Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued at 13:14 a.m. Friday, July 3, 2015 for Drumheller, Hanna and area

Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain. A cold front will develop thunderstorms this afternoon, some of which may become severe. The storms are expected to weaken this evening.

Fast moving water across a road can sweep a vehicle away. Large hail can damage property and cause injury. Strong wind gusts can toss loose objects, damage weak buildings, break branches off trees and overturn large vehicles. Remember, severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes. Be prepared for severe weather. Take cover immediately, if threatening weather approaches. Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors! Environment Canada meteorologists will update alerts as required. Please monitor local media or Weatheradio.

Drumheller’s major roadways are going to be getting a bit of a new look in the next few months.
    Travel Drumheller has created banners that will be displayed on the poles along Highway 10, throughout the downtown area and across the bridge, and along Highway 56.
 “We are trying to help with the beautification of Drumheller,” says Travel Drumheller’s Executive Director Chris Curtis.
    Curtis said an idea Travel Drumheller came up with was to create new banners to replace the Drumheller centennial banners from three years ago.
                                                         “We thought of a way that we could do this and have the merchants and citizens, if they want to, of Drumheller participate,” he explained continuing by saying that the banners would be available for purchase where the business or citizens names would be displayed at the bottom so people would know who had furnished that banner.
    Curtis explained this is a way of advertising for a business or to have a person or organization’s name displayed for those travelling by to see.
    A price has not been confirmed, but Curtis said they will be approximately $150-160. He also explained that if a business or organization were to purchase four banners they would be given a discount of $100.
    He predicts sales of the banners will begin very soon and once they have sold 20 they will begin to have them produced and put them up as early as mid July.
    “We will be continuously selling and once we get the interest from individuals and businesses then we will put them up,” he said.
    “There has been a very good reaction from businesses so far, so I am hoping we will start to have them sold and begin to put them up within at least two weeks,” he told the Mail.
    Curtis explained the banners will stay up for two years because they don’t want them to look ratty or be faded.
    For anyone buying a banner, Curtis said, “If the banner gets ripped up or torn we will replace it at no cost.”
    He said there are approximately 130 spots the banners can be displayed throughout the town.
    The banners will display the words ‘Eat, shop, sleep and play’. “We want people to realize when you come to Drumheller or even as a resident, you can shop here, you can eat here, you can play here and you can sleep here,” he explained. “The other thing we did deliberately was, we are buying local.”
    Curtis explained that Travel Drumheller did tenders locally, one of which was from Calgary, and they were “very pleased to see” that the local tender was lower than the Calgary tender which he said is a “good sign.”
    “We are big supporters of buying local so whatever we can do there, we will,” he said.