October 3, 2018 –
Falher railway station building to be moved to the Railway Museum site in McLennan
The Falher Railway Station, located on the north side of Highway 49 at the entrance to the Town of Falher, is likely to be moved for the third time, in this instance to the site of the Northern Alberta Railway Museum in McLennan.
With the Smoky River Tourism Society no longer using the building, the Town of Falher offered it to the McLennan Railway Museum and the museum society enthusiastically accepted the offer.
Committed to developing its museum, preserving the history of the Northern Alberta Railway and exhibiting its artefacts, the building will be a valuable addition to the Museum as it is an attractive example of a period railway station.
The acquisition of the building will also be a boon for the Kimiwan Birdwalk Interpretative Centre as the Railway Museum currently uses portion of the interpretative centre to house and display its exhibits.
October 10, 2018 –
Sacred Heart Health Centre celebrates 30th anniversary of the opening of its current facility
On September 28, staff at Sacred Heart Health Centre in McLennan celebrated the 30th anniversary of the opening of the current hospital in 1988.
At the time of the 1988 official opening, then Chairman of the Board, John Guerin acknowledged and thanked the many groups and individuals who played a role in bringing to reality what he called 19-years of planning, giving special mention to the hospital’s former board of directors.
The grand opening took place on September 30 at 2pm and tours of the new facility were offered between 3pm and 5pm.
Along with Chairman John Guerin, the other Sacred Heart Health Centre board members at the time of the official opening were Brian Hrab, Administrator – Gerry Hachey, Assistant Administrator – Larry Meardi, Vice Chairman and Trustees Claude Sirois, Joe Chaibos and Andre Bremont.
October 17, 2018 –
McLennan Rec Society earns a feather in its cap hosting another first-rate Oktoberfest
The McLennan Recreation Society’s second annual Oktoberfest fundraising event certainly brought the flavour of old Bavaria to the region.
The catered event offered wiener schnitzel, bratwurst, a variety of German side dishes and, of course, kegs of Hofbrau beer imported directly from Munich.
The decor at the Elks Hall also contributed to creating the right atmosphere, which included building from scratch beer hall benches to fit the occasion.
Going that extra mile is something the organizers mean to continue as plans are also in the works to make tables for next year’s event and gradually progress to creating a bona fide Bavarian Oktoberfest.
There are also plans to make it a full weekend event.
DJ Tyler Dupuis from Peace River who provided the music at last year’s Oktoberfest, once again kept things lively with a predominant polka flavour at the start of the evening to enhance the Bavarian atmosphere .
October 24, 2018 –
Former exchange student from Mexico returns to McLennan after forty years
In 1978, Victor Ferrat, a fourteen year old teenager from Mexico City attended Ecole Providence for seven months as an exchange student.
Ferrat, who has visited Canada on a number of occasions in the intervening years and is presently spending a year in Vancouver, revisited McLennan for the first time in forty years on October 14.
Ferrat described the time he spent in McLennan as a very important experience in his adolescence and a time he remembers with great fondness.
He was surprised at how little the town of McLennan had changed except that the Kimiwan Lake was now much further from the town than when he visited in 1978.
However, what was the biggest surprise for Ferrat was discovering that Pat Penner, in whose home he stayed when he was a student, was still living in McLennan.
“I didn’t know if I can find anybody who was living here when I was here and it was a surprise when they tell me that Pat is living here,” says Ferratt. “That was really nice to get to see her again.”
October 31, 2018 –
Ducks Unlimited banquet held in Falher
Supporters of Ducks Unlimited Canada attended the annual banquet at the Centre Chevaliers in Falher on October 20, which featured various types of merchandise for sale.
One-hundred and sixty people attended the banquet, and they enjoyed either roast beef or baked salmon as the main course for dinner, along with salads, rice and dessert. Darby Heckbert said grace prior to dinner.
There was a silent auction, live auction and various raffles.
Mark Heckbert, the chairperson of the Smoky River Ducks Unlimited Committee, explained that they changed up this year’s merchandise to make it more experiential.