HELLO DIAMOND VALLEY
Hello, Diamond Valley. Ah, the month of May. Mother’s Day and the fun job of starting seedlings to plant. My grandparents had a vegetable garden when I was growing up. We would go for Sunday dinner and they would get us kids to pull the vegetables for dinner. They had the best potatoes ever. It wasn’t until years later that I discovered my Grandpa had smuggled the potato seedlings from Denmark when they moved to Canada back in 1957. He carefully planted and tended these seedlings, which were called Bintje, a type of fingerling potato. I have been trying to find these for a while now, so if anyone knows where to get some, please let me know! It sure would be nice to surprise my family with these potatoes for Christmas dinner.
With spring in the air, it is also time to clean up after winter. Project Green Day is tentatively scheduled for May 28 from 12-4. Meet at the BD Town Hall and bring some gloves to help clean up our pathways, pocket gardens, and river banks. There is usually a BBQ held afterwards, but check the Town’s website for full details.
It’s Parade Day coming up! So looking forward to our annual festivities after such a long hiatus. The Parade starts in Black Diamond at 9am, and the festivities continue on in Turner Valley after 11am. Turner Valley’s events include music, face painting, bounce houses, a petting zoo, and artisan market. Other events around town throughout the day include a classic car show and the Library’s book sale. If you would like to book a table for the market, the deadline to do so is May 13. Volunteers are also needed for the weekend, even a couple of hours would be great, please contact either town to find out more. And our Diamond Music Festival is tentatively booked for the Canada Day weekend this year also.
In conjunction with Parade Day, the Sheep Creek Arts Council is hosting their Bake Sale from 11-3 and their Quilt Show from 11-4. If you are interested in submitting a quilt for the show, please call Sheila at 403-931-3989. SCAC continues to have art classes and Friday night one night classes in May and June. Also, they will be holding Quilt Camps this summer and some Kid’s Art Camps.
More info, check out sheepcreekarts.ca. The SCAC is located on Sunset Boulevard in Turner Valley. Right next door is the Valley Neighbour’s Club, and they report they look forward to spring with classes and programs, they have hosted their popular 80th birthday party and floor curling is done for now, but check them out for all they have to offer!
Teen nights at the Oilfields Regional Arena will run Thursday evenings from 6-9. Teen nights are sponsored by A&W, watch for more details on social media and the Town’s website.
Spring also means our campgrounds are open along with road closures opening up for the summer. Highway 546 west of Sandy McNabb campground is open May 14, as well as Gorge Creek Trail. McLean Creek opened April 30, as well as Highway 940 section south of Cataract Creek. Highway 40 from Peter Lougheed Park through to Highwood House opens June 14. By all means plan a drive on one of these roads, the scenery is spectacular. Road closures are put in place during the winter months to provide wildlife easier access to food. Most of our campgrounds open from the beginning to the middle of May. Remember you are supposed to have a Kananaskis Conservation Pass to park in Kananaskis, it is $90 for two vehicles for a year, and the year can start when you purchase a pass. Day passes are also available, $15 for one vehicle.
The Bar U Ranch is also open for the season on May 15 from 10-5, for all the information on this historic ranch, visit pc.gc.ca/baru.
Lastly, the annual Lions Foundation Walk for Guide Dogs will be held on May 29 in Okotoks. Registration starts at 11am, with the Walk commencing at noon. Register and donate online, and collect pledges for the Walk. Dog Guides come with different training, for example, they can drastically change the lifestyles of people with vision or hearing impairment, seizure response, special skills dogs, and autism assistance. Lace up those runners and clip on your dog’s leash for a fun and rewarding walk while helping others in need!
To find out more or to register, visit: purinawalkforguidedogs.com.
If you have any events or news for the month of June, please drop me a line at elaine.w@telus.net. The deadline for this issue is May 15.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Elaine Wansleeben
