Midland Community Hall Association is planning to update their aging outdoor community rink and is looking for support from the Drumheller community to make this a reality.
Updates will also make the outdoor rink fully accessible to all community members and will be the second fully accessible outdoor rink in Alberta.
“When the idea of making a new rink a reality first came about, the volunteers all agreed we needed to dream big,” Association volunteer Cindy Sereda told the Mail.
Ms. Sereda was inspired to make the rink a fully accessible space after searching online for building materials and expenses and stumbling upon the Parkdale Community Association in Calgary. The Parkdale association had recently completed the first fully accessible rink in Alberta, and Sereda says she felt this was something needed in Drumheller, too.
“It was said during our video chat once you start to recognize how inaccessible spaces are, you can never unsee it,” Ms. Sereda says.
The new rink will be built next to the Midland Community Hall, on the site of the former Midland School. It is estimated to cost some $630,000 and the Midland association is hoping to raise about $300,000 of this by May 1 when they become eligible to apply for provincial funding through the Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) grant.
A total of $41,290 has been raised towards this goal and the association has some ongoing and upcoming fundraisers, including a Las Vegas fun night, bottle drive, and fundraiser barbecue. The project has also received letters of support from various community organizations and members, along with the Town of Drumheller and Drumheller-Stettler MLA Nate Horner.
For more information, contact midlandvalehall21@gmail.com or Cindy at 403-820-6454.

There were five directors sworn in at the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting.
The Chamber held its AGM on Thursday, March 24, at the Badlands Community Facility. New board members elected at the meeting include Tunji Bello of Riverside Physiotherapy, Shelley Rymal of The Sage Shoppe, and Lana Phillips of Bikes and Bites. Re-elected for another term were Christine DeMille of Wanderlust Boutique & General Store and Shannon Wade of Hi-Way 9 Group.
It has been a tumultuous time for everyone as the world navigates its way through COVID-19. The last AGM was held virtually.
“The last two years have been tough on all of us and I know we are not out of the woods yet but I am optimistic for our future. I am excited to finally be able to take part in in-person events again. I’m glad we are able to be hosting the AGM in person and see each other face to face. We have already set a date in June for the Business Excellence Awards, after a two-year hiatus, with hopefully many more events to follow, said Martina Morrison in her President’s Report.
“With all the many ups and downs this year, I am proud to say the DDCC staff did an amazing job adapting to the ever-changing public health regulations and restrictions.
They networked, although mostly virtually, and were able to continue to provide excellent support to our members,” she said.
In her report, executive director Heather Bitz told the Chamber its membership remained consistent over the last year with 243 members, with 23 new members joining. One highlight this year for the Chamber was the expansion of the Building Enhancement Grant program.
“We partnered with the Town of Drumheller and Community Futures Big Country to pool our funds to provide $35,000 in grant funds to 10 businesses. The grant funds were used by local businesses to enhance their building exteriors or interiors by modernizing and improving appearances,” said Bitz.
One casualty last year was the Business Advocacy Group.
“In November, after much discussion amongst the committee and Board of Directors, the decision was made to dissolve the committee. While unfortunate, the absence of our advocacy committee does not mean we will stop advocating for our members. Rest assured, our advocacy efforts will carry on through our staff and the Board of Directors,” said Bitz.
As restrictions eased, the Visitor Information Centre and the World’s Largest Dinosaur began to make a comeback.
Tourism Service Manager Debbie Schinnour reported Tyra, the World’s Largest Dinosaur, reopened June 10, 2021. With only being open for six months and with capacity restrictions in place, 74,873 visitors made the climb which was a 15 per cent increase over 2020 visitation.
In 2021, the Drumheller Visitor Information Centre counselled 22,706 visitors in person, via email, or by telephone. With physical distancing and capacity restrictions hampering operations, we saw a decrease in traffic at the Visitor Information Centre from 2020.