be putting them out to tender, and you'll see the work in the spring," Yemen explained.
 
He added that he spoke to the Premier and was told Drumheller is a priority, and more funding is on the way. Priorities also include fixing the flood map, and working on further projects.
 
"None of this funding is going to help the people to the east of Drumheller, people in Lehigh, Cambria, down towards Rosedale. They're basically had to put their lives on hold, since the flood in 2013. The Province has to make a decision, is it mitigation, is it buyouts, is it a combination of both?"
 
The main feeling coming out of the meeting was positive, and Yemen looks forward to the work beginning.
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Creative Drumheller couple build snow dinosaur

February 27, 2016, 9:47 am
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A Drumheller couple are taking advantage of the sticky snow.
 
James Hawryluk and Rae Senko have created a dinosaur out of snow on their lawn in Nacmine.
 
"We've been doing it for the past four years," Hawryluk explained.
 
"We've done a T-Rex, and Ankylosaurus, and then a snowman standing upside down."
 
He added this year's creation, a Stegosaurus, took about four hours to make.
 
This dinosaur has been featured on multiple Facebook pages, and the couple get a kick out of seeing it online.
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RCMP's Puppy Naming contest is underway

February 29, 2016, 2:21 am
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This spring the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are in search of names for German Shepherd puppies that will eventually become police dogs.
 
The contest winners will be determined by the Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail.
 
"We're really excited to name a bunch of puppies but we don't like to do it ourselves. We like to put it out to our local kids and ask the kids to come with names that they think would be appropriate for our new crop of police dogs," said constable Craig Nelson of the Drumheller RCMP.
 
There will be 13 winners who will each be awarded a photo of the puppy they named, an RCMP hat and a German Shepherd stuffed animal.
 
Nelson mentioned there can only be one entry per person.
 
"This year we ask young people who are under the age of 14 to submit a name for either a male or a female dog," explained Nelson. "The name must start with the letter 'J' this year, it must have no more than nine letters, and have one or two syllables."
 
It is required that the student draws a picture to go along with the name.
 
To go along with the national competition, Drumheller will be holding a local one as well.
 
"We decided in Drumheller at our detachment that we would hold a local competition among the schools and we can recognize a winner from each school," outlined Nelson.
 
The deadline to enter the contest approaches on March 22, 2016 and all applications will be sent to Innisfail.
 
Contest winners will be announced on April 26, 2016.
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Spring Expo Trade Show approaching

February 29, 2016, 7:13 am
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The second annual Spring Expo Trade Show is coming to Drumheller.
 
The first Spring Expo brought in 1,300 people and the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce anticipates an even larger number this year.
 
"We do have some booths left, but they are going fast so I would urge anybody that is interested to contact the Chamber right away," explained Marley Henneigh with the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce.
 
Henneigh added 60 per cent of the booths have been sold, but they still have 8x8 and 10x10 booths available, along with non-profit booths.
 
"We have a really good variety of exhibitors this year," said Henneigh. "Everything from beef jerky, hot tubs, clothing, health care products, gardening, and pretty much everything a person might be looking for in the Spring."
 
Last year's Spring Expo saw 75 exhibitors.
 
The Trade Show will take place at the Greentree Mall from April 15-17, 2016.
 
To register as an exhibitor check out the Chamber's Facebook page or call (403) 823-8100 and ask for Marley.

 

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Sign shooters sought by RCMP

February 29, 2016, 6:21 am
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A couple of people who like to shoot at road signs could have a date with a judge if Drumheller Mounties have their way.
 
RCMP were called around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 28 about two suspects firing a gun from a truck in the area of Highway 575 and Range Road 213.
 
Further investigation revealed the shooters were using a shotgun to take out signs along the side of the road. At least two signs were damaged.
 
They were last seen heading west on Highway 575 toward Carbon. Their vehicle is described as a red Chevy 3/4 or one ton diesel truck with off-road tires. There were two men inside, one of them was blonde and wearing a ball cap and sunglasses.
 
Anyone with information is asked  to call the Drumheller RCMP or Crimestoppers.
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MLA comes to Sheerness defense

March 1, 2016, 7:24 am
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Drumheller-Stettler MLA, Rick Strankman has promised to fight a promise from premier Rachel Notley to accelerate the phasing out of coal fired electricity in the province.
 
"Chris Warwick, the mayor of Hanna, told me that in questioning the government's climate change policy criteria for shutting down the Sheerness Coal Mine, their criteria was simply that they burn coal," he told 99.5 Drum FM. "They're not using any science to the stack emissions or anything."
 
"Sheerness is one of the least emitting stacks in the province because since 2005 they've actually used some processes, using activated charcoal et cetera, to reduce those emissions," he continued.
 
The NDP government wants to phase out coal fired electricity in Alberta by the year 2030. Between the mine and the power plant, Sheerness employs close to 200 Hanna residents, most of whom would have to move unless they could find other jobs.
 
"It's just a culmination of a sad state of affairs directed by this government," said Strankman. "It just never seems to end; it's worse than a bad nightmare."
 
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East Coulee Springfest is back

February 29, 2016, 9:52 am
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An iconic music festival in the valley is returning for another year.
 
East Coulee Springfest is set for May 6 and 7 this year, which is the Mother's Day weekend.
 
Organizers are still working on booking acts for the 2016 edition of the festival.
 
"We do know one for sure and that's Crystal Plamondon, and she's a very well know singer. Kind of country, sometimes Cajun (and) she actually sings in three different languages," said Barb Steeves, Executive Director of the East Coulee School Museum.
 
East Coulee Springfest celebrates diverse music styles from various bands and artists from across Alberta while raising funds for the East Coulee School Museum, one of the biggest tourist attractions in the valley.
 
As in 2015, the festival will take place at both the museum and in the East Coulee Community Hall.
 
"Friday night, two venues and looks mostly likely Saturday will still be the four venues. A couple of small rooms for those more intimate gatherings," explained Steeves.
 
Application numbers have been really strong this year, with over 90 musical acts interested in attending.
 
"They do come in from all over the country, so we kind of rule out those from Toronto and places that are far away. Sometimes if they are really good, we'll ask them and maybe they're coming out this way for a tour," stated Steeves.
 
Tickets to this year's festival will be available soon on their website.
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Food Bank needs your help

February 29, 2016, 11:53 am
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Food stocks at the Salvation Army Food Bank in Drumheller are starting to run low.
 
"We knew March probably was going to be a tough month just because we're running low on our stock from Christmas," explained Drumheller Salvation Army Captain Shane Hillier.
 
The items the Food Bank are running low include pasta sauce, granola bars, cookies and biscuits, canned fruit, large soups, soda crackers and cereal. These are items placed in food hampers every week.
 
"If anybody wants to donate anything, it doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be those things, but those are the things we're low on," said Hillier.
 
He added canned meat, soups and Kraft Dinner are also being accepted.
 
Food donations for the Food Bank can be dropped off at the Drumheller Co-op, Freson Bros., and Extra Foods.   
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New shoe store for downtown Drumheller

February 29, 2016, 9:46 pm
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For Your Soles is coming to Drumheller.
 
The Hanna store is branching out and will find a new home beside Drum Wireless on Centre Street.
 
"Drumheller was on our radar from the get go, Drumheller hasn't had an honest-to-goodness shoe store in quite a while," owner Stacy Campbell said.
 
Campbell has owned the Hanna branch for three years, after leaving his job at the Drumheller Penitentiary.
 
 
"We were approached by the Town (of Drumheller) business development officer and he talked to us about maybe looking at opening a space in Drum because it was something had had been identified in a survey that Drumheller lacked."
 
For Your Soles specializes in sandals, boots, and shoes all of all types, including dress, casual and athletic.
 
The new location should be open March 5.
 
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Bowling Blitz back for a second year

March 1, 2016, 1:38 pm
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A fundraiser scheduled for this spring will help Grace House in Drumheller pay the bills for the coming year.
 
The Drumheller Society for Recovery is planning the second annual Bowling Blitz this April at Sandstone Lanes.
 
"A nice steak dinner, we're going to have some bowling games, a silent auction, just meeting the people that are involved in keeping Grace House open," explained executive director Joseph Legacy.
 
"We are a non-profit organization and we are constantly indebted to the people who supply us with funding and donations," he continued. "We got a brand new roof on (and) we just put out our first news letter, ever."
 
The new roof on the house across the street from St. Anthony's Church on 3 St, West cost about $20,000 and Legacy admits they're still paying that off, so every bit helps. They're looking for eight teams of six players each. The cost is $300 per team or $50 per bowler. Dinner only, without bowling, is $35.
 
"April 23, it's a Saturday I believe (and) I don't think there's anything else happening in the valley," said Legacy. "There's tickets that will be pre-sold at the bowling alley (and) at Grace House."
 
The doors open at 3:00 p.m. with bowling at 4:00 p.m. Call Matt at (403) 358-9494 for tickets. If you'd like to know more about Grace House, click here.
 
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Local woman worked on 'The Revenant' film set

March 1, 2016, 9:04 am
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'The Revenant' did very well recently at the 2016 Oscar Awards, winning Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Cinematography prizes.
 
Joelle McLellan of Nacmine was one of those who worked on the movie as it was being filmed in Alberta.
 
"I was hired on as set dresser, and kind of had the jack of all trades job," stated McLellan. "It was very rewarding and my job was to dress the set. Every little piece right down to the candles, the butcher area, blacksmith area, all the native dressings you saw, and I built, primarily with my team, all the teepees you saw."
 
Much of the film was filmed in the Canmore area, but for McLellan, she spent most of her time on the set near Spray Lakes.
 
"What we created and what our amazing construction crew, fellow set decorators and painters, there's hundreds of people involved in making this happen, but it looked great," remembered McLellan.
 
McLellan has worked on numerous movie and television sets in the past but admits this one was very special for her.
 
"It's doesn't quite sink in that some of these people you see and work with everyday are Academy Award winning professionals, who really are at the top of their game and I'm very fortunate," said McLellan.
 
'The Revanant,' the story about a man on a fur trading expedition who fights for survival after a bear attacks him, stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.
 
And yes, she did meet both Dicaprio and director Alejandro Inarritu.
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A small loss and a big win for the Atlas Coal Mine

March 1, 2016, 11:06 am
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It was the worst of times and the best of times for the Atlas Coal Mine.
 
The national historical site east of Drumheller lost out to the Medicine Hat JazzFest on Friday, February 26 for the Arts and Culture Award at the Alberta Business Awards of Distinction in Edmonton. However, on Saturday it received more publicity than a dozen awards.
 
"We had CTV Calgary come out here a few weeks ago and they aired a news story and then CTV National picked it up and I believe they put it on their news channel," explained Atlas curator, Jay Russell. "People who watched the show said they posted our news story every half hour on Saturday night from around 11:00 and it kept going until maybe 7:30 or 8:00 (a.m.)."
 
"Just even on our Facebook alone, we've already had 5,000 hits on that story so it's resonating with not only our Drumheller people, but with people across the country."
 
Russell, who has been with the coal mine for years, said it's one of the best bits of advertising they've ever had.
 
Atlas Amazing RaceAmazing Race, Season 1. Photo courtesy CTV.
 
"We had a great story about the safe, when we opened the safe, and of course there was Amazing Race Canada (2013)," he recalled. "As soon as they aired that it was like turning on a light switch; people were calling and (former miner) Bob Moffatt, who was on Amazing Race Canada, I don't know how many autographs he signed after that."
 
The Atlas Coal Mine will be open for the summer as of May 3, 2016.
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New business opens in the BCF

March 1, 2016, 10:34 am
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The Badlands Community Facility is home to a new, healthy choices eatery.
 
Fruitas Smoothie and Juice Bar held their grand opening Tuesday morning (Mar. 1) with mayor Terry Yemen cutting the ribbon.
 
"We started our Fruitas Smoothie and Juice Bar in Brooks, then after a few months we put one up in Taber, and now we're glad that we're here in Drumheller," exclaimed owner Sean Sagun.
 
The juice bar focuses only on healthy food and drinks such as all natural fruit smoothies, bubble teas, healthy shakes, paninis and much more.
 
"People that work out, they get their smoothies from us with whey protien. Before they do their routine they grab some smoothies and after they exercise then they grab their protien shakes to recover." said Sagun.
 
The juice bar will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. weekdays and 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. weekends.
 
Customers can find Fruitas Smoothie and Juice Bar on Facebook.
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Week long closure at Aquaplex

March 1, 2016, 2:36 pm
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Local swimmers will have to go elsewhere, as the Drumheller Aquaplex will be closed for a week.
 
The Town of Drumheller announced on Tuesday (Mar. 1) in order to move forward with plans to modernize the facility, the pool basin must be drained to allow for a detailed engineering survey and structural assessment.
 
"The Town's staff will be working diligently to restore service to the Aquaplex as we take action to move pool modernization ahead this year," said mayor Terry Yemen.
 
Closure and draining of the pool basin will begin on Sunday March 6, it should reopen March 13.
 
The resulting closure will ensure that highly accurate measurements are recorded and will save on the future installation of new pool components during the summer of 2016.
 
The Town of Drumheller extends thanks to all Aquaplex users who will be affected by the closure. The dates were selected to ensure the Aquaplex is available to the public during Easter week.
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World Day of Prayer focuses on Cuba

March 1, 2016, 8:24 pm
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Grace Lutheran Church in Drumheller will be hosting this year's World Day of Prayer.

The program was written by the World Day of Prayer Committee of Cuba and is entitled 'Receive Children. Receive Me.'

"The message is as Jesus received children to him, we are all to receive children too like he did," explained organizer Karen Sieppert.   

World Day of Prayer is for all Christian denominations to gather, learn about Cuba, and to pray and celebrate the country in solidarity with the women of Cuba.

"The World Day of Prayer in Cuba didn't start until 1930 and it was seperate denominations (that) did their own world day of prayer then," said Sieppert. "In 1981 is when the services came together in Cuba."

In Drumheller, World Day of Prayer is for all denominations and will be held on Friday, March 4 at 2:00 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church.

Sieppert emphasizes everyone is welcome to attend this service.

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Wednesday morning fog advisory

March 2, 2016, 3:36 am
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This advisory has ended.
 
Environment Canada has issued a fog advisory for the Drumheller, Three Hills, Rockyford and Rosebud area.
 
An area of fog south of Red Deer to Calgary and then eastward along Highway 1 is expected to persist until mid-morning.
 
Visibility may be significantly and suddenly reduced to near zero.
 
The advisory was issued at 6:08 a.m.
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Drumheller may host Alberta 55+ Games

March 2, 2016, 6:15 am
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The Alberta 55+ Games undergo a major change this year and Drumheller could be one of the beneficiaries.
 
The organization that oversees the summer and winter games has decided to reorganize them into one 'active' and two 'passive' sports competitions each year.
 
"Alberta Sports and Culture decided to split them into smaller events so that there would be more venues capable of hosting them," explained Linda Traquair, local games organizer. "The bid that Drumheller would be going for, the fall games, (start) September 30, 2016."
 
While so-called 'active' sports like athletics, bowling, hockey, curling and swimming would all be held in the summer, things like card games, arts and creative writing would go in the spring and fall.
 
"Euchre, duplicate bridge, military whist, carpet bowling, floor shuffleboard, snooker (and) scrabble," listed off Traquair. "The hosting venue has an opportunity to add a demo sport and Drumheller is looking at doing pickleball."
 
The last 55+ Summer Games in Strathmore drew upwards of 1,100 athletes; Traquair figures the fall festival should attract close to 500. With the anticipated renting of about 300 hotel and motel rooms, she thinks it's a great way to extend the tourist season.
 
"They actually agreed to give it to Zone 2," she told 99.5 Drum FM. "Now we just need the official word from Zone 2 that Drumheller will be its representative and we're hoping to have a meeting on Friday (Mar. 4) that would be made official at."
 
For more information on the changes to the Alberta 55+ Games, follow this link.
 
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Toothy matters at the Tyrrell this week

March 2, 2016, 11:00 am
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Fossil dentistry takes centre stage this week at the Royal Tyrrell Museum as the Speaker Series returns.
 
Dr. Kirstin Brink from the University of British Columbia will talk about her PhD thesis.
 
"I'm a post-doctoral researcher in dentistry and we're using reptiles as a model to understand tooth development," she explained.
 
"I worked on an animal called Dimetrodon," she continued. "This is an animal that most people kind of confuse for a dinosaur, but it actually lived about 60 million years before the dinosaurs and it's more closely related to mammals like you and I than it is to dinosaurs."
 
Dimetrodon is an iconic reptile that featured a huge sail on its back. Dr. Brink's lecture will provide a close study of its teeth and how they changed over time.
 
"Part of my PhD research was to figure out how Dimetrodon changed over evolutionary time because it lived on the planet for about 30 million years," she told 99.5 Drum FM. "One of the coolest changes was within the teeth: they kind of get better over time and they get more efficient over time."
 
Her research also proved the existence of a Canadian species, Dimetrodon borealis, discovered on Prince Edward Island in the mid-19th Century.
 
Speaker Series lectures run every Thursday in the museum auditorium through the end of April. The free talks get underway at 11:00 a.m. and last about an hour.
 
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Over 3,500 local Roll up the Rim winners so far

March 2, 2016, 8:48 am
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Roll up the Rim is back at the local Tim Horton's.
 
So far, there have been more than 3,500 winners at the local establishment.  With most being smaller prizes.
 
"There's a new program that you can play Roll up the Rim when you buy our take-home products as well. So if you buy a bag of coffee, or K-Cups or Tassimos, there is something there with that packaging where you can play roll up as well," local Tim Horton's owner, Bob Carey explained.
 
"People love to play Roll Up, they get excited for it."
 
He added there is a one in six chance to win with the contest.
 
You can also play Roll up the Rim online here.
 
Roll up the Rim will last until cups run out, which Carey thinks will be near the end of March.

 

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Drumheller prepares for large conference

March 3, 2016, 5:53 am
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Drumheller will be hosting a major conference this spring, seeing delegates arriving from all over Alberta.
 
The 2016 Alberta Association of Recreation Facility Personnel (AARFP) Conference will be held April 24-27 at the Badlands Community Facility.
 
The conference is aimed at people who work in recreation facilities such as swimming pools and arenas. Over 350 delegates are expected to arrive in Drumheller for four days of learning and motivation.
 
Various speakers have been booked to speak on topics relating to recreation facilities. This year's keynote speaker will be former Olympic curler and current TV commentator Cheryl Bernard of Calgary.
 
"This is significant and will reflect very well on Drumheller in the future," stated conference co-chair Paul Salvatore. "It does also reinforce a good way for us to show people in Drumheller how to take advantage, in fact one of the main caterers of the conference is the Dinosaur Trail Golf and Country Club."   
 
The conference begins on Sunday, April 24 with a fun run and barbeque followed by Bernard and will wrap up with the President's luncheon and entertainment on Wednesday, April 27.
 
"A big goal with doing these conferences, like this, is that people come to Drumheller and they're blown away with the facilities we have, the fact that we're very unique," remarked Salvatore.
 
Numerous activities around the conference are also planned for delegates including tours, a ghost walk, and a downtown discovery night.
 
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