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.”

    An application to have last October’s Village of Acme Municipal Election results overturned in Court of Queen’s Bench has failed.
    In her decision via tele-conference with the Drumheller courthouse April 29, Justice K.M. Horner declined to set aside the election, and dismissed the application in its entirety.
    About 30 people appeared at Queen’s Bench to hear the decision.
    Acme resident Leona DeKoter, representing the group of Acme voters that filed the application to nullify the election, voiced her disappointment and frustration at the Justice’s decision.
    “That’s a slap in the face to every resident of the community - we thought the law would protect us. That’s not what I expected at all.”
    “I am extremely disappointed. The majority of residents in the community felt we didn’t have an election that was truly the will of the people.”
    DeKoter argued at the April 3 hearing the cumulative effects of all the irregularities could potentially have affected the outcome of the election.        “About the only thing correct in the election was the hours the polling station were open,” said DeKoter.
    Reasons the group of residents wanted to set aside the election include the validity of Ross Gilmore as a candidate, the improper printing of candidates names on the ballot alphabetically by first name instead of last, improper notice of advance polling, scrutineer placement on voting day,  placements of election booths, and voter identification issues.
    DeKoter said the group will be looking to appeal Justice Horner’s decision.
    “There are a number of grounds for appeal.”
    “This judgement shows the people who run it (election) can do whatever they want.”
    One of the remedies DeKoter was seeking was an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, “Because Mr. Alderdice (Acme’s Chief Administrative Officer and Returning Officer) admitted the staff of the election discussed the ballot order for several days,” she said.
    Acme Mayor Bruce McLeod estimates the Village’s court costs in responding to the application at close to $25,000.
    “The Village of Acme Council, the current one, did not want to do this,” said McLeod.
    “They were asked to do a judicial review on this, and we’d said no.”    
    “We said we believed similar to what the judge has ruled here - that there wasn’t enough evidence to show that the elections were unfair or that people couldn’t vote for who they wanted to.”
    “I look at it this way - the Village of Acme Council and staff  have both been vindicated.”