Breast cancer walk

Cochranites walked hard to battle women’s cancers July 24-25, raising thousands for research in the process.

The Weekend to End Women’s Cancers, now in its sixth year, raised $2.7 million to benefit the Tom Baker Cancer Centre with the help of more than 1,100 walkers.

Teams walk either 60 kilometres over two days or 30 kilometres in one day.

“You walk 60 kilometres so you’re pretty raw,” said Lorna Callaway, who walked both days with her daughter, Kirsten.

“It’s an emotional weekend, it’s a busy weekend, but it’s a bonding weekend. It’s an amazing thing to do together.”

Callaway, who survived kidney cancer, has participated in the walk for a number of years, motivated by her deep links with women’s cancers.

Her sister, sister-in-law and mother-in-law are all breast cancer survivors, and her nieces successfully beat cervical
cancer.

From left to right, Brenda McCall, Nancy Remus-Everitt, Mackenzie Remus-Everitt, Kirsten Callaway and Lorna Callaway from local team Boobs ‘R’ Us walked 30 kilometres July 24-25 to raise money for research on women’s cancers. Photo submitted

“Women’s cancers are so much more common,” Callaway said. “There’s just a sense of pride that you were involved in a weekend with that many women.”

Callaway raised $2,100 herself, but with a five-person team, contributed a total $11,500 this year, and was able to do the two-day walk with her daughter Kirsten.

The event is sponsored by Shoppers Drug Mart, and Cochrane store was very involved, raising $15,400, including contributions from the walkers.

One of the store’s employees, Brenda Epp, is battling ovarian cancer.

“Everybody got behind it,” said store manager Cathy St. Louis, who raised $1,250 herself. “We’re all walking in support of Brenda.”

Cochranites Heather Crowdis, left, and Cathy St. Louis stand in front of pictures of Brenda Epp, who inspired them to participate in a Calgary cancer walk July 24-25. Photo by Jeremy Broadfield

The store held fundraising events like a movie night at the Cochrane Ranche, draws and raffle events, bake sales, and more. Guy Woods, director of Bow Valley Habitat Development and author of Fishing These Parts, donated $10 from the sale of each book at Shoppers, totalling $780.

All funds from the event benefit care and research at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary.

“At the end, there’s such a sense of accomplishment,” Callaway said.

Zacahry Bueniting

This Heritage Day, a 30-year old Cochrane organization will be celebrating its 30th birthday.

The Stockmen’s Memorial Foundation has been preserving the history of western culture for the past three decades, and to mark the occasion its members are teaming up with the Town of Cochrane to host some special events at the Cochrane Ranche historic site’s on Aug. 2 from noon until 4 p.m.

Rocky Mountain Pipes and Drums will kick off the festival at noon, and then the band TC and Company will play a two-hour concert at the Ranche’s Centennial Stage at 2:30 p.m.

Local performers Sara Tkachuk, Katie Dal Pra and Elijah Lucian are also scheduled to peform.

Cochrane Mayor Truper McBride will be presented with a portrait of a famous Cochrane historical figure at 2 p.m.

Lyndie Sundby, right, paints the face of Zacahry Bueniting at the 2009 Heritage Festival. Eagle file photo

Other activities include interpretive activities, pony rides, old-fashioned kid’s games courtesy of Wineglass Ranch — which is located south of Cochrane and is celebrating its 125th year in operation, food vendors and the Fun on the Run van.

There will also be people dressed up in western wear, and the Cochrane Rodeo Royalty will visit the festival on horseback.

Stockmen’s Memorial president Don Hepburn explained that a scenic trail will lead visitors from the Ranche up to the Cochrane RancheHouse where the group’s library is housed.

“We’re having an open house with free brew and biscuits,” he said.

Hepburn added local entertainer Larry Wackershauser will be performing there as well.

Hepburn has been with the group for seven years and said during that time he’s seen a number of changes, specifically with regards to technology.

“The biggest change has been converting the libraries and archives to digital,” he said.

“We have 200 boxes of cancelled brand files and so far we’ve scanned one and a half.”

As well, a VHS collection of interviews of senior ranchers must also be preserved digitally.

“Technology has taken over,” Hepburn chuckled.

He added the group would also be hosting a private function for invited guests in the evening, and that he expected seven past presidents to attend.

Sean Washburn

A Cochrane man is currently biking across Canada along with a brother that he didn’t know he had until
recently.

Sean Washburn, who was adopted at birth, located his birth mom and her four other sons in 2003.

After meeting them in Ontario, he became particularly close with one brother, Jon Ross, and after spending vacations together they decided to ride their bikes across the country as a way to get to know one another better, and to also raise funds for an important cause.

One of the other brothers, Brandon Ross, was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and has battled it for much of his life.
In 1990, the Sunshine Foundation sent him and his family to Florida and Disney World, so Ross and Washburn have chosen that organization.

The ride will be spaced over five years, for about two weeks every July.

A little over two weeks ago the pair left Vancouver, and by July 26 passed through Cochrane where they dined with family and friends before heading on to the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, which is where they’ll continue next summer.

The duo says they’ve certainly become closer.

“It’s amazing how well we get along,” said Ross. “The only problem with that is it’s sometimes hard to make decisions.”

In total, they reckon they’ve raised about  $2,500 for the charity, and they’re hoping that as the trek gains momentum over the years that figure will increase.

“People even gave us cash donations along the way,” said Ross, adding they met some colourful characters en route, including a guy who tossed them a can of beer from his vehicle. They were also impressed by most drivers.

“Ninety nine per cent of them are so courteous and patient,” said Washburn, recounting a time when he and Ross were struggling up a steep hill with a long line of long-suffering drivers behind them.

“Not at all like Ontario,” added Ross who flies back there at the end of their trip on Aug. 2.

Though the stretch through the Rocky mountains is over, they taught him an important lesson.

“For next year I’m going to train more on hills,” he said. “I had no idea these dang mountains were so high.”

For more information visit rideforcharity.ca, or on Facebook visit Sean and Jon’s Ride Across Canada for Charity.

Emily Lamb

Saturday nights at the Cochrane Ranche continue to entertain local music lovers and foster the small, although mighty, musicians’ community in Cochrane.

So on the eve of July 31, the music series running all summer welcomes electronica, pop, R&B band The Pity Dates to the stage.

Even though this three-piece group jokes about the failures of their solo musical endeavours, which led to the eventual formation of The Pity Dates, there’s no need to take pity on these three dedicated musicians, as this particular bunch is having the time of their lives, with no pressure looming over their heads.

“The Pity Dates just seemed to suit us and the way we came together — just kind of goofy little underdogs,” explained bassist and vocalist Emily Lamb. “We tried for a while to think of serious alternative names, but really, that’s not who we are. We love to make people laugh (even at our own expense) and we found that dealing with the music scene is a lot easier, and a lot less stressful if you just have fun.”

Lamb, along with her co-pity dates Elijah Lucian and David Vanden Enden, know firsthand the rocky climate experienced by modern musicians. Point blank — it’s tough to make a living at it unless you buckle down and commit full time.

For these musical cats, it made more sense to form a musical collective of sorts — a mish-mash of genres, vocals, arrangements and effects that can be tailored to the crowd of the night.

Each member writes their own songs, Lucian plays guitar, Lamb plays bass and Enden adds percussive effects. All players sing, combining their different writing and singing styles (from folk to pop to funk, and pretty much everything in between) together for a show that is difficult to pigeonhole into one definitive sound.

“We have such a diverse sound from one song to the next that there’s really no way it can get boring, and there has to be at least one song that suits every individual audience member,” said Lamb of the band’s dynamic on stage.

“When I describe it, it makes us sound like a total gong show, but somehow, because we love it so much, and we have so much fun together, it ends up being this really cohesive, hilarious thing.”

Elijah Lucian, left, Emily Lamb and David Vanden of The Pity Dates. Lucian and Lamb, who recently moved to Cochrane, will be playing an acoustic set at the Cochrane Ranche on July 31.

Lucian also brings his extensive experience as a producer to the stage, incorporating effects into the band’s more electronic sets and leaving the reliance to sheer stage presence and musicality for the more acoustic performances.

Whatever the format of the night may be, The Pity Dates are committed to entertaining their crowd by incorporating humour into their music, and placing more importance on letting loose and having fun than on driving their band in a particular direction.

As long as they’re up there doing what they love, The Pity Dates will keep writing original music and playing for an enthusiastic audience.
“No matter the crowd, no matter the place, we will be having fun, playing music. That, or we will have all murdered each other onstage,” jokes Lamb.
Sometimes success may be best measured by being happy right where you are, in music and beyond.
Catch The Pity Dates at the Ranche site located on Highway 1A July 31 at 7 p.m. where Emily Lamb and Elijah Lucian will be performing as an acoustic duo.

Banded Peak challenge participant

Organizers of a challenging physical event say that though corporate sponsorship is down, participants have stepped up raising more cash than in previous years.

The event was the Banded Peak Challenge, a gruelling 27-kilometre bike ride followed by a 10-kilometre hike to the summit of Banded Peak mountain.

The annual event raises funds for the Easter Seals Camp Horizon, a residential facility that creates a camp experience for people with special needs.

According to director of operations Anna Garcia, the July 17 event was “such a perfect day.”

“The temperature wasn’t bad,” she said of the weather that was sunny but not too hot.

Families and individual participants biked and hiked the 9,626-feet climb at their own pace.

Although final numbers have not yet been tallied, Garcia said approximately $41,000 was raised.

A group proudly display the Banded Peak Challenge banner at the top of the Kananaskis-area mountain. The challenge raised more than $40,000 for Easter Seals Camp Horizon. Photo submitted

“In terms of corporate sponsors it’s not up from last year,” she said.

“That’s them feeling the effects of the recession. But participation (at the event) is up.”

Garcia added the cash will directly benefit campers by subsidizing programs.

RCMP Musical Ride

Cochrane’s Stu Bradley and the Eagle’s Jack Tennant will be guests of honour at the 2010 Musical Ride for the two performances in town Aug. 3.

Their jobs are to give permission to the ride to commence after the riders line up, and at the end of the show they will be saluted.

Rob Cameron, Cochrane Posse marshall in charge, said they both were appointed because of their strong community input.

He added they have not only supported local groups, but were heavily involved in the 2003 musical ride.

Library art display

The Cochrane Nan Boothby Memorial Library will be featuring the works of two photographers starting Aug. 1.

The fine art photos by Heather Simonds and Len Cyca will be hanging on the walls until Sept. 14. The exhibit is called “Fresh and Forgotten” and features living wildlife and plants and still antique subjects.

In other art news, Cochrane-area visual artist Maureen Enns will be featuring her recent drawings and paintings on Assiniboine Grizzlies at the Willock & Sax Gallery Aug. 7 as part of a day of activities that will celebrate Banff’s 125th Anniversary.

Kaitlyn Gibson

By Alex McConnach

A Bragg Creek resident is about to join an elite group of Canadians.

Like the Canadarm and the Lunar Module, Kaitlyn Gibson aspires to make a substantial contribution to the space exploration community.

Gibson, 16, was recently accepted into the United Space School in Houston, Texas, running July 26 to Aug. 8.

She is Canada’s western representative in a camp hosting students from 25 countries.

The campers’ ultimate goal is to design a simulated mission to Mars in the two weeks they will spend together.

As well, the students will be given the chance to work with astronauts from NASA and visit the Kennedy Space Center.

Gibson is excited to be learning during the eight hours of work a day, but  is also looking forward to the life experience.

“I’m definitely looking forward to working with astronauts, but I’ll love seeing what it’s like to live with a girl from France,” she said.

Since being accepted, Gibson has become friends with some of her fellow future astronauts on Facebook.

To get into the school, Gibson had to submit an essay, cover letter, and resume. When she got the call asking for an interview, Gibson was in Hawaii on vacation and chatted with camp officials over Skype.

Not only is she a talented at physics, Gibson writes her own guitar music and competes on the Alberta Ski Team — and she expects to
succeed.

“I have three dreams: astronaut, Olympic skier, and rock star,” she said.

“I don’t have many doubts about it.”

Skiing has taken Gibson around the world with international competition and training in Europe, South America, and the United States.

Gibson is flying to New Zealand right after Space School to compete for the Alberta Ski Team.

She also plays the piano and saxophone, and intends to pursue an aviator’s license whenever she can find the time.

Though Gibson is talented, she acknowledges that her parents’ support has played a huge role.

“My parents are active in school and made huge sacrifices for my skiing,” she said.

Gibson’s parents have placed her in Calgary’s National Sports School and she gets up at 5 a.m. every morning for training.

For Gibson, her parents are the inspiration to reach for the sky.

“I don’t think my Dad ever got good grades in school, but he’s a great leader,” she said.

Youth trip

A Cochrane church has begun a special relationship with a community in Guatemala.

A group of teens from the Cochrane Alliance Church returned from a 10-day trip to San Raymundo, Guatemala, on July 15, after helping build homes and lives for impoverished members of a partner church.

“Compared to our other trips and experiences with the students, this was by far the best one,” said Dave Yang, pastor of student ministries at the church.

The group of 23 high school students built a house for a family that lived in a “tin shanty;” a house for a widow with seven children; and an addition to the church that eventually will become a school for the community.

With the help of the church and community, about $70,000 was raised to send the youth mission, and a second group of adults, who leave Aug. 6.

Cochrane Alliance has committed to send missions to San Raymundo for at least five years.

A group from Cochrane Alliance Church went down to Guatemala in July.

Yang admits the town, located about one hour’s drive from Guatemala City with a population of 942,348, is a “slum,” although the missions are part of a larger community transformation project.

“It’s definitely poorer than I thought,” he recalled.

There’s lots of kids running around without shoes on. It’s dirty, there’s garbage everywhere. Despite that . . . the level of happiness they have far surpasses what we have here in Cochrane.”

Focus on the family unit and faith takes precedence over material wealth, Yang added.

Despite the warm welcome from the locals, a job still needed to be done.

“The first day we went to a site we must have transported 800 cinder blocks,” recalled Katie Koob, 16.

“You’re pretty sore after that.”

More than 20 students from Cochrane Alliance Church travelled to San Raymundo to help build homes and expand a church July 5-15. Pictured are Ben Mochar, Kayl Litschke, Hayden Sikina, Zach Livingstone, Jordy Dyck, Brett Hiebert, Case Littlewood, Rachel Ellerby and Kayla Wierks. Photo submitted

The accommodations weren’t exactly restful — 16 girls slept in a 21-foot-by-11-foot room.

But she won’t remember the trip just for the physical labour, which included  mixing and pouring cement and laying rebar with construction tools “probably 20 to 30 years” behind the standard in Canada, according to Yang.

“There are memories I’ll have forever,” Koob said, recalling taking a break from work to talk to some local girls for the first time.

“I had taken a Spanish class, so I knew a few words,” she said. “They would give me Spanish words and I would give them an English word . . . Even though the language barrier’s there, I still felt such a connection to those girls.”

The girls were “beaming” the whole time, a trait that’s apparently not uncommon among Guatemalans.

“They don’t live for stuff down there,” Koob said.

“They live for family, and smiles, and friendship, and God.”

Koob looks at her material possessions in a different light since returning — she’s grateful to have them, but knows they aren’t really what’s important.

“Every year it does touch me how much it does impact the students,” Yang said. “We hit day 10 and we’re about to leave, and they’re in tears, holding these little kids they’ve hung out with for a few days.”

For more information on the trip, including a blog written by participants, visit hungryforlife.org/trips.html and follow the links.

Sgt. Wim Nan

Cochrane RCMP Sgt. Wim Nan took the long road to his current posting.

After spending his first 20 years in Holland, Nan’s parents decided to move to Canada and asked him to come along.

“I didn’t want to come over here originally,” recalled Nan, who worked as an electrician in his home country.

“But I liked it so I decided to stay.”

After working for more than five years with Greyhound, Nan was hired by the RCMP in Kamloops, British Columbia, and quickly transferred to Nanaimo, where he spent seven years doing general parole.

Next, he was shipped to Cochrane where he spent the majority of his seven years working in Morley.

Then, a job in collision reconstruction opened in Calgary and Nan switched detachments yet again.

After stints in Beiseker and Grande Prairie, Nan finally returned to Cochrane last April and was tasked with overseeing and co-ordinating municipal operations.

“I walked back in here and not much had changed,” he said, laughing.

Nan has trouble recounting his day-to-day tasks because there are so many. One of his major projects recently was co-ordinating the local portion of the 2010 Ironman Calgary 70.3, which runs August 1.

When not in uniform, the 49-year-old can often be found running or cycling on the many trails in and around town.
“I enjoy being here,” he said.

“It’s definitely not small-town Cochrane anymore.”