Hello, Diamond Valley. What a beautiful spring it has been. At the time of writing, we have put away our snow shovels and planted the garden, as the May long weekend forecast for once did not include snow. So if it did snow you all can certainly blame it on me! I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. The official start to summer is June 21 with the Summer Solstice.
The first Saturday in June is Diamond Valley’s annual Parade Weekend. Start off the day with a Pancake Breakfast at Oilfields High School from 8-10. Bring a lawn chair and pick your spot early for our annual Parade, which starts at 9:30, in Black Diamond. You can find the Parade route online at the town’s website. Remember there will be road closures during the Parade. Afterwards head over to Turner Valley in Millenium Park for all kinds of family fun, including bounce houses, Lion’s Club BBQ, and much more. The Sheep RIver Library is also holding a Book Sale that day.
Also on Parade Day, the Sheep Creek Arts Council will be hosting their annual Rhubarb Bake Sale, with lots of rhubarb pies and other baked goodies. This is their only fundraiser for the year, it runs from 11-3, if you would like to contribute baked goods, please call Bill at 403-880-6048. The address is 133B Sunset Boulevard. The Diamond Valley Quilters also hold their annual Quilt Show the same day, from 11-4, and here you can find amazing quilts, and also see the quilts they have made for Rowan House, the Children’s Hospital, and the Pregnancy Care Center. Anyone wishing to enter their own quilt for a chance at a blue ribbon, call Sheila at 403-931-3985. The Quilt Show is right next door to the SCAC at 133A Sunset. Also the Valley Neighbours Club will be hosting a Plant Sale.
June 10 in the Diamond Valley promises a lot to see and do, starting with the Diamond Valley Community Garden Plant Sale, which will be held from 10-2 in the parking lot of the AG Foods in Black Diamond. The Griffiths Centre in Black Diamond, on Government Road, will be hosting another Repair Cafe from 11-3, please email for an appointment for them to look at and hopefully repair your item. Email is itsasustainablelife@outlook.com.
Then head up to the Rona for a BBQ in support of health and wellness. The BBQ is only $5 and all funds raised will go toward funding health and wellness programs and equipment in the Foothills. The BBQ runs from 11-2.
Another great fundraiser for health and wellness is the annual Sheep RIver Health Trust’s Radiothon on June 22 from 6am- 6pm. Tune into the Eagle 100.9 FM where they will be live broadcasting health and wellness initiatives. The Eagle and the Sheep River Health Trust has supported many great projects in the Foothills over the years. Join them at the Eagle on that day for hourly prizes, food trucks, a vendor market, along with displays showing support for the SRHT. The Eagle is located at 22 Elizabeth Street in Okotoks.
It’s also that time of year for the Millarville Run to the Farmer’s Market on June 17. Partnering with local charities and organizations, this fundraiser is very popular, and the bonus is that the Farmer’s Market opens that day, so after your run you can relax with some breakfast and do some shopping and strolling. To register, donate, sponsor, or to find out more, please visit millarillehalfmarathon.com.
It’s National Indigenous People’s Day on June 21. One famous Cree was Chief Maskepetoon (Broken Arm), who was born in 1807. He was the chief of a small Plains Cree band. Chief Maskepetoon went from a fierce warrior to a strong warrior of peace, and helped many Indigenous people during his time. He also was known to have met and spent time with President Andrew Jackson, and John Palliser the Explorer, and the Swiss Prince Maximilian. There is untold amounts of history in our Indigenous Peoples, check out the Sheep River Library for reading material on this subject.
You have probably all seen the results of the brush fire we had on the northeast side of the highway between our two towns. It goes to show you how careful we must be with fire, as the wind can whip up at any moment and very quickly spread an ash into a major fire. Our hearts go out to Drayton Valley residents and all the other fires that have been burning out of control, and thank you to all the volunteer firefighters who rallied together to help. For up to date information on fires in our province, go to alberta.ca/wildfirestatus, and for road closures, call 511 Alberta. You can also sign up for emergency alerts at Alberta Emergency Alerts. Please have a grate over your firepit or burning barrel, don’t throw your cigarette butts out the window, and when camping, make sure that fire is completely out before leaving or going to bed at night.
Turner Valley will be getting a set of traffic lights where the four way stop is now. And we welcome the new businesses in Diamond Valley, try to pop in and support our local businesses.
Happy Father’s Day June 18, and if you have any news or events for the month of July, please drop me a line at elaine.w@telus.net. The deadline for this issue is June 15.
Elaine Wansleeben
