Hello, Diamond Valley. Well, the month of May has arrived and as the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. Or April snow as we did get some need moisture in the form of snow last month. Gardening season has officially come, as well as Parade Weekend which will be the first Saturday in June.
Our Parade will go on this year, which I’m glad of as it is a tradition in our two towns. It is scheduled for June 7 and will be the 57th annual Parade, which starts at 10 am in Black Diamond. Turner Valley then takes over from 11-3 in Millenium Park with lots to see and do in both towns. Full details will follow next issue, but in the meantime, volunteers and sponsors are always welcome. If you are interested, please contact the Town via website, phone, email, or drop in.
The annual Hike for Hospice is coming up on May 4. This is a fundraiser for the Foothills Country Hospice and will go on rain or shine, with a 5 or 10 K run and a 2 or 5 K walk. It is wheelchair, stroller, and dog friendly so why not register and help raise some funds on this fun day. More information and registration can be found at countryhospice.org.
I recently attended some of the series of Brain Health Catalyst at the Sheep River Library, for talks about dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Jennifer was an excellent facilitator, and I learned many things about how these diseases progress and that it’s not the end of a useful and full life. She holds a Conversation Cafe at the Library in Okotoks on the first Wednesday of the month, and they also have these fantastic Memory Kits which you can check out. For more information on this very helpful program and others, visit dementianetworkcalgary.ca.
The Alberta Highway Clean-Up Program is generally held on the first or second Saturday in May, weather permitting. Please watch for people on the sides of highways on your travels. All non- profit groups or clubs are encouraged to participate as a fundraising opportunity, as they could earn $100 per kilometer cleaned. Organizers should contact Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors in advance to request the part of the highway they want to clean.
Speaking of garbage, the Town of Diamond Valley is changing our garbage pick-up to a bi-weekly schedule, starting May 1st. Apparently, we need to compost and recycle more, and send less to the landfills. I’m all for that but it’s going to be more challenging to do so, and sometimes you just have more garbage. Black Diamond will have their blue and green bins picked up on Fridays now. They say our monthly bill will go down, which is always good, but I think it will take a while to establish patterns in our disposal of waste. Okotoks Eco Center does take glass jars, some styrofoams, used batteries and electronics, so that might help a bit, but for more information, go to diamondvalley.town/waste.
A little more about the history of our area, about one of the buildings in Turner Valley, the Wray-McRae building on Main Street. Local author Holly Quan published her debut novel, the Sow’s Ear Cafe, in 2018. The novel is set in this structure. It was originally built in Longview as a laundry and in the 1940s, the two sections of it were moved to its present location, and housed Wray’s insurance business. In 1974 he retired and sold the business to Mary McRae. 1985 saw the business sold to a tea shop. Several restaurants have occupied the space since then, including Route 40 Soup Company. Currently we have the Country Store there, but in Holly’s book, the building follows characters in the fictional town of Sweetwater, and is available at the Sheep River Library or through FriesenPress.com/bookshop. Sounds like a good read and will help support our local authors if you are interested.
Foothills County is looking for people to help with their Social Needs Assessment Survey. They are asking for input from all age groups to identify and understand the unique needs our County is facing. This information that is gathered will help to the Foothills County Social Services to make sure programs and services will be funded and used to the best extent. Please complete this community survey by May 15 by going to foothillscountyab.ca/community/family-community-support.
Always lots going on at our local Turner Valley Legion. You don’t have to be a member to enjoy all the events and food and drink there, although it’s only $55 a year I believe to join. I love going to the Legion, there are seniors, children, and everyone in between and is just a really good atmosphere with a very reasonably priced menu and great volunteers. May 3 they will have the Dutch Canadian Choir come and sing, to help celebrate the Liberation of Holland 45 years ago. Drop by sometime and pick up a newsletter so you can see all the different events that happen at this wonderful Legion.
Any events or news for the month of June, please email me at elaine.w@telus.net before the 15th of May.
Happy Mother’s Day May 11th to all our mothers out there!
Elaine Wansleeben
