Sad News About Stage East

It is with much sadness that I must report that the Stage East Dinner Theatre Society has cancelled this year's performances.

The reason is quite simple; we just don't have enough people to put on a production this year.  We have lost some of our major cast members and with no one to replace them, we can't continue again this year.

Stage East was started more than thirty years ago to raise funds to save and restore the last remaining station building in Beiseker.  We were successful in raising enough to save the building which now serves as the Beiseker Village Office and the Station Museum!  It was started up again in 2005 to celebrate Alberta's 100th Birthday.   Since then we have donated funds to many community groups and projects but over the last few we've supported improvements to our community hall.

The Stage East Dinner Theatre Society will continue on.  It is an active society and is registered.  We will continue meeting on a regular basis.

It has been suggested that we hold a theatre workshop in the fall, to show people how much fun theatre and Stage East can be.  We are planning to have a full production in the fall of 2018!

Beiseker's CPR Station is 100 Years Old!

I invite all of you to Beiseker's CPR Station Building, now housing the Village Offices and Museum, on Sunday, September 29, 2013 to celebrate that building's 100th anniversary. The celebration will go from 2 PM until 4 PM.

We'll have live music, refreshments, and activities for everyone there.

We will also have a very special unveiling during the celebration.  When you think of ranching in Alberta, your mind automatically goes to towns like Cochrane, Stavely,  or Longview.   Your picture in your mind the herds of cattle roaming the hills and valleys to the west of Calgary. You might be surprised to learn that some of Alberta's earliest ranches were located near our village, out here on the prairie. 

In order to recognise the historical significance of these early ranches the Beiseker Museum  Society has commissioned a mural picturing the early ranch days around here.

When the Canadian government opened up this area, then part of the Northwest Territories, they pictured huge ranches with thousands of cattle eating grass and getting fat.  The logic of the day was that since the Buffalo or North American Bison roamed this land for centuries, the cattle would do fine here too.  Nobody figured that  most of the Buffalo migrated south in the winter and came north with the spring.

Some years brought devastating losses to the ranchers as blizzards and bone chilling temperatures destroyed their herds.  In the early part of the last century the Canadian government and the CPR opened up the ranchlands around here to settlement and farmers . So ended the ranching days.

The Elliott Ranch was located  east of  Beiseker and was eventually "closed off" as settlers and homesteaders moved in.  The Beiseker Museum Society has had created a mural to celebrate those early ranching days. 

The mural historically commemorates life on those early ranches over 110 years ago.  It will be unveiled at our CPR station celebrations on 29 September .

Seniors' Tea coming up!

Mark down Thursday afternoon, June 20 on your calendar!  That's when the Beiseker Station Museum Society is holding their annual Seniors' Tea. 

We'll have tea and coffee, along with some goodies to eat.  Add to that some lively entertainment, and you've got a great afternoon!  This year we're celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Beiseker CPR Station which now houses the Beiseker Village Office and the Beiseker Station Museum.

The activities start at 2:00 p.m. in the Golden Years Town & Country Club on Fifth Street across from the Arena, here in Beautiful Downtown Beiseker!

See you there!

We Lit Up The Night!

Last night (Sunday, December 2), Beiseker celebrated its "Light Up The Night" event.

It wasn 't that cold according to the thermometer, but I had to go home and get my warmer coat and boots!  Squirt the Skunk was there and Santa cruised in on Beiseker's old fire truck.  Overall I'd say around 70 or more hardy folks came to enjoy hot chocolate, hot chili and good company!

Thanks to the Beiseker Fire Department for tending the bonfire and safely delivering Santa and to the Beiseker Station Museum Society for tending the hot chocolate and chili all evening!  Well done all of you.  A special "Thanks" goes to Gail Peckham and her helpers who organised the event.

What a great start to the Christmas Season!

p.s. Another special "Thanks" to the 4H'ers who went out and collected food for our Christmas Food Hampers.  Good job-Well done!

Update on the Bassano Station

Progress is being made, albeit very slowly, on the Bassano Station since its spectacular arrival here in the village. 

Those in charge of placing the building on its new foundation have found that the new foundation was built to the wrong specifications.  It is not the same size as the building.  Changes are being made to change and reinforce the foundation now. 

Once those are made and the engineer and building inspector have declared them safe, the building will be moved onto it.  They're hoping that can happen yet before the snow flies.

Even though the Village of Beiseker and the Beiseker Station Museum have nothing to do with the Bassano Station Project, its location within the village has us involved by default.  I have met with the building inspector and the current contractor.  I have sent out letters to those involved in the project offering what assistance we can provide, however Council is not willing to provide any funding to the project at this time!

All of us hope that this project can come to a successful conclusion in the very near future.

Seniors Tea

I was back from Ottawa in time to attend the annual Seniors Tea hosted by the Beiseker Station Museum Society at the Golden Years Town and Country Club.  Our theme this year was the honouring of the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede!  All the society members were decked out in their western finery.  Coffee, Tea and cake was served. 

Entertainment was provided by our very own Verlin Rau.  Verlin is a very talented singer and song writer and one of Beiseker's best kept secrets!  I always enjoy his music whenever I get a chance to hear him.  He sung some of the standard old time favorites plus a bunch from his own works from his recently released CD!  I  think everyone really enjoyed themselves.

The Seniors' Tea is held every year in mid June. It is put on by the Beiseker Station Museum Society which operates our own Museum in the train station, which also houses the Village Office. For many years the Tea was held in the lower museum exhibit hall at the station, but the senior's center makes a far better venue.  It's a perfect chance to see people you haven't seen maybe all winter and catch up on all the local happenings and gossip!

If you've never attened, make a mental note to come next year.

The Beiseker Station Museum's Digitizing Project

The Beiseker Museum Society is busy making plans to have the records of the Village of Beiseker digitized.  This includes all the minutes of all Village council meetings, all the way back to our incorporation as a village back in 1921!  These records have been microfilmed already and the originals are now being stored in a special secure storage area operated by the Glenbow Museum in Calgary.  To make these records easily available to everyone, they will now be digitized so they can be viewed on your home computer! 

The Beiseker Station Museum Society received Alberta Lottery Fund money to pay for the project.  The Village has also contributed to the project.

Many communities in Alberta have lost their important documents due to fire, flooding or rodent damage!  To the best of my knowledge, Beiseker is the first community of our size to take an active role in preserving these archival treasures.  Special thanks to Museum volunteer Jeanette Richter for spearheading this project. 

If you would like to become a member of the Beiseker Station Museum Society, meetings are held in the museum (in the CPR Station with the Village Office) on the first Monday of each month at 2:00 p.m.  You are most welcome to join us then.