The Heat, Joey Browning’s, far right, team won the 2013 Spring League Championship. There were four teams competing in the  junior high-high school division.

    Spring league basketball wrapped up and in the junior high–high school division, the Heat, coached by Joey Browning, won the gold medal.
    Spring Basketball has become an institution in the valley and this year four teams at the grade 7-12 level competed as well as Grade 4-6 teams. Browning’s team went 7-3 in league play, and then cruised through the playoffs.
    “They were one of the greatest groups I had to coach,” said coach Browning.
    James Fournier, and Sam Lockhart also coached teams this season, but it was Browning’s team against a team coached by Kyle Masson in the final.
    Spring League is a minor development program to improve basketball skills. Over the years, DVSS alumni have continued to support the program by coaching  and helping out the next generations of hoopsters. This was Browning’s fourth year coaching Spring League and his first year to win the championship.

The World’s Largest Dinosaur is getting a face lift this season with a  new paint job and repair  to the outer surface.

    The World’s Largest Dinosaur is due for a makeover, and the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce moved to make it happen.
    The Chamber committed almost $300,000 to the dino-sized project.
    ‘They are going to refill all the little holes and cracks and do an artistic repaint,” said Chamber president John Shoff.  “Instead of the two-tone John Deere–like colours, they are going to do a new paint design, so it should look completely different and significantly better.”
    He explains the Chamber hired F&D Scene Change, which has experience with major clients in everything from movie and television studios to amusement parks and public art installations.
    Shoff said the overhaul should make a significant different in looks and durability.
    “What they are doing should improve the longevity of the colours. The paint is a special epoxy type that will harden,” said Shoff.
    They are also planning to rework a visible support so it blends in with the scenery.
    “They are going to wrap it in a bark-like material so it looks like a tree. The net difference should be a great improvement,” said Shoff.
    The World’s Largest Dinosaur opened in 2001 and immediately became a Drumheller icon. A key component of the project was to give back to the community.
    Every year, a part of the proceeds of the World’s Largest Dinosaur and Gift Shop goes back into the community.  It has supported everything from smaller projects, like supporting local soccer, to a substantial donation to the Badlands Community Facility. In its lifetime, it has contributed in the area of $500,000.