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!

Good Town Hall Meeting

We had a good town hall meeting last Monday night.

Our official delegation were two members of the crew busily turning Beiseker into Eden Valley, Minnesota so it can become the backdrop to the third season of the television show Fargo!

They told us of their plan to turn the now-vacant hardware store into a general store along with some other modifications to our village so it can stand in for the U.S. mid-western town of Eden Valley.  Filming will start early in the new year.

Most of the story line for this season's episodes occur around Christmas time, so Beiseker will be decked out for Christmas for most of the winter months!  Those in attendance were very intrigued, and I think the Fargo crew will find Beiseker and its residents easy to work with! 

Questions from the floor on other matters included;

•  the burned out Bassano Station
•  sidewalk replacement priorities
•  the spread of foxtails from the Grasslands development
• the cleaning up at the Community Centre
• the price of water
• water quality in the village

I was most concerned with one resident's comment about the quality of water within our village. She complained that the water at her home faucets was grey in color and smelled bad.

I can find no evidence of this problem elsewhere in the village. Our water is settled and chlorinated at least twice before it reaches our homes. If the chlorine level of the water in our reservoir is lower than provincial standards it will be treated again by our public works staff here in the village.

I urge anyone who is concerned of the quality of water at their homes please have it checked out by a plumber, and then report those findings to the Village office.

I would like to thank all of the residents who came out to our annual fall town hall meeting, and I'm looking forward to to seeing you at our spring meeting in a few months time.

What a Day at the 98th Country Fair!

Here's another shout out to the Beiseker Lions' Club for a hugely successful Beiseker Country Fair on Saturday!  What a great day!  I managed to get around to most events during the day but my recent medical issues prevented me from seeing everything that was going on.

We enjoyed a magnificent breakfast at the Hall, sponsored by LUFF Industries and Louis Dreyfus, then to the official opening and the grand parade. I was most impressed to see the Calgary Stampede Queen and Princesses in our parade again this year. 

After the parade, I was able to sneak over to Airdrie to watch my granddaughter's dance debut on stage!  She's four years old and her performance was impeccable!  Her grandmother and I thought she was the very best dancer there, although we may be somewhat biased!

Back in Beiseker, I judged Chris Heighton's Main Street Car Show looking for the "Mayor's Choice" award again this year.   Thanks Chris and all your helpers for another great show.  This year I found a beautiful 1940 Ford which took my eye.  Fantastic! 

I quickly visited some of the other venues and had to come home to rest, which meant I missed pie at the Seniors` Centre!  My loss!  I also missed the 4H show and sale!  I do enjoy watching those young people keeping family agriculture alive and well. 

After I  rested at home for a while, my daughter and son-in-law joined us for another fabulous beef-on-a-bun supper at the Hall. 

Overall, an incredible day in our village.  Our Lions` Club is quite small with just over twenty members and their ability to assemble all the activities of Country Fair and run them glitch-free is totally amazing.  It was not surprising to see the same few Lions` members working at event to event throughout the day. 

Rest up, gentlemen!  You have the 98th Beiseker Country Fair in the books as a huge success.  You should be proud!

Super Town Hall Meeting!

We had an excellent turnout for our annual Spring Town Hall Meeting last night in the Beiseker Community Centre!

Council faced some difficult questions on topics ranging from the burned out Bassano Station to sick trees.  There were some questions about the Village's finances, and suggestions on how we could save money.

The topic of junky back lanes and a disreputable Main Street business was a hot one.

Our application to the Canada 150 Fund to build a new Tourist Information Centre was questioned.  The water valve replacement program was discussed.  (Surprisingly, street paving was barely mentioned.)

We had some excellent suggestions made, too;

• We offer a babysitting service at town hall meetings to attract more young people.
• We encourage volunteers to re-engage at the recycling facility to relieve pressure on Public Works.
• We re-examine our Municipal Plan on a regular basis so it may be updated to reflect the current situation in the village
• We encourage residents to notify the village in writing of any junky or messy area within the Village.

To mention a few.

Overall, I thought it was a very productive meeting, giving council a good idea of what some of the folks out there are thinking about their town.  Now, council will take these suggestions and work out a plan to deal with them under the constraints of provincial and federal law, and available tax dollars.

Well done everyone!  Thank you so much for coming last night!

I'm Disappointed

I'm admittedly disappointed that our newly elected councilor, Nikki King, has been called away on a business trip and will not be able to attend the Spring Town Hall Meeting to be sworn in.

I was hoping to see a tiny bit of Beiseker history made this coming Monday!  As far as I can tell, it would be the very first time in Beiseker history that a councilor would be sworn in at an open public meeting.

Oh well, we'll have to have the brief ceremony at our next regular council meeting to be held on Monday, May 9 in our council chamber at the Village Office.  You are all most welcome to come and observe the ceremony there, although seating will be very limited.

Election Day Tomorrow!

Tomorrow (May 5th) is the big day!  We've heard all the candidates and all the party leaders speak about their vision of what Alberta should look like over the next four years.

Now it's our turn! 

Over the past few weeks, I've had the privilege of meeting with the candidates or their designates for our constituency, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills.  In my opinion, we are especially fortunate to have a very strong and dedicated field of candidates running for election here - from every party!  As voters, it is our job to pick the one who best represents the Alberta we would like to see, and vote for them.

Two weeks ago, I asked some questions of the candidates here on my blog.  I received a number of answers, from most of the candidates.  I will republish a list of who responded to my five questions and what they said.  I urge you to read them over again.

The polls open tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m, at the Beiseker Community Centre.  They will be open until 8:00 p.m.  

Check that card you received in the mail a while back from Elections Alberta, and it will tell you where you are to vote.  If you've lost that card, take all the ID you can find with you (picture ID is the best) and know your physical address (street address or land description).  The folks at the polling station should be able to help you.

Remember, you are choosing Alberta's provincial legislative make-up for the next four years!  And if you don't get out and vote tomorrow, you have no right to complain about our provincial government come Wednesday!

Vote for what you want - but please vote!

Great Town Hall Meeting

We held our usual fall Town Hall Meeting at the Beiseker Community Centre.  It gives a chance for ratepayers to sit through an abbreviated council meeting then participate in a question and answer session with members of Village Council.

The main topics:

• The Bassano Station issue was the first up.  Although village council has very little control over the Centennial Railway Museum's project, residents were most concerned the building would soon become abandoned.   With part of the roof missing and it not being closed in around the foundation,  residents were wondering of its future.  We on council could give them few answers.
• One resident was concerned that issues brought to the attention of council were not being followed up.   Was the village office writing a note to the person who brought the issue to council's attention, outlining actions taken?  We were able to indicate that, in most cases, the follow-up was done by either phone call or letter.
• We were asked why we lengthened the time residents have to clear their sidewalks of snow from 48 hours to 72 hours.  We explained that it gives the residents a bit longer to remove the snow in case they can't get on the shovel right away.
• Another resident was wondering if there was a bylaw preventing parked vehicles from blocking laneways.  We indicated to them that this was a part of the province's Traffic Safety Act.  I've taken a  couple of quick tours around the area mentioned, but found no vehicles blocking laneways.  Vehicles can be parked between the garage and the lane if there is room.  The laneways should remain clear at all times.
• Residents wondered why we weren't collecting tie-down fees at the Beiseker Airport.  I was able to tell them it was a clerical error, which would be corrected in the next few days.
• Also discussed during or right after the meeting were the removal of some of the village's aging poplar trees, water drainage flows, potholes, and recycling fees.

Overall, I was pleased with the meeting.  I like to have residents attend our regular council meetings, but I know that for many that just isn't possible.  Town Hall Meetings make it a little easier. I think it is important that all village residents to stay in touch with their village council throughout the year. 

This Remembrance Day

First, my humble apologies to the students of Beiseker Community School.  I missed their Remembrance Day Poster judging, this morning.  I was asked to help judge the Remembrance Day posters while at Stage East this past weekend - but I didn't have my agenda with me to note it.  I didn't remember it until after the time had passed.  Again, my apologies.

Remembrance Day is important to me. It's a time when we can appreciate what the sacrifices of the many thousands of Canadian soldiers actually accomplished, here at home.  A couple of minutes of silence seems so little compared to what those soldiers gave us.  It is also a chance for us to thank the veterans for their similar gift to us.  Freedom is never free!

I will be attending the Remembrance Day Ceremonies at the Acme Community Centre tomorrow starting at 10:30 a.m.  I am urging you to join me.  The ceremony is organized by the Royal Canadian Legion branch there and it is very moving.

This year after the ceremony, upon my return to Beiseker, I am going to stop at our memorial in front of the Beiseker Community Centre and place my poppy there.  Why don't you do the same?

Town Hall Meeting Reminder

Monday, November 10 is the date of our 2014 Fall Town Hall Meeting of Council.  A Town Hall Meeting provides a chance for residents to ask questions or voice concerns to Village Council without having to attend a regular council meeting as a delegation.

I will be chairing tomorrow night's meeting at the Beiseker Community Centre.  We will first hold an abbreviated council meeting following our standard agenda, after which we will take questions from those assembled.

We ask that questions be addressed to the councilors and that they address concerns within the village.  These Town Hall meetings are NOT to be used as a witch-hunt!  Derogatory or inflammatory comments directed toward village staff members or councilors will not be acknowledged.

We'll have the coffee on, I hope to see you there!

2014 Another Successful Year for Stage East!

Leroy & Ray
Photo by Bernice Iremonger,
via Facebook

I'm tired, but very happy today!  We had another successful run of Stage East on Friday and Saturday night.  This is one incredible cast and crew, who are able to put on a great show year after year.  It's not easy for them, either!

Many of them are strong, creative, independent individuals with busy lives of their own.  Directing them each year is like herding a hundred cats!  Yet they are able to come together each spring, develop a program, write scripts, and rehearse most of the summer so they can put on an awesome show for the community each year.  I am very proud to be a part of this incredibly talented group.

After a great meal, the audiences were entertained with a series of performances which culminated in a very sophisticated finale simply called "Pots".  You had to be there!

Most of the proceeds from this year's show will go to a fund we've created to replace and augment the stage curtains at the Hall.  Again, my huge thanks to the entire Stage East 2014 cast and crew.  You rock!

Playground on the Move!

Here's a huge "Beiseker Thank You" to those who worked so hard to removed the playground apparatus on the north side of the Beiseker Community School yard. 

As you may recall, the equipment was slated to be demolished by Rocky View Schools, even though it was in excellent condition - save a few relatively minor repairs.  Members of the Beiseker Fire Department and a few other volunteers spent a good part of Saturday carefully dismantling the structure, and hauling it off to storage. 

There it will be cleaned and repaired while a suitable location is sought for its re-installation.

I was the blister!  I arrived after the heavy work had been done.  The small but mighty group of volunteers had already removed most of the structure and had just a few of the uprights left to load up.

To all those who helped out goes a B.B.P.O.T.B.  (Big Beiseker Pat On The Back).  Well done everyone!

I'll See You at the Country Fair!

Mark down Saturday, June 14 down on your calendar!  That's the day Beiseker celebrates its 96th Country Fair!

The celebration is the centre piece of the very active Beiseker Lions Club.  This group continues to work so hard for the betterment of our community.  The fair gives them a chance to "let their hair down" and party!

Come early and have breakfast at the Beiseker Community Centre (7:00 am to 9:00 am.), then plan for a busy but fun day!  The parade starts down Main Street at 10:00 a.m.

There is going to be a HUGE show and shine on Main Street after the parade (weather permitting).  There will be ball games, face painting, a 4H show and sale, skydiving, a money pit, beer gardens, beef supper, pie & coffee at the Seniors' Centre, a tailgate sale, a colour run, a photo display, a cabaret, and a host of other things to see and do.

I'll see you there!

Small Turnout at Town Hall Meeting

Our annual spring Town Hall Meeting was held at the Community Centre, last Monday evening.  The turnout was quite small, but the concerns raised by those present were much appreciated.

Here are a few points I noted:

• The Bassano Station is still a big part of any discussion around town.  We had to remind everyone that the Village government has very little control or power over that stalled project.  Still we continue to work to see if we can't get this eyesore cleaned up!
• The mud bog at the corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street is the result of an experiment gone wrong.  Public Works will be addressing the problem over the next few days.  Getting water to move from that corner has proven to be a major challenge.  Everyone has a different opinion as to what should be done there.  We'll keep working on it until we have a solution.
• Water flow and flooding was not such a big issue as I had expected this spring, however a few homes were severely affected.  Suggestions were made and remediation of these few spots will take place this summer.  The problem of the Village having to deal with runoff water from a huge portion of the County north of Beiseker was mentioned several times.
• It was brought to the attention of council that there is a sign in the Beiseker Campground noting "NO PITBULLS ALLOWED" even though we have no such bylaw to support that ban.  This sign will be removed.
• Concerns were raised over ambulance services into Beiseker.  These concerns will be investigated by village office staff.

Overall, a great meeting.  If you were unable to attend and you have an issue, please contact the village office at 403-947-3774 to voice your concerns.

Valentine's Day Benefit

You have perhaps heard that the Knapp family has hit a bumpy section along the road of life this past few months.  They are fighting some serious health problems and they need our help. 

A benefit has been organised for Friday, February 14 at the Beiseker Community Centre.  It has been put together as a family event for the first part, until 9 p.m., then followed by an adult cabaret later in the evening.

Jo Lynn and Grant are both very active members of Stage East.  Who can forget fellow actor Rob carrying  Jo Lynn around the stage, while she was dressed as a mermaid?  Grant has appeared on stage a few times, but his talents are focused behind the scenes.  Without the Knapps, Stage East would not be as successful as it is.

Tickets for the Valentines Day event are available at the Village Office and at the Credit Union here in town.  They are gratefully accepting donations, as well.  It sounds like a fun evening!

Snow Removal article in the Rocky View Weekly

I was disappointed - and a little hurt - on reading an article by Sara Wilson in the Rocky View Weekly this week, Beiseker residents upset over "slow snow removal".  It told a tale of Beiseker's residents desparately trying to get help digging themselves out from last week's blizzard, while the village government apparently did little or nothing to assist them.

The article was full of misinformation and inaccurate reporting, which left me disappointed for the reporter and hurt that some folks thought that way about the village, and the Public Works people who have worked very hard to keep Beiseker moving this past week.

Here are the facts as I understand them;

• All the priority areas were tackled as early as Monday afternoon.  These included the Fire Hall, the Community Centre which operates as an emergency centre during storms, essential service personnel (we want Public Works, RCMP, etc. to be able to get out to their duties as quickly as possible), the water and wastewater pumphouses, and main routes into the village.  Public works continued to work on these areas even as the wind drifted them in over and over.
• Public Works Foreman Bill tried to open every single street in Beiseker with our skid steer (bobcat).  Every street had a trail opened through it.  These weren't very wide and often blew in again but they helped many folks walk to their homes.
• Beiseker recorded one of the highest windspeeds and snow dumps in the province during the storm!
• All telephone inquiries to the Village Office regarding snow removal were answered or responded to.  There were no multiple calls or messages registered on our answering equipment.  
• The Village of Beiseker has never spent any municipal funds moving or funding the Bassano Station!  None!  That whole project is a private venture by a railway museum society based in Calgary.  They did receive a federal grant, but at no cost or resposibility to the Village of Beiseker.
• It is likely that we will go over budget on our 2013 snow removal amount.  We had to hire contractors to help move more than 1000 metric tonnes of snow from the village.  We do try to keep a small contingency for this kind of thing but an event of this size is very hard to plan or budget for!
• All of our Public Works and Village Office staff worked very long hours under some very grueling conditions to get Beiseker back to normal as soon as possible.

I felt badly for our Public Works and Village Office staff having to read Ms. Wilson's article in the paper!  I have complete admiration for all those who helped Beiseker dig out.  My compliments to you all!

It should be noted that only one concerned citizen came to Monday night's council meeting.  I was impressed by her demeanor and logic.  She asked some excellent questions about snow removal, and I hope she received the answers she needed!  I thanked her for attending, and invited her back any time.

Community Centre Stage

After this year's Stage East performances, I received some complaints from members of our audience that they found it hard to see the stage from half way back in the hall.

It is true that our stage in the Beiseker Community Centre is much lower than stages in halls in other communities around us. After Saturdays show, I sat down at some of the tables toward the back of the hall and it was obvious to me that the vision of the stage was severely limited.

I don't know why those planning and building our new hall thirty years ago decided on such a low stage.

At this point in time, I don't know if anything can be done to raise that stage - but I plan to find out.  I'll let you know what I find.

Stage East Successful Again!

photo by Bernice Niemeyer, via Facebook

Stage East Dinner Theatre 2013 took to the stage this past weekend at the Beiseker Community Centre.  We had a blast putting it on for the more than 350 guests over the two nights!  I think those in the audience enjoyed it too!

Stage East is a total community effort, with people coming together from all walks of life to volunteer to put on the performance every October.  

We've held off distributing our funds to the different community activities.  We needed a container for all of our costumes and props.  With the help of a grant, we now have that container and it fully functional as our storage room!

We are hoping to distribute our remaining funds before the end of the year.  More on this later. 

Thank you to our sponsors, actors, set builders, costume makers, decorators, back stage crew, promptors, servers, and planners who all volunteered to make Stage East 2013 a huge success.  And thank you to our audience, too!

Election Forum Well Attended

Last night's Election Forum at the Beiseker Community Centre was one of the best attended ever!  Moderator Dave Fegan said there were almost 100 people in attendance!  It was good to see so many come out to hear their candidates speak to the issues facing Beiseker.

Some good points were made by all candidates.   Questions from the floor were wide and varied.  The issue of the Bassano Station eyesore came up.  Once again, we explained to the crowd that that project has very little to do with Beiseker Village Council, beyond the building and development permits issued.

Other questions dealt with Village pathway systems, the enforcement of bylaws, a committee to oversee Public Works, the Grasslands subdivision and possible project timelines.  I thought all were answered well by the candidates; some answers were better than others.

I was disappointed that more didn't stay to hear the two candidates for Rocky View Schools trustee for our area - incumbent Norma Lang, and challenger Jennifer Avery.  Only about half the folks stayed.

It was certainly an eye opener!  The question of playground demolition dominated the Q&A part.  It was very evident indeed that there needs to be some serious rethinking into that whole policy of school playground demolition and replacement.

Overall, it was a most enjoyable evening of municipal politics in Beiseker.

Summer Winding Down, and Stage East!

There's less than one month left in the Summer of '13!  I don't think we had much of a summer!  We only had a few hot days.  Ah well, you can't pick the weather or your relatives! 

Stage East is gearing up for their 2013 performance.  We have just begun rehearsals!  Our dates this year are October 25 and 26.  Mark those dates on your calendar. 

Ticket prices are the same as last year, along with the Friday Night Table Special!

Emergency Planning

Lac-Mégantic, Québec rail disaster

In light of the widespread flooding in southern Alberta and the railway disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Québec, some of you are wondering if our village has an emergency plan. As a matter fact, we do.

It was created a few years ago, by a group of village officials and interested community members through a series of workshops held at the Beiseker Community Centre.  We were presented with different hypothetical scenarios, and we had to plan a course of action.  These "tabletop exercises" focused on keeping the people of Beiseker as safe as possible.

We reviewed scenarios involving blizzards, flash floods, railway problems, and highway accidents.

Copies of the plan we created were given to the fire department and to the village office.  We ran a couple of mock disasters to make sure our plan did work.

As part of the emergency plan, we stocked emergency supplies and provided an alternate power source for the Community Centre.  We made arrangements with local businesses to access their establishments after hours for emergency supplies if required, as well.  And finally, a mutual aid agreement was created between Beiseker and Irricana so that if one municipality needed to evacuate, the other community would accommodate them.

All of this took place more than five years ago.  Much has changed in Beiseker since then.  I personally believe that it's time we took this plan down from the shelf, read it over, and revise it to reflect what's happening today.

Would our existing plan work?  Yes it would, but it could work much more smoothly if it were brought up to date!