• Olympic gold medallist Phil ‘Wizard’ Kim demonstrated some of his mind-blowing breakdancing moves at Spruce Meadows on Sept. 4. The 27-year-old became the first Olympic gold medallist in men’s breaking at the 2024 Paris Games.
• A wheelchair-accessible swing that promotes inclusivity was unveiled at the playground at Bill Robertson Park on Sept. 5. A project of the Rotary Club of Okotoks, the We-Go-Swing features specially-placed handlebars that allow everyone to be part of the swinging experience.
• Lucky the Lobster returned to Okotoks on Sept. 6 where a welcome celebration was held at Hub Town Brewing. The brainchild of Chris and Karen McCallum, the stuffed crustacean became a viral sensation on its cross-Canada journey, Lobster Quest from East to West, which began in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
• The Leighton Art Centre held a harvest dinner on Sept. 14 to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Located on 80 acres of grassland near Millarville, the centre has fostered an appreciation for art and nature through the years with a rich history of programming, exhibitions and special events.
• The Okotoks Dawgs announced in September that Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Matt Stairs has been brought on as the academy’s hitting instructor. Stairs, who holds the Major League Baseball record with 23 pinch hit home runs, played two decades in the big leagues, winning a World Series title with Philadelphia in 2008.
• The Western Wheel received four honours from the 2024 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards, including being named Best All-Round Newspaper in its circulation class. The Wheel also won Best Front Page and was third for Best Editorial Page and Best News Feature Photo, an image taken by Robert Korotyszyn.
• A black bear was filmed strolling through the Westmount neighbourhood by resident Leslee Horniachek, who first spotted the bear on her driveway camera at 2:19 a.m. on Sept. 18. After alerting the RCMP, Horniachek got into her truck and followed the animal as it made its way by Westmount School.
• Pound Rescue supporters gathered in Aldersyde on Sept. 21 to celebrate 30 years of care and compassion for animals in the Foothills. Since being founded by Dr. Gabriele Barrie in 1994, Pound Rescue has helped tens of thousands of abandoned animals find new homes.
• Saskatchewan’s Team Mike McEwen continued its hot start to the season with an undefeated weekend capped off by a 5-2 triumph over Team John Shuster in the final to win the 2024 ATB Okotoks Classic on Sept. 22 at the Okotoks Curling Club. McEwen dispatched Swiss and Japanese rinks earlier in the playoffs.
• The Okotoks Oilers opened their first full season in the BCHL on Sept. 20 with a 5-0 home ice loss to the Brooks Bandits in front of 1,074 fans at the Viking Rentals Centre. Opening day roster for the Oilers, one of five teams to leave the AJHL late the previous season, featured just six returning players.
• Holy Trinity Academy graduate and author Mackenzie Neufeld brought her book, From Physics to Faith, to the Vatican where she gifted a copy to Pope Francis on Sept. 20. She wrote a special message in Spanish in the copy of her 2021 memoir she gave to the pope.
• The Foothills Lions Club held a special event in September to recognize 60 years of community service by longtime member Don Ward, who has been associated with the service club since 1964. Ward initially became a Lion while stationed in Prince Edward Island as an air force pilot.
• Okotoks house prices set a new all-time high in September, the seventh time this year the local real estate market has set a new mark. According to Calgary Real Estate Board figures, the benchmark price reached $630,300 in September, up nearly one per cent from August and nine per cent higher than the same month last year.
