Football fans will remember the tassels of hair dangling above his number 33 Titans jersey as he raced into the end zone. Hockey fans can see the sweaty, matted mullet when the Raptor peels off his helmet when he leaves the ice.
    Cuts for Cancer will remember it for the good that it does those fighting cancer.
    Spencer Fournier’s mullet is a source of pride, even if the style itself is two decades passed its due date. Nonetheless, he has put it on the chopping block for this year’s Cuts for Cancer.
    The Grade 11 student will be going under the scissors on February 3 to raise funds for the Drumheller Area Health Foundation to support those with cancer. A few of his teammates are also pledging to lose their manes for a good cause.
    Spencer says he was inspired because cancer has affected his family. In fact, his grandmother has fought the battle with cancer twice.
    This is the eighth year for Cuts for Cancer and it has raised thousands of dollars to be used locally for those in the community and their families as they battled cancer. Others putting their hair on the chopping block include Jo Jensen, Kevin Lee and Walter Albrecht, who has participated every year.
    They have a goal of raising $30,000 this year, and while the have had a jump-start from a barbecue and a Christmas Party, they are still hoping for a momentous effort to put them over the top.
    This year’s event is in dedication of Krista Boyko.  Well known and respected, the 41-year-old Drumhellerite passed away last fall after being diagnosed with cancer in the spring.
    Boyko worked at WHIFS for 17 years, and the restaurant is doing their part. The staff will be donating their tips on the day to Cuts for Cancer in memory of Boyko.
     Cathy Morse, owner of Chop Shop, says there are still pledge forms available at the shop. As an incentive, she says every pledge sheet totalling $250 or more is eligible to be entered into a draw for three days and two nights in Vegas, courtesy the Roadhouse.
    For more information, contact Morse at 403-823-2466.

    The Town of Drumheller is getting closer to outlining what is means to be a responsible pet owner in Drumheller.
    At the January 21 meeting of the Committee of the Whole, those present were provided the latest draft of the Responsible Pet Owners Bylaw.
    The bylaw has been in the works since late 2011 and aims to promote responsibility among pet owners, in particular those who own cats.
    “The main function of the bylaw is to create the type of behaviour in pet owners where their animals are being taken care of responsibly, and with care and consideration for their neighbour and community as a whole,” said Paul Salvatore, Director of Community Services.
    The bylaw, updates the current Animal Control Bylaw and clarifies many areas. The most significant are requirements for cat owners to register their cats and cats are no longer permitted to roam at large.
    So far, a $35 annual registration fee for spayed/neutered cats has been proposed. However, Council and administration are considering an introductory rate to encourage owners to register their animals.
    Cats would require either a tag, tattoo, or microchip for identification purposes. It is hoped with registration and adequate identification, lost animals could be returned to their owners efficiently.
    The bylaw proposes to reduce the time the Town will hold a recovered animal from six days to three. After three days, the Town, under the proposed bylaw, can sell the animal, give it to a new home, give it to the humane society, or destroy it. The reduction was meant to cut down the costs associated with housing a recovered animal.
    Greg Peters, Community Enforcement Supervisor, ensures all measures would be taken to return any recovered animals.
    “We would do everything we could to return animals," said Peters.
    One of the hopes identified during initial discussions in 2011 regarding the bylaw was it would help lower the population of feral cats in Drumheller.
    The impetus for the bylaw comes in part from the costs associated with animal control. Between 70 to 80 per cent of the animal control budget is spent on issues relating to cats. The goal is recover some of those costs through cat registration.
    “It’s a cost that has never really been recovered. In no way do we feel the steps identified in the bylaw are an unreasonable regulation of animals in our community,” said Salvatore.
    Much of the proposed bylaw focuses on cats, which have hitherto been overlooked, but there are new provisions for dogs as well.
    Under the proposal, dogs would be allowed to be tethered in a residential yard in such a manner that permits them to get within two metres of the fence or property line. In addition, dogs would not be allowed to be tethered and left unattended in public areas.
    For the time being, administration will be revising the draft based on feedback from Council. For a look at the proposed bylaw, click here.
    “It is people who are responsible for their pets and ultimately accountable by law,” said Peters.