Johann Kuschke
inSide Drumheller

    Former Drumheller resident, Rob Shapiro, will be returning to the valley with Hey Romeo to play a hair-raising performance in Delia before they leave to Nashville this April.
    “We don’t know when we’ll be back, so this will be a good time to come,” said Shapiro, keyboardist for Hey Romeo.
    The trio recently returned from a Caribbean cruise where the band played a concert in New Orleans on the first night, followed by several exclusive performances on the ship over the next few nights
    “We had quite a good time,” said Shapiro who hopes to turn the cruise into an annual outing for the band.
    “Any time that you can get out of the snow in February, it’s great,” he said.
    In the meantime, the trio is busy writing songs for their newest album while they prepare to depart for Nashville on April 7.
    The Canadian Country Music Award winning trio will be performing at the Delia and District Community Centre on Saturday, April 6, the night before their departure.
    “The day after the show in Delia, we actually fly directly to Nashville,” said Shapiro.
    Having originally grown up in Drumheller, he is excited to reunite with friends and family during his return to valley.
    “The people of Delia took it upon themselves to research about the band, and put their money where their mouth is, which is great,” said Shapiro.
    He explained that the band has also felt tremendous support from the Q91 radio station
    “Ticket sales are going great and we’re hoping they continue. We want to sell it out.”
    This is the band’s first ever performance in Delia and their latest appearance in the valley since their last show in October.
    The evening’s festivities will include a meet and greet with the band prior to their show, and an autograph signing at the end of the night.
    “It’s going to be a hoot,” said Shapiro.
    Formed in 2002, the band is described as a relentlessly energetic blend of modern and traditional country, vintage folk, and rock and roll music characterized by tight harmonies and the signature interplay between Shapiro’s keyboard, Darren Gusnowski’s guitar and Stacy Roper’s vocals.
    For more information on ticket sales call 403-364-2489 or email Diana@starlandcounty.com.

    The Drumheller RCMP’s youngest recruit jut arrived last week and already he is making friends, especially around the detachment.
 Constable Jeremy Willis has a new partner nipping at his heels.  Fura was born on January 15 and is in training to be a  RCMP service dog. He arrived at the station last Tuesday.
    This is the second RCMP    dog to be raised by a RCMP member at the Drumheller Detachment. inSide Drumheller shared the story of Derby with readers in November of 2011 when Constable Rachel Pergunas began the process. That pup however was found to not be suitable for police service.
    Constable Willis is interested in becoming an officer in the canine unit. It is a competitive program and as a prerequisite, officers are to raise puppies. Fura will be with Willis for about a year and the dog will be constantly assessed and graded. 
    During this time the dog will receive informal obedience training and be socialized into the officer’s home and work place.  Fura won’t be raised as a pet however; the dog will be encouraged to develop its instinctive traits.
    At the end of the year if Fura meets its developmental goals, it will be trained for service. All dogs are trained for apprehension and tracking. After that they are streamed to specialize in either drug or explosive detection.
    The canine unit is physically demanding for both the officers and the dogs. The dogs have a RCMP service life of about seven years. The national training facility is located in Innisfail.
    Over the next few months Fura will be slowly introduced to the community. Right now the German Shepherd  pup is a black ball of fur, but that is expected to change dramatically over the next year.