Another successful Senior’s Christmas Dinner was held on Thursday, December 14th. This was the first year this unique event took place at the BCF, whereas in previous years, it was held at Drumheller Valley Secondary School (DVSS). Once they walked through the door, the students from DVSS and St. Anthony’s School were there to cater to the 350 seniors who attended. Arm in arm, they escorted the guests to their tables, checking their coats and serving them refreshments and food. The school band played seasonal music, creating a warm Christmas-like welcome. Placemats and hand-made decorations were crafted by Greentree School students.
Drumheller Town Councillor Tom Zariski, MC’d the event and Mayor Heather Colberg gave a speech about why the event is so important to her. “This is one of the most amazing events,” she stated, “I’m going into my seventh year as mayor and I always look forward to this because there are just so many wonderful people that I get to visit with and see. You have to enjoy the special moments and have fun. The most important thing in life is to enjoy what we do, enjoy family, and enjoy being around friends.”
Mayor Colberg then acknowledged Zariski and his efforts to make this year’s dinner the great success it was,which generated a huge round of applause.

They say three’s a charm, but four is just plain champion material.
Big Valley Cowboy Zeke Thurston captured his fourth Saddle Bronc Riding World Championship at the PRCA in Las Vegas Saturday night, December 16.
Thurston split sixth place in Round 10 with an 86.5-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Dandy Delight to seal the world championship.
At this year’s competition, he won rounds 1, 5, 8, and 9, and placed in eight of the 10 rounds. This win helped him top his previous single-season earnings mark of $399,916 by finishing 2023 with $456,356.
“I really wanted to go out there tonight and put an exclamation point on the week. That horse was a little bit all over the place and it sure wasn’t a perfect ride, but we weathered it and here we are,” Thurston said.
Thurston now has world championships in 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2023. This puts him in a rare circle of Cowboys with four championships. Only Dan Mortensen, Casey Tibbs and Billy Etbauer have more with six, six and five respectively.
“Yeah, that’s a big deal for me,” Thurston said about joining saddle bronc royalty with at least four world championships. “It’s what I’ve dreamed of doing since I was a little boy. It’s just proof that if you work hard enough and chase your dreams, it’s possible.”
“It’s huge,” Thurston said about representing Canada and capturing another PRCA World Championship. “You get to come and represent the country of Canada and some of the very best bronc riders have come from there. It’s special to keep that legacy rolling.”