If the resilience of miners from Drumheller was ever  in question, their descendents proved their mettle, braving a chilly Sunday afternoon to recognize the fallen miners of the Drumheller Valley.
    A couple of years ago, a small but dedicated group reinstituted May Day Celebrations to Drumheller leading up to the Centennial of the coal mining industry in the valley and enroute to completing  a permanent memorial to the miners who perished in the mines.    
    The tradition stuck as former miners, their families and friends, gathered at the Miners Memorial to take a minute to reflect.
    “In the early years, they called this the Power House of the West. The coalfields of the valley drew men and families from Europe and mining regions of North America to work the seams,” said Kelly Eddy, program director at the Atlas Coal Mine, who emceed the event. “But there was a price to pay for this nation building. How many fingers, toes, backs, lungs and eyes, were destroyed in the belly of the beast?  We remember the pit ponies, and when one of these was lost, the men who labored alongside them shed tears.  And what grieves us the most - the men who paid the ultimate price to feed their families and keep Canadians warm.”
    Aileen Eno and Bill Eremko read the names of the men who perished in the Drumheller mines listed on the memorial, and the Men of the Rosebud Choir provided music to mark the ceremony. Rev. John Crowdis recited the UMWA Rites.
     Along with this ceremony, there were a number of events throughout the valley to mark the May Day Miners’ Festival.

    The weather outside may have been unpleasant, but that didn’t keep people away from the 20th Annual East Coulee SpringFest.
    Musicians and music lovers alike braved the elements to support the East Coulee School Museum's annual fundraiser May 2nd and 3rd.
    “The weather was probably a factor that actually helped us because people couldn’t be somewhere else,” said SpringFest Coordinator Barb Steeves. “ That was actually a bonus.”
Steeves said numbers seem to be on par with last year’s attendance.
    “It’s been really good. Friday night was a booming success, and today (Saturday) seems quite busy.”
    Steeves said SpringFest had to field a few phone calls with people worried there was a lot of snow in East Coulee, especially Calgarians, because of all the snow in the city.
    The planned outdoor workshops for the musicians had to be scrapped because of the cold weather, but Steeves said the musicians were great about it, and seemed to really be enjoying themselves.
    Caroline Jepson-McLeod agrees. The newlywed of two months accompanied singer-songwriter husband John McLeod to her first East Coulee Springfest. “I love it, it’s very different,” she said. “It’s fun. Great musicians, I’ve had a great time.” Jepson-McLeod said she was looking forward to the musicians’ jam Saturday night at the East Coulee Hotel.
    Jolanda Willie travelled from Red Deer to perform at her first East Coulee SpringFest, singing classical soprano to  both traditional and original background music. She heard about SpringFest last year through a friend of her parents who’d been coming to SpringFest for 14 years. Asked what she was looking forward to about SpringFest, she said “Everything. Just all the different styles of music, different artists, different sounds - the artristy.”
    Springfest had 49 groups playing the East Coulee Hotel and Tavern, the community Hall, and two rooms in the East Coulee School museum, all in support of fundraising for the operation and maintenance of the East Coulee School Museum.
Steeves said organizers have a few things in mind to tweak for next year, but they think everything’s gone fairly smoothly, saying she hopes that everybody has a great time.
    “SpringFest is all about selling happiness.”