While the days are getting shorter and youngsters are heading back to school, another busy summer has come and gone.
Every year The Weekender runs the Great Drumheller Dinosaur Challenge. This is by far one of the most popular contests the paper runs and through the summer it receives hundreds of entries. These entries come from local residents as well as national and international visitors.
This year is no exception. Once again the entry box was flooded. What makes this contest more fun is that it simply asks entrants to make comments on Drumheller. This provides feedback from residents and visitors, and like most years, across the board it is positive.
“The best part about Drumheller was everything!” lauded one respondent.
This year it appears many through the valley were taking an Alberta Break, although there was a strong contingent of entrants from Saskatchewan and British Columbia. And as with most years, the good old dinosaurs were the most popular fixture of the valley, as one Edmonton visitor stated, “Drumheller is the best place to learn about Dinosaurs,” while a visitor from Ontario said the highlight of their visit was having “fun going around looking at the dinosaurs around town.” One visitor said Drumheller is a “great place to have a dinosaurus good time!”
Another simply quipped “Roarrr!!”
Not only were the dinosaurs popular but so were many sites. One visitor from Eckville said she liked the“Swinging Bridge and counting Dinosaurs,” and another raved about the Bumper Boats and the World’s Largest Dinosaur. A family from Edmonton was certainly busy:“We love the sight seeing, hoodoos, hikes, Little Church, Suspension Bridge, Atlas Coal Mine, Aquaplex, and rec centre, lots of fun!!!” More than a few parents expressed how much they appreciated the spray park for their children.
The scenery is always popular with positive comments about the hills and hoodoos. One visitor described The valley as “very interesting, picturesque and clean.” The friendliness of the community also shone through in the comments. Many relayed positive experiences while visiting area attractions and businesses. “Drumheller is awesome because of all the nice people.”
Drumheller’s reputation as a service centre is becoming more and more known as many talk about pleasant shopping experiences and the community having “all I need.” As one respondent testifies “this has been my shopping centre for 45 years.”
As usual, civic pride comes out in this survey as respondent after respondent tells us what a great place Drumheller is to live. “A great place to call home,” says one, and another says “Drumheller is a beautiful town. I love living here and love all the nice fresh weather.”
The survey also allows people to say what they feel Drumheller is lacking, and this summer there were very few responses of that nature, indicating Drumheller is a complete package. One that stands out however is from a visitor from Sundre who mentioned that a “Roller Derby team is needed.”
