The people of Drumheller have spoken.
    On Monday, October 21, Albertans headed to the polls to vote in the 2013 municipal elections, Drumheller included.  
    Leading the polls was incumbent councillor Jay Garbutt, with 1070 votes or 13 per cent of the vote. This will be Garbutt’s second term on council.
    “It’s certainly humbling and a lot of responsibility, because it means a lot of people are expecting me  to come through on my vision of the community. It’s a responsibility I’m up to. I’m pleased with the support I have received,” said Garbutt.
    Incumbent Tom Zariski came in second with 980 votes. Zariski will also be serving his second term  on council.
    “It feels very good. We can finish some of the things we have started,” said Zariski.
    In third, challenger Patrick Kolafa earned 962 votes.  Kolafa is excited to serve on council.
    “I’m very humbled and thankful to everybody who showed their support. I hope I can make a  difference in the direction of Drumheller over  the next four years,” said Kolafa.
    Incumbent Lisa Hansen-Zacharuk was a close fourth, with 956 votes and will serve for her second term on council.
    "It feels great. I think we were given a mandate   to finish some of the projects we had started, but weren't able to finish. I really appreciate being given the opportunity to go ahead," said Hansen-Zacharuk.
    Tara McMillan, who ran for mayor last election, but was narrowly beaten, came in fifth with 951 votes. She will serve her first term as a member of the Drumheller Town Council.
    “I am very honoured, humbled, and I look forward to serving all the residents of Drumheller,” said McMillan.
    It was a close race for the final council seat. Initially, incumbent Sharel Shoff held the fifth seat, but by the time most of the polls had come in, Shoff was behind challenger Bryce Nimmo by a narrow margin.
    The final three polls to come in swung the results in Shoff’s favour. Shoff filled the final council seat with 834 votes. Nimmo was close behind at 828 votes.
    "I appreciate the confidence of the people of Drumheller. I'm really happy to be back and I hope to serve the people of Drumheller well. I'm going to do some different things this term. I look forward to working with the new council," said Shoff.
    Nimmo does not intend to ask for a recount.
    "The people have made their choice, so I'm not going to ask for a recount," said Nimmo.
    Jenny Dannhauer had a strong showing in the polls with 769 votes, but remained shy of a council seat. Kalon Sykes and Crystal Jensen had 330 and 306 votes, respectively.
    Mayor Terry Yemen was acclaimed and will serve his second term as mayor.
    In total, only 1,647 electors (34.5 per cent) out of a possible 4,775 voted. Last election, roughly 2,480 voters cast their ballot.
    "My only complaint is that voter turnout was quite low," said Hansen-Zacharuk. "It's not right, only 34 (.5) per cent of the voters are making the decision for the majority."
    The results will be made official on Friday, October 25, at noon.
    This term will be a first for councillors across the province. Last year, the provincial government amended the Municipal Government Act to increase municipal council terms to four years, instead of the traditional three years.
    The first meeting of the new Drumheller Town Council is scheduled for Monday, November 4.

Comedy legend John Cleese visits Drumheller

    The Royal Tyrrell Museum was turned into a little bit of a circus last Friday; a flying circus that is.
    Legendary British actor/comedian John Cleese, who is most renowned for his roles in Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Fawlty Towers, and A Fish Called Wanda, paid a visit to the Tyrrell and was given a special behind the scenes tour by Dr. Don Henderson.

Dr. Don Henderson, left, Curator of Dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, with legendary actor/comedian John Cleese in the Tyrrell collections. Cleese visited the museum last Friday and was given a personal tour of the galleries and backstage by Dr. Henderson.

    “He had a great time. He was really into dinosaurs and asked Don (Henderson) question after question. He was super engaged. Don was over the moon,” said Leanna Mohan, head of marketing and public relations at the Tyrrell Museum.
    Cleese was toured through the museum galleries and then headed backstage to visit the preparation lab and collections area.
    Earlier last week, Cleese was at the Calgary Zoo and inquired about dinosaurs.
    “He was at the Calgary Zoo last week and asked them if they knew about a dinosaur museum in the area. So, they told him he had to absolutely come and gave him our number. It’s really great of the Calgary Zoo to endorse us and send him our way,” said Mohan.
    The Tyrrell is no stranger to celebrity visits. In August, actor Matthew McConaughey and director Christopher Nolan visited the museum during a break in filming Nolan’s latest production, Interstellar.
    “I think each time it goes well, it endorses us for the next time. Having them make the time to come and visit when they’re in the area really endorses how world renowned we are,” said Mohan.
    Though the visit was fairly low-key, Cleese did have some time to share some stories.
    “We stopped for a break and he told us a few stories from his years, which Don and I just ate up. It was really fun,” said Mohan.