A big part of Drumheller history was remembered this past weekend throughout the valley.
The May Day Miners’ Festival for 2015 kicked off on Friday afternoon with a Miner’s March and Memorial Service to remember the 207 miners who gave their lives to the black.
After family, friends and residents of Drumheller walked from the Badlands Community Facility to Miners’ Memorial Park, Julia Fielding, Executive Director at the Atlas Coal Mine welcomed everyone to the service.
Speakers at the service included Aileen Eno and Fred Orosz who read the names of the 207 miners who lost their lives in the mines. Natalie Gauthier, a local musician, performed five songs during the service, many written about her experiences in the valley, including working at the Atlas Coal Mine in 2010.
Reverend Katherine Freeman had a memorial message for those in attendance to hear, including her own story of her grandfather whom she never met because he was one of the 207 that lost their lives underground. She also read from the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) funeral rights.
Bob Burchell of the (UMWA) spoke to those in attendance about the rights that mine workers fought for that are present today.
The service came to a close when families of the miners and all others in attendance were invited to place coal on the memorial as a way of remembering those who lost their lives.
Fielding said that she thinks it is vital to have a memorial service for those miners and their families, but also for the town of Drumheller.
“I think for the whole town to remember this is why Drumheller is here. In 1911 there was hardly anything here. Suddenly within 20 years it was a boomtown. I think it is great for everybody to remember, and nearly everybody who lives in Drumheller has a relative who was involved in coal mining at one point in their life.”
The festival didn’t stop after the memorial service. Friday night Joe Vickers performed at the Washhouse Theatre at the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site.
Saturday was jam-packed with events including the first annual May Day Miners’ Baseball Tournament taking place at the Rosedale and Hoodoo baseball diamonds.
When asked why a baseball tournament had been planned for this year Fielding said, “We talk about the miners’ lives underground, and that’s what this memorial is very much about, but also miners had fun. Bob (Burchell) spoke a lot about the comradery, and sport was a huge part of that, particularly in the summer when they often weren’t working much in the mines. We decided that having a baseball tournament would be the perfect way to celebrate not just the mining in the ground, but the miners, life and how important sports was to them.”
Ten teams participated in the tournament. The first game took place on Friday at 6 p.m. with the championship game taking place on Sunday afternoon. On Saturday night, a historic World Series baseball game was shown at the East Coulee School Museum complete with popcorn, hotdogs and peanuts.
