June - 2020

Jun 30, 2020
2 min

Cruisin' Classic Cars

Mike Webb chats about his 49' Mercury M-47 truck with attendees and other car enthusiasts on June 25. Photo Lorna Hamilton. Vermilion does not have an official classic car club, but Thursday evenings at A&W in Vermilion is the place to be if you are a classic car/truck enthusiast. “Our group meets at the Vermilion A&W on Thursday evenings when the weather is conducive for that and will socially distance ourselves while admiring other cars and chatting about the hobby. It’s

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Vermilion History: The Much-Adored Ponderosa Restaurant

Reporter Elaina John

Jun 30, 2020
1 min

Vermilion History: The Much-Adored Ponderosa Restaurant

The Vermilion Ponderosa. Photo Submitted. The Ponderosa Restaurant was a much-adored location for Vermilion locals. Originally built by Les Kreller in early 1964, the Ponderosa was a staple to Vermilion locals. The restaurant was the perfect hangout for all ages from teenagers to seniors, reportedly having ‘the best mushroom burgers’. The Ponderosa switched hands only a few times; in 1969, it was sold to the Letawski family, who built and lived in living quarters above the

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Reporter Elaina John

Jun 30, 2020
2 min

Vermilion Unites

Brad Gallamore along with attendees held a round table meeting in the field beside the Pollinator Gardens in Vermilion on June 25. Photo Lorna Hamilton We are a collective of residents of Vermilion and the surrounding region who wish to bring light to the racial prejudice that exists here and around the world. We support peaceful and pragmatic reform of all institutions that discriminate based on race, ethnicity and culture. We acknowledge that racism is systemic, but we also

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Reporter Elaina John

Jun 30, 2020
2 min

The Race Of Vermilion Success

Team Dutch Blitz, first place winners of the Race of Vermilion. Photo Submitted. The day was a great success! Being that we are making our best efforts to respect the regulations set out during the re-opening of Alberta, we limited the number of teams and ensured that we encouraged the current social distancing expectations. Advertising for the event was only done locally, so we did not have the mass amount of people that we had in the past. Even so, it was still a great opp

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Elk Point Resident Wins Oilers Mask Contest

Reporter Elaina John

Jun 30, 2020
1 min

Elk Point Resident Wins Oilers Mask Contest

Van der Hoek's mask design. Photo Submitted. A unique contest hit twitter on May 11, in which Edmonton Oilers fans were asked to design a goalie mask. The winning design would be made into a real Oilers mask to be auctioned off to fundraise for COVID-19 relief in Northern Alberta. Elk Point native and long-time Oilers fan Jennifer Van der Hoek saw the contest as an opportunity to get creative, and put her passion for art to use towards a good cause; “The premise of the conte

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Reporter Elaina John

Jun 30, 2020
5 min

Systemic Racism In Vermilion?

If you’ve been following the latest community events then you probably heard about the racism discussions in Vermilion. Following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota by a police officer during an arrest and a video of the incident going viral, many protests erupted all over the United States and the world against racism and police brutality. In Vermilion things weren’t any different. On Facebook Brad Gallamore started a call for a “Vermilion Unites for E

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Alberta And Saskatchewan Fishing Regulations

Reporter Elaina John

Jun 30, 2020
1 min

Alberta And Saskatchewan Fishing Regulations

Vermilion Trout Pond. Photo Elaina John Due to the varying zones and regulations throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan, it may be hard to keep track of which regulations apply to a certain area. In Alberta, there are three different zones: 1, the Eastern Slopes, 2, Parkland-Prairie, and 3, Northern Boreal. Zone 2 as described by albertaregulations.ca, “consists approximately of the southeastern quarter of the province, east of Highway 2 from the Montana border to the North Sas

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Vermilion Elementary School "Cruises Into Summer"

Reporter Elaina John

Jun 23, 2020
1 min

Vermilion Elementary School "Cruises Into Summer"

Attendees wave as they pass by the Cruising Into Summer parade. Photos Elaina John The last day of school for Vermilion Elementary School (VES) students was Friday, June 19. Since VES was unable to have a conventional celebration for their students, the school organized a “Cruising Into Summer” reverse parade. “It was just so nice for all of the staff to be able to see our students on their last day of online learning,” comments VES staff Janna McLaughlin, “It was a fun way

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Reporter Elaina John

Jun 23, 2020
2 min

Vermilion Unites For Equality

Organizers and attendees with signs. Photos Elaina John On Thursday, June 18 individuals gathered at the Vermilion pollinator garden to “Educate themselves and others about the racism in Vermilion and surrounding areas,” as explained by Vermilion local Brad Gallamore, organizer of the event. The event began with a brief introduction from Gallamore and Tigra-Lee Campbell, who stated; “We are here as a call to action that systemic racism is alive and well and we need to do som

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Reporter Elaina John

Jun 23, 2020
1 min

United Church Fundraiser

Attendees purchased pie at the United Church Fundraiser. Photos Elaina John On Wednesday, June 17 the United Church held a pie social at the outdoor oven to fundraise for their church ministry. In previous years, the church has fundraised via a concession booth at the Vermilion Fair, but due to COVID-19, the Fair was cancelled. Attendees of the fundraiser were served pie, ice cream, coffee and tea by church volunteers wearing gloves and masks. “It’s nice that now that some

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Reporter Sue Chikie

Jun 23, 2020
1 min

Family Farm Round Up

Bill Hamblin one of the many ropers who helped with the processing. Photo Sue Chikie This family farm was started over 100 years ago and now with their 4th generation in the stirrups, they are operating as Kabe International. They are grain and beef farmers, with red and black angus and speckle park beef breeds. The processing of calves in the spring is a yearly job, one of many on a working farm and ranch. This year, June 14 started with the round up of the cows and calv

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Vermilion Outreach School Graduation Gathering

Reporter Elaina John

Jun 16, 2020
1 min

Vermilion Outreach School Graduation Gathering

Vermilion Outreach School Staff and graduates. Photo Kevin John On June 11, Vermilion Outreach School (VOS) held a small outdoor gathering for their graduates. Graduates received gifts from VIBE and the school, light-up balloons, and awards for their investment in the community and volunteer work. VOS had five graduates this year “I think it’s important that the graduates understand that the academics are just a vehicle for the real things. The real things are what got you

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Reporter Elaina John

Jun 16, 2020
1 min

St. Jerome's Grad Photos

St. Jerome's Grads. Photo Submitted Like all schools in our area and much of the world, St. Jerome’s unfortunately cannot have a traditional grad celebration due to COVID-19. However, on June 12, St. Jerome’s grads gathered in front of the school for socially-distanced photos in recognition of this critical achievement. Each grad had a sign with their grad photo along with a congratulatory message. #Graduation #Grad2020 #StJeromesCatholicSchool

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Reporter Elaina John

Jun 16, 2020
1 min

Stage 2 Of Alberta's Relaunch Strategy

On June 9, it was announced the Stage 2 of Alberta’s Relaunch plan would begin on June 12. Stage 2 of relaunch will allow many facilities to open, including gyms, libraries, casinos, campgrounds, theatres, pools, places of worship, and more, with social distancing measures still in effect. Stage 2 also permits the opening of K-12 schools for requested diplomas and summer school, with regular classes starting again in the fall. It is clarified that nightclubs, amusement park

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Reporter Elaina John

Jun 16, 2020
4 min

The Potential Of Bill 1 And A Middle Ground

Bill 1, also known as the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act had its introduction on February 25. The bill protects an extensive list of “critical infrastructure” from barricades, vandalism, and protests. The Bill classifies a broad range of properties as critical infrastructure-both private and public. There are many vocal individuals terrified of what the Bill could mean for activism, protests, and freedom of speech. Others are supportive of the Bill, as they foresee the

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Reporter Elaina John

Jun 10, 2020
1 min

J.R. Robson Graduates

J.R. Graduates. Photo submitted Due to COVID-19, J.R. Robson School’s graduation has been postponed. Group photos submitted of the graduates were fortunately taken before winter, as none could have anticipated social distancing measures put in place and carried out this spring. The class of 45 will have a traditional graduation celebration tentatively in August. Along with grads across the globe, graduates of J.R. have experienced a vast change of routine in attempting to fi

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Marwayne Jubilee School Graduation Parade

Reporter Elaina John

Jun 10, 2020
1 min

Marwayne Jubilee School Graduation Parade

Decorated vehicle in graduation parade. Photo submitted. On May 29, Marwayne Jubilee School (MJS) graduates gathered for a parade in their honour, which was lead by a decorated school bus. The parade consisted of over 50 vehicles, many of which were decorated. The bus led the parade around the village honouring the 20 Grads as it passed. “We were also honoured to have our Buffalo Trail School Board Chair Lanie Parr, Mayor Cher Eikland, the Fire and Rescue Department, as wel

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Wainwright Is “Undeniably A Better Place” Thanks To 2020 Rhapsody Award Recipient

Reporter Elaina John

Jun 10, 2020
2 min

Wainwright Is “Undeniably A Better Place” Thanks To 2020 Rhapsody Award Recipient

Dr. Beverly Brilz. Photo courtesy of Zak McLachlan, Wainwright Star News Following a review of the outstanding candidates nominated this year, the RhPAP Board of Directors has endorsed Dr. Beverly Brilz of Wainwright as the 2020 recipient of the Rhapsody Physician Award. The Rhapsody Physician Award recognizes the contributions of rural physicians, especially those unsung heroes, who provide Alberta rural communities with outstanding patient care, and who make notable contrib

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Reporter Elaina John

Jun 10, 2020
1 min

Islay Senior's Week Parade

Decorated car with a message to Assisted Living Centre residents. Photo Elaina John On Thursday, June 4, the residents of Islay Assisted Living Centre sat in front of the centre to enjoy a parade organized for Senior’s Week. The parade was organized by staff of the centre on May 29 to “Honor the contributions they’ve [senior’s] made to the community throughout their lives,” explained Caroline McKinnon, Assisted Living staff. The community offered much support to the parade

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Reporter Elaina John

Jun 10, 2020
2 min

Newborn Fawn Found And Nursed To Health

Baby fawn on dirt road. Photo Submitted On June 1, Vermilionite Russ Cameron came across a fawn on a drive down a dirt road. He guessed that the fawn was dead as it was lying down on the road immobile, but upon further inspection, he discovered that the fawn was alive, yet unable to move. “There was just so much life in his eyes,” Cameron states. Cameron explains that he called Brian Chrisp, a cattleman who lives near where Cameron found the fawn. Chrisp observed that the f

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