The annual Passion Play Founders Banquet, held to honour Founders, and to thank donors who supported the Passion Play over the past year, faced a challenge on Saturday, November 16.
Saturday turned out to be the stormiest day of November, and Vance Neudorf, Passion Play General Manager, remained uncertain until the last minute whether to cancel the event. However, when guests showed up from Edmonton Vance knew that there was no turning back.
Despite the stormy day, thirty six people enjoyed the afternoon presentations and great banquet.
The Canadian Badlands Passion Play honoured some of those who donated land to the Passion Play during its annual founders dinner on Saturday, November 16. At the dinner were (l-r) Bob and Tilly Llewellyn, LaVerne Erickson, Passion Play general manager Vance Neudorf and Stan and Dorothy Solberg.
With the Passion Play moving into its 21st performance season, its Board of Directors has undertaken to look back annually and keep its founding story alive. Each year some of those instrumental in founding the Play are honored with a gift and with four lifetime Passion Play passes so that they can see the Plays and bring friends to enjoy the fruits of their labors.
This year’s honored guests who were designated ‘Founders’ were those who supplied the land for the Passion Play and Ski Hill site: Bob and Tilly Llewellyn, and Stan and Dorothy Solberg. These were the only Founders to make it through the storm. Other Founders recognized in absentia were the mill owners who donated the lumber for site development: Barry Mjolsness, Spray Lake Sawmills of Cochrane, and Bob and Ken Vanderwell of Vanderwell Contractors of Slave Lake.
Also recognized in absentia were John and Irene Kohut, Hi-Way 9 Express, who hauled the lumber free of charge.
A welcome addition to this year’s festivities was the presentation of the beautiful Alberta Pride Alto Award, that recognizes the Canadian Badlands Passion Play for its contribution to the Alberta Tourism Industry as a landmark Alberta attraction. This award was won two weeks ago at the annual Alberta Tourism Industry conference in Banff.
