The Encana Science Camp was hit hard by the hailstorm on Saturday, July 26, however the craftsmanship of inmates at the Drumheller Institution had the camp back up and running only missing a week.
One of he hardest hit institutions in a hailstorm two weeks ago was the Encana Science Camps, however thanks to inmates at the Drumheller Institution, they are able to rebuild and move on.
On Saturday evening, July 26, a violent hailstorm ripped through the area, causing property damage. For the Encana Science Camps at the Tyrrell Museum, the blow was devastating. Almost immediately, the camp cancelled its following week of programs.
Camp director Morgan Syvertsen said of their nine tipis, seven were damaged, two beyond the point of no return.
Carrie-Ann Lunde, head of marketing and media for the museum said the damage threatened to keep the camp shut longer had it not been for the support of the Drumheller Institution.
“The tipis were shredded pretty badly from the hail and we had gotten them from a manufacturer in B.C., but they couldn’t repair them, so we worked out an arrangement with the culture program at the Drumheller Institution and they were able to turn the canvas around so quickly that we were able to reopen the science camp,” she said.
Syvertsen explained the work was done by native tipi makers at the institution. The repairs were of very high quality and the turnaround was very quick.
“The folks at the penitentiary were able to repair five of the damaged tipis almost overnight. The next day they had three complete and by the end of the week they had the other two done,” he said. “It turns out the tipis they make are way better than the ones we are buying from B.C.”
He said this may be the beginning of a closer relationship with the craftsmen at the institution,
“They are better quality and more authentic and they are just down the road,” he said. “Plus we had the opportunity to talk with one of the elders. And we’ve always wanted to incorporate things like drum circles at camp and they would be very happy to do that with us. I could see that as being part of our program down the road.”
While the camp was shut down for a week, Syvertsen said they are able to accommodate most of the youngsters who missed camp in the last week of August.
There were a few campers that they were not able to cancel in time. One camper from Ontario was already in Calgary hoping to come to camp when the storm struck. The Tyrrell was able to make some special memories for her.
“We found some things for her to do for the week. She was able to volunteer in different departments for the week and then her and the family had a special guided tour of the preparation lab.”
