A sojourn around the county

This afternoon, I went to New Sarepta and Thorsby to take photographs of "iconic" landmarks in each village for our upcoming 2010 calendar. Here are some of my snaps. What say you — are any of them calendar-worthy? Are they "iconic"? Click to enlarge.

New Sarepta — Yardley Jones Park




New Sarepta




Thorsby




Highway 39


(All photos Alexandra Pope/Sun Media)

Weekly Roundup — August 21

Here's what's making news in Leduc and area this week:

• The Kinsmen Alexandra Outdoor Pool is celebrating 40 years this week.

• Calmar's town manager is retiring after 21 years of dedicated service.

• Laura spoke to MLA George Rogers about his take on distracted drivers and whether the province will initiate legislation this fall to cut down on cell phone use and other distractions while driving.

• The first ever Santa's Big Biker Ride for Santa's Helpers Leduc, which was to take place Sept. 12, has been cancelled.

• A pedestrian who was struck and killed on Highway 2 last week may have been waiting for a ride back to Leduc after his friends left him, according to his family.

• Leduc County is offering free spraying to control weeds on certain types of county properties this fall.

• The Leduc Recreation Centre has received a generous funding boost from the federal government.

• It was a hot August night indeed last week at Castrol Raceway.

• A local used clothing store is working with ROMPS to get their new play space up and running by September.

• A Devon man who fled police and was subsequently bitten twice by a police dog received little sympathy from a provincial court judge last week.

• In sports, the Edmonton Oil Kings will play an exhibition game at the LRC on Sept. 5.

See this week's Rep for more!

Weekly Roundup — July 3

Here's what's making news in Leduc and area this week:

• Alex has seen the future of the capital region, and it's large and scary and GTA-like.

• Residents of Wizard Lake say boating is all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

• Bobby waxes rhubarbic on Alberta's forgotten vegetable.

• She's a dancer.

• Leduc County missed out on grants for a waterline study this year.

• Everyone knows you shouldn't leave your dog in a hot car, yet for some reason we hear about it every summer, so here's the obligatory "DON'T LEAVE YOUR DOG IN A HOT CAR" story, along with some other great tips to help your pet beat the heat.

• Of the five whole people who answered our poll question about vacations versus "staycations," three said they will be staycationing this summer, so here are some ideas for what to do in the Leduc County area.

• A local charity is collecting pyjamas to give to children in need this Christmas.

• This gal ROX.

• Sometimes the court stories just write themselves. Oh, and in case you're wondering, this is why we report on court cases.

(Photo: Photographer Charles Hope, centre, takes a picture of a mock crash scene featuring members of the Thorsby Fire Department for The Fire Within 2010 volunteer firefighter calendar. The calendar will be sold at Canadian Tire to raise money for the fire department. Photo by Bobby Roy.)

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The rural life is for me

Some of my favorite memories from my childhood were made on my uncle's daylily farm near Orono, Ontario. Henry Lorraine and his late partner Doug Lycett started the business to breed daylilies, and once a summer hold a public open house to debut and sell their new flowers. Several times when I was a child, my mom and I travelled to the farm to lend a hand during the open house and visit family.

I lived in the suburbs but even as a child, I knew I preferred wide open spaces and through these occasional visits to the farm, I discovered I enjoyed working on the land. My cousins and I were "runners" — whenever a customer placed an order at the farmhouse, it was radioed to the gardeners in the fields, who dug up the plants, bound them, and gave them to one of us to run back to the farmhouse.

Daylilies only bloom for one day, so at sundown we would walk up and down the rows of plants, deadheading the day's blossoms to make room for the buds that would bloom the following morning. It seemed to me an idyllic way to live. That may be a little naivety on the part of a city girl, but it inspired in me a lifelong dream to marry a farmer — which, as I've grown up (and fallen in love with a man without a single rural bone in his body), has translated into a dream to at least own land someday.

Until I gather the capital to make that dream a reality, I have to settle for events like the one pictured above: a celebration of the newly-approved carbon-free village in Leduc County. The project is not expected to break ground until the fall, but the designers held a potluck on June 27 to give the project partners — and potential future residents — an opportunity to see the property.

We also helped plant some donated trees on a section of the land designated to become a future nature reserve for all the residents of the village to enjoy.

I may have unnerved Leduc County councillor Reinhold Ortlieb with my enthusiasm for digging holes, as he kept cautioning me not to break the shovel in the hard clay ground. I can't help it — give me dirt and an open field and something green to lavish with TLC, and I'm good to go.

Bobby will have some more photos from the event in the July 3 Rep.

Weekly Roundup — June 26

Here's what's making news in Leduc and area this week:

• Leduc County councillors engaged in a little verbal sparring over a Pigeon Lake subdivision approval at their June 23 meeting.

• Meanwhile, confusion about what an area structure plan is temporarily derailed a public meeting in Pigeon Lake last week, with many residents saying they felt awkward about the role of developers in the process.

• Black Gold Kennels are currently overrun with cats in need of loving homes (and it would make Laura's life if you would adopt one).

• The ongoing drought is taking a toll on local farms and U-picks this summer.

• The City of Leduc is planning to bid to host the 2012 National Special Olympics.

• Based on her experience in the aftermath of the Prairie Professional fire, Laura outlines the importance of tenant insurance.

• The ROMPS playplace is looking for a new home after their space was destroyed in the Prairie Professional fire. Also, a fundraiser will be held June 30 for a young family who lost their home in the fire.

• Bobby has a story on what you can find at the Leduc Farmer's Market.

• This week we have two stories on "green" housing developments in the county — the first by Edmonton-based alternative energy consultants Carbon Busters, the second a condominium development near the airport.

• Two residents of New Sarepta have filed a petition for the village to undertake a dissolution study, which could see the village simply become a part of Leduc County instead of a separate municipality.

All this and more in the June 26 issue of the Rep!

(Photo: Five-year-old Danika Manion checks out her face in a mirror after having it decorated by a Boys and Girls Club volunteer at the second annual Soccerfest, a free afternoon of fun and entertainment for youth held by the Leduc Minor Soccer Association on June 20 at Lede Park. About 1,000 people were treated to free meals, activities and goodies. Photo by Carole Morris-Underhill.)

Steer smooch

Sadie Hofstra leans in to give her steer a smooch after receiving the title of Grand Champion Steer at the Leduc 4-H Beef Club's Show and Sale at the Leduc Recreation Centre June 1. (Photo by Alex Pope.)

Weekly Roundup — May 29

Here's what's making news in Leduc and area this week:

• A group of Leduc County farmers says Altalink "put the cart before the horse" when drawing up potential routes for a new high-voltage transmission line south of Calmar.

• Leduc mayor Greg Krischke has been honoured with an inaugural Leadership for Active Communities award.

• May's Artist of the Month is a multi-talented high school student.

• Edmonton's pro basketball team will bring the "Energy" to Leduc Composite High School on June 5.

• Taxes for Leduc County residents will be much the same in 2009 as last year.

• A local teen is headed to Vancouver for the summer to appear in a production of the hit musical Rent.

• It's almost time for the 20th annual Rona MS Bike Tour, and while 30 local high school students are getting ready to volunteer for the two-day event, a Thorsby woman with MS is training for the 183-km ride — her sixth.

• In county news, the Town of Calmar has passed its budget for the next three years and is gearing up (pun not intended!) for its annual Show n' Shine, while the Village of New Sarepta has opted not to fund a local playschool.

• Laura, despite not being the sports reporter, has all your inside dish on sports in Leduc, including the upcoming women's fastball provincials.

It's all in the May 29 Rep.

(Photo: Grade 4 East Elementary School students Kennedy Kiss, left, and Skylar Gee, watch in awe as a teddy bear flips a pancake — with a little help from teacher Dianne Brunes. Students at East Elementary raised $1,900 for the MS Society and celebrated with a pancake breakfast and pyjama day May 22. Photo by Alex Pope.)

Weekly Roundup — May 8

Here's what's making news in Leduc and area this week:

• Leduc County has issued a fire ban due to the extremely dry and windy conditions that have lingered in the area in the past few weeks. (I was really worried this story would be rendered irrelevant by the torrential downpour we had on Wednesday night, but as of today, the fire ban still stands.)

• STAR Catholic Schools are paving the way for more interactive education in three of their high schools. (More here.)

• STAR is also partnering with MedicAlert to increase student safety.

• Wetaskiwin and Camrose RCMP are coming to grips with the loss of one of their comrades following a fatal collision last week.

• Girls left their worries behind for a fun weekend of building self-esteem with the Boys and Girls Club.

• Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger (mushroom, mushroom!)

• County residents will be getting automated meters from FortisAlberta.

(Photo: Nine-year-old Jonah Bommassar was one of the many students who came out to enjoy the "Rodeo of Smiles" on April 30 to kick off the 40th annual Leduc Black Gold Pro Rodeo. Photo by Laura Ring.)

Weekly Roundup — March 27

Here's what's making news in Leduc this week:

• County residents got an education in well maintenance at the Working Well Workshop in Calmar

• A small group of women heard real estate advice from two Edmonton-area experts who say women are often not taken seriously in financial transactions

• City council discussed the protection of Telford Lake and increased offsite levys

• Leduc parents will have an opportunity to learn more about how to help their kids make good decisions about drugs and alcohol starting April 15

• A local business has been named the top professional services company in Alberta by the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters

• Laura discusses drinking and driving in her Blonde Ambition column

All this and much more in the March 27 Rep!

Are you well aware?

Last week, I attended the Working Well Workshop on proper well maintenance and construction in Calmar. As an urban girl who's enjoyed the convenience of city water for most of my life, I had no idea that wells required so much care and attention — but it makes absolute sense to preserve the quality of the natural resource that keeps us alive.

I picked up a lot of materials at the workshop which helped me write my article (which will appear in the March 27 Rep), and they contained links to different websites where well owners can find out more.

I have a bit of a weird pet peeve against writing long, complicated website addresses out in print, which is why I love the RepBlog, because it enables me to send readers to websites via one convenient link.

So, as promised, here are some well resources that are well worth checking out (pun most definitely intended).

Agriculture and Water Quality: Beneficial Management Practices

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada resources

Aquifer Vulnerability Index

Canada Groundwater Association

Groundwater Information System

Water Well Design and Construction

Shock Chlorinating Your Well

About the Working Well Workshop