The Last Chance Saloon is inviting some top acts to its neck of the woods for September Long Weekend to mark the first WayneStock.
    They have a full slate of musicians from the valley and beyond to mark the first annual festival. They include mainstays like Tim Hus and Kirby Sewell, as well as local acts Dooley Noted and Kyle Gerlinger, to name a few.
    Paula Sutherland of the Last Chance Saloon says it is great way to end the season.
    “We really love music here, so we thought what a nice way to end the summer by hosting WayneStock,” said Sutherland.
    “We are hoping to make it an annual event and pulling talent, whether it be local, provincial or outside of Alberta for people to enjoy.”
     A weekend pass to the festival includes camping and access to all of the musical offerings. There will be stages at Last Chance Salon inside and out. There are also day passes available from Friday to Sunday.
    “We are rounding them up inside at the end of the night,” she said.
    Sutherland is excited about the line-up.
    “It’s our first, so we are doing a lot of local talent, they do have a following, and we have hosted all of them here at one time or another,” she said.
    “Tim Hus has played here and we love him, Kirby Sewell has never played here, but he is very familiar with the East Coulee Springfest circuit,” she said.
    Sutherland said the concert will be supporting the efforts of the Wayne Community Association.
    Organizers are firming up the weekend schedule. Tickets are available at the Last Chance Saloon, or by going to www.visitlastchancesaloon.com.

    The local Marshman families of Redland and Rockyford, who have been farming for over 100 years were honoured last week.
    They were honoured Tuesday, August 18 in Lethbridge as recipients of the Century Farm and Ranch Award. The Marshmans  received 2 bronze plaques to commemorate this significant milestone as they still own both the paternal (1909) and maternal (1912) original land within their farms. This year there are 58 families who are being recognized across the province for having met this milestone.
    Lloyd Marshman, who owns the farm in Redland said “My great-grandfather came up from eastern Washington in 1912 and bought the half section. When he died, the land passed on to my grandmother, then my dad (Merle) took it over and then I took it over about 25 years ago. Although I still own it, my son (Steve) now farms it, I run the cattle. Steve will be the fifth generation to own this land,” Marshman said, continuing by saying that he hopes the farm will get passed down to the sixth generation in about 20 years. Marshman explained to the Mail that the farm has been cattle and grain for the entire 103 years it has been in the family.
    When the family began farming in the Redland and Rockyford area the surrounding areas were not what they are today. “When we first started farming here, Drumheller was just some coal mines, Carbon was coal mines. There was no Beiseker, there was no Rockyford, there was no Acme. My grandfather and great-grandfather hauled their grain all the way to Crossfield and guess what? We are back to hauling it to Crossfield again,” Marshman said with a chuckle. “There are no elevators in the towns anymore. There are a lot of changes. When I was a kid there were steam engines on the tracks. We had cars but Grandpa still did some work with horses,” he recalls. “I was too little to do much but I did ride on the wagon. That was kind of fun,” he said.
    At the award ceremony, Merle, Lloyd’s father, accepted the award for Lloyd’s brother Gerald who owns the original land by Rockyford.
    The Marshman lands have grown as well as the family. Lloyd’s sister-in-law Mary (Dwayne 1954-2012) and brother Gerald are still farming as well as his son Steve (Jess) and Mary’s daughter Kim (Ben Salt).
    Lloyd’s daughter Shelly (Clay Neal) lives in Rockyford and has revived the horse tradition. His sisters Arlene (Calgary) and Rachel (Wayne Orsten, Airdrie) along with Andrea and Michelle Orsten help Merle (who now lives in Rockyford) with the large farm garden at Gerald’s. Mary’s son Craig lives in Rockyford and her daughter Kathy (Lance Herriot) lives in Strathmore.