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Rockyford Rodeo gets buckin’ this weekend

    With the Calgary Stampede coming to a close this past weekend, rodeo enthusiasts can look forward to the 53rd annual Rockyford Rodeo this coming weekend.
    The three day FCA (Foothills Cowboy Association) action kicks off Friday, July 23 in the small town an hour’s drive south west of Drumheller.
    Probably the most exciting event this year is the professional gunfighters that will turn the Rockyford Main Street into the scene of an old West shootout, without the fatalities and whiskey.
    “We are as excitied as any year, the gunfighters should be a great addition,” says Rockyford Lions Club President Darcy Koester, who adds they have heard great things about the shootist troupe.
    Rodeo action kicks of at 1 p.m. on Friday, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, and 4 p.m. Sunday.
    The chuckwagon chariot races make their start Friday and Saturday at 6:30, and at noon Sunday.
    With a family dance Friday evening, the poker bull fight on all three days, and a catch and keep, the event has options for all members of the family.

Badlands Community Gardens are shaping up

    Any ideas what to do with your old garbage bins yet?
    If not, the Badlands Community Gardens Society would love to take them off your hands. As long as they have a lid, are in good condition, watertight and wide enough to dip in a watering can, the Society can use them as water barrels.
    Located on the Newcastle Trail, the Badlands Community Gardens are starting to shape up.
    Lettuce, chives, radishes, beans, tomatoes, potatoes are just a few of the plants growing in the planters.
    In fact, there are only two spare ones left if anyone would like to try their hands at growing veggies or plants.
    So it is now a case of wait and see it grow, although some finishing touches will be added soon.
    “It’s functional now, but eventually it will be pretty and a nice place to hang out. We want to have fruit trees, rhubarb plants, the Tyrrell Museum donated a bunch of sapling, mostly spruce I think. We want to have a composting row behind a fence made out of willows, it will be very pretty some day! It’s just a matter of time and money, but it’s happening a little bit at a time, it’s very exciting,” said Community Garden Society director, Chris Marion.
Two of the boxes were planted specifically for the food bank by the Greentree School Grade 4 - 6 kids, who like to refer to themselves as “The Sprouts,” Marion told The Drumheller Mail.
    The Sprouts will be painting the shed before July 24, date of the Drumheller garden tour, and Marion has managed to secure some benches from the City of Calgary from their surplus stock.
    “They are awesome benches they were surpluses from their Devonian Gardens. They didn’t cost us very much, and Hi-Way 9 has offered to transport them here for free!” exclaimed Marion, who says the society has received help from many businesses and individuals from Drumheller. “The community is really behind us on this, it’s awesome. I am not surprised though, that is the Drumheller I have gotten to know.”
    The Society is concentrating on the Garden Tour, the first in a long time in Drumheller, they are organizing for Saturday, July 24, in collaboration with The Garden Club and Communities in Bloom.
    “It’s going good, we could use one or two more gardens, just to have more on the tour. The gardens we have so far are pretty neat, the people who have offered to show their garden are pretty interesting and one of the ladies has even offered to give a composting workshop, one at 10:00 in the morning and one at 2:00 p.m.”
    Contact Chris at 403-823-6930 or log on to badlandsgardens.ca for more information on the Garden Tour or the community gardens.

Town breaks ground on Badlands Community Facility

    Rain didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of dozens gathered to officially kick off construction of the Badlands Community Facility, Monday morning.
    Organizers of the event moved the groundbreaking ceremony into the Drumheller Memorial Arena due to a heavy rainfall warning being issued for the area. Despite this, feelings of relief and jubilation filled the arena where the Fire Coulee Bandits performed for the 85 rain-soaked residents gathered to witness the historic occasion.
    Attendees included Mayor Bryce Nimmo, Crowfoot MP Kevin Sorenson and co-chair of the Community Facility Steering Committee, Tony Lacher.
    “It has truly been a rewarding experience for me to have worked with so many people who have shared a vision of tomorrow which we bring to you today,” said Lacher. “This facility will proudly serve our community, and thanks to the architectural firm of Graham Edmunds Cartier, it will be an attractive focal point for our town for years to come.”
    The Badlands Community Facility grew from an idea to a campaign and now a reality. The Town selected Graham Edmunds Cartier Architecture as the principle designer, and in June, Dawson Wallace Construction won the contract to build the facility.
    The project will include a new public library, a fitness centre, running track, field house, gymnasium and conference meeting facility.
    Mayor Nimmo thanked the federal and provincial governments for their support. MLA Jack Hayden was unable to be at the groundbreaking, but did send correspondence reaffirming the provincial government’s commitment to the project. Nimmo also was grateful of the work of former councils to make this day a reality.
    “The town can afford this building because of the good planning by past councils,” he said, also mentioning the hard work of administration as well as the steering committee, a group of concerned citizens who saw the project through.
    Construction is set to go this summer and is scheduled to be completed by August 2011.
    After the initial phase is complete, the second phase, which includes a second ice surface, will be undertaken.
    A fundraising goal of $12 million has been set for the complete project, and many private and corporate donors have come out to support the project.
    “The Badlands Community Facility will enhance the valley’s quality of life and be enjoyed by everyone,” said Lacher.
    “Stand tall and be proud of what we have accomplished together.”

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