Calgary theatre troupes are getting set to bring their unique brand of comedy to Drumheller this weekend.
    On Saturday, June 15, the Southern Alberta Road Show, a comedy variety show, will be stopping by the Drumheller Legion at 8 p.m. The show features members of Calgary improv troupes, such as Half Her Age, the Kinkonauts, Loose Moose Chop Shop, and University of Calgary Improv.
    This will be the first time the performers have done a show in rural Alberta.
    “It’s a cabaret-style variety show. We’ve got a couple stand-up comedians, musicians, and improvisors,” said Shawn Hoult, one of the artists in the show. “We’re travelling around and spreading the message of improv around. It is a really different style of theatre you don’t get a lot of in rural areas.”

Calgary improv artists Emily Seymour (left), Ella Jean Haggis, Owen Chan, Shawn Hoult, and other performers will be coming to Drumheller on Saturday, June 15, for the first Southern Alberta Road Show. The show will tickle the funny bone with a mix of stand-up comedy, music, and improv skits and games. The show starts at 8 p.m. at the Drumheller Legion.

    The show will feature different performers as they do stand-up comedy and musical numbers, interspersed with improv skits and games, similar to Whose Line is it Anyway?
    Should the show do well, there may be more shows in the future, featuring different performers.
    “We’ve got a pool (of improvisors) to draw from. We’re just scraping the surface of what we can do. There’s definitely interest. If we get more folks out, it’d be something we’d love to do more of,” said Hoult.
    Everyone is welcome to attend and check out some of the most unique live comedy to be found in Southern Alberta.
     “Improv is really exciting right now, it’s exploding all over the place,” said Hoult. “It’s something you don’t get to see all the time. It’s high energy and super fun.”

    Having the proper facilities is a key ingredient in having adequate fire protection. The Dalum Fire Department is moving forward with plans to build a new fire hall as early as the fall.
    At the moment, survey crews are studying the proposed site, which is adjacent to the current hall.
    “Our next phase is to do a topographical study to figure out where water is draining. Then, we’ll start moving dirt in about three weeks or a month. We’ll start building in late fall or early winter. For now, we just want to get the pad in so we’re ready to go,” said Fire Chief Albert Jensen.
    The new fire hall will boast six bays and a meeting/training space for firefighters. The current hall is only two bays and several vehicles have to be left outside.
    The cost could go up to $895,739. Wheatland County has pledged 60 per cent of the funding and the Dalum Fire Department has been tasked with raising the remaining 40 per cent.
    “It has been passed through County Council and capital committee for 60 per cent funding. That means we have to raise the rest of it. We’re quite confident we’ll be able to raise the money,” said Jensen. “We raised 40 per cent of the money for all the vehicles we have.”

Fire Chief Albert Jensen (right) accepts a donation of $500 from UFA agent Don Petersen, with Dalum Fire Protection Association president Colin Jensen, and Deputy Chief Mike Ostergard. The donations kick-started the fundraising campaign to build a new fire hall in Dalum. It is estimated construction will commence in the late fall or winter this year.

    To kick-off the fundraising campaign, local UFA agent Don Petersen donated $500 to the Dalum Fire Department in recognition of Farmers’ Day on June 7.
    “In celebration of Farmer’s Day, we had a choice of where to put $500. There’s nothing better, in my eyes, to put the money towards than a rural fire hall. They’re the go-to guys for any farmer when there is a fire in the country, whether it be a grass fire, hay bale on fire, or anything else,” said Petersen. “They support me, so I’d like to support them.”
    The Dalum Fire Department is welcoming any further donations to help build the new hall.
    “We cover such a huge area through mutual aid agreements, so it’s not just for Dalum, it’s for the entire area,” said Jensen. “We’re in desperate need of this hall. We would appreciate any help people are willing to give. We do mutual aid in a huge area.”