The much anticipated Drumheller seniors Christmas dinner is returning after a three year hiatus and is undergoing some changes which will see the venue changed and more involvement from the community, including involvement from all three local area schools.
The annual tradition began in 1992 and was originally hosted by students of Drumheller Composite High School (DCHS) before transitioning to Drumheller Valley Secondary School (DVSS).
“It hasn’t been held in a couple of years due to COVID,” explains dinner founder and Drumheller Councillor Tom Zariski. “When I reached out to (DVSS Principal) Curtis LaPierre he said DVSS wouldn’t be able to host it this year.”
This was mostly due to some changes at the school, most poignantly due to changes to the school’s Foods program, which has traditionally had a hand in dinner preparations.
While DVSS is unable to host the dinner on its own, Mr. LaPierre expressed interest in still being involved.
Mr. Zariski says, in light of this change, he reached out to St. Anthony’s School and shared that Principal Celeste Schrock was extremely excited at the possibility of helping with the “legendary” dinner.
Students from Greentree School are also expected to participate in the event through creating decorations such as placemats or centrepieces, while older students from St. Anthony’s and DVSS will be in charge of various hosting duties; this will include preparation of the dinner alongside Double D Catering, escorting seniors to their seats and serving them their dinner. Students from the schools’ respective music programs will also provide live music.
Along with including all three local area schools, the venue will be moved from DVSS to the Badlands Community Facility (BCF), and the name will also change to the Drumheller Rotary Seniors Christmas Dinner as the Drumheller Rotary Club were given naming rights due to a substantial donation in support of the dinner.
Mr. Zariski adds the Town of Drumheller has also contributed some funding towards the event, and the East Coulee Community Association will also be involved; he is currently pending further communication with other community organizations such as the Newcastle and Nacmine Community Associations and Pioneer Trail.
The dinner is free to all seniors in the area, and Mr. Zariski says final details are currently being ironed out. Sign up sheets are available at select locations, including Sunshine Lodge. There is a limited number of seats available as the venue is able to accommodate a maximum of 300 to 350 people.

On September 18th, 2023, Drumheller RCMP General Duty Officers and Drumheller General Investigation Section members, along with key partners including Alberta Sheriff Highway Patrol Officers, and Drumheller Municipal Enforcement Peace Officers initiated a Crime Reduction initiative called “Operation Street Sweep” in Drumheller and surrounding areas.
The initiative included a concerted effort to locate wanted persons on warrants, conduct conditions compliance checks on prolific offenders, and suppress crime and aggressive drivers.
As a result of the operation:
- 7 violation tickets were issued for exceeding the speed limit (all were in excess of 25km/hr over the speed limit);
- 4 violation tickets were issued for various other traffic related offences such as using cell phone while driving, fail to wear seat belt, fail to have insurance on vehicle;
- 4 warnings were issued for various traffic offences;
- 1 impaired driver was arrested and subject to provincial sanctions including suspension of licence and vehicle seizure; and
- 7 wanted persons were arrested on outstanding warrants.
This is the 2nd Operation Street Sweep in the Drumheller area this year. The 1st Operation was on June 12th, 2023 and also involved Peace Officers from Kneehill County, RCMP Traffic Services, and RCMP Police Dog Services. The results of that operation were:
- 12 violation tickets were issued for exceeding the speed limit (all were in excess of 25km/hr over the speed limit);
- 5 violation tickets were issued for various other traffic related offences such as using cell phone while driving, fail to wear seat belt, fail to have insurance on vehicle;
- 1 warning was issued for a traffic offence;
- 1 person was arrested on outstanding warrants;
- 41 residences/prolific offenders where checked to ensure compliance with court conditions;
- 2 persons where charged for breaching their court conditions.
Detachment Commander, S/Sgt. Robert Harms, stated “Operation Street Sweep is a key component of our Policing Priorities and Crime Reduction initiatives in 2023-2024. The operations have been successful to date and will continue going forward. I thank the many officers involved including our key partners who all contribute and help us work towards safer communities and roadways.”
If you have any information regarding criminal activity in the Drumheller and or surrounding areas, please contact Drumheller RCMP at 403.823.7590, call 911, or contact your local Police Service. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.