Pontiacs announce 1st Ever Breakfast Event

The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs hockey team have just announced their first-ever annual fund raising Breakfast. Yup, Breakfast folks and what a great idea. The event will take place on Monday, August 23 in the C2's Flint Field House. Doors open at 6:45 a.m. and breaky is served at 7 a.m.
Pat LaForge - President of the Edmonton Oilers is confirmed as the guest speaker and they are even working on getting commitments from former Pontiacs, Jon Kalinski and Mark Latestu who now play in the NHL.
Proceeds from the event are ear marked toward the Pontiac Players educational fund that will help defray those costs that took nearly $32,000 out of the operational budget over the last three years. There are also possibilities of setting up scholarships for these young players and other opportunities are being negotiated through AJHL's legal council Mark Lamb.

This event will bring a complete new format to the Lakeland and will allow corporations to use the event as a team building effort for their own staff. What a great way to energize your group or yourself. You can buy a table of eight seats for $800 or single tickets are available as well for $100 each. Help the Pontiacs create Champions both on and off the ice.

Call the Head Coach, Chad Mercier or Business Manager Janice Sabatier at the Pontiac Office at 780-826-2893 for tickets or more information.

Canada Day is coming to Bonnyville

I think it is anyway. Haven't heard anything on the radio, haven't read anything in the paper but I know its going to come. I'm hoping there's still a pancake breakfast in front of Sobey's. I know there's an outdoor farmer's market at the Museum and there might be a party in the park by Jesse Lake with music and fireworks but I haven't heard anything official. If someone else knows let us all know.
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Saw a sign the other day at a golf course that seemed a little harsh.

I supposed it's all justified but gee folks leave them with their dignity.

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I see that Edmonton made it onto the new Monopoly game board. And, it's in expensive real estate territory right there along with Park Place and Boardwalk.
It reminds me of the expensive assessments that tax payers out around Moose Lake got recently. I know a few of them have contacted the assessor and are asking him to have a re-look at it.
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Here's another cute sign we ran into on a recent trip to the Excited States. I wonder if the staff got the message. There's the odd place in town we could likely send the same message. I know I ordered some food recently at a food counter in a large building on the east end of town and the young guy took my order and my money and then left to have a smoke with his buddy.

I assumed he had passed the order on the the cook. After 15 minutes I got a little curious and approached the counter with my receipt in hand and a young lady who had been sitting off to the side visiting with another friend asked if she could help me. I said I was still waiting for my breakfast sandwich. She said Oh, I'll check then returned and said she could get it ready in just a few minutes. The order hadn't even been started so I said no just give me my money back. I won't return! And they wonder why there's a deficit each month. WAKE UP PEOPLE! Customer service is the first thing you need to teach new employees. Without it you will have NO BUSINESS.
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That's it for this week. Oh wait, one more thing.
Plan your August long weekend now to join me at Haying in the 30's out at Mallaig. It's an excellent way to spend the weekend and you'll be supporting an excellent cause. Here's a poster on the event.
Enjoy. Dave.

Here's a little Northern Hospitality

Just yesterday, US Consul General for Alberta, Saskatchewan, BC and Northwest Territories, Laura Lochman was up in the Lakeland to check out our Oilsands Operations and what else the area had to offer. She was hosted during her tour by MLA Genia Leskiw and other local dignitaries. She stopped for lunch at Clark's on lake shore drive in Cold Lake North.  Pictured left is Genia, Ms Lochman, far right - Craig Copeland - Mayor of Cold Lake and Daniel Fennel from the US Consul office in Calgary.

There was even time for a quick trip on the lake with Cap'n Dan's Charter boat as seen below.

Welcome to the Lakeland. We hope your trip was enjoyable. Now please go back and tell your people that its not dirty oil.
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Time to dust off the old Stetson and polish up your boots for the 22nd annual Bonnyville Pro Rodeo that roars into town May 28, 29 & 30. More than 300 contestants from across North America will compete for about $45,000 in prize money over the three performances. Tickets are available at the gate prior to the start of the event. Performances are at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and a matinee at 2 p.m. on Sunday. In addition, there is a pancake breakfast on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. , the rodeo parade at 11a.m., the heavy horse pulling competition at 1 p.m. and the rodeo dance at 9 p.m. at the Centennial Centre's Flint Field House. Tickets at available on line at www.centennialcentre.ca or by phone at 1-877-812-2740. Music is provided by Sweet Tequila with Randy Martin and Misty Lee Olsen.  Sorry, this is a licenced event and no minors are allowed. To make sure you get home safely, The Bonnyville Oilmen's Society have volunteered to shuttle you and your vehicle. Thanks to Ducharme Motors, Bonnyville Chrysler and Tercier Motors for providing the vehicles. Tickets are just $20 anytime. The event is presented by the Bonnyville Ag Society.

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If you've got something going on, let me know and I'll get it on my blog. Just email bnlhears@gmail.com. Thanks for dropping in and let others know how they can get to this site.

You call that a pothole fix?

Wow, a new piece of pavement popped up just outside our property but I'm sure it won't last long. Since last fall and all through the winter, the heavy traffic that runs down 46 street has been pounding away at this hole and really creating a mess. Just a couple of days ago (April 26) the town crew or someone dumped in a batch of cold mix, ran back and forth over it with a truck (I assume) and drove away calling it done.  Sorry, its not going to measure up and here's why. The pile of pavement - yes I said pile, is humped up like they buried a turtle in there (for the run-off I guess), the sides aren't sealed and it isn't packed properly. One of the other reasons this patch isn't going to hold is the traffic still insists on racing up and down this road many beyond the speed limit. And, there are still heavy trucks using this as a main route to get to the new subdivisions to the east. Yes, heavy trucks like tandems full of dirt or gravel, low-boys with track hoes and cement trucks with full barrels. I think its time that the developer opened a road down toward their end of town so the established areas don't have to put up with this traffic. I know its still winter (cause it won't quit snowing or threatening to snow) but come on folks this has been going on for more than a year. Wise up. NUFF Said.
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Oh and have you driven down any back alley's here? They are in terrible condition. Something needs to be done because its costing us a fortune for front end work on our vehicles. Maybe we should be submitting the bills to the town office!
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We're off to the Alberta PC Association policy conference in Edmonton this weekend. Its an opportunity for constituents to have a say in how our provincial government runs. I'm sure the Premier will have a lot to share with us and we with him. We have a combined delegation from both Cold Lake and Bonnyville attending so we'll be able to share information when we return.
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I know we need the moisture but couldn't it come in warmer temperatures. We had to take all the plants in from the greenhouse because the heating bill would have broken the bank account. Now our house looks like a jungle inside with all the trays and little, and some not so little, plants poking through the dirt. Its also a little earthy smelling so it'll be nice to get them all out in the ground where they belong.
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Interesting developments in the northeast of town from the partners at Envision. A potential new mall plus more housing can't hurt. Sure it would bring competition but it just might keep our local shoppers home. We're losing them to places that have malls so lets get progressive and grow this town.
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That's it for now but I'll maybe slip in a little ad here. If you need printing - everything from basic business cards to multi-part carbonless forms such as fluid haul tickets, hazard id forms, safety meeting forms, purchase order books, ground disturbance forms, brochures, letterhead, note pads, labels, or special printing, call me anytime for a no obligation quote. You can also visit my web site at www.commwordsink.com for more information. Hey and if you don't need any printing perhaps you know someone that does. Have a great week. Dave

Garage Sale season is Upon Us!

And in case you haven't heard, there's a Giant one A' Comin' !!!! This one is just a little jaunt outside of town to Eastbourne Hall at the top of the hill just west of Hoselaw Corner. It's coming this weekend.

GIANT GARAGE SALE
Eastbourne Hall
Friday April 23 from 10 AM to 7 PM
Saturday April 24 from 9 AM to 3 PM
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Ya know its a shame that the old service station couldn't be used for something. It was always a great place to stop for Ice Cream or other goodies on the way into the Big Smoke or coming home. I'm not even sure who owns the place now. The last thing I heard was that even the bank had given up and turned it back over to the MD. It would be interesting to see what they'd find if they tested that ground again.
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Something has gotten into my blog spot and its making things act a little weird. Like my return key seems to stick to the end of the sentence and when I hit it several times it finally lets go and runs off down the page.
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This warm weather has got the Gardener's Itch running High in a bunch of folks. I set up a green house for the Missus a couple of weekends ago and she has been filling it and emptying it in case it freezes at night so our house has quite an earthy smell to it. Oh wait a minute those are just my socks. (just kidding folks). In any case the missus is chomping at the bit to get growing and has likely bought about $4 Grand worth of seeds. I can't believe how much they cost now. She showed me a little pack of wave petunias and the seeds were so small they actually packed them in a little plastic vial inside the bag. There were only about 5 or 6 seeds and the package cost nearly $5 Bucks! Those petunias better do a heck of a lot more than wave. For that price they should dance a bit too.
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We're going to try a couple of experiments this year in the garden and I hope they work out. Last year we planted our potatoes in a straw bed above ground but the dry year didn't help. We had done that once before down on the farm and it worked really well. Lots of big white potatoes without any scab or scale. Once they matured, you could just reach in under the straw and pull out the potatoes you needed for supper and leave the rest undisturbed. It was like picking eggs from the hen house when I was a kid. Anyway,  a nosey heifer decided to check out the garden one day and discovered these juicy potatoes under the straw. She liked them A LOT.  She didn't get them all though so we had a pretty good feed. I know she developed a real taste for spuds though because when we were hauling her to market we went by a fast food place and she started to beller like crazy. She must have smelled the fries or....maybe she knew where her trip might end.
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Can you imagine, the ticket line up for Johnny Reid went all the way across the rotunda at the Centennial Centre last Friday. By mid afternoon, they had sold 1100 tickets and all of the sky box seats. Amazing. Johnny's pretty popular so I'm sure it'll be a sell out. I wonder who gets to collect the interest on the money cause the concert isn't until September 24th.

Randy Travis is here on May 5th and you can still get tickets for his concert.
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Well my computer is still being goofy so I'll sign off for a bit and bring you more news a bit later. Have a great week. Dave

Wisdom of the ages

Have You Ever Danced?

An old prospector shuffled into town leading an old tired mule.
The old man headed straight for the only saloon to clear his parched throat.

He walked up and tied his old mule to the hitch rail.  As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, "Hey old man, have you ever danced?"

The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, "No, I never did dance... never really wanted to."

A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said,  "Well, you old fool, you're gonna dance now," and started shooting at the old man's feet.

The old prospector --not wanting to get a toe blown off-- started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet.  Everybody was laughing, fit to be tied.

When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.

The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barreled shotgun, and cocked both hammers.

The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air.
The crowd stopped laughing immediately.

The young gunslinger heard the sounds too, and he turned around very slowly.  The silence was almost deafening.

The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels.

The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands, as he quietly said, "Son, have you ever kissed a mule's butt?"

The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, "No sir..... but... I've always wanted to."

There are a few lessons for us all here:

Never be arrogant.
Don't waste ammunition.
Whiskey makes you think you're smarter than you are.
Always, always make sure you know who has the power.
Don't mess with old men, they didn't get old by being stupid.

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There, now that I've got your attention, here's a couple of local events that are on tap in the Lakeland.

There will be a SPRING RUMMAGE/GARAGE SALE
St. John 's United Church
Thursday April 22nd from 1 PM to 6 PM
Friday April 23rd from 1 PM to 6 PM
Corner 43 Avenue & 46 Street
Bonnyville

I'm thinking of going for a couple of reasons - One, I need another garage. Two, I've always wanted to know what a rummage looks like.....

Have fun, life's too short to be serious all the time.
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Holy Cow, Bonnyville is becoming quite the Concert Stage. Randy Travis is here on May 5th in the Centennial Centre and now Johnny Reid is coming here on September 24th. Tickets go on sale on Friday, April 16th. You'd better be quick or you won't get any. His shows sell out fast.
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If you don't happen to get tickets to either show, you can save your sheckles for the upcoming Bonnyville Pro Rodeo Dance with Sweet Tequila on Saturday, May 29 in the Flint Field House at the Centennial Centre. Tickets will be on sale shortly at just $20 each. The event is presented by the Bonnyville Ag Society in support of the rodeo that runs May 28, 29 & 30 with performances at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

I also heard a little rumour that the RCMP Musical Ride is coming to town to try out the rodeo arena and covered grandstand. They'll be here in August on the 13th so watch for tickets and announcements.

That's it for now folks but keep checking back to find out what's happening in the Lakeland region. Have a great week. Dave

Come and sing or just listen

A little bird dropped this message on my desk the other day about an upcoming event in Bonnyville. And, as you'll see to the right the Bonnyville Society Singers are presenting a special Salute to our Armed Forces concert with net proceeds going to the Bonnyville Legion's building fund. It'll be a great night likely experiencing a few numbers from back then as well as modern times. (Just click on the poster and it will get big enough to read the small type.)

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Great job by the fund raising committee of the Bonnyville Pro Rodeo and Chuckwagon Association on their fund-raising Cowboy Gala last Saturday. I heard they raised about $75,000 that will help them to finish sheeting in the grandstand and adding a couple of concession areas.
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I see that our town council is starting to get a bit worried and anxious to find a solution to the fresh water supply that they had hoped would come in a pipeline from Cold Lake. Seems our current system will be pushed to its maximum capacity to take on the increased amount of treatment required to pull water from a shallow Moose Lake. 

The hold up now is that the Cold Lake Regional Utilities Services Commission (CLRUSC) withdrew the application for a waterline because of concerns that adding on Bonnyville and other potential users numbering 65,000 that it would impact levels in Cold Lake. The Commission heard presentation in late March informing them otherwise and that the lake was indeed a reliable and sustainable water source. So now its up to all parties concerned to get back to the table and get it launched again. The project likely won't start until at least 2011 considering the fiscal restraint our government has in place. The project would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $62 million.
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Easter is coming up this weekend and a lot of folks will be on the road to spend time with family and get out to great the spring. Just a reminder to drive safely by not using your cell phone or texting or anything crazy like that. OK.
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Here's a little story for you.
An adorable little girl walked into a pet shop and asked... "Excuse me; do you have any rabbits here?"

"We do" the sales representative answered...

By leaning down to her eye level she asked, "Did you want a white rabbit or would you rather have a soft, fuzzy black rabbit?"

She shrugged and said "I don't think my python really cares".

Ouch! Hope you have a great week. Dave