The best and brightest were celebrated on Thursday evening, June 12, at the Celebration of Excellence.
The Celebration, brought to the community by the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce, Travel Drumheller and the Rotary Club of Drumheller was celebrated last Thursday at the Badlands Community Facility. The annual event celebrates the accomplishments of the community in volunteerism, promotion of the valley through tourism, the business community and excellence in sports.
The Rotary Club’s Citizen of the Year was crowned at the celebration. Larry Coney, who has been an avid volunteer in the community and works extensively with the Drumheller Legion and veterans, as well as the Salvation Army, was awarded the top prize.
He gave credit to his heroes of volunteerism, which included Barb Campbell and Jim and Linda Fisher. He also made a plea to encourage others to volunteer.
The runner-up for Citizen of the Year was Cindy Thomas. She is heavily involved with the Drumheller Dragons and its billet program. She is also a regular volunteer for the Nacmine community and is one of the organizers of the Canada Day Parade.
The Rotary Club’s Most Courteous Employee Award was presented to top DVSS student Taven Clark of Freson Bros. The runner-up was Edie Renkema of SJ Fashion.
The Female Athlete of the Year was Andi Calon of St. Anthony’s School. The ruinner up was Addyson Freilinger. The Male Athlete of the Year was Hayes Armstrong of St. Anthony's School.
The Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce also presented its Business Excellence Awards. The Community Builder Award went to Boston Pizza. Runner-ups were Dry Canyon Collectables and Hoodoods Music League.
The Employer of Choice was Gallagher’s Trucking. The other finalists included Bikes and Bites and Drumheller Registries.
The Most Promising Business Award went to the Valley Ice Cream Shoppe. The finalists were Bridgeview Retreat and Glamping, and Happy Belly Bar and Grill.
The Business Professional of the Year was awarded to Heather Jones of Boston Pizza. Runner-ups included Keri Looijen of Travel Drumheller and Lana Phillips of Bikes and Bites.
The Small Business of the Year Award was presented to Bikes and Bites. Finalists included Dry Canyon Collectables and Harper’s Tire.
The Large Business of the Year was presented to Gallagher’s Trucking. The finalists were ATB Financial and Hi-Way 9 Express.
The Travel Drumheller Tourism Excellence Awards were also presented.
The Tourism Business of the Year include Bridgeview Retreat and Glamping. The finalist was Valley Ice Cream Shoppe.
Natalie Lum of Bikes and Bites was named the Travel Drumheler Tourism Ambassador. The runner-up was Lynn Fabrick of Dry Canyon Collectables.
The Event of the Year was awarded to Cold Bones Fest, a winter music festival organized by the HooDoods Music League. The other finalists included the Boogie in the Badlands car show and the Great Big Weekend Concert.

On June 14, 2025 at approximately 4:01 p.m., Drumheller RCMP responded to a head-on collision between a semi-truck and a pick-up truck on Highway 9 near Highway 836.
A third vehicle, a SUV, went into the ditch to avoid collision. The semi and the pick-up truck caught fire, with the semi being fully engulfed in the north ditch and the pick-up being in the middle of the highway. Upon arrival, officers located a lone occupant trapped in the pick-up truck. Immediately bystanders used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire on the pick-up truck while a local Hutterite colony immediately brought a water truck to help douse the flames from the semi. Fire departments from Rosebud and Rockyford as well as EMS attended.
Unfortunately, the pick-up truck driver, a female resident of Airdrie, Alta., was declared deceased on scene. The officers of the Drumheller RCMP send their deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.
The male driver of the semi was transported by EMS with minor injuries and the driver of the SUV was un-injured. The incident resulted in the shut down of the highway for several hours as officers facilitated their investigation. Drumheller RCMP would also like to thank the bystanders and the Hutterite Colony, as well as local fire departments and EMS, for their assistance at the scene.
The cause of the collision is still under investigation. If you have any information about this incident, you are asked to contact the Drumheller RCMP at 403-823-7590 or your local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store. To report crime online, or for access to RCMP news and information, download the Alberta RCMP app through Apple or Google Play. To contact RCMP non-emergency line will in any Alberta RCMP Jurisdiction call 310-RCMP(7267).