One great asset to the community turned 40 this year.
Staff and users of the Drumheller Aquaplex gathered to mark the occasion on Tuesday, December 29. They celebrated the event with a ceremony and cake.
While the community has enjoyed the Aquaplex for four decades, swimming the valley has been enjoyed by residents for more than twice that long, and it was largely thanks to service clubs.
The Rotary Club set up its first chapter in the valley in 1924. By 1928, it became instrumental in building the first swimming pool in the valley, largely in response to the dangers faced by children swimming in the Red Deer River. This was in fact the third pool built in Alberta, only after Banff and Edmonton. With a price tag of 40,000- 1928 dollars, it was huge undertaking.
Not only did the Rotary Club build the pool, they operated it for 26 years. This pool was eventually replaced by the City of Drumheller, with the current outdoor pool
In the early 1970s, there was a movement to build a new indoor pool. This time The Kinsmen, with members including Sandy Cunningham, Joe Cardamone and Bob Foulon took up the challenge. For such a sizable project, they enlisted service clubs in the valley including the Rotary, the Lions and the Knights of Columbus. The community was supportive as were surrounding ritual communities.
They kicked fundraising into high gear, and some of these initiatives became part of the lore of Drumheller. This included auctioning a stick of gum and a bag of chips for top dollar at the Rotary Radio Auction.
Another legendary fundraiser was the Kinsmen’s idea to build and raffle a brand new home. To get it done, 10 members had to sign a guarantee to the bank that they would repay $10,000 until enough tickets for the home were sold.
They raised the funds and on December 6, 1975, the Aquaplex was officially opened.
While it has seen a number of changes, renovations and additions most recently a new exciting waterslide, it remains a valued part of the community for families to have fun and keep fit.
