The Drumheller & District Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Drumheller and Travel Drumheller have announced the finalists for the 2025 Celebration of Excellence.
The annual awards gala recognizes individuals, businesses and organizations for their outstanding contributions to the Drumheller community.
Nominees for the Rotary Club Citizen of the Year are Cindy Thomas and Larry Coney.
“The Drumheller Rotary Club extends its gratitude to everyone who submitted nominations,” said Heather Dyck of the Rotary Club of Drumheller. “We are thrilled to honour the contributions of this year's finalists.”
Drumheller & District Chamber of Commerce Finalists
Business Professional of the Year: Heather Jones, Lana Phillips, Keri Looijen
Community Builder of the Year: Boston Pizza, Cold Bones Fest – Hoodoos Music League – Cold Bones Fest, Dry Canyon Collectables
Employer of Choice of the Year: Bikes and Bites, Drumheller Registries, Gallagher’s Trucking
Large Business of the Year: ATB Financial, Gallagher’s Trucking, Hi-Way 9 Express
Most Promising New Business of the Year: Bridgeviews Retreat & Glamping, Happy Belly Grill and Bar, Valley Ice Cream Shoppe
Small Business of the Year: Bikes and Bites, Dry Canyon Collectables, Harper’s Tire
“The Drumheller & District Chamber of Commerce is proud to recognize the outstanding individuals, businesses and organizations nominated for this year’s Celebration of Excellence awards,” said Heather Bitz, executive director of the Chamber. “Their dedication, innovation and community spirit truly exemplify the best of the Drumheller Valley. We look forward to celebrating these achievements with our valued partners.”
Travel Drumheller Finalists
Tourism Business of the Year: Bridgeviews Retreat & Glamping, Valley Ice Cream Shoppe
Hospitality Ambassador: Lynn Fabrick, Natalie Lum
Event of the Year: Boogie in the Badlands, Cold Bones Fest, Great Big Weekend Concerts
“These finalists highlight the strength and vibrancy of our tourism sector,” said Julia Fielding, executive director of Travel Drumheller. “We are proud to celebrate the people and places that make Drumheller a memorable destination for visitors.”
Rotary Club of Drumheller Finalists
Female Athlete of the Year: Addyson Freilinger, Andi Calon
Male Athlete of the Year: Corbin Moulton, Hayes Armstrong
Most Courteous Employee: Edie Renkema, Taven Clark
Citizen of the Year: Cindy Thomas, Larry Coney
This year’s event will take place on Thursday, June 12 at the Badlands Community Facility, honouring local achievements across business, sports, tourism and community development.

In the end, it wasn’t even close.
Last week, residents of the Village of Delia went to the polls to answer the existential question as to whether they should remain a village. The vote was spread over Wednesday, April 23, and Thursday, April 24.
In the end, 103 voters came out, and of them, 95 selected Option 1, which is that the Village of Delia remains a village and implements changes to achieve viability.
Only eight voted for Option 2 to dissolve the Village of Delia and become a hamlet in Starland County.
Mayor Jordan Elliott was happy with the results, and it wasn't a surprise.
“I was totally expecting that we would stay a village. I was more surprised by the turnout,” she said. “When I looked at other villages that have gone through this, there wasn't as much of a turnout, but this was a good turnout.”
The vote for viability was a long time coming. The Village of Delia Council made a motion in October of 2022 to apply to Municipal Affairs to have them conduct a Viability Review. This came after a public meeting on September 8 of that year, when the future of the Village was discussed. A Viability Review begins with a Ministry screening. If the minister decides a review is necessary, they will then go into information collection.
This will review the information supplied by the municipality being reviewed, as well as the receiving municipality. They will also review the municipality’s finances and infrastructure. Stakeholder involvement can include written submissions, surveys, open houses and public meetings.
This process continued until last month when the study was completed, and last week, residents went to the polls.
Upon the successful vote, the Viability report has a list of recommended actions to propel the village forward.
“We are excited, we have a lot of work to do, and I think we are ready. We have already made some steps forward in the right direction. We are just going to continue that and keep working on projects,” said Elliot.