hpn july a
DESCRIPTION
In this issue: Cremona Cowboys honoured by Cremona Council, Canada Day in Pictures, Mayor's Corner, Fishing with Frank and Thailand Travels with ScottTRANSCRIPT
HPNwww.hitchingpostnews.com
Volume 2 * Issue 7A
Inside this IssueCremona Cowboys honoured by Village Council for accomplishments
Canada Day in Pictures
Mayor’s Corner
Fishing with Frank
Thailand Travels with Scott
JulyA_Layout 1 7/11/2012 4:24 PM Page 1
2 • Volume 2 , Issue 7A • Hitching Post News
Distributed FREE to Cremona, Water Valley,Carstairs, Crossfield and Sundre, Didsbury & theRural Routes of Carstairs, Crossfield, Madden,
Dog Pound, Didsbury, Sundre, Bergen and Bottrel
Deadline for the Second July
issue is:
July 20 , 201211am
Paper Release Date:
July 26, 2012
Paper Day is
Thursday
HITCHING POST NEWS
Office Hours:9am-3:30pm
Phone: [email protected]
EditorTara Jenkins
PublishersTara Jenkins & Angela Lambert
Staff CartoonistSimon Oleny
[email protected]@hitchingpostnews.com
Box 456Water Valley, AB
T0M 2E0
Keeping Our Communities Connected!
Dear Editor,
Reluctantly I find myself being compelled to providing context after
reading the Cremona Mayor's most recent spin effort in vol. 2, issue 6B of
the Hitching Post News (p.4) in which she stated:
“There has been a lot of attention given to the salaries of council and
administration. In the spirit of transparency I am presenting everyone with
the following information.”.
I am attaching supporting documents that you may feel free to publish,
although only attach them so that you may confirm that the following are,
to use the Mayor's own words, “verifiable facts” to clarify “unfounded
claims of misinformation” (HPN vol.2,iss5A,p.9). The originals of the
documents can be viewed by all readers of HPN at Linda's Hair in Cremona.
The first item has to do with my earnings on the Mountain View Seniors
Housing Board as being $7,143. As you can see by the attached document
that was supplied to the Mayor by Mountain View Seniors Housing
(MVSH), the Mayor came up with this amount by adding the amount of
$1,988.71 (that represents mileage and other expenses) to $5,155.00 (that
represents compensation for my time).
In my mind transparency requires presenting facts so that the reader is not
left drawing conclusions. Due to numerous issues surrounding MVSH last
year, from cost overruns and insolvent contractors at the new lodge to hiring
a new CAO, 2011 required a lot of work from the board. I sit on the board
and also on two committees (building and personnel), one of which I am the
chair. The $5,155.00 was for attending 23 meetings, 2 three day
conferences (one in Leduc and one in Edmonton) and 2 Saturday “planning
sessions” (which were also attended by the Mayor for which she also
received $650.00). Board members were paid $130.00 for 3 hour meetings
plus $30.00 per hour for traveling fees and mileage is reimbursed at 50.5
cents per kilometer. For items such as attending the opening of the new
lodge I made no claim for compensation (unlike the Mayor who charged the
Village $65.00 to attend).
Now that MVSH is “on track” board and committee meetings have been
reduced to eery second month, and as other board members were able to
attend the conferences this year, both my compensation and my expenses
for MVSH will be less than half of what they were in 2011. Any reader who
wishes to confirm this information can do like the Mayor did and approach
MVSH for confirmation.
Perhaps the “attention given to salaries” referred to by the Mayor was due
to a villager, during the “question period” portion of a recent council
meeting, wanting to know why the Mayor had given he Deputy Mayor my
other position (board member on the regional Waste Management
Commission board that represented 7.2% of my total annual income) in
October 2011 leaving me with only the MVSH board position. (It should
be noted that they Mayor sits on seven and the Deputy Mayor sits on five
committee and board positions.) The Mayor's reply was “that's just the way
it is”. She also appeared to be uncomfortable when questioned about other
items that she did at the taxpayers' expense, such as attending a SPOG
meeting, a hydraulic fracking presentation, a parade in a neighbouring
county (ie – the Caroline Parade) – none of which really benefit the
Cremona taxpayer. However, it seems that if the Mayor wishes to attend
something then it is a legitimate expense claim. She does not require
authorization from Council. For what it is worth, I also attended the
fracking presentation, but it never occurred to me that this was another
opportunity to stick it to our beleaguered taxpayers.
Fortunately, Villagers will no longer have the opportunity to ask such
embarrassing questions at council meetings because, as of June, the Mayor
has now unilaterally eliminated both the “open forum” and the “question
period” - that she had implemented to replace the open forum. This from
the advocate of “the spirit of transparency”. As my Revenue Canada notice
of assessment for 2011 (attached) will attest, my income from all sources
was $15,045. The Mayor's action of reducing my income by 7.2% (
$1,083.35) is a move that is best summed up by the latin legal maxim “res
ipsa loquitur” - the thing speaks for itself. (And shouldn't the electors be
the ones to punish elected officials at re-election time?)
Letter to the Editor
Summer feels well and truly here (though by the time you
get this we may be getting some rain or other extreme
weather). In between playing in the blow up pool and
BBQs HPN has been seen out and about. Canada Day in
our area was a great affair with trips to Cremona, Didsbury
and Sundre. See page 7 for photos of that adventure.
Please take note that our letter to the editor this issue has
some added documents we simply didn’t have room for.
The full article is available on our website complete with
the added information provided to us.
We welcome letter to the editor submissions, but note that
we can not publish them anonymously. HPN is a great
forum to share information with a lot of local people, we
also would like to remind everyone that the submission
(especially those in the letter to editor section) are the
opinions of the writer and not necessarily those of the
publishing team.
JulyA_Layout 1 7/11/2012 4:24 PM Page 2
Keeping Our Communities Connected! Hitching Post News • Volume 2 , Issue 7A• 3
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The second item has to do with transparency with the CAO salary. The
Mayor states this amount as $90,697.00. This does not appear to include
benefits. Moreover, why does the mayor not include the CAO's expenses,
as she did with my “remuneration”? His mileage expenses alone for 2011
were $2,509.35. This does not include his meals or hotel expenses (ie –
AUMA convention, CAO convention...). It would be nice to see fair and
consistent presentation of “verifiable facts”. From where I sit the Mayor's
numbers look more like moving targets.
I would suggest, in “the spirit of transparency”, that the following
information be provided for context. In the October 2011 council meeting
the Mayor and Deputy Mayor voted to move the CAO salary from salary
grid step 4 ($89,416.00 per annum or $49.13 per hour) to step 5 (92,103.00
or $50.61 per hour). Anyone who wishes to do so, under access to
information legislation can obtain CAO compensation information from
Municipal Affairs. For 2010 a comparison of compensation packages for
village CAOs indicates a range from $28,185 (Glendon, pop 483) and
$32,695 (Caroline, pop 515) to $78,849 (Foremost, pop 524) and $93,811
(Cremona, pop 463). By contrast, as councillor I earn $150.00 per month
plus $30 per council meeting. For further context – as I spend about 10
hours a week on speaking with villagers, business owners, municipal affairs
and reviewing correspondences, minutes, etc, - that works out to $3.75 per
hour, less than half of what students make at their summer jobs with FCSS.
The final item is a reflection on a recent letter to the editor in your paper in
which the writer felt that our village was better represented by three elected
officials. Had this individual attended even one council meeting recently he
would have observed what was blatantly obvious to students in a Social
Studies class from Cremona School (see page 3 of the November 29, 2011
issue of the Carstairs Courier) that had attended the November 2011 council
meeting. Since I am the only councillor who opposes items such as
draconian water shut off procedures to ridiculous parking fines that go all
the way up to $200.00 and hitch hiking fines of $70.00, and yet 99% of
these RFDs are passed by council, Cremona's governance is closer to that
exercised by President Assad in Syria. I signed the dissolution petition, and
I am proud to admit it.
I thank you for allowing me to help further “the spirit of transparency”. I
could go on, but I am hoping that your readers will recognize spin when
they see it, and when the mayor refers to “council”, that she does not speak
for me.
Yours truly,
Karel Beckman
Councillor, Village of Cremona
Publishers note: All supporting documents referenced in the above letter
have been posted on our website; www.hitchingpostnews.com
Letter to the Editor Continued
JulyA_Layout 1 7/11/2012 4:24 PM Page 3
4 • Volume 2 , Issue 7A • Hitching Post News Keeping Our Communities Connected!
It’s amazing how much can be
accomplished when a small group of
energetic volunteers come together
with a common goal. That energy is
contagious and tends to draw in
more right up to the last second to
ensure a success story such as
Cremona Day 2012
To think that a small village can
triple its population in a one day
celebration is quite the feat. The
Cremona Canada Day enthusiasm
has been carried on for years now
with no stoppage in sight. It is
important to recognize our
community groups, as each has
spent hours to contribute something
special to Cremona on Canada Day.
It is with that idea in mind that the
Cremona Day Committee hopes to
convey our most sincere gratitude to
the many volunteers who made this
day special!
Each year The Lion’s Club plays a
huge role in contributing to the
success of Cremona’s Canada Day.
They run the family races, build the
money infused sand pit, arrange and
pay for the entertainment tent, offer
the pancake wagon for breakfast, set
up their chuck wagon to feed us and
are willing to help with any other
tasks as needed. Thank you to all the
Lions who help to keep us
entertained and our tummies happy!
Linda Baur, you have contributed so
much of your time to making
Canada Day special in Cremona for
years! Your experience with
offering local entertainment is
unparalleled in our community!
Cremona’s three churches banded
together to offer a non-
denominational church service.
What a treat this was for everyone
that attended!
The Cremona and District
Emergency Services personnel
provide us with a delicious breakfast
each year, and facilitate the
spectacular fireworks show. Our
local firefighters set off our amazing
fireworks in the rain for us this year.
Thank you to The Cremona Hall
Board for the use of your facilities
throughout the day. The Hall was the
perfect location to host the pancake
breakfast and the laser tag in the
evening.
To The Cremona & District
Recreation Board, we thank you for
your continuing support in our
community, and for making the laser
tag possible.
Thank you to all the kids who
dressed up in Canada Day garb and
handed out all the pre-parade candy
to get the ball rolling. We appreciate
our very special parade marshals,
Mrs. Elma Bird, Mr. Alan Reid and
Mr. Mick Earle, who represented the
founding families of Cremona.
Carstairs Ford’s generosity was
wonderful, as they lent us a beautiful
red F150 for our marshals to ride in.
RCMP Constable Mamchur and
Corporal Wright, thank you for
leading our parade - the two of you
looked very professional and
official. The many parade entries
always make the parade extra
special, and we should take time to
recognize the efforts of everyone
who entered and made the parade
one of the best yet! Shauna Ward
and Dennis Atter effortlessly
handled our parade registration and
MaryAnn McLean Bouck did a
wonder job lining up our parade
participants. We appreciate the
efforts of our judges – Caroline
McBain, Michael and Xian Kerfoot.
An excellent addition to our parade
this year was Darren Jacobson & the
Cremona Senior High School Band
– you did an outstanding job!
Volunteers and participants alike
were instrumental in making the
Antique Tractor Pulls a success! A
special tip of the hat to Don Smith,
Brenda Pawson-Smith, Cam Reid,
Harris Gardner, Mark Gardner, Gord
Leask and Dick Ross who worked
for weeks on end to get everything
ready for our tractor pull, and the
Olds Two Cylinder Club for the use
of equipment and volunteers. Jim
Waiting from Olds Import Sales
provided the pull-back tractor which
was an absolute necessity for our
event to happen. Thanks also to
Harris, as he built the float and ran
his personal tractor to level the pull
area after each pull. Johnnie and
Kim Wingert donated the trophies to
the event, Cam Reid helped out
building the sled, announcing and
gave support where he could, and
Don Smith, Harris and Mark
Gardener built a brand new pull sled
- their time and financial
contributions should not go
unnoticed.
The Adult Ball Tournament is a
mainstay in the day, and without
Chad Bellamy’s organization it
would not have happened.
Hopefully the rain held off until the
tournament ended. Thanks also goes
out to Shane Jacobs and Dawn and
Kent Armstrong who were
instrumental in making the Family
Baseball happen.
Did any of you notice the Cremona
Trivia posted around town? Dorit
Bird gathered these tidbits of
information about Cremona for us,
and we are all the more
knowledgeable about our village
now because of it.
To the Gold & Silver Club Members
– thank you for opening your
museum, offering tea and coffee to
those who visited and providing a
nice atmosphere for people to visit
throughout the day. Jean Knect
organized the crib tournament, and it
was enjoyed by a number of people.
Special attention should be given to
Didsbury Pharmasave, who donated
parade participant bags at the
absolute perfect time, and Ken
Mainprize, who donated 16 pounds
of candy which was used to fill some
of those bags, and the rest being
used for our clowns to hand out to
everyone at the parade to enjoy.
Others donated candy as well; thank
you for donating something to help
make Cremona’s Canada Day a
great time.
Thank you to Wendy Buckton and
Betty Ann Horbay for organizing
crafts to entertain the kids, and to
Lynn Christian who helped them
out. A great job by Annessa Good
and the Cremona FCSS summer
staff for running the children’s
games and face painting.
Shirley and Shawn at Mountain
View Waste Commission were
helpful in setting up our garbage
bins and recycling trailer. Larry and
Jeremy from our Village’s
Maintenance Department helped in
all aspects of the day and in the
beautification of Cremona both
before Canada Day and afterward.
Thank you to Cremona’s restaurants
for participating in a “Taste of
Cremona”.
Lastly, thank you to everyone who
participated in the day! Without
your attendance, the day would not
have been as successful! We look
forward to continued success with
Canada Days in the future!
Our July 1st wrap up meeting was
held on July 9th. If you were unable
to attend, but have suggestions to
make 2013’s Cremona Day better,
please forward them to
cremonacommunityprojects@yahoo
.com or by mail in care of Village of
Cremona, Box 10, Cremona, AB,
T0M 0R0.
Volunteerism is alive and well in CremonaSubmitted by Teri Minton, Community Projects Coordinator
JulyA_Layout 1 7/11/2012 4:24 PM Page 4
Keeping Our Communities Connected! Hitching Post News • Volume 2 , Issue 7A• 5
In Holland, back in 1954, my dad,great uncle and some of their friends
created the Casting Club of The
Hague (Castingclub 's-Gravenhage).
Dad was the editor of the club
newsmagazine where he translated
and wrote much of the content. My
great uncle was president, was well
known in the fishing community and
companies regularly sent him
equipment to test. The club held
regular meetings, casting lessons
and international casting
competitions. Well, that Club
affiliation came to an end in May of
1958 when Mom, Dad, my sister,
then 9 years old, and I, then 2,
emigrated to Canada and ended up
in Calgary.
Over the next 18 years Dad taught
me all he knew in casting, both spin
and fly, and we went on many
adventures and our relationship was
very much like the father-son duo in
the movie "A River Runs Through
It" (some scenes were eerily
identical actually). The Bow was our
home river, though we did venture
further afield from time to time.
I wound up being recruited to
Edmonton for seven years
competing as a member of Canada's
National track team while attending
the University of Alberta. After
retiring from my successful
international track career and
graduating with two degrees from
the UofA, I couldn't wait to come
back to Calgary to work in my new
career in education and to fish with
my Dad in the world class Bow
River, but it wouldn’t last. Within a
few years Dad retired from the CPR
and with Mom moved to Vancouver
Island. My best fishing pal was gone
again and Calgary was growing at
an alarming rate and I was
beginning to feel crowded.
Well, a bunch of years later I got
outta town and I bought a place
along Dogpound Creek. I traded an
inner city, noisy, cheek by jowl yet
isolated, cement and concrete life
for space, trees, wildlife and quiet
(except for many different kinds of
bird song). It was perfect for a
suddenly single fellow who needed
to escape vagarious life, reinvigorate
and move on to the next phase.
Fishing on the Dogpound within 100
meters of my door was a blissful
time. There are some scary big
brown trout in that stream. I took
some video of them spawning one
fall and was surprised and fascinated
by their number and size. That video
played for a season non-stop at a fly
fishing shop in Cochrane. New
circumstances, Susan and horses,
had me trade up my bachelor pad for
an 80 acre parcel of rocks, some
forest, a tiny creek with a beaver
pond and pasture land. While
moving away from the Dogpound
was a little hard, I am now near the
Little Red Deer river with the Fallen
Timber also close by and the Burnt
Timber 45 minutes due west. In
other words I'm in fly fishing
paradise!
For fun a few years back I went on
the Internet to see if Dad's old
casting club was alive and on the
net. It was, and I promptly sent an
email to the site editor explaining
that I was the son and grand-nephew
of two of the original members and
that my dad was still living and on
Vancouver Island with my Mom. I
received a very tentative letter
asking for more proof. I emailed my
Dad to send me a good photo of the
members from back then. I got that
email and added names and arrows
indicating who everyone was and
sent it to Holland. I then received an
enthusiastic response! It turned out
that Dad is the last surviving
original member and I forwarded
this note to him.
(above - My Dad is the tall guy with
glasses, 3rd from the left, and Oom
Klaas, my Great-Uncle is the fellow
with the checker tie and white shoes.
This is a casting class in a local
school gymnasium)
(above - Here they are practicing
casting. They dressed up for casting
classes in those days. Suit, or sport
coat, and tie. below - A casting
competition with some fellows
about to cast.)
Dad began writing stories for the
club magazine again! And, in time, I
began to do the same while a
friendship grew between the editor,
Ron, and I. It wasn't long when I
extended an invitation for him to
come over to fly fish the streams I
had written about. In 2009, Ron and
his friend Harry came in early July
for a two week hard-core session in
bush fishing, Alberta style.
July 2009 was hot and dry. The
spring hadn't given much
precipitation so the rain fed streams
were low and rather warm. There
was talk of catch and release fishing
everywhere to minimize the damage
to already stressed fish stocks. So,
fishing was hard and thin for the
boys from Holland. They loved the
wildness of everything and when
their two weeks was up they
promised to come back again.
In August of 2010, both Ron and
Harry returned and had a much
better fishing experience. I had set
them up for a float on the Bow
River. A student of mine is a fine fly
fisherman and his father is a
professional guide. This adventure
put smiles on my friends faces as
each landed good fish and enjoyed
the scenery. The Browns in the
neighbourhood were much more
willing to take flies than the
previous year. In fact, on the Fallen
Timber, Ron caught "the fish of his
life" and was more than thrilled to
have done so. Harry caught many
fish, even a small Bull Trout and a
nice Cutthroat. And I didn't do so
bad either.
Ron with the fish of his life (above)
Harry with another nice Brown
(above)
I had a great day with this one!
2011 had Susan and I head off to
Europe, for me to see the 'old
country' and for Susan to get off the
continent and see what my mom
means by 'real' antique, not the 'early
attic' they have around here! We
stayed mainly at Ron's place for a
good ten days of Dutch sightseeing,
including where I used to live, and a
visit to the clubhouse with some
beer and freshly smoked eel and
mackerel with the members of Dad's
old casting club. Then a road trip
through Belgium and Germany and
back before Sue and I headed off by
train to Versailles and Paris on our
own. Paris was the highlight for me
with us watching the final leg of the
Tour de France. Amazing pageantry,
everything I had watched for years
on television and now we were
there! That experience hooked me
on cycling again.
Soon after our return, I found the
road bike of my dreams at Bike Bros
in Cochrane and promptly began
putting 1000 kilometers a month on
it. I signed up for the Enbridge Ride
to Conquer Cancer, a 200 km in two
days fund raising challenge in
support of the Alberta Cancer
Foundation. This event takes place
on the 23 and 24 of June, just 12
days away. For more information go
to www.conquercancer.ca/goto/leaddog
As I sit and write this in early June
with rain drumming on the roof and
thundering rolling outside, the
streams are flooding from the heavy
rains of the last few days. The boys
from Holland are coming back in
early July. I hope the rivers calm
down by then, but there are dire
warnings of heavy flooding
especially for the mountain streams,
like the Bow, where the record
snowpack has still to come down.
Perhaps our rain and spring fed
streams from the foothills will be
spared. As usual in this somewhat
wild part of the world, fishing is hit
and miss with mom nature still
calling all the shots.
To and From Old and New LandsBy Frank van Doorn
JulyA_Layout 1 7/11/2012 4:24 PM Page 5
Keeping Our Communities Connected!6 • Volume 2 , Issue 7A• Hitching Post News
Two Men in Thailand - Ode to BangkokTravel Log with Scott Davis
OK, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I
was wrong about you Bangkok, and
you have my sincere apologies.
Oh sure, you lack the spit and polish
of Hong Kong, but you have a glitz
and glamour matched by only a few
cities anywhere. You also have a
sense of mystery and intrigue all of
your own, and your bars and
boutiques draw throngs of pleasure
seekers from all over the world.
Yes, you are crowded and chaotic,
but your ten million citizens coexist
with remarkable civility. You have a
fascinating blend of the old and the
new, with both a fun loving, forward
looking attitude and a deep respect
for your culture and traditions.
While you may sprawl across the
plains of south central Thailand in a
manner that would make Los
Angeles envious, you also cram a
remarkable number of people and
activities into a small amount of
space. And so what if you have your
seedy side in Khoasan Road and the
red light districts: what city doesn’t
have a black eye or two?
Your office towers and hotels may
not be as tall as other cities, and they
may be spread across the landscape
like grain elevators across the
Saskatchewan plains; but your
modern skyline still impresses.
What is even more impressive are
the historic religious and
government buildings standing in
the skyscraper’s shadows, still
dignified and unthreatened.
As the capital city, you are the seat
of power for the whole nation, but
you also dominate the country’s
religious, cultural and economic life
like few capitals in the world.
You’re quite the place Bangkok, and
I wish I had more time to discover
your many qualities.
Boogeying Around Bangkok
So what made me change my mind
in just a day? It was easy. I figured
how to get out and see something,
and I saw quite a bit in a short period
of time.
It all started when I bought a special
map from an English bookstore on
Sukhumvit Rd., on the north side of
the street in the shadow of the
towering Skytrain. I plotted a route,
and I was on my way.
I bought a Skytrain day pass for 120
Baht, and was soon going westward
from the Asok station to the Siam
Central transfer station. I dropped to
street level to check out the Siam
Square market, which would have
been interesting if I was in the
market for a handbag, sexy shoes, or
lingerie.
I went back to Siam Central
Skytrain, took the Silom Line, and
headed south. In no time, I had
disembarked at the Saphan Taskin
station, just a short walk from the
Sathorn Central Pier on the Chao
Phraya River. Another 150 Baht
later, I had a day pass for the Chao
Phraya tourist boat. This entitled me
to ride the river all day, and get off
and on as many times as I wanted, at
any pier on the ferry’s route.
I rode the ferry from one end to
another, then back again to the
Sathorn Pier. This allowed me to
take photos of the amazing views on
both sides of the river, and enjoy the
bustling traffic on the waters of the
Chao Phraya.
From the Sathorn, Pier, I went north
again, and disembarked at the Tha
Thien Pier, which is just a few steps
away from the Grand Palace and the
city’s two biggest and most famous
wats (Buddhist temples), Wat Phra
Kaeo and Wat Pho. I didn’t have
time to tour either one, but I did
circumnavigate their gated walls,
and was able to take a few pictures
that more than hint at the grandeur
that lies within. I also walked
through the Saranrom Palace
Gardens, an oasis of tranquility and
one of the city’s greatest public
parks.
From the gardens, it was back to the
Tha Thien Pier, then back to Sathorn
Central and onto the Skytrain. I took
the Silon line to its western
terminus, and dropped to street level
to inspect the National Stadium.
Then it was back on the Silom
Skytrain to the Sala Daeng station,
where I walked across the street to
Lumpini Park, another oasis and the
city’s biggest and oldest park.
After exploring Lumpini for a while,
I walked out of the park’s east gate
for dinner and a stroll around the
Suan Lum Night Bazaar.
By this time, I was getting a little
tired, so I headed back to my hotel,
via the Silom line to the Siam
Central Station, where I changed
trains and headed back east. I
disembarked at the Nana station, and
a few minutes later I was back in my
hotel room.
I’m sorry if this all sounds
confusing, but my point is, you can
see a lot of Bangkok in very little
time if you know where you are
going and how to get there, without
wearing out a lot of shoe leather and
blowing a bundle on taxis and tuk-
tuks.
I got a whole new appreciation for
Bangkok today, and am kind of
sorry that I have to leave tomorrow.
But I left enough unexplored that I
may be encouraged to come back
some day, and that’s not something I
expected when I got out of bed this
morning.
So long Bangkok. I hope you will
accept my apologies, and I hope to
see you another day.
Next Issue:
His Thailand trip now history, Scott
heads Down Under, and arrives just
in time for the Australia Day
celebrations.
Cremona United Church opened in 1937 and is celebrating its 75th
Anniversary this year.
With joy and thanksgiving the occasion was marked with a special
Anniversary Service on Sunday, June 10, 2012 at 3:00 p.m.
The church was filled to capacity as favourite hymns were sung and
enjoyed. Talents were shared with all as two violin solos and a flute and
piano duet were performed for our listening pleasure. A lunch
afterwards provided an opportunity for visiting and reconnecting with
friends.
A certificate of congratulations from the Government of Canada in
recognition of the 75th Anniversary and pioneer spirit was received as
well as greetings from across Canada and New Zealand.
Regular Sunday Services at 10:30 a.m. Church contact: Rev. P. Marie
Wedderburn 403-637-2200
Where a warm welcome awaits with refreshments after service.
Cremona Village Council honoured
the Cremona Cowboys Atom
Hockey Team for their
accomplishment of the Triple
Crown this past hockey season.
Their hard work and dedication
paid off when they won their
crown, but it also puts Cremona on
the map. These ambassadors for
team sports were presented with
banners.
Cowboys Celebrated
Tara Jenkins
Greetings from Cremona United Church
Submitted by Sheila Snowdy
moth photo submitted by Sheila
Korney
JulyA_Layout 1 7/11/2012 4:24 PM Page 6
Keeping Our Communities Connected! Hitching Post News • Volume 2 , Issue 7A• 7
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HPN took a whirl wind tour of three communities on Canada Day. The Pancake breakfast
provided by Cremona and District Emergency Services started the day off well. The
following parade did not disappoint. The Old Fashioned Tractor Pull was also a great event in
Cremona to take in. A trip to Didsbury uncovered the Didsbury Fun Flyers showing off their
planes and treating spectators to a show. Sundre, though rainy was full of fun at the museum.
Canada Day Celebrations 2012
JulyA_Layout 1 7/11/2012 4:24 PM Page 7
Keeping Our Communities Connected!8 • Volume 2 , Issue 7A• Hitching Post News
JulyA_Layout 1 7/11/2012 4:24 PM Page 8
Hitching Post News • Volume 2 , Issue 7A• 9Keeping Our Communities Connected!
Summer is upon us! Hopefully your
family was able to enjoy the July 1st
festivities in Cremona or
surrounding communities. We had
fantastic weather….hopefully more
will come!
A reminder to everyone that our
Summer Fun program runs three
days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday
& Thursday) from 9 am to 3:30 pm
each day. The program is open to
kids ages 6 to 12, and only costs
$2.50/child/day (or $5/week). The
summer staff is amazing at planning
fun activities for everyone to
participate in – so far, (and this is
just a few things) they have planted
a garden, had a massive water fight,
done lots of great crafts, played
floor hockey, had freeze dance
contests and been to the playground
numerous times. The days are
jammed full! No sign up is
required, just drop in with a lunch &
water bottle, your $2.50 & join in!
We’ll be running the program until
August 23.
We’ll be joining in on Didsbury’s
Summer Fun Bus Trips again this
year. The trips this year include
Discovery Canyon (July 12),
Calgary Zoo (July 26), Calaway
Park (August 2) and Calgary
Science Center (August 16). The
cost for the bus trips is $40/person
& includes transportation,
admission & supervision.
Participants must bring their own
lunch & water. These trips are open
to kids ages 6 to 12 & you must pre
register & pay one week in advance
of the trip. Only 10 spots are
available each trip. Gather some
friends and call the FCSS office to
register!
Annessa has been working on some
teen activities over the summer. On
July 5, she hosted a floor hockey
tournament. On July 26, a fancy
drink and movie night is being
planned, on August 9 a free gym
night will be held at Cremona
School, and on August 16, you can
“Live, Love, Laugh….EAT!”
Posters will be up in the community,
so keep your eyes open! These
activities are open to those ages 12
& up, and cost only $3. Snacks and
prizes are provided.
Cremona/Water Valley signed up
again for the Choose Well
Challenge. It’s a program organized
by Alberta Parks & Recreation, to
bring awareness to the importance
of making better lifestyle choices –
food and physical activity. Idea
calendars were sent home with
Cremona School Elementary
students to give families some ideas
of what different activities they
could participate in together. I hope
you & your family are able to use
some of the ideas, or create some
new ones! We have also added the
Choose Well component into our
Summer Fun program, by
increasing the physical activity we
do with the kids, and encouraging
healthier snacks. The FCSS office
has many brochures on the Choose
Well Challenge and related topics.
Stop by to pick some up if you’re
interested.
Summer hours at the FCSS office
will be a bit more sporadic July &
August – I’ll be in the office on
Tuesdays from 9 am to 3:30 pm, and
either Wednesday or Thursday from
9 am to 3:30 pm. (the office will be
closed the last week of July/1st
week of August for holidays –
Summer Fun will still go as
planned) You may contact me at
any time by calling 403-637-3731
or email me
[email protected]. Our
July/August newsletters were
mailed out a this week…if you did
not receive one, they can be found at
the office, Mountain View Credit
Union, Village of Cremona, Water
Valley General Store and the Aspen
Café, or on our website –
http://cremonafcss.wetpaint.com/.
Have a great rest of the summer!
Sidewalk Construction Open House
On July 24, 2012 an open house is
being sponsored by the Village of
Cremona in regard to the
construction of the sidewalk on the
north side of Railway Ave., between
Center Street and First Street East.
The purpose of the open house is to
allow for interested parties to meet
with the village engineer, Mr. Ron
Kitagawa to discuss the construction
plans. This will be done on a one to
one bases to eliminate the possibility
of anyone feeling intimidated by
individuals or a large group. Your
comments will be documented and
brought to Council for their
consideration. The open house will
be held at the Cremona Gold and
Silver Hall, 113 Center Street. It
will run from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. I
hope you will take the time to attend
and find out the facts about the
project. Advertisements will be
posted and a mail out will be sent
before the meeting takes place.
Cremona Cowboys Atom Hockey
Team
At the June council meeting Council
proudly recognized the Cremona
Cowboys Hockey Team with
personalized banners for their
incredible Triple Crown
accomplishment. This amazing
little (only 11 members) team
consisting of Denton Argent, Brody
Coleman, Tage Fawns, Brandon
Tetz, Kyle Crosbie, Dane Bennett-
Nimijean, Dayton Foster, Julien
Ducharme, Dylan Laye, Madison
Black and Dawson Laye hold the
titles of 2012 CAHL Tier 2
Champions, 2012 Provincial Atom
D Champions and Tournament of
Champions Atom A Champions.
These young people represented
Cremona all over Alberta this past
winter with the upmost of class and
sportsmanship. Our athletic
programs would not be possible
without the dedicated parents,
volunteers and coaches. A special
thanks to Coach Clair Crosbie and
Assistant Coaches Terry Black and
Jody Laye. CONGRATULATIONS
CREMONA COWBOYS!
Cremona Toddler Park
In December 2010 Council created
the Cremona & Community
Recreation Partnership. The
committee’s mandate was to raise
funds to erect a Toddler Playground
for youth in our community who are
unable to use the school park during
school hours.
Playground construction began June
26, 2012 in the south west corner of
the Old Tennis Court next to the
Village office and Cremona Public
Library. There are many advantages
to this location. First the Tennis
courts are presently fenced which
help keep small children off the
roadways. Secondly, the park’s
proximity to the Library encourages
Library use and literacy. Not to
mention children will have access to
bathrooms when either the Village
or Library is open. Only a small
portion of the court will be used, the
Playground surface area will be 53’
X 32’ so that available basketball
nets can still be used.
Play Quest is the equipment
provider and GPI is the installer of
the solid rubber surface. Equipment
was constructed June 26 by
Volunteers and a Play quest
employee. The solid Pour-In-Place
surface installation began July 3.
The surface will take 7 days to set
and dry. Weather permitting children
should be able to enjoy our new
facility as of July 13, 2012. A
plaque will be hung on site
recognizing all contributors and
their generosity at a ceremony to be
held in September. The Village will
maintain the facility, but there will
be very little maintenance once
project is complete. The playground
will be valued at $48,500.00 all of
which was donated by corporate and
personal donations and grants. 3
fundraisers were held, Family Fun
Day April 2011, July 1st BBQ
Dinner and Winterfest Pictures with
Santa.
This facility would not have been
possible without the committee,
donators and volunteers. Thank you
to all who helped build Cremona’s
Toddler Park.
Committee: Nikkie McCarthy, Sara
Davies, Marlies Kuechler, Jessica
Gano, Rayel Walker and Mindy
Whittle
Corporate Donators: Alberta
Recycling Management, Telus,
Shell Canada, BP, TransCanada
Pipeline, Mountain View Credit
Union, Village of Cremona,
Pengrowth and Crop Production
Services/Agrium
Personal and Charity Donators:
Cremona & District Recreation
Board, Lions Club, Parkhill
Woman’s Guild, C. Bower, I.
Grauer, R. Mader, D. Grauer, N.
Ziebarth
Volunteers: Doug, Lori, Evan and
Ray Grauer, Grant Bird, Troy and
Jess Gano, Sara Davies & Kevin
Sammons, Matt and Marlies
Kuechler, Rayel Walker, Joel
Newsome, Andrew Haggbald, Mark
Myra, Steph Newberry and Ron
Raybould
Contributions can still be made at
the Village of Cremona office. All
donations over $10 receive a tax
deductible receipt.
Cremona FCSS Happeningssubmitted by Tanya Shand, Director Cremona FCSS
Mayor’s Cornersubmitted by Leslie Abrams, Cremona Mayor
JulyA_Layout 1 7/11/2012 4:24 PM Page 9
10 • Volume 2 , Issue 7A • Hitching Post News Keeping Our Communities Connected!
P U B L I C N O T I C E
Grande Prairie Generation, Inc.
Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act
Notice of Application
In accordance with the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, Grande Prairie Generation, Inc. has applied to Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development for an approval for construction, operation and reclamation of a proposed 95 MW power plant consisting of two simple cycle natural gas fired turbines with dry low–NOX technology for emissions control.
The proposed power plant referred to as the Harmattan Energy Centre will be located at LSD 5 of Section 26 Township 31 Range 4 West of the 5th Meridian in Mountain View County approximately 16 kilometers north of the Village of Cremona, 17 kilometers southeast of the Town of Sundre, and 23 kilometres west of the Town of Didsbury. Pursuant to section 73 of the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, any person who is directly affected by this operation may submit a written statement of concern regarding this application. Failure to file a statement of concern may affect the right to file a Notice of Appeal with the Environmental Appeals Board. Such a statement of concern must be submitted to:
Director of Southern RegionAlberta Environment and Sustainable Resource DevelopmentRegulatory Approvals CenterMain Floor, 9820 – 106 StreetEdmonton, Alberta T5K 2J6Fax (780) 422-0154
within 30 days of the date of this notice. Please quote Application No. 001-311030 when submitting a statement of concern in regards to the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act application.
Note: Any statements filed regarding this application are public records which are accessible by the public.
Copies of the application and additional information can be obtained from:
Grande Prairie Generation, Inc.Attention: Tammy Sanford1005 BRANDON SHORES RDBALTIMORE MD 21226UNITED STATES OF AMERICATelephone: (410) 787-5370Fax (410) 787-6637
THANK YOU ALL SOO MUCH !!!On June 22/2012 My 3 Yr. Old Best Friend and only Roommate, Female Husky/Shepard Named "BRIA BLU" got spooked by a falling tree that luckily just missedher and ran into the forest on the West-End of the Big Prairie Road by the Graham Hall at 1pm. She has never ran-off like this... she always stay's close... PoorLittle Girl was so terrified she panicked. Then my panic set in when she didn't promptly return. I immediately stopped working...got in my truck... and drove fromGraham Hall to Anderson Valley Ranch...then to Water Valley and back again including every side road and resident road from 1pm till 10:30 pm calling hername/whistling.
I Met So Many Nice People along the way.
NORM SAUNDERS..Owner of the Water Valley Liquor Store...compassionately cancelled all of his plan'sfor the Water Valley Celtic Fest that afternoon and instead got in his truck with his 4 legged roommate"Arrow”, Binocular’s and drove several hour's till dark searching for Bria. Then the next morning he got-up early to print pictures of Bria for lost posters. (Huge Heart This Man )
My Neighbor's...KERRY BUSBY and JANINE FALCK...Upon hearing also changed their plans and immediately got in their vehicle and joined in the search.(Both Beautiful and Spirited Women )
Another Neighbor...JOHN LAFAVE...periodically checked my house to see if Bria somehow found HerWay Home.
PAT LESLIE also called to offer help and met with me on the road during my search to get lost poster'sto distribute in His Travel's (Very Cool, Very Much Appreciated)
LINDA ANDERSON of Anderson Valley Ranch compassionately allowed me to drive through herCampground to search for Bria (Another Beautiful Spirited Woman of Water Valley)
*Speaking of Beautiful Spirited Women... MARIE COATES...The Totally Awesome/Boss Lady I was working for when Bria got spooked and kept running... This Amazing Woman Felt So Bad for Bria and I she spent manyhours on the phone with neighbors and even called an expert breeder of Husky's for character trait ideas to find Bria. Imagine...that night Marie bravely went intoher forest with a flashlight because she was told that Bria may be hiding in fear near-by and may be attracted to a light and a Friendly Voice. The Incredibleconsideration, determination, and compassion Marie showed for a total stranger is totally amazing and I am so grateful to her for risking her own well-being and tothe so many she called. (This Girl is Fearless!!! )
I slept like a Horse that night...20 minutes at a time...standing up.Watching the door hoping Bria would appear, praying the wild animals didn't kill her...At first light I set off towards Marie's home again and made another stop at the Anderson Valley Ranch on the way. As I drove through slowly calling/whistling... aguy walked over to my truck and asked ...are you looking for a Dog? I anxiously replied; “Yes”. “A Husky he asked? ...My heart skips a beat as I stutter YES. Hesaid, “She's in my motorhome” I got out of my truck, weak at the knee, could this be?He opened the door...and there she be...My Best Friend Bri!!! She came to me full of kisses and I'm not embarrassed to say I cried so hard in relief. Choked withemotion I hugged and thanked this kind hearted couple named TONYA and TRAVIS for taking my little girl out of the rain and into their beautiful motorhome forthe night. Amazing People...taking a wet shedding stray dog into a new motorhome and even letting her sleep on a bed !!!
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Keeping Our Communities Connected! 11 • Volume 2 , Issue 7A • Hitching Post News
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Volume 2 , Issue 7A • Hitching Post News 12
Keeping Our Communities Connected!
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