Dave and Candy Hamm could not contain their excitement on Monday afternoon, April 19, when their new home arrived on site in the Village of Munson.
The Mail reported in its January 5 edition the couple learned on Christmas Day they won a recycled home. Taber-based Wade’s House Moving, and Structural Precast, a company that does foundations, held a contest awarding a recycled home and foundation to a couple in need.
After four months of waiting they were able to see their new home rolling down the street. They were joined by their daughter and grandchildren for the moment.
“It’s going to take a week to wipe the smile off my face,” Dave told the Mail.
The couple has faced health struggles that set them back financially, and in the meantime, their home was falling into disrepair to the point it would cost more to fix than replace.
“It’s a dream come true… sometimes, the words are hard to find for everything that has gone on,” said Candy.
During the four months between learning they won the house, and it arriving, the couple was busy making arrangements. The permitting had to be applied for, the old home needed to be removed and the utilities moved, and the basement was excavated and a foundation was put in place.
Candy said they were helped along the process a great deal by Dave Wolfe of Greener Homes in Lethbridge, who stepped up to assist them on their journey. As a contractor, he understood what was needed to be completed logistically.
The home was built in 1956 and came from a Calgary neighbourhood. Wade’s made sure the house was in move-in condition for the family. Mr. Wolfe again stepped up and completed some renovations free of charge to adapt the space for the senior couple, including locating laundry facilities on the main floor.
The couple is in awe of how people helped them.
“Just when you think that all the people around you aren’t the nicest, something like this happens, and you find out exactly how many good people there are out there, and there’s a lot of them,” said Dave.
This week the home will be secured in place, but there are still a few renovations that need to be completed before they will be able to move in.

As the number of variant of concern cases of COVID-19 continues to climb, now accounting for nearly 55 per cent of all active cases in the province, eligible Albertans are urged to book an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Locally, following a surge in cases mid-March which saw active cases in the Drumheller Valley rise to a record high of 75 on March 16, cases continue to fluctuate.

“We have now administered more than one million doses of vaccine in the province,” Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said during the Thursday, April 15 COVID update.

It was also announced the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was previously paused due to a rare increased risk of blood clots, was made available to eligible Albertans aged 40 and older starting on Tuesday, April 20; previously the vaccine was not recommended for anyone under 55.

While Grade 7 to 12 students in Calgary schools, both public and Catholic divisions, are moving temporarily to online, at-home learning, local area schools remain open and operating as per usual.

Previously, schools in both Delia and Morrin dealt with outbreaks of COVID-19 among the student population, with both being listed as ‘Outbreak’ on the Government of Alberta’s COVID-19 website. However, Prairie Land School Division Superintendent Cam McKeage tells the Mail, “Both Morrin and Delia School are back to normal with no known cases. I do know they stay at Outbreak status for 28 days I believe, after they get cleared away.”

In the Central Health Zone, which includes the Town of Drumheller, there are 1,187 active variants of concern cases, with 778 recovered and four deaths; further geographical breakdown of variants of concern is not available at this time.

As of Monday, April 19 there are 30 active and 387 recovered cases of COVID-19 for the Town of Drumheller; this includes two active and 179 recovered cases at the Drumheller Institution.

There are 11 active cases in Wheatland County, 12 in Starland County, and 41 in Kneehill County.