Photo: Tyler Fletcher in the Watermelon eating contest at the Sandsculpture Championships July 17 at Devonshire Beach.

The friendly sandsculpturing competition may be the main attraction at the Alberta Open Sandsculpture Championships but there are a lot of other fun things to do.

The day features a range of fun activities and entertainment for kids of all ages with lots of door prizes all day long.

Beach Volleyball Tournament at Sandsculpture Championships

Face painting is always a popular activity at the Sandsculpture Championships. Suzie Winters displaying her Alberta Rose.

Catching some fish at the Boreal Centre activity

Hamburger anyone?

Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park – One of the many displays at the Sandsculpture Championships.

Photo: “Sculpture Club’ team members from left Jason Lavergne, Jennifer Marshall, Marty Johnson, Arron Johnson, Laurie Barkman, Angela Barkman, Deanne Smith and Terri Heinrichs- Team members from Grande Prairie, Edmonton, Leduc and Calgary.

‘The Sculpture Club’ took 1st place and the $3,000 cash prize in the Open Category  at the Alberta Open Sandsculpture Championships held July 17, 2010 at Devonshire Beach on Lesser Slave Lake.

“We always have a great time and it is definitely the highlight of our summer,” said Ronda Johnson who helps organize the team.

“This is the sixth year that Arron (Johnson) has entered a team and we usually start planning soon after the theme is announced in the spring.”

Johnson (Ronda) says that each year the team changes by one or two members but this year there were only three returning sculptors and the rest of the team had never sculpted before. “I have sculpted in past championships but this year I choose to supervise kids instead.”

The main organizers of the team (Arron and Marty Johnson) are from Grande Prairie and the other members are from Edmonton, Leduc, and Calgary.

Photo: 1st place winning entry in the Open Category – ‘The Jungle Book’ by ‘The Sculpture Club’

Photo: 2nd Place in the Open Category – The ‘Pat Potvin Team’ members from left Terry Kristoff, Pat Potvin, Shauna Kristoff, Marc Potvin, Michelle Potvin, Martin Brilling, Normand Potvin, and Daniel Potvin.

The ‘Pat Potvin’ team from Slave Lake took second place and Potvin says he has only missed one sandsculpture championship since they started the event.

The team is a combination of family and friends. Potvin says he has 6 regular members that come year after year for the competition and they usually bounce around with the two other spots.

“Norm and I are brothers,  Marc and Daniel are my nephews and Michelle is my niece. It’s always a blast and we have a lot of fun and many great memories. I’ve got some great people on the team, they work and never complain,” said Potvin.

The Pat Potvin team – Adding the finishing touches!

3rd place ‘The Up and Coming’ team members from left  Ashley Currie, Jen Panteluk, Marie Walsh, Robyn Currie and Kathryn Pooley – all from Edmonton.

It was a full weekend of activities for the 3rd place team from Edmonton. Jen Panteluk was registered for the triathlon and asked some friends if they wanted to get away for a girl’s weekend.

The group came up Friday night to catch the Arkells concert, participated in the sandsculpture championships on Saturday and then did the Olympic distance triathlon on Sunday.

“We were looking online to see what else was happening in the area and came across the event (Sandsculpture Championship)on myslavelake.com and thought it sounded like fun, so brought along a few supplies to enter the competition.

This was the very first time that any of us have competed in any sort of sandsculpture championships, but we can’t wait to do it again!

Fabulous event – thank you.” said Panteluk.

On the drive home, Panteluk says they were already planning strategies for next year if the weekend works out for everyone.

“There is a good chance we’ll head up for a girl’s weekend again to participate. The weather was a bit cooler than we were hoping for (we all had our bathing suits on underneath as we were ready for the sun), but in the end it probably was okay that it was a bit cooler, especially when you are shoveling and working hard. It probably would have been more fatiguing in the sun.”

The Alberta Open Sandsculpture Championships is an annual event held on the 3rd Saturday in July at Devonshire Beach on Lesser Slave Lake

Photo: Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police taking part in the Riverboat Daze parade dressed in their traditional red serge and brown stetson, July 10, 2010. From left – Cst. Kevin Beniuk, Cst. Carmen Degroot, Cpl. Chris Murphy, Cst. Kelly Brown and S/Sgt. Alex Courtoreille.

Thanks to Michael Leonard of Slave Lake, we have another Riverboat Daze photo gallery to share with you. This is just a sample of about 400 Riverboat Daze photos Leonard shot during the Riverboat Daze festivities July 10, 2010.

Leonard says he became interested in photography when he was a teenager but his love for it developed only a few years ago.

“I realized that a digital SLR allowed me to actually learn about photography cheap without having to process dozens of rolls of film only to find out I completely got it all wrong. Since then I’ve been shooting and learning all I can about photography, developing a passion for it and the painstaking process of making images look good.”

Leonard has just recently established a photography website and you can view more photos from Leonard’s portfolio at http://www.picturethisphoto.ca or http://www.flickr.com/photos/scorehound.

Photo: Courtesy of Michael Leonard – Fireworks display provided by the Slave Lake & District Chamber of Commerce and Slave Safety Supply at Riverboat Daze July 10, 2010.

Slave Lake Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee, left, as well as Rotarian (and long-time friend) Harry Bartlett and Rotary Vice President Jeff Taylor pose with Sr. Maureen Fuelkell at the Rotary club meeting last week.

The mayor applauded Sr. Maureen’s decades-long commitment to the people of Haiti, and welcomed her to the community. In response, the sister thanked the Rotary club and the community for the $13,000 that Sisters of Holy Cross received to help rebuild the lives of neighbours in one of the hardest-hit areas of Port-au-Prince.

M.Partington-Richer

A woman who grew up on the banks of Lesser Slave Lake – but who spent almost 50 years in Haiti -- says the chaos that has consumed that island country for decades is at least partly responsible for the devastation caused by the earthquake that struck in January of this year. And while she criticized the bureaucracy for its slow response to cleaning up the tons upon tons of crumbled concrete and debris, the laboratory technician and member of Sisters of Holy Cross was just as quick to applaud Slave Lake, including the Rotary club for the quick response after the earthquake struck.

“There’s no way I can thank you enough for your support and solidarity; It was very heartwarming,” to know that people from her birthplace were thinking of her.

Sister Maureen Fuelkell is one of several Sisters of Holy Cross in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. The group has 11 missions throughout the country, she told members of the Rotary Club of Slave Lake at their breakfast meeting Tuesday morning.

She said people in that city flooded into the street as buildings began crumbling within seconds of the first tremor Jan. 12. Many were heading for higher ground to escape the flooding that they believed would follow the quake. The Sisters of Holy Cross saw their neighbours with no place to go, so opened the doors of their compound, and invited them inside.

Fortunately, the house that Sr. Maureen had a hand in building decades earlier withstood the movement, even though rooms were in total disarray when the trembler ended. That sturdy construction was thanks in large part to what she says are “¾-inch dilating corners every nine metres.” Those allowed the building to shift and sway, but remain intact. Other homes and buildings did not fare so well, she said, “because construction (rules) aren’t followed – or even known. Our home was on one of the streets that was the hardest hit” by the quake, but was the only one that remained whole.

Four hundred and one of the Sisters’ neighbours flocked into the yard – and stayed for the next three months, she said.

The quake was “terribly traumatizing,” for everyone, she said, including those in the compound. Their ages ranged from a few months to 97 years, but not a single person would sleep inside when the sisters opened the doors of their chapel – so afraid were they of continued devastation. (Even when they received new tents to replace their homes, Haitians perched them on top of buildings rather than living inside.)

And thanks to the $6,500 that Rotary raised at impromptu Hotcakes for Haiti breakfast a week after the Jan. 12 quake, the Sisters of Holy Cross managed to look after the individuals. (Federal grants doubled that donation.)
Photo: “Hotcakes for Haiti” pancake breakfast sponsored by the Rotary Club and the Town of Slave Lake January 27, 2010. From left - Rotary Club volunteers Wendy Barton, Sheri Smears and Amanda Mattern.

“Thanks to your solidarity we were able to help people get their lives back together, their kids in school, families relocated and we even gave the vendors money so they could go back in business.” It took the Sisters just three months to get their 401 ‘guests’ lives back on track.

That’s why the lab tech’s frustration is palpable when she talks about the mess that remains in essentially all areas hit by the quake. That is, six months after the devastation, little has been cleared or repaired. And Sr. Fuelkell says there is no excuse for the delay.

“The situation is deplorable and it doesn’t have to be this way,” she said. There are thousands upon thousands of men and boys looking for work daily, she said. And there are “all kinds of wetlands where the rubble could be hauled” and compacted to make way for new communities -- tent cities – she adds. The French army did just that when it was building a residential compound for its soldiers who have moved in to help with reconstruction projects. And suggestions by the Canadian ambassador to Haiti that there’s nowhere to haul the ruble are just not true.

“There are things that could be done, and done faster,” she reiterated. “But when Haitians commence to do something, it’s always very complicated.”

But the people who benefited from the dollars donated by Slave Lake and area residents will never forget the kindness, she said.

“They’re a wonderful people, very grateful.” In fact, just hours after they left the compound that they’d called home for three months, many returned with brooms, pails and cleaning supplies in hand, ready to clean the yard in thanks to the Sisters of Holy Cross.

No one will ever know how many people died as a result of the quake, she added, because many bodies may still be buried in the rubble, while many others were quickly buried by families outside of cemeteries, without the benefit of a proper funeral, or even a casket.

Photo: “Pond Hockey” by the Pat Potvin Team - Winner of the open category at the 2009 Alberta Open Sandsculpture Championships.

Alberta Open SANDSCULPTURE CHAMPIONSHIPS Saturday, July 17, 2010 at DEVONSHIRE BEACH on Lesser Slave Lake.

The 2010 THEME is “The Wonderful World of Disney” and this event is open to anyone willing to participate – if you can pack sand-you can sign up!

Registration for the Sandsculpture Competition starts at 10:00 a.m.

Lots of other activities happening throughout the day including the Annual BEACH VOLLEYBALL Tournament, live entertainment, great food, and an array of activities for the children on the beach.

• Click here for SCHEDULE Alberta Open Sandsculpture Championships

New this year is a COMPLIMENTARY SHUTTLE service to Devonshire Beach from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The shuttle will run from the Sawridge Travel Centre (Truckstop) to the top of the beach road. Just contact the parking personnel at each location and they will radio the shuttle to come and pick you up.

* Click on map for large view

PARKING at the Beach is limited and you are encouraged to use the overflow parking at the Travel Centre and take the complimentary shuttle to the beach.

Not new this year  is Pat Potvin’s entry in the open category!

“We have a wonderful plan set out for the competition and I’m sure other teams will be just as amazing. Looks like good weather for the day and hopefully that all works out,” said Potvin

“It’s a great theme (Wonderful World of Disney) and if all works out it should be fun.
I’ve only missed one since they’ve started this event, going back all the way to when Bruce Thomas had an event at what is now Big Fish Bay, on Canada Day that year,”

Potvin remembers winning the competition in 1991. “The theme I can’t remember, I think it was up to the competitors to choose, but we went with Jim Henson because he had died that year.”

Photo: Pat Potvin’s 1991 Sandcastle Competition winning entry – Jim Henson & the Muppets

Potvin says there was more  but didn’t have a photo with all of it in it. “I know we had Gonzo laying down- off on a blanket and one other muppet somewhere, but the years go by and you forget.

I know that year we won, $300.00 between 10 of us. They use to have 10 to a team then, but back a decade or so they dropped it to 8 members for the open competition.”

Potvin has 6 regular members that come year after year for the competition and they usually bounce around with the two other spots.

“It’s always a blast and we have a lot of fun and many great memories. I’ve got some great people on the team, they work and never complain,” said Potvin.

“We have great memories and stories, and some reminders that last a few weeks – blisters and sunburn –  if you forget maybe to do one leg, as one member did one year, burn’t it red -ouch!”

Thousands gathered for the 2009 Alberta Open Sandsculpture Championships at Devonshire Beach

Photo: Accepting the $8,000 cheque on behalf of the Lesser Slave Regional Fire Service is deputy chef Todd Whitby (2nd from left) with Anglers Cup organizers Bruce Allarie, (Allarie Cleaners) Jim Gamble (Canadian Tire) and Gerry Allarie (The Brick).

The $8,000 cheque presentation at the firehall on July 5 recognized the many volunteer hours provided by the fire service for the 2010 Canadian Tire Anglers Cup.

“The fire department provided volunteers, and they were fantastic,” said Gerry Allarie, “I almost can’t see doing this (The Anglers Cup) without them.”

Over 20 members of the fire department volunteered during the 2 day event. “A bunch of us started at just before 5 a.m and we had people still going at 10 p.m.” said Jim Meldrum, volunteer firefighter.

The fire department volunteers provided the security, registration, boat checks, manned the weight stations and safety monitors, ran communications, and boat rescue operations for the event which was held the weekend of June 18, 2010.

Photo: Flags fly high at Schurter Park. The Lesser Slave Regional Fire Service displaying their national pride by hoisting this giant sized Canadian flag on the fire truck ladder for Canada Day celebrations July 1, 2010.

Michelle Morrison & Karina Pillay-Kinnee

With the Canadian flag flying high, hundreds gathered at Schurter Park to celebrate Canada’s 143rd birthday.

The weather was great and as Lenny Richer said last year, “you can always count on Canada Day having great weather.”

The Canada Day celebrations kicked off at 1:00 p.m and the afternoon festivities included live entertainment provided by Horse Thief, games, face painting, a barbecue sponsored by the town of Slave Lake and the Slip N’ Slide provided by the Lesser Slave Regional Fire Service.

The never ending line-up for the free food kept the Rotary Club’s volunteer cooks busy all afternoon and the fire department’s Slip N’ Slide is always one of the more popular activities.

Serving up the Canada Day cake was Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee and program coordinator with the town of Slave Lake, Michelle Morrison.

Photo courtesy of Jim Meldrum – An aerial view of Canada Day Celebrations at Schurter Park taken from the fire truck’s ladder.

Volunteer cooks from the Rotary Club – From left Lenny Richer & Russ Macintyre. (Macintyre’s first day on the job as president of the Slave Lake Rotary Club!)

The giant Canadian Flag hovering over the large crowd that gathered to Celebrate Canada Day.

One of the more popular activities – The Lesser Slave Fire Service  Slip’N Slide at Schurter Park.

Photo: Birthday cake at Canada Day Celebrations @ Schurter Park 2009

Celebrate Canada’s 143rd birthday with family fun events and birthday cake at Schurter Park and Canyon Creek.

Also, the Sawfest Concert Series kicks off on July 1st and you can go for a Bug Safari at Marten River Campground. (See below for details)

Thursday, July 1, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Show your NATIONAL PRIDE and Celebrate with the Town of Slave Lake at SCHURTER PARK.

There will be Live Entertainment, Children’s GAMES & Face Painting, FREE BBQ - Hamburgers and Hotdogs, Lesser Slave Fire Service  SLIP’N SLIDE  and much more…

Click here for 2009 Canada Day Celebrations photo gallery at Schurter Park

For more information Contact Michelle at the Town of Slave Lake 780 849-8000 or Email Michelle@slavelake.ca

Thursday, July 1, 2:30 – 7:30 p.m.

There’ll be fun, games and prizes galore at the second annual Canada Day celebration in Canyon Creek.

Photo: 1st Annual Canada Day Parade at Canyon Creek 2009

2010 PARADE - Floats to line up at the Canyon Creek Hotel by 2:30 p.m. Parade will start at 3:00 p.m. and will wind its way down to the arena.  Lots of Prizes!!

GAMES & FACE PAINTING at the arena from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.? Lots of Top PRIZES  for children’s games and adult entertainment as well..NATIVE Dancers, DJ…

POTLUCK SUPPER to follow. ( Bring salads or casseroles – and lawn chairs) “and there will be hotdogs and juice for the kids, and there’ll be cotton candy and other surprises too,” said organizer Debbie Seppola.

Click here for 2009 1st annual Canada Day Celebrations photo gallery

For more information, call Debbie Seppola at 780-369-3731.

The SAWFEST CONCERT SERIES kicks off on Canada Day, July 1st with a double billing of KIM MITCHEL and Wide Mouth Mason followed up on Friday, July 2 with Doc Walker, Ridley Bent and Dean Brody.

The Sawfest concert weekend closes up on July 3rd with The ROADHAMMERS and Jessie Farrell.

• Click here for all the info on Sawfest Concert Series July 1 – 3, 2010

TICKETS are on sale by phone at 780-849-4101 or in person at the Sawridge Inn & Conference Centre in Slave Lake at 1200 Main Street South. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketweb.com.

Thursday July 1st   BUG SAFARI A Guided Walk: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at Marten River Campground Amphitheatre.

• Come along on this interactive one-hour bug adventure through the forest and learn how to become a ‘bugster’. We’ll explore bug communication, identification and learn more about the mountain pine beetle. Fun for all ages!

Friday July 2nd   ALL ABOUT BEARS 6:00 p.m. – 8:00p.m. a Drop in Program, Shower Building

• If you go into the woods today, you could be in for a big surprise…. you are in bear country, after all! Come on down to learn about grizzly bears and black bears, and how to protect both yourself and the bears!

Click here for  Are you prepared for a bear encounter?

Saturday July 3rd  WONDERFUL WORLD OF WEASELS An Amphitheatre Show: 8:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. at Marten River Campground Amphitheatre.

• Weasels are the mysterious and smelly hunters of our forests. In this one-hour evening amphitheatre show follow Martee as she discovers what it means to be a carnivore and a weasel! Was she really born to kill?

Sunday July 4th  BOREAL FOREST EXPERIENCE! A Guided Walk: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at Marten River Campground Amphitheatre.

Downy Woodpecker at LSLBO

The forests of Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park can be an ever-changing place. Come explore this boreal world and encounter creatures that call it home. Join Chris for a one-hour journey into this unique environment where trees meet the sky and only the creative survive.

Every day! THE BOREAL CENTRE FOR BIRD CONSERVATION Open weekdays 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Weekends 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

• Interested in learning more about the boreal forest and the birds that migrate to it every year? Or maybe about living green? Stop on by the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation!

• This Centre is built to LEED standards and it’s packed with fun for the whole family from fun interactive computer programs to scavenger hunts and a gift shop!

• Also while you’re here you can sign out a birding backpack complete with field guide and binocular.

You can also find all programing for the Boreal Centre and the Marten River Summer Program Schedule under CALENDARS Boreal Centre

Photo: Corporate Challenge 2010: Three teams tied for 1st place; Alberta Health Services, Northern Lakes College and Town of Slave Lake.

1st Place Totem Pole - NLC

Alberta Health Services was the winner of Corporate Challenge 2009, but this year they had to share 1st place with 2 other teams – Northern Lakes College and the Town of Slave Lake.

“First time in Corporate Challenge history there was a 3-way tie for 1st place,” said Town of Slave Lake program coordinator Michelle Morrison.

The Business Factory came in second and was also the winner of the Team Spirit award.

The 11th Annual Corporate Challenge started off Sunday, May 30 with a Corporate Challenge Relay Race and a Party at the Pool, and ended Thursday, June 3 with a Corporate Appreciation Barbeque.

Some of the other events included a Golf Challenge, a Games Night, A Day at the Beach and a Totem Pole Challenge.

Northern Lakes College was the winner of The Totem Pole Challenge. (Photo at right).

Was Pat Potvin on the Northern Lakes College Team?

Other teams participating in this year’s challenge included St. Mary of the Lake School (2008 Corporate Challenge winners) Roland Michener Secondary School and ATCO.

The Annual Community Corporate Challenge is a recreational event for adults and any organization, company or community group may enter a team or teams.

Photos: Courtesy of Michelle Morrison, Town of Slave Lake and Michael Wahlstrom, myslavelake.com

Photo: The Business Factory team placed second and was the winner of the Team Spirit award.

From Left Mandy Jeworski, Billy Bremner, Carolann Porterfield, Tyler Robinson, Kara Sinclair, Joyce Robinson, Heidi Schmidt and Marie Houle.

Photo: Members of Slave Lake Town Council (L to R) Ed Procyshyn, Rob Chalmers, Laura Vanderwell Ross, Rob Irwin, Elaine Carmichael and Valerie Tradewell, Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee, MP Brian Jean and MLA Pearl Calahasan at Nov. 9, 2009 presentation at the Arctic Ice Centre.

Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee

On Tuesday, May 4^th, the Town of Slave Lake approved the building of a new fieldhouse and substantial renovation of our Arctic Ice Centre for $11,670,008.00.

It was a thoughtful decision as the cost of building came in substantially higher than initially planned. After weighing all the pros and cons of moving forward or not, Council recognized that we have a small window of opportunity to make this happen and costs are escalating.

As well, it is apparent, with the overwhelming support for the fieldhouse, that this is a much needed facility in our community.

It was truly inspiring to see the community come alive and passionately express their views on the need for a fieldhouse. Whether it was through submissions on myslavelake.com, letters to Council or attending Council meetings, citizens made the effort to convey their thoughts on something that is very important to them.

I want to thank everyone for their input and for being a part of this significant decision.

Our work is definitely cut out for us now as we enter construction and the Arena Fundraising Committee goes full force on fundraising.

We are going to need tremendous community support for this exciting project and I know with the enthusiasm, determination, generosity and volunteer spirit in our community, we can achieve great things.

I look forward to the  Grand Opening in the Fall of 2011!