The Rosedeer Hotel and Last Chance Saloon are celebrating 100 years this weekend. From Friday, August 9, to Sunday, August 11, there will be live bands, western shootouts, fireworks, and wagon rides to ring in the watering hole's centennial.

    One of Drumheller’s oldest watering holes is celebrating. The Rosedeer Hotel and Last Chance Saloon in Wayne have reached the rare century-old milestone.
    The celebrations get started on Friday, August 9, and continue until Sunday, August 11.
    “I think it’s pretty darn good. We’ve been going 100 years without closing. Most places close every now and then over the years, but this one has always been open,” said Fred Dayman, who operates the establishment with his wife, Alisa.
    Over the weekend there will be live entertainment, provided by the Willow Creek Band, Klondike Kate, and Lori and Gold. On Saturday, there will be a western shootout outside the hotel from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and fireworks at 10 p.m. There will also be wagon rides on Sunday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
    "Everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy the music, buggy rides, the western gun fight, and the fireworks," said Dayman.
    The weekend-long celebration will not only mark the centennial of the hotel and saloon, it will celebrate Dayman's retirement.
    "It's hard to tell how we feel about it, because of how busy it's been. There are moments when we are excited. We've been here for a long time, so it's going to be quite a big change in our lives," said Dayman.
    The couple plans on staying in Wayne.
    "We're going to be staying in Wayne. I can't think of a better place to live and we're just an hour away from the airport, where we can go anywhere in the world."
    On August 14, Dayman will hand the business over to Dave and Videll Arsenault.
    "I'm passing the reins on to Dave and Videll. They spent their honeymoon night here 20 years ago in the honeymoon suite. Videll also spent a lot of time here with her friends when she was younger. We've known each other for a long time, so I'm happy they'll be taking over," said Dayman.
    Just over 30 years ago, Dayman bought the Rosedeer Hotel and Saloon from his mother, who in turn took over from Dayman’s uncle. The Dayman family has operated the hotel since it was built.
    "We built the business. When I bought it from my mom, things were pretty quiet, but over the years we nurtured it and brought it to a world famous place that draws people to the Valley. We've had people visit who specifically came to see the Last Chance," said Dayman.
    The hotel was built in 1913 near the beginning of the coal rush in the Drumheller Valley.  During the boom years, Wayne had a population over 2,500, but plummeted after the coal mines shut down. Families literally moved their homes to other parts of the Valley, following whatever mining work was still available.
    However, the Rosedeer Hotel and Last Chance Saloon persevered and has continued to serve as Wayne’s local watering hole.
    Over the past 30 years, Dayman has strived to grow the business and attract customers. On a hot weekend, the Hotel and nearby campground are packed with tourists enjoying one of the most unique slices of the Valley and, for over two decades, saw huge crowds for motorcycle rallies.
    "We ran the Harley Rally here for 20 years, which was a big part of our business. They wouldn't have happened without the help and support of our families," said Dayman. "We always had a good local crowd coming in. We still have a lot of motorcycles coming through here. There are so many things."
    Dayman said he couldn't have grown the business without his wife, Alisa.
    "She's been working with me for most of the time and has built up the kitchen from one frying pan to putting out 400 orders a day. She's a big part of my life and my business," said Dayman.
    Despite retiring, Dayman isn't ready to leave the Last Chance yet.
    "We're probably going to be staying on with Dave and Videll through the busy season," said Dayman. "Then maybe we'll work part-time for them afterwards."

The Province of Alberta, in response to the disastrous flooding in Southern Alberta in June, is proposing to ban development in areas labelled floodways, which includes much of Drumheller according to the latest flood hazard map from the Province. Drumheller is currently fighting to have the proposal overturned.

    While the flooding that befell Southern Alberta is over, affected communities are still struggling with problems it caused.
    Though Drumheller was spared the devastation seen in communities such as High River, the problems it faces could spell disaster for the town according to Mayor Terry Yemen.
    Under the Province of Alberta’s post-flood proposals is a ban on new developments in areas labelled floodways. Much of Drumheller is labelled as such.
    “If the current mapping is permitted to stand it will kill the Town of Drumheller.  When the map was created, there was no consultation with the municipality, no consideration for the dykes which the Town of Drumheller has in place that proved so effective in 2005 and again in 2013.  They also did not take into account the Town’s requirement to have properties in the food zone be brought to a 1 in 100 year level before a building permit is permitted,” said Yemen.
    In an exclusive interview, The Mail had the opportunity to speak with Associate Minister Greg Weadick, who is overseeing the flood recovery efforts in Southeast Alberta, to learn more about the development ban.

Greg Weadick...
Associate Minister of Regional Recovery and Reconstruction – Southeast

    “The first thing we have to consider is the safety of Albertans. We want to make sure the policies we put in place protect Albertans, their homes, and businesses,” said Weadick.
    “There has always been, in the MGA (Municipal Government Act) a strong recommendation to not build in a flood plain. It’s been part of our requirements for a long time, but there has always been the ability for municipalities to make decisions to allow development in those areas. The legislation will tighten that up, so we don’t have to rescue people from their homes or see them washed away.”
    Weadick has asked a review to be conducted regarding Drumheller’s situation, but could not give a specific timeline as to when it would be completed.
    “I’ve asked for mapping and ESRD (Environment and Sustainable Resource Development) to look into what kind of protection we get from our facilities, like the Dickson Dam. What kind of protection do we get from them and are there operating things we can do to provide more support? I think they will take time as the new committee gets a chance to look at everything and review,” said Weadick. “They’ll take a look at the results from this flood and determine the impact. We’ll be revisiting those and the impact of the Dickson Dam and how it affects things. It may show that some of that (mitigation) protects to a 1-in-100 level.”
    Under the current flood hazard map for the province (www.envinfo.gov.ab.ca/floodhazard), much of Nacmine, lower Midland, Newcastle, North Drumheller, Downtown, Rosedale, Cambria, Lehigh, and East Coulee are within the floodway.
    For now, residents living in floodways or fringes are being asking to undertake mitigation efforts on their homes, such as raising electrical boxes over a 1-in-100 level, use ceramic tiles in basements in lieu of carpets, and moving the furnace higher.
    “We’re asking people in the floodway to get a start on doing some basic mitigation. Then, we’ll work with Drumheller to determine if there’s any mitigation we can do as a community,” said Weadick.
    For the time being, the Town of Drumheller will continue to lobby to have the Province’s proposal revised.