HPN July A

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.


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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


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



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


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



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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


Keeping Our Communities Connected!8 • Volume 2 , Issue 7A• Hitching Post News


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


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 !!!


Keeping Our Communities Connected! 11 • Volume 2 , Issue 7A • Hitching Post News


•

Volume 2 , Issue 7A • Hitching Post News 12

Keeping Our Communities Connected!

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