Together, the Calgary Stampede and BMO Bank of Montreal recognized 19 southern Alberta families on July 10 during the 2017 BMO Farm Family Awards at Stampede Park.

Heck Family, Starland County

On many family farms, succession looms large. Land that's been in the family for generations is sold or rented out because there is no one to take over the reins.

But for Brian and Kim Heck, the 2017 BMO Farm Family for Starland County, the future in that area is brighter than it was a few years back. Their son Kyle, 21, and daughter Breanna, 19, eachhave an interest in the family traditions of farming and raising cattle.

"I think we have an up-and-coming farmer on our hands with Kyle. Initially, there wasn't a lot of interest there," Kim says. "But he went to Lethbridge College for the wind turbine course and came home right at seeding. He helped with that, then the harvest. All of a sudden, he's showing a real interest in it."

And while you might be able to take the girl off the farm - Breanna is studying to be a paramedic at NAIT - you can't take the farm out of the girl: this spring she bought some heifers of her own to calve. The Heck kids were raised on the family's 5,000-acre farm. Forty-one hundred acres are seeded with wheat, canola,barley and peas. Another 200 acres are dedicated to hay, with the remainder pasture for 60 cow-calf pairs. Brian's great -grandfather homesteaded by Sunnynook (93kilometres north of Brooks) in the 1910s. His father lived there until 1969 when the family moved to their present location outside of Delia, 45 km northeast of Drumheller. In 1990, Brian bought his own operation and worked it alongside his father, Leonard, until 2010, when Brian took over the entire operation.

"Dad has been a very big help. If it wasn't for my father being involved with this, we wouldn't have what we have," he says. And while there's a connection to the good old days of farming, Brian is more than happy to utilize the latest developments in agriculture and technology if they help get the job done.

"We've farmed the same amount of acres without it and the same amount of acres with it. It is way easier with the technology. It seems to create a lot less stress in my life. The technology has literally eased my mind," Brian says.

Although advancements now include a driverless tractor, Brian thinks there will always be a place for the family on the family farm, especially in large grain operations.

"You're going to need someone out there to manage the piece of equipment. Heck, I'm in the tractor and I can get it stuck, no problem."

The family has been involved with the Delia 4-H Beef Club over the years, with both Brian and Kim, a substitute teacher, serving as leaders. Brian, a longtime member of Delia's volunteer fire department, is its deputychief, and sits on the village's seed plant board. He's also on the Ag Services Board for Starland County. And Kim is on the Kidsport Delia committee, which ensures financial considerations don't keep local children from participating in organized sports.

"Taking part in things in the community ensures we have a community," Kim says.

The Kaiser family, Wheatland County

When you find something great, you want to share it.

Randy and Wendy Kaiser call the Duck Lake area near the Village of Hussar home and they're dedicated to keeping their community going.

"This is a wonderful community. We are trying to get the young kids to move back here. We have a brand-new arena and a brand-new hall," Wendy says of Hussar, located about 90kilometres east of Calgary.

"It's a vibrant community. A lot of the next generation of farmers are coming back. We want to keep it alive, so we've got lots of sports like baseball and curling, and fine arts as well."

The Kaisers first came to the area in the 1940s when George Kaiser bought the land the family lives on today. His son Herb served in the Army Reserve and joined the RCMP after the war. He returned to the farm in 1948, where he and his wife, Mary, raised their five children. Their son Randy met Wendy in high school, and the couple bought additional land in 1979. That's where they raised their three children - Cole. Lacy and Brady. When Herb passed away in 2003, the couple moved to the original family farm.

The 2017 BMO Farm Family for Wheatland County now runs a 2,200-acre mixed farm on two parcels, and they rent two pastures for their purebred Charolais herd. This year, they'recalving 160 cows bred to their bulls. The Kaisers currently raise bulls for their own use, but from the 1980s through the late '90s, they also showed and sold them everywhere from the Calgary Stampede to the Regina Agribition.

"We just loved the people. the showing, the competing," Wendy says.

One year, they drove from Houston to Jackson, Miss. to show their bull

Submitted

The Drumheller Mail

Together, the Calgary Stampede and BMO Bank of Montreal recognized 19 southern Alberta families on July 10 during the 2017 BMO Farm Family Awards at Stampede Park.

Heck Family, Starland County

On many family farms, succession looms large. Land that's been in the family for generations is sold or rented out because there is no one to take over the reins.

But for Brian and Kim Heck, the 2017 BMO Farm Family for Starland County, the future in that area is brighter than it was a few years back. Their son Kyle, 21, and daughter Breanna, 19, eachhave an interest in the family traditions of farming and raising cattle.

"I think we have an up-and-coming farmer on our hands with Kyle. Initially, there wasn't a lot of interest there," Kim says. "But he went to Lethbridge College for the wind turbine course and came home right at seeding. He helped with that, then the harvest. All of a sudden, he's showing a real interest in it."

And while you might be able to take the girl off the farm - Breanna is studying to be a paramedic at NAIT - you can't take the farm out of the girl: this spring she bought some heifers of her own to calve. The Heck kids were raised on the family's 5,000-acre farm. Forty-one hundred acres are seeded with wheat, canola,barley and peas. Another 200 acres are dedicated to hay, with the remainder pasture for 60 cow-calf pairs. Brian's great -grandfather homesteaded by Sunnynook (93kilometres north of Brooks) in the 1910s. His father lived there until 1969 when the family moved to their present location outside of Delia, 45 km northeast of Drumheller. In 1990, Brian bought his own operation and worked it alongside his father, Leonard, until 2010, when Brian took over the entire operation.

"Dad has been a very big help. If it wasn't for my father being involved with this, we wouldn't have what we have," he says. And while there's a connection to the good old days of farming, Brian is more than happy to utilize the latest developments in agriculture and technology if they help get the job done.

"We've farmed the same amount of acres without it and the same amount of acres with it. It is way easier with the technology. It seems to create a lot less stress in my life. The technology has literally eased my mind," Brian says.

Although advancements now include a driverless tractor, Brian thinks there will always be a place for the family on the family farm, especially in large grain operations.

"You're going to need someone out there to manage the piece of equipment. Heck, I'm in the tractor and I can get it stuck, no problem."

The family has been involved with the Delia 4-H Beef Club over the years, with both Brian and Kim, a substitute teacher, serving as leaders. Brian, a longtime member of Delia's volunteer fire department, is its deputychief, and sits on the village's seed plant board. He's also on the Ag Services Board for Starland County. And Kim is on the Kidsport Delia committee, which ensures financial considerations don't keep local children from participating in organized sports.

"Taking part in things in the community ensures we have a community," Kim says.

The Kaiser family, Wheatland County

When you find something great, you want to share it.

Randy and Wendy Kaiser call the Duck Lake area near the Village of Hussar home and they're dedicated to keeping their community going.

"This is a wonderful community. We are trying to get the young kids to move back here. We have a brand-new arena and a brand-new hall," Wendy says of Hussar, located about 90kilometres east of Calgary.

"It's a vibrant community. A lot of the next generation of farmers are coming back. We want to keep it alive, so we've got lots of sports like baseball and curling, and fine arts as well."

The Kaisers first came to the area in the 1940s when George Kaiser bought the land the family lives on today. His son Herb served in the Army Reserve and joined the RCMP after the war. He returned to the farm in 1948, where he and his wife, Mary, raised their five children. Their son Randy met Wendy in high school, and the couple bought additional land in 1979. That's where they raised their three children - Cole. Lacy and Brady. When Herb passed away in 2003, the couple moved to the original family farm.

The 2017 BMO Farm Family for Wheatland County now runs a 2,200-acre mixed farm on two parcels, and they rent two pastures for their purebred Charolais herd. This year, they'recalving 160 cows bred to their bulls. The Kaisers currently raise bulls for their own use, but from the 1980s through the late '90s, they also showed and sold them everywhere from the Calgary Stampede to the Regina Agribition.

"We just loved the people. the showing, the competing," Wendy says.

One year, they drove from Houston to Jackson, Miss. to show their bull Smoky Joe at the U.S. National Charolais Show.

"It was so much fun to see the different countryside, to see the Brahmas in the fields. The event was a lot of fun. We placed second to that bull that went with us to all the shows."

Community involvement is a constant for the Kaisers. Randy's chaired many boards, including the Alberta Charolais Association and the Alberta Cattle Breeders. He currently chairs the Hussar Fire Association. He's also a past board member of the Alberta Cattle Commission, VIDO Beef Tech, Waters of Wheatland and the Hussar Ag Society, among others. Wendy has shared her bookkeeping talents as a board memberwith the Hussar Curling Club, Hussar Skating Club, Home and School Association and Hussar Crisis Society, to name a few. She's currently casino coordinator for the Ag Society and Curling Clubs, secretary of the Hussar Hall Board and a director with Rosebud Gas Co-op. They've both coached local sports teams as well.

Randy and Wendy are past 4-H leaders, and the three younger Kaisers have served as public speaking judges and put on clinics.

Also, Cole is coaching hockey, serving as President of the Lions Club and volunteering in Hussar. He's bought a house in thevillage, but commutes to Calgary for work. Lacy is co-owner of a barbershop in Calgary and Brady is studying to be an electrician. All three help during crunch time on thefarm, and the hope is that they will continue the family traditions of farming and community service.

"I always say, 'A bored person is a lazy person, and vice-versa...” Wendy says. ''Around here,it’s always go, go, go."

The Dau family, Kneehill County

As the fourth generation of his family to farm in Kneehill County, Dallas Dau has a deep connection to the land around Three Hills. He knows the true meaning of words like legacy,stewardship and heritage.

He's also a realist when it comes to ensuring the survival of those terms when it comes to Dau Farms Ltd.

"The lifestyle aspect is a big part of the family farm, but at the end of the day, it's a business. And we have to make sure it runs like one," Dallassays .. "It's a really important part of the proper stewardship of what we have here."

Keeping abreast of developments on the agricultural landscape is key for the Daus, recipients of the 2017 BMO Farm Family of the Year for Kneehill County. Dallas credits courses such as the Canadian Total Excellence in Agricultural Management (CTEAM) Program as a way to protect the family legacy. The program teaches business management, from succession planning to key performance indicator measurement and risk mitigation.

Dallas and his wife, Lisa oversee Dau Farms Ltd. with the help of his parents, Bill and Pat Dau, who managed the operation before them. Children Anna, 12, and Luke, eight, are getting to the age where they can safely help with age appropriate tasks. Pat is chief financial officer ("Like every good farm mom," Dallas points out) and primary combined operator, while Bill is quite involved in the operation, mainly running the equipment.

The family historyin the area began when George and Bertha Dau moved to Three Hills from Idaho in 1914, accompanied by their sons Don and Ray. Ray married Margaret Meston and then farmed with two of his sons, Bob and Bill, forming Dau Farms Ltd. When Bob died in the mid' 80s, Bill and Pat took over the operation. Dallas and Lisa came aboard in the early 2000s. Dallas was fortunate enough to work alongside his grandfather, who came to the untouched land as a child and lived to see a fifth generation on the farm.

"The neatest thingwith him was that he went from breaking the land to seeing itfarmed with all the modern machinery. He could never get over how much could be done with the new technology and how it affected production," explains Dallas.

Today, Dau Farms Ltd. seeds 5,100 acres with canola, barley, wheat,peas and flax, with another 600 acres in custom farming and about 1,700 acresin pasture for the 300-head cow/calf operation. The farm has used minimal tillage since 2003, GPS and auto -steer since 2005, and variable rate fertilizer since 2007. Swath grazing of cattle was implemented in 2004 and they've recently added swath grazing corn. The farm is two miles down the road from the homestead, which is run by Dallas's cousins.

The Daus are proud to take their place in the community through their involvement with Three Hills/Ghost Pine 4-H Club (Anna has a lamb this year, while Luke gets a backup animal), Three Hills Cruise Nite, the Christmas Food Hamper Program and various community events in the Ghost Pine area of Kneehill County.

"We are temporary stewards of it all. We need to leave it in better shape for the next generation who come along," Dallas says of the land and the community in which he and his family live.

Competing in the Bareback category of the Calgary Stampede, Carbon boy Cole Goodine competes against the best of the best.

Riding from July 7 to July 10 in the ‘A’ pool, Goodine was able to squeeze $3,000 out of the event.
Within the sport of Bareback riding, control and flare are a cowboy’s two favourite assets.

“The way to get the best marks is to show control but exposure while you’re still in control. So the longer the spurs stroke, the more wild it looks while you maintain control,” explained Goodine.

Goodine split his winnings three out of the four days. On the final day, he was able to take a decent amount of pay for his re-ride.

“The money got split up a lot, I never got one full cheque for myself.”

Initially, Goodine started team roping and calf roping before discovering his love for bareback riding.

Goodine got into the sport after he and a buddy tried it on a dare. After that, there was no going back.

“I was hooked as soon as I got thrown through the air,” said Goodine.

Rodeo runs in the family.

“My dad was a bull rider and my mom was a barrel racer and my grandpa was a bareback rider and my other grandpa was a calf roper”.

“My mom literally planned me and my sisters’ births so that she could still barrel race and not miss out on anything,” said Goodine. “I was born in the saddle.”

As of this past week, three generations of Goodine’s have now participated in Stampede.

“Unreal, it’s pretty exciting. It’s always been a dream just to have my dad there with me.”

Goodine got himself into ‘a bit of a wreck’ on the last day.

“The horse came down on me and then once I got out of it, I got offered a re-ride and I was about to get on the re-ride when my dad was waiting there behind the chutes to help me out – make sure I was okay.”

He rode the re-ride with ease, earning himself a cheque.

This is Goodine’s first year fully committed to the sport after being laid-off from work. “I thought I might as well go for it.”

This year he has been fighting with a number of minor to serious injuries due to the sport. He has a problem with the disk in his back as well as hip, rib problems, thumb dislocation, and a bone was put out in his foot.

Goodine was ranked #1 in Canada last year until the end. He continually pushes himself to do better to compete with the best, year in and year out.

“I typically train three to four hours a day, five to six days a week. I try to stay healthy and strong enough to compete with the best in the world. We’re all pushing harder and harder to be better and better and pushing the human limits.

"In order to compete against the best, you have to push that a little bit more all the time,” said Goodine.

When asked how it felt to compete on the world stage, Goodine smiled and fervently said “There’s not really words to describe it. It’s unreal to just be in the same category that they are.”

Out of the four draws for horses, two were great, and two not so much.

“There were two that didn’t work out as well as I had hoped.”

The first day, he got a horse that was difficult to ride but was able to regain himself on the next two.

“So I got a couple horses that really suited me and a couple horses that did not but I managed to fight through it and I’m really proud of myself for that.”

Despite the multiple injuries, Goodine has much more fight left in him for the rest of the rodeo season ahead.

“There’s a lot of rodeo left and I’m feeling foxy.”

The countdown is on for the beginning of the AJHL season and the Drumheller Dragons have been working hard to prepare.

On August 2, the Dragons released its preseason schedule. The team hits the ice versus the Whitecourt Wolverines, the

Camrose Kodiaks and the Spruce Grove Saints at a preseason tournament in Camrose from August 30 to September 1.

Their first home exhibition game is Wednesday, September 6 versus the Olds Grizzlys and then on Friday, September 8, they play the Brooks Bandits.

While the ice has just been installed for the season at the Drumheller Memorial Arena, Coach Kevin Hasselberg has been busy working with the staff and roster.

“Number one, we want to establish a culture of excellence. The agreement between ownership, my own philosophies and the introduction of the management committee, I think there is a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of people that are willing to put in the work and a lot of support from the community,” said Hasselberg.

He says it is key to create a culture and identity.

“Summarizing it quickly, is “better people make better Dragons.’ I think it all starts with having good people in place. I think the previous staff has done a tremendous job of identifying good character people,” said Hasselberg. “When they put that jersey on, you know when they graduate from our program, that whoever gets to wear that jersey next has to have to really step up their game and have a very positive impact on the hockey team to wear it with as much pride as the previous owner.”

While there have been some arrivals and departures during the off-season, Hasselberg said a core of quality players will be back this season.

“I think everybody who has played a season for the Dragons… deserves that opportunity to be a part of this. They laid the groundwork for what we want to build moving forward, I think we really have to lean on those young men to keep establishing that culture,” said Hasselberg.

While he was not with the Dragons last season, he was impressed with how they finished the season despite the turmoil.

“I watched the team in the playoff last year, there isn’t a player on that ice coming back to this team this season that didn’t play with a lot of heart, determination, and they were very passionate about how they performed and I think it said a lot about those young men,” said Hasselberg. “We are going to pick on character first, and evaluate skill and talent.”

“Right now with a post season evaluation of a group of players, who all want to come back to a program that experienced some significant challenges over the course of the season, I think that says a lot about those kids.”

Drumheller’s former RCMP Detachment commander has taken on some interesting roles as he transitions on to retirement.

Art Hopkins served with the Drumheller RCMP as Staff Sergeant for seven years.

He was transferred from the Drumheller Detachment in 2015 where he took on a supervisory role for Southern Alberta.

Today, he has a little more variety in his work schedule; from guarding the former Prime Minister to spending days on Central Alberta waterways.

“I retired as a regular member, but I was re-hired as a reservist,” explains Hopkins. “I am a fully qualified operating police officer, but I can kind of pick when and where I want to work.

One of the details he was assigned was as security for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

“He (Harper) is entitled to have security and a driver for a period of time,” he explains. “Since there hasn’t been a former Prime Minister out in Western Canada, for some time, there wasn’t enough staffing here. So it was picked up by people that had the training.”

Hopkins spent about two days week beginning February 2016, up until October 2016 working with Harper. The RCMP have since made arrangements to have more staff to take on the responsibility.

This doesn’t mean that he has not been busy, and if you are boating in the area, you just might run into Hopkins out on the lake.

“I am the inland water transport coordinator for virtually every lake in central and Southern Alberta. So any RCMP vessels south of Edmonton, I check up on them, make sure they are being maintained and operated, and I go out and do patrols."

Last weekend he was everywhere from Crawling Valley to Prairie Oasis and then Chestermere.

With a maximum of $10,000, Western GM plans to exceed last year’s total of $8,700 for St. Anthony’s School by having members of the community participate and test-drive a new Buick.

Each test ride and sign-up sheet donates $20 to the cause. The track is from Rosedale and back to the location you started from. Friday, May 26, the dealership is located at the DVSS parking lot near the west side entrance from noon until 9:00 p.m. this evening.

Saturday, the vehicles are back at the dealership for another spin from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.A car wash is going to be set up with hot dogs as well as any cash donations for the Drumheller Football Association.There is no obligation to buy a vehicle as the event is strictly for fundraising purposes.

In order to create a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing Drumheller, D.A.R.T.S, the Town of Drumheller, The Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce (DDCC), and local businesses and volunteers have banded together to achieve this goal.

Dave Carter, the main volunteer who rallied everyone together, noticed the planters in the downtown core and by the World’s Largest Dinosaur were not being kept up so he asked to see if he could extend a hand.

“I talked to the Town and the Chamber ,” said Carter. “They saw no reason we couldn’t do it and then I approached D.A.R.T.S. as part of their annual flower fundraising program.” 

15 planters are currently available and as the program grows, more will turn up.

“So thats our future as we move forward – we want to slowly expand throughout the valley,” said Carter. 

Carter is thrilled with how the program is moving forward and adds great benefits to the community.

“I think it’s a message to all in Drumheller. It shows that the community really cares and that we take pride in our community to make it look beautiful,” said Carter. 

The contribution to adopting one of the plants covers the cost of the flowers and the fertilizer for the entire summer. No participants need to take care of the plants making it ‘the easiest gardening you’ll ever do.’

If interested in getting involved, email Carter at prehistoricboy@telus.net or call 403-874-5361.

“If you want to be apart of it, you can be apart of it,” said Carter.

Women from the Badlands Rugby Football Club had their first game on Friday, July 28 to form a 10s team with Bow Valley Grizzlies and Foothills Lions.

Together they faced the Calgary Irish women's team. The combined team fielded three players for whom this was their debut game.

Although the game ended in a loss it was a great effort from the women in this development team and one of the debut players, Emily Carter who played Wing, scored a try!

Badlands RFC is a new Rugby club training out of Drumheller which welcomes both male and female players ages 16 and up.

No experience necessary and all questions can be directed to April Harrison at 403-823-4553.

photo submitted

Pictured above: Alicia Christensen pitching for the U14 Vipers girls softball team playing against the Trochu White Sox on home turf at the Newcastle Ball Diamonds. (mailphoto by Terri Huxley)

Hey batter batter! The Drumheller girls softball team’s season began last Monday with the season beginning on May 1, as the U14 Pure Venom team played Delburne on home turf in Newcastle.

The league consists of girls ages six to 18 in teams classified as U8, U10, U12, U14, & U16.

President of the Drumheller Girls Softball Association (DGSA) Board, Kent Jensen spoke withthe Mailabout how the teams are shaping up this year.

“It’s fun – they’re all a bunch of great kids,” said Jensen.

This year, the league has two U8 teams, a U10 team, two U12 teams, two U14 teams, and a U16 team. A U18 team could not be made this year as there was not enough interest so with the U16 girls, they hope to come up and take on the new level of play in the following years to come.

“A lot of the girls from the U16 team next year will go up to that so then maybe we can get enough to set another team up, we can start all over again with that one,” said Jensen.

Jensen contributes the steady incline in interest over the past few years to the popularity in the Toronto Blue Jays as well as players recruiting friends at school or other gatherings.

“It’s just starting to take off again and I think with everybody not travelling everywhere, kind of sticking around home with the way that things have been – it’s not an expensive sport,” said Jensen.

For the U8’s, registration with everything included is only $50.

As president, Jensen is in charge of team and umpire schedules, times, location and registration.

“I need to make sure that everybody else that’s on that diamond is practicing somewhere else that day so that they can actually play their games without any interruption,” said Jensen.

“It’s been an eye opener but no it’s been good,” said Jensen.

Jensen looks forward to seeing the older teams engage and set goals to reach provincials.

“The more teams we can get in there would be ideal,” said Jensen.  

Drumheller itself is in the central Alberta league which includes Hanna, Trochu, Elnora, Delburne, Sylvan Lake, Lacombe, Red Deer.

“It’s fairly widespread,” said Jensen.

The Drumheller U16 girls may have competition this year but is debatable depending on which group they get put into.

“Last year it was Elnora and they took provincials so then they had to go up a level,” said Jensen.

Although the board has no plans for an at-home tournament this season, they are gunning to host provincials next year. Each zone brings roughly two to three teams which could lead to more money coming into the town.

“We were maybe going to start planning and host provincials next year instead of a tournament – we thought we would do the big one and try to host provincials for next year,” said Jensen.

You can catch all the action at the Newcastle Diamonds or little league diamond near the Badlands Community Facility (BCF) on Monday’s and Wednesday’s.

The updated schedule on the website can be foundhere.

Being the first of its kind on Canadian soil, Bitfury gains access to Alberta for data mining purposes.

The European company coined ‘Bitfury’ is involved in data mining, the computing process of discovering patterns in large amounts of grouped data called data sets. It’s a subfield of computer science that should not be mistaken for analytics, statistics, and other database systems. The overall goal of this unique intelligence is to gain information from a specific data set and turn it into an understandable structure for further usage.

Two local locations of Kneehill County and Starland County will soon be home to the new development. In Kneehill, 20 Seacans will be on-site and for Starland, the Seacans number more than doubles to 48.

Bitfury claims to develop and deliver software and hardware solutions for individuals and businesses alike through the blockchain. This blockchain is an extremely secure database used to maintain an ever growing list of records. Bitfury’s role is to also securely and efficiently move assets across this blockchain.

With all of this in mind, what does Bitfury have to do with Starland and Kneehill County? The answer is simple: space and connectivity.

“The reason they are doing this is because there is enormous power requirements for these facilities so in our case they are working with ATCO to find an area where they could take a heavy draw off a substation,” said Matt Kreke, Starland County Assistant CAO.

Much of the action and behind the scenes work will be off-site but for future technicians, there will be lots of time at the facilities.

“From what we have heard in our initial discussions is that they are looking to hire several people in the area to work at these facilities,” confirmed Kreke.

As a pro-development county, Starland is elated to be one of the selected areas to house this new type of science.

“We’re excited about new kinds of development,” said Kreke. “Our hope is to bring some jobs and investment into the area.”

Future prospects suggest that Starland and Kneehill will be the first of many new sites in the province.

Bertha Krause appears to have perfected growing roses. This year her prized rose has grown to nearly the height of her house and even is providing a little shade to some of her windows. With hundreds of flowers, it brightens up her yard. She says one of the secrets to her success is making sure to properly cover her plants so they successfully overwinter.

Mailphoto by Patrick Kolafa

Once again a Drumheller pool prodigy showed his skill and brought home a trophy.
Shawn Bulechowsky competed in the Valley National Eight ball Association (VNEA) World Pool Championship in Las Vegas from May 24 to June 3. He played with his team the Relentless, which play out of Kokos Bar and Grill in Calgary as well as an individual.

In the individual competition he placed 17th out of 180 top international players.
“I was up 5-2 and the guy sharked me, and he ended up beating me 6-5,” explains Bulechowsky. In his next match he also fell 6-5 and settled for 17th.
There was redemption in the team competition as His team Relentless went on to place 4th.
“I brought myself home a Charlie! (trophy),” he explains.
Bulechowsky regularly competes at the VNEA Championship and this was the second trophy he has won.

In preparation of Canada’s 150th birthday, a silent auction has brought Mike Fabrick one step closer to reaching his goal of having a Powwow for Canada Day.

The silent auction held on June 3, raised approximately $4,000 towards the powwow competition.

“Overall, it went good but we could have done better,” said Mike Fabrick, Powwow event organizer. “There was so much going on in the valley that day.”

With Canada Day fast approaching, the next steps have been to extend to corporate sponsors for specific dances. More sponsorship opportunities like teepee village banners and prizes are now up for grabs as well.

Dancers are in eight different categories which they can compete for prizes.

Before Drumheller was founded, the actual location of Drumheller used to be a meeting place for tribes to trade and deliberate topics. The area acted as a neutral ground for everyone.

“It has a significance to it,” said Fabrick. “That’s where they would gather and celebrate and do their bartering, and then afterward they would go their separate ways and get back to life.”

Three artists were in attendance for the auction to give an authentic touch to the fundraiser.

The one Siksika Nation artist was doing behind the scenes work like organizing dancers and getting teepees ready for the event.

The second artist does rebranding of items and she creates pictures and paintings. The third artist does amber carving where he was able to demonstrate his craft outside the store on the day of the auction.

“It’s neat for people to come by and see,” said Fabrick.

Quality items were donated by the community for the auction, giving Fabrick a great opportunity to resell to raise funding.

“It was amazing how the community gave us donations for the silent auction, it was overwhelming of all the stuff that we had,” said Fabrick.

Besides the communities many donated items, the overall approval for the powwow has been nothing short of support.

“The community really stepped up,” said Fabrick.

The event is meant to be a large part of the day by allowing everyone to participate and enjoy.

“It is meant to be a celebration and we want it to be free for everybody,” said Fabrick.

This Saturday is parade day, one of Drumheller’s long-standing Canada Day traditions. However, to enjoy it to the fullest, there are a few things to remember.

This year the theme to the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce’s Parade is  Canadiana to Mark Canada's 150th birthday. An important detail to note is making sure know the route. It will muster and take off from the neighborhood of Riverside, but will conclude along Railway Avenue. This will hopefully alleviate congestion near the Drumheller Memorial Arena following the parade.

Because of the length of the parade, there are myriad of places to take in all the action. The parade begins winding through the valley at 10 a.m. so it is a good idea to stake your claim early. Please be respectful of property owners.

A great way to start the day is with a hearty breakfast, and the Kinsmen Club of Drumheller is hosting its annual free pancake breakfast at Riverside Value Drug Mart.

Before heading o to the parade route a few good things to remember is to bring lots of water and make sure you lock up before leaving home.

For the little ones, make sure they have a bathroom break before leaving home and make sure they have hats and sunscreen. Rain is rare at Drumheller’s Canada Day Parade, but be prepared nonetheless.

The Canada Day parade is all about fun, so make sure you clap, cheer and have a ball. Also, be aware the parade has animals and vehicles, so keep an eye on younger revelers.

Once the parade is complete, the day has only just begun. Before heading out for the day, however please be courteous and clean up your area.

Enjoy your Canada Day and have fun!