Hello, Diamond Valley.
Hello, Black Diamond and Turner Valley and all the lovely communities that surround us. How was your summer? With restrictions lifting, there was a lot of families getting together, weddings, family reunions, kids going back to school, and elections looming. Smoke from the Canmore fires drifted close to home, combined with the smoke from BC and eastern provinces made some days quite unbearable. We had a nice bit of rain that started on the 17th, much needed and it seemed to clear the smoke away some. How devastating for wildlife and their habitats, these fires.
The first day of Autumn is September 21, and with it returns live music. I attended two shows so far this year, Dueling Piano Show in Longview, and the Travelling Mabels along with Over the Moon and the Blake Reid Band at the Okotoks Ag Society. I really enjoyed both shows. Beneath the Arch Concert Series is delighted to present the Weber Brothers Duo on October 23, their first show since the virus shut everything down. Check out their upcoming season, season’s tickets, and bursaries on the website, beneaththearch.com.
Turner Valley Legion is pleased to present Dueling Pianos on September 8. They also have a Sunday Farmer’s Market. You don’t have to be a member to enjoy the Legion, kids are welcome, and the atmosphere is just right. The food is good and reasonably priced also, and they have done extensive renovations. Stay tuned for the return of pool, darts, and other fun nights. Thursdays are wing nights. For tickets to the show or more information, drop by or call 403-933-4600.
The kids are back in school on September 1, with staggered entry, with all students fully back by September 7. Check foothillsschooldivision.ca for full details. The Foothills Boys and Girls Club accepts children for before and after school care, field trips and outdoor activities, arts and crafts, nutritious snacks are all just part of the fun of the BGClub. They will be partnered with the Town of Black Diamond on September 25 for a fall family -oriented event. There will be a pop- up market and a performance with the dancers and drummers from Eden Valley, reverse parade, food trucks, and an outdoor showing of Jurassic World, with fireworks to end the evening. Follow BCG Foothills and the Town’s Facebook pages for times, locations, and activities.
The Most Beautiful Art Tour in Alberta is back again this season. Plan your September 10-12 weekend tour on Facebook or The Most Beautiful Art Tour 2021.com. In the Foothills dotted along Highway 22 and 2A, there is a community of artists, craftspeople, and galleries, and they invite you to explore their many different works of art and meet the people who craft them. The Tour includes Kristoferson Studio and Mady Thiel-Kopstein in Turner Valley, Bluerock Gallery and Firebrand Glass Studios in Black Diamond, Eversfield Ceramics, and Lineham House and Okotoks Art Galleries in Okotoks. These Studios and Galleries will be open daily, with some exceptions and hours, so print off a schedule online and plan your road trip! Be sure to include the Leighton Centre Art Gallery and admire their exhibits as well.
I haven’t been to High River for ages but am excited to see the town again for two major events that are back this year. The Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival is scheduled for September 22-26, with top Hot Air Balloonists from around the world flying over High River. The Festival includes passenger rides, volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, and the Main Event, Balloon Glow, on Friday night from 5-8. Feel the heat, hear the blast, and see the glow on this special night, up front and close, for a once in a lifetime experience. Go to heritageinninternationalballoonfestival.com for more info.
High River’s famous River City Classics Show and Shine has got to be one of the biggest and best Car Shows around, with blocks and blocks of antique and classic vehicles to see. Mixed in with the cars are vendors, live music, and businesses opening their doors with specials, bring the family! The Show and Shine runs September 26 from 10-4, check out rivercityclassics.com for more details or to register your own classic car/truck/bike.
The annual Kidney March fundraiser will be held September 10-12 this year. Sign up and collect pledges that will go toward research and awareness. To find out more or to sign up for this year’s walk, go to kidneymarch.ca.
Our own Sheep River Library is very pleased to get back in the swing of things. Not only can you sign out books and materials again, and use the computers, they have many Fall Programs that will interest all ages and hobbies. Just some of the programs offered this fall are Qi Gong, Digital Photography Scanning, Quilting, Fibre Friends, Sheep River Ramblers (a walking/hiking group), Children’s Programs, Book Clubs, Poetry by the Fireside, Drumming Circle, Genealogy, Songwriters, and more. They also bring back the popular Out Loud Series, starting in November. Sheepriverlibrary.ca for more details or to sign up, and the Library is located on Main Street in Turner Valley.
Millarville Race Track’s Chucks, Chariots, and Bullriding is back also this season, the weekend of September 10-12. Friday night the Chucks and Chariots will race starting at 5pm. Saturday morning there will be an antique tractor pull at 10:30, and the Famous Millarville Farmer’s Market will be on from 9-2. More Chucks and Chariot Racing at 3:30, with BRC Bullriding under the lights starting at 7pm. The night caps off with a Cabaret featuring Bucking Horse Moon (love this band) at 9:30. Sunday rounds out the weekend with the Chucks and Chariots Finals at 3pm. Camping is available, for full details and tickets, visit millarvilleracetrack.com.
The history of Chuckwagon Racing started back in 1923 at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, aka the Calgary Stampede. The races were thought of by Guy Weadick, a cowboy who created the Stampede back in 1912. Before the Chucks debuted in 1923, the first Stampede in 1912 presented Stagecoach Racing. Colonel Felix Warren, an American, won the top prize of $250. Chuckwagons were mobile kitchens back in the day, and Chuckwagon Racing involves cutting a figure eight around two barrels. It used to be at the end of the figure eights, your team had to light a fire, and the first smoke won the race. They no longer light a fire but Chuckwagon Racing continues to be a popular sport.
September 19 marks the Bar U Ranch’s Chore Horse Competition. Today’s teamsters will guide their heavy horse teams around a course of skill-testing manoeuvers. See how skills of days-gone- by are demonstrated by drivers. The Competition starts at 1pm. The Bar U Ranch is a historical working ranch located just south of Longview on the Cowboy Trail, for more info, go to pc.gc.ca/baru.
Horse lovers may also enjoy Spruce Meadow’s National Show Jumping on September 1-5. This is an international Show Jumping Show with lots of other things to see and do also. I attended years ago and the Queen of Denmark was there also! The National Show is followed by the Masters September 8-12, and the North American from September 9-14. Millions of dollars are up for grabs in this extraordinary horse jumping show with beautiful horses, often worth millions of dollars on their own. For a full schedule of events, visit sprucemeadows.com.
It’s Election Time again, please vote! We have a municipal election in Black Diamond on October 8. Nominations for mayor and six councilors is open until September 20. Maybe you have a voice that you would like heard and will run for a position on Council. Information on candidates and the election can be found on Black Diamond Town’s website. Information regarding the pending amalgamation can be found there as well.
And there will most likely be a Federal Election called for September 20. Dissolution of Parliament is not automatic and Governor General Mary Simon could say no to an election, but this is a rare occurrence. All I can say, is vote! Take some time to review candidates and make a difference in our world.
Finally, condolences to the family of Rolly Magee, who was Black Diamond’s mayor for many years. He started out as a councilor in 1995, and served as mayor from 1998-2008. Rolly was instrumental in many projects around town, including the Main Street Revitalization Project, developing the Scott Seaman Sports Rink, and Street Paving Program, among others. Rolly volunteered for many events and was just a real sweetheart all around. It’s nice to see his work still in place after all these years.
If you have any events happening in October that you would like to see in the High Country News, please drop me a line at elaine.w@telus.net. The deadline for this issue is September 15.
Happy Grandparents Day on September 12 to all the wonderful grandparents out there!
Elaine Wansleeben
