Valley residents are invited to relive an evening with perhaps the most colourful character in the history of Drumheller. An Evening at Fanny’s, on Saturday, February 11 at Fanny's Place
will take guests back on a roaring trip to the prohibition years.
Fanny Ramsley is a legendary figure in the seedier annals of Drumheller history. Fanny opened a brothel in Drumheller in the late 1910s, and was in business for the roaring twenties and dirty thirties.
Fanny and Mary Roper, who also owned a brothel, were two of the most generous people in the Drumheller valley during the years of the Great Depression. The two madams would load a taxi with food and have it delivered to the home of a family in need. Sometimes those in need were the grieving families of miners who had died while working in the mines.
It is because of the generosity of the madams that the Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society chose to hold a fundraiser based, to some extent, on the houses of ill repute. The evening is aiming to recapture that exciting atmosphere.
Guests can mingle with historic characters such as Fanny herself, have an ol’ fashioned fried chicken dinner, listen to some good ol’ honkytonk music, play some games of chance, and witness a live stage show. Guests are encouraged to dress up in their favourite retro finery. Flappers are encouraged.
Tickets can be purchased by phoning the Atlas Coal Mine at 403-822-2220, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Inquiries can be emailed to info@atlascoalmine.ab.ca. The event is restricted to those 18 and older. Guests are asked to arrange a safe ride home.
Proceeds from the evening will go towards the Miner’s Memorial. The memorial will be unveiled in 2012 and the monument will name all of the men who perished in the Drumheller coalfield.
