In three short years, the Canadian International Rover Challenge  (CIRC) has grown into a premier event.

This year from August 9-12, 22 teams made up of post-secondary students from Canada, The United States, Germany, Poland, and Bangladesh will be in the valley to take on the terrain with robotic rovers.

“We wanted to have this competition in Drumheller because of the Badlands – they are beautiful, and the terrain is perfect for what we need. Drumheller is also a great place to host this because the infrastructure can support the teams that are coming. The Town and the Park have been great to work with in helping us to plan this competition, and we are grateful for their support,” said organizer William Davis.

This is very different from the first event just three summers ago when there were two and a half teams. A half team because one team came with $300 and cobbled together and entry from parts procured from local hardware stores.

In 2018, the event was substantially bigger.

“We have gained some credibility. There are a couple of events around the world that are similar to this and it always takes a few years to get traction among the actual teams of participants. When teams saw what we did last year, with CIRC Central and having a place to work, and different tasks in comparison to what they were used to, it made a much more exciting prospect for them,” said organizer Justin Gerein.

He explains that some of those original competitors from the first event now put on the challenge.

“It is composed of former participants from the competition. We have formed a non-profit organization called the Canadian Space Technology Advancements Group that acts as the organizing body of the competition,” said Gerein.

He says the event is a manageable size for the volunteers to put on. One area of growth he sees is involvement from the technology sectors.

“We would like to see more companies within Canada become involved in this,” said Gerein. “We have a surprising number of organizations, whether they are government-run or commercial companies that do space and robotic activities throughout Canada, so we would really like to see more of those groups get involved and train and excite the next generations of students going into those areas of industry.”

The competition will be hosted at four sites throughout the valley with the Badlands Community Facility acting as the central location.

For more information to https://circ.cstag.ca.

It will be a weekend of excitement and fun as the Pioneer Acres celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The Museum, celebrating the farming life, has grown leaps and bounds in its 50-year history. Lyle Rowe’s father was one who helped get the attraction on its feet five decades ago.

“He was one of the original guys, they started at Langdon Corner, at Highway 9 and Highway 1, and they outgrew it. You need washrooms and infrastructure to host people, so they made a deal with Rockyview County and moved one kilometre away from the Town of Irricana,” explains Rowe. “It has been awesome for Beiseker and Irricana.”

Pioneer Acres puts on an annual show, but this will be bigger and better as they mark 50 years on August 9-11. He explains that every year they feature a type of equipment, and this year they are going right back to the original pioneers and celebrating horsedrawn machinery.

“There is going to be 70 draft horses there,” said Rowe.

These will be working in teams demonstrating equipment, with up to a full 18-horse hitch.

“It’s spectacular to watch those horses as they all work together,” said Rowe.

He explains that every year they seed the fields on the 50-acre park in the fall, and when it comes to their annual show it is ready to be harvested. This will all be done by the power of draft horses, with the exception of the threshing which will be done by steam-driven equipment.

This year will have a horsepower demonstration by Milly the Mule. Each day she will be powering an ice cream maker, mixing a fresh batch for patrons to enjoy.

  The Millarville Musical Ride will be there performing two shows on Saturday and two on Sunday.

  There is a parade every day over the weekend starting at noon and many dignitaries will be in attendance including MLA Nathan Cooper and MP Martin Shields. There may even be some Stampede royalty at the event.

It takes 200 volunteers to put on the annual show, and they are hoping to host 7,500 visitors this coming weekend.

Rowe says nostalgia is a part of the attraction and success of the museum.

“There is some sentimentality, learning what our great grandparents did to come to Western Canada. First, they had to survive, and then prevail and then make a living,” he said.

To learn more go to

www.pioneeracres.ab.ca.