It’s Dinosaur Derby Weekend and racers will be on the track for four shows at Dinosaur Downs starting Friday, and finishing up Monday afternoon.

    It’s chuckwagon racing time,  and this weekend the half –mile track at Dinosaur Downs will be packed with excitement as the wagons, and chariots barrel around at break neck speeds.
    The races are a summer tradition in the valley and in the second year of the Drumheller Stampede and Ag Society’s affiliation with the Alberta Professional Chuckwagon and Chariots Association (APCCA), it looks like a tradition that will continue.
    While this year includes more track time than ever with a four-day show, there is much more to the event than just racing.
    Everything kicks off on Friday morning with the sixth annual Minichucks for Charity races and Pancake Breakfast.
 This is hosted by Q91 and Drumheller Co-op at the Greentree Mall. They will be serving up flapjacks from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and the Minichucks for Charity races begin at 8:30 a.m. This pits drivers against each other in an all out race in a chuckwagon pulled by a tricycle. Lots of fun to compete, even more fun to watch, and all the funds go to charity.
    The area’s hardest working band The Cat Country Cougar Hunters will also be performing at the races and fans of Brad Paisley will get a chance to enter and win tickets.
    This Minichucks for Charity races is also a great chance to meet some of the racers who will be on the track starting Friday evening.
    Gates open on Friday at 4 p.m. at Dinosaur Downs and racing starts at 6 p.m.  A full slate of chuckwagons and chariots will be on the track.
    Driver Shane Cartier, loves the Drumheller venue and has always had great success ruining the  ‘big wagons’ and with the APCCA.
    He says the APCCA races offer more non-stop action, less breaks and comparable speeds on the track.
    “It is like the difference between racing dragsters and circle track cars. Dragsters are bigger and faster but only go in a straight line, but when you want more action and tight races you get a lot more of it in the little wagons,” he said.
    The action cranks up again on Saturday night, same time same place. Following Saturday’s race, there will be a Cowboy’s Cabaret at Dinosaur Downs. Stick around after the races for some music and fun.
    On Sunday, the racing continues at 6 p.m. and Monday’s main event begins at 2 p.m. Four days of racing gives each driver a shot at each gate on the track.

    The Alberta Historical Resources Foundation has helped the Canadian Northern Historical Society preserve the Big Valley Train Station with a $25,000 grant.
    Through its various programs, Alberta Heritage is supporting 71 projects and have awarded close to $1.3 million. Included in this is the roof project in Big Valley.
    “The pride that Albertans take to preserve our colourful history is a result of the efforts of many individuals, organizations and municipalities,” said Alberta Culture Minister Heather Klimchuk. “By conserving our historic sites and landmark buildings, and documenting the province’s journey through time, we preserve the legacy of those who came before us and help build the cultural capacity of communities across the province.”
    The Canadian Northern Society has restored three CN Railway stations in Meeting Creek, Camrose and Big Valley.
 Director Janine Carroll explained about a year and a half ago the Society was doing some upgrades in the Big Valley Station and the contractor indicated the roof was going to need attention. The Society began fundraising for the project as part of its centennial celebrations last year.
    “Thanks to huge support from local people and organizations, and from the Alberta Prairie Railway, we were able to raise funds needed to match a grant (not quite all, but a fair amount),” she said.
    Last winter however was not kind to the roof and the Society had to get moving on the project.

A grant from Alberta Heritage allowed the roof of the Big Valley train station to be restored.

    “What happened then made us take the project off the back burner and get it done fast. The small repairs we had completed did take care of some minor leaking, but an ice dam that was causing the problems just moved further up the roof and created major leakage,” said Carroll. “We needed to get the full project completed quickly. We hired a company and scheduled a complete re-roofing for as soon as possible.”
    She said they were working with blind faith, hoping the government would approve the grant announced last week.
    The Canadian Northern Railway Station and Roundhouse in Big Valley was built in 1912 and it served the Canadian Northern, the Canadian National and the Central Western Railway. Today it has 22,000 visitors annually and is a stop on the Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions.