It will be nonstop action at the DORVA tracks, next to the Stampede Barn, this weekend as motocross riders from all over Alberta participate in the Alberta Championship Series on Sunday and Monday. Quite a few Drumheller riders will be racing as well, including Tori and Spencer James, Decklin and Barett Christensen, and Ben and Dustin Fooks, who are some of the top riders in Western Canada.

    An exciting weekend is getting ready to roar at the Drumheller Offroad Vehicle Association (DORVA) track next to the Stampede Barn.
    On Sunday, August 4, and Monday, August 5, motocross riders from all over Alberta will come to Drumheller to race in rounds six and seven of the Alberta Motorsports Association Alberta Championship Series.
    The races will be a chance for Drumheller’s riders to shine.
    “A lot of the riders, like Tori and Spencer James, Barett and Decklin Christensen, and Ben and Dustin Fooks are top riders in Western Canada,” said Sherry Christensen, with DORVA. “On Sunday, we all rode together and they are so excited to race on their home track.”
    On Saturday, the club will be holding a practice day at the track, followed by the Mud Bog and tug-of-war.
    “We thought it’d be a way to get some laughs back in motocross. We had it last year and it was a blast. Everyone has so much fun, so we decided to do the tug-of-rope again,” said Christensen.
    The following day, the official races begin. On the smaller track, the 50cc and mini ATV races will be held. On the larger track, everything else will ride. The races are part of the official Alberta Motorsports Association standings.
    “It’s all based on points. At the end of the season, all the points are tallied and then used to determine the provincial champion,” said Christensen.
    It is expected the races will draw quite a few people to the Valley over the three days.
    “Last year we had 600 people walk through the gates, which is great for Drumheller. Around three-quarters of the people who come stay overnight,” said Christensen.
    Not only will the races help Drumheller, they will also help send the Drumheller Titans to Hawaii. Members of the Titans will be volunteering over the three days and, in return, DORVA will donate to help send the team to Hawaii.
    The races are part of DORVA’s rapid growth over the past few years. Last year, new starting gates were installed. This year, a new irrigation dugout and system were constructed, and a new side-by-side track was built for larger vehicles.
    The practice and Mud Bog will be held on Saturday, with races on Sunday and Monday at the DORVA tracks.

    One of Drumheller’s oldest churches is getting a facelift this month.
    Starting on Tuesday, demolition will commence on the front entrance and lobby of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
    “We’re going to be starting the demolition with the backhoe on Tuesday. We’ll be replacing it with a new entrance that is wheelchair accessible, with handicap washrooms. We have some members that are getting older, who weren’t able to participate, and we wanted to do a little modernization,” said Wanda Wiebe, treasurer of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Demolition of the front entrance and lobby on the Seventh Day Adventist Church will commence on Tuesday, August 6. Then, later in August and September the Seniors in Action for God with Excellence (SAGE), a provincial group, will help rebuild and renovate the church. For the time being, services will be held at the Grace Lutheran Church.

    To help rebuild the front entance, the church is receiving help from a provincial group of seniors dedicated to helping churches.
    “Our conference, the ogranization for the province, has a group called SAGE, Seniors in Action for God with Excellence. They’ll be coming in September, but we’re getting the demolition and concrete work done ahead of time, so when they come out everything is ready to go for them,” said Wiebe. “They don’t necessarily do renovations. They do various things that need to be done. It’s a service group of seniors, like painting, and they do a lot of more fun stuff, too. This will be their first major construction project.”
    Originally, the Seventh Day Adventist Church had intended to complete the renovation in May. However delays in getting SAGE to Drumheller caused the timing of the construction to be pushed back to August and September. Wiebe feels it was a fortuitous turn of events.
    “We were originally going to start in May, but we’re so grateful we didn’t, because with all the rain, we would’ve had a flooded church! The delays also let us come up with some better plans,” said Wiebe.
    In addition to a new entrance and lobby, a new family washroom with a shower will be installed. Any leftover funds will be used to do smaller renovations to the interior of the church.
    For the time being, the Seventh Day Adventist congregation will be meeting in the Grace Lutheran Church.
    “We’re going to meet in the Grace Lutheran Church. They’ve graciously allowed us to use their church for the months of August and September,” said Wiebe.
    The church is accepting donations, which can be made by contacting Wiebe at 403-919-8953.