The 1989 Year in Review
from Elk Point Review by Vicki Brooker
JANUARY:
Ron Barwick, Ruth Vogel, Marnie McCowan, Elaine Etherington, Violet McFadyen and Laverne Wilson are honored with the presentation of ‘Heart of Gold’ awards...
Elk Point Lioness Club kicked off their Trip of the Month Club, with Steve Wolanuk the first lucky winner...
Elk Point Ukrainian Dance Club celebrated their 10th Anniversary...
Elk Point’s New Year's baby made a belated arrival on January 20, a son for Stephanie Cardinal...
Incumbent John Drobot was declared the Progressive Conservative candidate for the St. Paul constituency for the upcoming Provincial Election...
Nine candidates vied for the PC nomination for the Beaver River federal by-election, with Dave Broda winning on the fifth ballot, after Elk Point candidate Donna Dahmer lost out on the fourth series of votes.
FEBRUARY:
Reform Party candidate Deborah Grey opened her campaign office for the byelection...
Westmin Resources laid = 12 workers in a downsizing oper tion...
Half a million dollars was as still needed in additional funding before the long awaited nursing home could go into the design stage...
Alberta Culture’s slide presentation on historic sites development across the province was shown at the Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting...
A community channel was added to Elk Point cable television...
Sixty years of Scouting in Elk Point were celebrated at the annual family banquet...
Two decades of commitment to Elk Point and surrounding areas by Deputy Prime Minister Don Mazankowski were honored at an open house...
Elk Point’s Tourism Action Plan was presented to the public.
MARCH:
March was declared Nutrition Month in Elk Point, with Municipal Hospital dietician Charlotte Engstrom bringing Mayor Kleeberger a proclamation for his signature...
Reform Party campaigners Deborah Grey and Preston Manning held a rally in Elk Point...
Zone 2 champions, Elk Point Kehew Golden Eagles, hosted the Provincial Pee Wee ‘C’ Championship Tournament, which was won by Eckville Eagles...
Kehewin Reserve opened their new hydroponic greenhouse ...
Deborah Grey won the Beaver River byelection, becoming the first representative of the Reform Party to take a seat in Parliament, as well as the first MP for the new riding...
The additional funding was approved for the nursing home wing...
John Drobot was returned to the Legislature with the closest race in his political history...
The Lakeland Review celebrated its fifth birthday...
The annual Ice Carnival brought a breath of spring to Elk Point, with its Easter bunnies, kites and balloons.
APRIL:
Elk Point Wolverines represented Zone 2 in Pee Wee ‘D’ Provincials at Chestermere Lake...
Attendance was down at the Town's Annual Meeting, but the input from those ratepayers who took part was welcomed by Council ...
Exalted Ruler Lawrence Pidluzny and Honored Royal Lady Lois Sharek were installed as the leaders of Elk Point's BPOE and OORP lodges...
Promotion of Elk Point was at the top of Chamber’s agenda...
This And That Variety opened its doors...
Trade Fair crowds were smaller than in 1988, but the event was still a great success...
Elk Point Ukrainian Dancers won nine medals at a festival in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan...
Students visiting from New Brunswick toured the oilpatch and salt plant...
The Town studied their new Municipal Servicing Plan, with the inadequacy of their present raw water source topping the list of concerns...
Minister of Culture Doug Main visited the Fort George Buckingham House sites as part of his whirlwind tour of the northern part of the province.
MAY:
Amoco Canada announced the start of the steam flood segment of their experimental operation at the Elk Point Pilot Project...
The Tenth Anniversary Concert of the Elk Point Ukrainian Dance Club displayed the prowess which won our dancers acclaim in Prince Albert...
The ‘winds of destiny’ brought rain and snow for F. G, Miller’s Class of '89, with 27 graduating and Angel Ference delivering the valedictory address...
Vince’s Furniture Store opened, with a fine line of household furnishings and accessories now available locally filling a long-standing need...
Plans for a park to provide an attractive setting for the Historical Mural were brought to Council...
Coaches were honored with the presentation of certificates for their involvement in the Year of the Coach...
The Great Participaction Challenge brought slow-pitch honors to Elk Point, but the cookout and hikes at the Recreation Land were rained out by a sudden downpour.
JUNE:
First year 4H member David Naber made history for the Elk Point 4H Club when his steer was named the Interclub Grand Champion, after winning the Reserve Championship for the Elk Point Club, while Corey Vogel showed the club's Grand Champion steer and Reserve Champion heifer, and Richard Piotrowski showed the Grand Champion heifer...
David Naber was also the top First Year Woodworker, while Dale Pinder collected Third Year honors, Kim Kurek won the Foods, Clothing and Decorating class and Leanne Drobot was honored for her Self Determined project...
Eleven graduates at Heinsburg High, with Roger Osinchuk as their valedictorian, took ‘Forever Young’ as their theme...
Ange! Ference, sponsored by .the Elk Point Chamber of Commerce, was named Miss Lakeland ’89 before a huge audience at St. Paul Exhibitat...
An Information Day was the highlight of Senior Citizens’ Week in Elk Point, with guest speakers and exhibits of interest to this large sector of our population ...
A sad farewell was bid to Director of Nursing Diana Anderson as she resigned from the Hospital staff...
Town Council committed funding for a feasibility study into the need for a new Community Services Centre...
Elk Point Auto Club hosted a very successful show of antique and modified vehicles...
Fishing Lake Metis Settlement celebrated half a century with a homecoming and many special events...
Billie Milholland presented ‘A Visual Smorgasbord’ of her art at Elk Point Public Library...
Stoney Lake Stampede carried on for another successful year despite a few showers.
JULY:
A loud and brilliant thunderstorm in the early morning hours of July 1 gave way to sunshine for the hour-long parade and full afternoon of activities marking Canada’s 122nd birthday...
Elk Point Genies made a good showing at the Provincial Pee Wee C Girls’ Fastball Championships in Fort McMurray...
Tanya Kenyon captured the District Grand Championship at the Interclub 4-H Light Horse competition...
Town Council studied the concept of combining the FCSS and Recreation boards and departments...
The Class of '64 came home with over 30 students and 9 teachers enjoying a nostalgic gathering looking back 25 years to their high school days...
Boy Scouts David McNamara, Dean Berg and Darren Pilisko attended the Canadian Scout Jamboree in Prince Edward Island...
Buddy Bensmiller won the Calgary Stampede Chuckwagon Races, a repeat of his 1979 victory...
The inaugural rodeo for Whitney Lake's new Rodeo and Fair Grounds was a big success, with the newly constructed corrals adding toa smooth running show...
A deluge of letters to the editor resulted from a request that the people of the area take a hard look at themselves and the way things have changed in the last few years of sudden growth.
AUGUST:
Hot, dry weather sparked a Council discussion of Elk Point's water supply and treatment problems...
Norway Valley Homecoming was attended by over 400 people who celebrated their Scandanavian heritage and enjoyed meeting old friends...
Fund-raising for new glass basketball backboards got underway, with a dedicated group of F. G. Miller students spearheading the drive...
Alberta’s sports poet, Frank Pavlick, spent an entertaining morning in Elk Point, courtesy of Elk Point Public Library and the North East Library Project...
The Light Horse Club Wagon Trek included an outdoor wedding and a baptism along the shores of Muriel Lake...
A summer of archaeological digging drew to a close at Fort George, with numerous artifacts unearthed by the 11-member team...
Rose Doucet was Grand Aggregate winner at Elk Point's Agricultural Fair...
Heinsburg Eagles represented Alberta in the Western Canadian Intermediate A Fastball Championships...
Clayton Holthe, Tyson Stafford, Amy Hawkins and Corey Twarog brought home medals from the Alberta Summer Games in Brooks...
A special meeting was held to discuss the allotment of the $66,666 Municipal Recreation and Tourism Areas Grant...
Dewberry and Clandonald held successful fairs, with Effie Anderson and Marlene Brown tied for Dewberry’s Grand Aggregate award.
SEPTEMBER:
Elk Point Elementary School opened its doors with the sounds of hammers and saws accompanying the school bell for the second year in a row ...
Doug and Val Dale had a $92,000 win in Lotto 6,49...
MP Deborah Grey officiated at the official opening of the new home of Elk Point Further Education...
Lottery Fund grants allowed the Elk Point Ag Society to purchase a new Zamboni for the coming winter's ice sports...
Nominations for Town Council took two days, and still came up short when one candidate withdrew ..
Approval was granted for the Town to pump water from the North Saskatchewan River, after Atimoswe Creek levels dwindled to a few stagnant beaver ponds ...
Eighty-seven awards were presented at F. G. Miller High, with Anthony Bayduza receiving seven awards...
Louise Larson was honored for 25 years of teaching at the annual ATA banquet...
Heinsburg High’s Awards Day saw Shirley and Richard Osinchuk accepting the Rutherford Scholarship and County of St. Paul awards for their son Roger, and Mrs, Hazel Jenner receiving the Community Recognition Award.
OCTOBER:
A newly renovated and expanded Dewberry School was opened by the Hon. Jim Dinning, Minister of Education...
Amoco Canada announced a $6 million, 24-well drilling program for the Elk Point Project...
John Zenko returned to County Council, while elections netted an almost entirely new Hospital Board...
Stephen Montgomery became the new Recreation Director...
Area farmer Geoffrey Dorey disappeared on the night that a fire consumed his home south of Elk Point, with remains found in the basement following an exhaustive search and investigators declared them to be that of the missing man, and three area residents subsequently charged with murder...
A crackdown on cruisers in the school area was planned, with temporary closure during bus loading time once again implemented.
NOVEMBER:
Floor curlers Anita Ballas, Morris Cooper, Mike Palinka and Helga Vaughan were the first to have their names engraved on the Westmin Resources challenge trophy for activities involving seniors’ groups in Zone 7 of the Alberta Senior Citizens Sport and Recreation Association...
Vogei’s UFA celebrated a grand reopening of their refurbished premises.,.
Remembrance Day saw a variety of organizations and individuals place wreaths in commemoration of Canada’s war dead...
An open house drew considerable input for MP Deborah Grey from her constituents...
Just under $1 million in funding for addition, renovation and restoration at Elk Point Elementary School was announced...
Three died when a truck went through thin ice on Fishing Lake...
Share-A-Story sessions and a visit from children’s author Kathleen Cook Waldron highlighted Children’s Book Festival Week...
Ruby Hanna’s Creative Designs and Crafts opened just in time to delight festive season shoppers with the selection of decorative items..
Sam Krider celebrated his 9th Birthday...
A $5000 grant from Alberta Recreation, Parks and Wildlife was approved for the Mural Park...
Members for the new Community Services Board, which was to take over the combined duties of FCSS and Recreation, were appointed.
DECEMBER:
Westmin Resources officially became Norcen Energy Resources...
Liberal leader Lawrence Decore toured the Elk Point area, visiting with game farmers and representatives of business and industry...
Plans for Elk Point's first ACT Mini Telerama were announced...
The Town of Elk Point took steps toward rezoning for a major development, involving a rodeo grounds and agricultural pavilion, planned by the Agricultural Society...
Author Martyn Godfrey visited Elk Point’ Elementary School...
A power outage left Elk Point and surrounding areas in the cold and dark for up to 5 and a half hours while crews repaired lines broken by extremely cold temperatures...
A heavy snowfall combined with the very cold weather to cancel Christmas concerts, minimize attendance at the Chamber's Christmas Extravaganza, and give students a prolonged winter vacation...
Sunday shopping plans for December 24th fell through when only a few merchants agreed to open their doors that day.
