By Lori Larsen

On Sunday, July 8, Camrose Police Service, Fire Department, Emergency Medical Service and CP Rail Police responded to a report of a collision between a Canadian Pacific train and and individual on a mobility device at the location of 53 Street between 51 and 52 Avenue.
Reports were received at approximately 8:45 p.m.
The incident resulted in the death of a 71-year-old male who was driving the mobility device southbound when he was struck by an eastbound train.
Witnesses of the incident confirmed that the signal crossing lights were flashing, the audible bell was sounding and the train sounded its horn, but was unable to avoid striking the man.
Camrose Police Service and CP Rail Police Service continue to investigate.

By Murray Green

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is reminding Albertans to take the precautions necessary to protect themselves against West Nile virus infection.
“With exposure to mosquitoes comes risk of West Nile virus,” said Dr. Mohammed Mosli, medical officer of health for the central zone. “Some mosquitoes carry West Nile virus, so it’s important to avoid being bitten at all.”
When enjoying outdoor activities, or even just relaxing, all Albertans should take these simple steps to prevent bites and protect themselves from West Nile virus.
Wear a long-sleeved, light-coloured shirt, pants and a hat. Use insect repellent with Deet.
Consider staying indoors at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.
“These steps can make it harder for mosquitoes to find you, and remember: if mosquitoes can’t find you, they can’t bite you,” said Dr. Mosli.
After being bitten by a mosquito carrying West Nile virus, people can develop West Nile Non-Neurological Syndrome (formerly known as West Nile fever) or the more serious West Nile Neurological Syndrome.
 Symptoms of Non-Neurological Syndrome can be uncomfortable, including fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, skin rash, swollen glands and headache.  For those individuals who do develop Neurological Syndrome, symptoms can be much more severe, including tremors, drowsiness, confusion, swallowing problems, high fever, unconsciousness, paralysis and even death.
From 2003-17, 514 cases of West Nile virus were confirmed in Alberta, many of which were acquired here in the province.
Albertans can learn more about West Nile virus and the precautions necessary to reduce risk at www.fightthebite.info or by calling Health Link at 811.

By Lori Larsen

During the Servus Credit Union Tier IV Rural Provincials (U17), held in Camrose from July 6 to 8, both the Camrose Vikings girls and boys U17 teams won gold medals and the Camrose Vikings girls U15 brought home the silver from St. Paul.
The Camrose Vikings U17 girls defeated Olds 2-0, Edson 2-1 in the round robin games, before defeating league rival Ponoka 1-0 in the gold-medal game.
Head coach for the U17 Camrose Vikings girls’ team Chris Howard summed up the honour it is to coach the team. “As one of the coaches of these talented young ladies, I am so proud of them and what they have accomplished this season. Each girl poured their heart and soul into making this happen.”
Howard started the provincial weekend out telling each team member, “You guys are already champions regardless of outcome. Each and everyone one of you are a very talented and fabulous woman. Never give up.”
Howard also thanked the members and coaching staff for their continued dedication and effort.
“I would like to thank each and every girl for their commitment  to the season. It shows with a championship at home. To my coaching staff–I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you to the parents of these fabulous ladies whose support and cheering on of the team at every game gave us that confidence to believe in ourselves that we could do it and to Mr. Tom McManus who helped these young ladies throughout the season with training sessions and support.”
The Camrose Vikings U17 boys defeated Sherwood Park 7-0, Devon 13-0, Didsbury 7-0 before beating Vermilion 5-1 in the gold medal game.
Gil Bridger and Jason King, coaches of the U17 Camrose Vikings boys’ team, were also very proud of the team’s accomplishments this year.
The team was undefeated in all 22 games they played, with a total of 142 goals for and 15 against. They won gold medals in the Camrose Night Classic, the Provincial Qualifying Tournament, and the Rural Tier IV Provincials.
The Camrose Vikings U15 girls defeated Whitecourt 4-2, Athabasca 5-1, and hosts St. Paul 2-1 before falling to Sherwood Park 3-2 in a hard-fought gold medal game.
Camrose Vikings U15 girls coach Richard Cowan was grateful for the continuous support. “Thank you to the players and families for supporting another very successful season and thank you to Perma Pipe for providing team hoodies and shorts. I also want to thank the Alberta Soccer and CDSA for allowing rural soccer to grow continuously and positively.”
The Camrose Vikings U15 boys coached by Andy Thompson and U19 boys were also competing in Provincials in St. Paul from July 6 to 8. The U15 boys won two games, lost one and tied another and finished seventh. The U19 boys won two games and lost two games and finished in fifth place.

By Murray Green

The Camrose Kodiaks will open the exhibition season with a home tournament against Drayton Valley on
Aug. 29. They take on Sherwood Park the next night before hosting the Fort McMurray Oil Barons on Aug. 31.
Camrose hosts Spruce Grove on Sept. 4, visit the same team on Sept. 5 and then host Kindersley on
Sept. 8 to conclude the preseason.
The Kodiaks open the Alberta Junior Hockey League regular season at home with two games. They tangle with Okotoks on Sept. 14 and meet the Drumheller Dragons on Sept. 15 in the Encana Arena.
Camrose will host the showcase series of games on Sept. 28 and 29.
Bear facts
Matt Dykstra will be attending NAIT next season and playing for the Ooks in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference.
The 6’2”, 185-lbs. forward is from Edmonton. He has played in 194 games over the last four seasons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Last season with the Camrose Kodiaks, he had 18 goals and added 22 assists for 40 points.
Prior to his time in the AJHL, he also played with the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League. Matt plans to take his bachelor of business administration at NAIT.

By Lori Larsen

On Aug. 2, men of Camrose and area will once again be donning red high-heeled shoes and walking in the Big Valley Jamboree Parade as a stand, or step towards, ending gender violence against women.
The Walk A Mile in Her Shoes Men’s March is held annually to raise awareness of women and children impacted by the long-standing effects of domestic violence. The local initiative also raises funds to support the Camrose Women’s Shelter Society.
“Domestic Violence and abuse creates longstanding effects on women and children,” said Camrose Women’s Shelter executive director Nora-Lee Rear.
“It’s through awareness projects like Walk a Mile in Her Shoes that we initiate conversations with men and hopefully make a lasting impression.”
Last year’s Walk A Mile (WAM) event raised $20,000 before expenses and had a total of 44 participants.
“Our goal this year is a minimum of 50 walkers,” said Rear. “Without the support of men, we will never make a societal shift in thinking that will change the way our culture thinks about domestic violence. We must have hard conversations with each other to address the needs of both men and women.”
Shoes will be available at Sole City Shoes up until Aug. 1 and walkers are encouraged to get them early.
“Displaying the shoes starts a conversation about why walkers are supporting WAM. It also helps walkers recruit pledges for the fundraising portion of Walk a Mile in Her Shoes.”
Walkers will receive a pledge sheet, the latest “Walk A Mile” information and a pair of red high-heeled shoes.
Pledges for walkers can be made in the form of cash, cheque, Visa/Mastercard, through www.atbcares.co or at Canada Helps on the Camrose Women’s Shelter website www.camrosewomenshelter.org. All proceeds raised directly benefit the Camrose Women’s Shelter Society.
For more information or to register as a walker, contact the Camrose Women’s Shelter at 780-679-4975 extension 8.
“Domestic violence is about power and control. One party has power over the other. By taking one small step in red high heels, we are symbolically levelling the playing field. As the old saying goes, it’s hard to understand someone unless you have walked in their shoes or lived their lives.”
The mission of the Camrose Women’s Shelter as a non-profit organization is to assist individuals and families experiencing the effects of family violence to work towards a lifestyle free of abuse.
For more information on the Camrose Women’s Shelter, visit camrosewomenshelter.org/.

By Lori Larsen

Before you hop on a plane destined for exotic places with even more exotic wildlife, take the opportunity to learn the do’s and don’ts of wildlife tourism.
Join Camrose Wildlife Stewardship Society in an informative session on the growing-in-popularity industry of wildlife tourism, on July 19 at 7 p.m. at the Stoney Creek Centre, 5320-39 Avenue.
“Wildlife tourism is a huge global industry and tourists are finding themselves pressured to see exotic species and contribute their hard-earned money towards conservation initiatives before it’s too late,” remarked CWSS summer coordinator Carolyn Cook.
The session is aimed at informing guests on which wildlife tourism activities are helping and which are hurting wildlife.
“Come and find out as we pull back the curtain on local and global tourism operations,” encouraged Cook. Some content may be shocking or upsetting. Viewer discretion is advised.
Attendees of any of the  CWSS events are invited to fill in an event evaluation making them eligible for a variety of prizes donated by local businesses. The more events you attend and fill out evaluations for, the more chances you will have to win.
For more information on the Camrose Wildlife and Greenspace Stewardship programs and upcoming events, contact Carolyn Cook at ccook2@ualberta.ca or by telephone at 780-672-0544.

By Lori Larsen

With repairs now complete and the Hardanger being as fit as a fiddle, the Camrose and District Centennial Museum wishes to welcome everyone to come and see for themselves the amazing transformation of this beloved piece of history.
The official opening of the Hardanger fiddle exhibit will take place on Aug. 18 from 2 until 4 p.m. at the museum, 4522-53 Street.
To celebrate the return of the Hardanger fiddle, legendary musician Alfie Myhre will be present during the exhibit opening to play some tunes on his fiddle.
Hardanger lefse, courtesy of The Lefse House, will be served along with tea and coffee.
Come and celebrate the museum’s birthday, tap your toes to the catchy tunes of the fiddle, enjoy a light snack and take in the historical sites and sounds of an amazing piece of
history.
Visit the museum and take in all the displays, exhibits and surrounding historical buildings during summer hours Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. until
5 p.m.
For more information, visit the museum website at www.camrose.ca/847/Camrose-District-Museum.

By Lori Larsen

Buying locally not only benefits the sellers and supports local economies, but benefits the buyers with fresh products made, grown and produced all within an arm’s reach.
The Food Artisans of Camrose County is a new collective of local growers, producers and processors who invite residents of Camrose and area to enjoy a bounty of food products.
“We are fortunate with the wide variety of foods we can buy locally–from fresh fruits and vegetables to a wide range of meats including beef, pork, poultry, bison and lamb; to honey, cheese, flour and processed cereals, teas, baked goods, decorated cakes  and more,” said local foods advocate Marian Williams who offered the following reasons why buying local is important.
Local farmers and processors are supported. Farmers receive fair income for their work in providing food for us to eat and enjoy.
Local food tastes better. Fresh, top quality, safe food that has not travelled far and is in season, tasting so good.
Local food offers greater variety of food such as honeyberries, heirloom tomatoes or free-range poultry in the grocery store.
Local food is sustainable. There is less transportation in shipping food to market and often less use of pesticides. Not all local food is sustainable, so talk to the farmer about their management
practices.
Local food builds community. “I love to chat with the producers at the farmers’ market or visit their farms,” said Williams.  “That helps me build a relationship with the grower or farmer so I can ask how the food was grown or raised, what ingredients are in the food and learn more about where the food comes from. It is fun to visit the farm.”
Several options and information is available to the consumer on where and how to purchase locally.
“Market gardens offer opportunities to u-pick or we-pick their crop.”
Visit www.albertafarm
fresh.com for a list of market gardens.
“Before the growing season, you buy a membership in the farmer’s crop of vegetables, meats or eggs. Once the crop is harvested, you receive a regular basket of their food. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) links the consumer with a local farmer. Check out the local food listing at  www.county.camrose.ab.ca for CSAs in the area.
Alberta Approved Farmers’ Markets in Camrose County include the Bashaw farmers’ market on Friday, Rose City farmers’ market in Camrose on Thursday, the Camrose Downtown farmers’ market on Thursday, the Miquelon Lake farmers’ market on Friday and the Camrose and District farmers’ market on Saturday. Some of these markets run year-round and others are seasonal. For a list of other farmers’ markets, visit www.albertafarmers
market.com.
Buy local and you also have a chance to win a  Food Artisans of Camrose County local foods basket.
“This summer, the Ag Communications Committee of Camrose County is hosting a contest to encourage people to shop direct from local producers and processors at farm stores, market gardens and farmers’ markets,” said Williams. “You can enter to win a basket of local foods throughout the summer by completing the contest brochure.”
Copies of the brochure can be picked up at the Camrose County office (3755-43 Avenue, Camrose), local farmers’ markets in Camrose and Bashaw, the Alberta Agriculture office in Camrose, Camrose Public Library, Camrose Chamber of Commerce office as well as many other businesses around Camrose and Camrose County.
Last year’s winner of the food basket, Charley Boyd commented, “As newcomers to Camrose last summer, my husband and I were the lucky recipients of the year-end basket of local foods from Camrose County. I love choosing local food and it was full of our favourites. There were fall vegetables, preserves, honey and flour. This area has so much good food to offer from generous, hardworking producers. Filling in our contest card was a great way to get to know the area (checking out U-picks) and to experience how friendly the community is, such as at the farmers’ markets.”
While shopping the farmers’ markets, be sure to look for the Food Artisans of Camrose County logo.
For more information  and for a comprehensive list of local food producers,  visit the Camrose County website at www.county.camrose.ab.ca or follow the Food Aritsans of Camrose  County on Facebook and Instagram.

Submitted
The Battle River Community Foundation awarded a grant to the Battle River School Division.
The grant is from income from the W. R. MacDonald Family Fund which was established by descendants of W. F. MacDonald in 2007. The Fund supports two scholarships, one for a student entering an academic program at a post-secondary institution and one for a student entering a technical program at a post-secondary institution who have graduated from any of several specified high schools.
The Battle River Community Foundation exists to support projects, programs and facilities such as this in East Central Alberta which benefit the local communities and have a positive impact on the future.
Grants from the Battle River Community Foundation are primarily made possible through the generosity of individual donors and organizations that have created endowment funds. The principal of these endowment funds are kept intact and the income is made available annually to support local projects and organizations.
Since it was founded in 1995, the Battle River Community Foundation has granted over $5,835,000 to support community programs like the W. F. MacDonald Family Scholarships.
To learn more about the W. F. MacDonald Family Scholarship, contact Diane Hutchinson at
780-672-6131.
To learn more about the Battle River Community Foundation please contact Dana Andreassen, executive director, at
780-679-0449.

By Murray Green

Gerry Gauthier of Bashaw found his 1950 Fargo one-ton truck in the badlands of Drumheller.
“I’ve always liked Fargos and this is a Canadian-built truck. The way it is now is the way I bought it,” explained Gerry. “I’ve done very little body work and made a few repairs on the fenders.”
Although the Fargo brand was used worldwide, it started outside of Chrysler–with the Fargo Motor Car Company of Chicago, which sold a line of Fargo trucks from 1913 to 1922.
“When I bought it, I knew right away that I wanted to keep it as original as possible,” he added.
For the 1928 model year, with Plymouth and DeSoto doing well, Chrysler created the Fargo Motor Corporation to build and sell commercial trucks. The Fargo name had the obvious appeal of Old West adventure and reliable transportation.
He bought it as a working truck and it is going to stay that way. “It will stay the way it is. I will polish it a little, but I’m not going to do any more bodywork to it. I want it natural and I’m not even going to paint it.”
After Chrysler decided to create the Fargo Motor Corporation, Chrysler’s on-again-off-again deal to buy the Dodge Brothers Company was very much on. With the purchase of Dodge, Chrysler not only grew several times its size, but it now had three truck lines in Fargo, Dodge Brothers (light trucks) and Graham Brothers Trucks, medium and heavy-duty lines exclusively built and marketed by Dodge Brothers since 1921.
“The only thing that I have changed is the 12-volt system. It had a six-volt system before. It makes it easier to start now with the 12-volt system.”
The Graham Brothers trucks were re-badged to Dodge Brothers and offered alongside the new Fargos. Dodge, with its greater name recognition, far outdistanced Fargo in sales.
“It has the original motor, a 183 cubic inch, and can carry a big load with the nine-foot box,” said Gerry.
Canadian Fargo trucks ran the full range when Dodge was also making tractor trailer rigs, pickups, and chassis cabs. Not surprisingly, Chrysler Canada used them for its internal transport.
“I finished the inside with new upholstery and headliner. It looks fairly decent on the inside, but the outside could use some work.”
From 1936-72, Chrysler in Canada had two parallel truck lines, Dodge, sold by Dodge-DeSoto dealers, and Fargo, sold by Chrysler-Plymouth dealers.
“I don’t mind going to car shows. This is the first time I’ve had a vehicle in one. I enjoy looking at the old vehicles, especially the original vehicles. Some get a truck and put a big engine in it. That’s not me. I like the vehicles to look like they did when they were new,” commented Gerry.
New Fargos were designed after the war. The headlights were now mounted within the fenders which, in turn, flowed back to become flush with the doors. Neither competitor from Ford or GM would have this latter feature until 1957 and 1955, respectively.
In contrast to these modern fenders, was a hood that still opened the old-fashioned clamshell way from the sides. This kind of hood was extremely handy when it came to taking a quick check of the oil, but was a major nuisance if it had to be removed for major engine work. Many a centre piece of such hoods would bear creases caused by this two-person job being attempted by one.
“The box on this one is amazingly straight and there hasn’t been a lot of damage. It has worked hard, but kept up in good shape,” said Gerry.
Fluid Drive came to the world of Chrysler trucks in 1950. Advertising touted the ease of driving, safety, and longer drivetrain life as the advantages of Fluid Drive. Although not rare, Fluid Drive was seen on far fewer trucks than was the standard manual transmission.
“The only mirror on this truck is on the passenger side. It didn’t even come with a horn from the factory. I had to put a horn in to drive it. It was a very plain model. It didn’t have signal lights, so I put those on as well. It is street legal now,” Gerry laughed.
The first facelift of this design came in 1951.

By Lori Larsen

Golfers took to the greens on July 7 during the 20th Annual Val Wolski Memorial Golf Tournament for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)–Alberta East Central Region, Camrose office. The first of the annual golf tournament saw 23 people come out and golf for the cause, this year 124 golfers swung into action.

By Lori Larsen

Dedicated 16-year-old Rylun Alberg-Moore has no trouble getting up at 6 a.m. to get on the road from Wetaskiwin to Camrose to train with the Camrose Sea Serpents, in preparation for the Lifesaving World Championships to be held in Adelaide, South Australia from Nov. 16 to Dec. 2, 2018.
After placing second as overall athlete during the 2018 Canadian Pool Lifesaving Championships held in Toronto on June 2nd and 3rd, Rylun was named to the National Youth Lifesaving Team attending the World Championships 2018.
Rylun, a grade 12 student (in Sept. of this year) at Wetaskiwin Composite High School and a lifeguard at the Manluk Centre in Wetaskwin, has been swimming for six years and competing with the Wetaskiwin Orcas lifesavers. He saw an opportunity to up his game and improve his swimming skills by joining the Camrose Sea Serpents Swim Club.
“Rylun joined the Camrose Sea Serpents club this year,” said Sea Serpents head coach Shane Gau. “This is his first year in competitive swimming–setting a goal to improve his stroke and get a little bit faster. In just the two months of him swimming here, he has shown a huge improvement and a big part of that is because of his work habits and commitment.”
Rylun drives twice a day, Monday through Friday, from Wetaskwin to Camrose to attend the Sea Serpents summer swim club practices held from 7:45 until 9 a.m. and 4:45 until 6 p.m.
“He has goals to become a more efficient, faster swimmer and increase some strength,” said Gau, noting that the dedicated young Rylun has already made improvements in those areas. “Right now, Rylun is a good competitive swimmer. He came in at a really tough age to this group, competing in 17 and unders with people who have been in swimming since they were four or five years of age, and he is already right there with the best of them in the province.”
Having heard good things about the coaching staff for the Sea Serpents, Rylun decided that making the trip back and forth from Wetaskiwin to Camrose was worth the effort to improve his swimming skills.
“I heard their freestyle was especially good and that is definitely what I was looking for,” said Rylun. “Rescue 2018 is the world life championships of life-saving sports which involve a lot of carrying and towing of mannequins of different shapes, sizes and forms.
“There is a pool and surf part in the Adelaide competition. The surf part will be in ocean where they will be using different types of  crafts such as kayaks and will involve a lot of open-water swimming.”
Rylun explained that during the competition, he will mostly be in the pool league, however the extra practice he is getting here in Camrose will definitely help him with his swimming skills. He also plans on doing some swimming and kayaking at Pigeon Lake.
During the Nationals Competition held in Toronto of this year, Rylun scored impressively with a 2:27.94 (ninth place) in the 200-metre obstacle, 1:21.36 (fifth place) in the 100-metre rescue medley, 1:02.54 (first place) in the 100-metre tow with fins, 58.14 (first place) in the 100-metre carry with fins, 2:37.02 (first place) in the 200-metre super lifesaver and overall athlete second place with a total of 68 points.
Rylun puts a lot of effort into the sport and says that it means so much when he starts seeing big results.  But more importantly, he clearly wants to be able to make his mother proud of his accomplishments and in his own words, “allow her to enjoy in his successes.”
Coach Gau added that many of the young athletes he has seen over the years owe a great deal of their success and tenacity to supportive parents.
“Generally when parents are really involved with their children, the kids do well at whatever they do. I see Rylun’s mom as that type of person. She contacted us early and had Rylun in private lessons before summer swim club even started.”
For Rylun, the need to compete and continually improve is a lifestyle. “It opens so many doors which may be hard to get into. My mom and stepfather are definitely pushing me to stick with competitive swimming and try to get onto a university team. There is also an opportunity with Australia, because they are big into life-saving sports, to go there for a couple of years and train.”
Rylun’s advice to young people is to get involved early, specifically in organized sport. “It has helped me to set goals and do everything I can to achieve them. It has helped me to develop my individual character because I am having to swim the race myself, but at the same time know I have the club backing me up.
“A sport throughout your childhood can work wonders. It has helped me get rid of stress and gives me something to focus on and work towards.”