Moving to a new town can be a daunting experience for anyone. The difficulty of leaving family and friends behind is coupled with the challenges of fitting in to a new town.
    For relative newcomer Izzy O’Rourke it can be a challenge, but well worth the effort.
    “It’s sort of challenging based on my personality, because I’m not very outgoing. Once you do go out to something, people are very friendly,” said O’Rourke.
    O’Rourke, a soon to be a stay-at-home mom, moved to Drumheller last August with her husband Jon and is currently waiting for their first child. For her, getting into the community was as simple as going out to events and getting involved in community groups. 
    “You kind of have to go to a bunch of them and find out who you click with. You can find anything in Drumheller you like to do. For example, I’m a big crafter and reader, so there’s a lot for me to do at the library. If you’re super active outside, there is always people out and about. I find going online helps, because most of them are on Facebook,” said O’Rourke.
    Aside from going online, another way to learn what’s available in Drumheller for residents of all ages, is to head to the Sports, Recreation, & Arts Expo on March 6 in the Badlands Community Facility.
    The event serves as an information and registration night for everything from children’s activities, minor sports, adult recreation leagues, and arts.
    Another way to learn what’s out there is to pick up The Drumheller Mail on February 27 and March 6 and check our annual Spring/Summer program guide, a list of community groups, sports leagues, and more. Learning what’s out there is easy as picking up the paper.

    A Calgary Stampede bestseller is giving Albertans a fresh look at our history, with a unique Drumheller perspective.
    On February 1, students from Drumheller Valley Secondary School were given a special presentation from Rob Lennard, Director of Alberta Heritage School Fairs.
    Lennard, whose passion is Alberta history, spoke about his two novels, the first of which prominently features Drumheller and The Drumheller Mail.
    The book, The Amazing Alberta Time Travel Adventures of Wild Roping Roxy and Family Day Ray, follows the titular twins Roxy and Ray as they travel through time to different major events in Alberta’s history, including the first ever Calgary Stampede.

    The twins attend DVSS. Roxy is a roper and Ray captains the Drumheller Dragons. The two discover magic dinosaur eggs that allow them to travel through time.
    When testing the eggs for the first time, they send their dog back to 1915
    “They want to find out if this magical time travel formula works. They send their dog, Jasper, back and tell her to fetch a newspaper. Jasper gets back an hour later, opens her mouth, and there’s a 1915 Drumheller Mail (which at the time was The Munson Mail),” said Lennard.
    The story is fiction, but woven into it is the genuine history of Alberta.
    “The beauty of it is within the fiction there are 320 historical facts about Alberta,” said Lennard.
    The book was a bestseller at the Calgary Stampede and Lennard received the Centennial Medal. He followed up with a second novel along a similar vein, but exploring aboriginal history and themes.
    For Leannard, the book gives Drumheller a large role in the history of Alberta, in addition to teaching our history.
    “It’s really neat from a Drumheller perspective and it’s great to be back here,” said Lennard. “I wanted to give something back to Alberta for the centennial.”