Kicking Someone When They're Down

I did hear another rumour about the flood victims in Southern Alberta which I was desperately hoping was untrue.  It turns out that it was very much true!

Apparently some individuals, posing as clean-up crews are going into flood ravaged areas and looting whatever they can.  This is low, very low!

If you've been helping out in a flood area in Southern Alberta try to remember if you saw anyone or anything suspicious.  Do you remember a licence number or even a name on a truck door?  If you do, I urge you to talk to the RCMP or Crime Stoppers. 

It's important to say that almost all of those working and volunteering down there in High River were wonderful volunteers and professionals.  A few, it appears, had far less noble reasons to be there!

Silly Commercial

I usually don't pay much attention to television commercials, but one caught my eye the other day as being particularly silly.  It showed an elderly gentleman playing soccer with his grandson.  The gentleman goes off into the brush at the edge of the field to retrieve the soccer ball and finds a bottle on the ground. 

He is then shown drinking the soft drink from presumably that same bottle.

He broke one of the cardinal rule most parents give their kids: "Never pick anything up off the ground and eat or drink it!"

I thought it was a silly commercial.  And what is even worse, I don't remember the product they were advertising!

Beiseker's Angels On A Mission

You will recall the other day, I mentioned on this blog that there was a rumour that some folks were forced to garbage the food they had prepared for the flood recovery volunteers, because it was not prepared in a commercial kitchen.  There was actually some truth to that;  Some folks were not permitted to distribute the sandwiches they had prepared.  I understand that most of that food was returned to the donors who took it back home.

But, here's the good news!  On July 7, a group of ten ladies from our village decided to help out.  The village let them borrow the commercial kitchen at our Community Centre - it is a full commercial kitchen, and it is inspected regularly. 

There, they prepared 180 sandwiches and some muffins.  These were properly packed up and taken down to High River where they were distributed to grateful volunteer workers!  Somewhere along the trail, those ten ladies got the name "Beiseker Angels On A Mission"! 

I like that!  In my opinion ladies you exemplify the true nature of Albertans, and of our village!  Thank you all from the rest of us!

Flood Recovery Rumours

There are many rumours running around about the difficulties and problems facing flood victims and those helping them.  Two rumours I've heard don't make much sense.

• I heard that many folks took time and their own money to prepare meals for the flood victims.  But when they arrived at one of the stricken areas it is rumoured they were told to dump their freshly prepared meals into the garbage unless they could prove they were prepared in a complete certified commercial kitchen.  I understand that food-bourne diseases are serious and precautions must be taken to prevent their spread, but there must have been a way those meals could have been used.
• There is another rumour running around that the Town of High River is actually charging flood victims for permits to clean up and restore their property damaged by floodwater.  

These are just rumours, and I hope they have little or no basis in fact!

I'm Back! (and, the Airdrie Airshow!)

photo by Colleen De Neve, Calgary Herald

I hope we have my internet difficulties behind us now.  I have a lot of catching up to do!  It's been almost three weeks since my internet connections went down.

Where to start?

First, let me go back a couple of weeks and congratulate the Airdrie folks on a fantastic air show weekend.  Their line up of performers was outstanding with a mix of local and international talent!  Hats off to Donna Flynn (from Showline Airshows) who was the show's Air Boss.  Donna had to coordinate the air show performances with air traffic into and out of Calgary International Airport.  Working closely with air traffic control in Calgary, Donna was able to run a smooth show with very few short breaks.  Well done, Donna!

I'll catch up on a few other things I've been working on a bit later.

Flood Help!

Photo via CBC

A few days ago, my son Rhys asked me if our village was doing something specifically to help flood victims in southern Alberta. I replied that we had offered our assistance to Calgary Mayor Nenshi, but beyond that we had organized nothing officially.

I have found out that local resident Carole Rowe has been driving down to High River unofficially to offer assistance. If anyone else wishes to donate time to the flood relief effort, Carole might be able to help you. Good on ya Carole! Thank you on behalf of all those you've helped!  You and your helpers are a credit to our community!

If you want to donate for flood relief in Alberta, please consider giving to either the Canadian Red Cross' Alberta Floods Fund) or to the Calgary Foundation's Flood Rebuilding Fund.  Both are doing good work to help people out!

Come Hell or High Water!

That's the new motto of the Calgary Stampede after the devastating floods a couple weeks ago. I've been down to Stampede Park this week, and I was amazed at how much has been cleaned up. Most of the Stampede is up and rarin' to go!

If you're down at Stampede Park over the next 10 days, look for me at the Agrium Ag-tivity in the City tent.  It's a little harder to find this year - it's located behind the Saddledome close to the river. I like to volunteer there as much as I can.  We're doing the same kind of things but in a new location, and we're showing Stampede visitors how Alberta farmers and ranchers feed them!

Another event fast approaching is the Airdrie Regional Air Show to be held July 13th and 14th at the Airdrie Airport.  It looks like it's going to be a really great show this year.  I'll tell you more about that in the coming days.

Behind the Scenes

As you may know, I am a bit of a klutz when it comes to the Internet. To help me get through this electronic maze, my son Rhys has volunteered his services.

He helps me with my blog, and he helps me post on Facebook.  I am getting better, but now I have a new cell phone to make friends with and it's going to take a while!  You know; old dog and a new trick!  Without Rhys's help, I'd be far behind. 

Thanks for your help Rhys!  It is greatly appreciated!

Canada Day in Beiseker

Canada Day was celebrated in high fashion at Friendship Park yesterday, as families gathered to wish Canada a "Happy Birthday!" 

I had to leave before the festivities ended, so I didn't hear who won the Maple Donut Eating Contest.  Former Beiseker Mayor and now MLA Bruce Rowe put up a noble fight in the contest's first round, but unfortunately he lost!   His chow-down style didn't measure up!

There were hotdogs, chips, and cookies for everyone.  There were games and contests to play, and friends and neighbours to gab with!  What a great day! 

My gratitude is extended to all those who organized and ran the event.  Good on ya, Beiseker!!

A Sad Day for Firefighters

I imagine the flag at the Beiseker Volunteer Fire Department fire hall will be flying at half mast tomorrow, to honour the 19 firefighters killed while fighting a brush/forest fire in central Arizona.

Their deaths serve as a reminder to the rest of us that these folks - our family, friends, and neighbours - risk their lives to keep us safe.