YEAR IN REVIEW: Ultra-marathoner completes record-breaking run in July
Dave Proctor completed his 7,200-kilometre trek from Newfoundland to the Mile 0 marker in Victoria, B.C. on July 21 in a new trans-Canada record of 67 days and 10 hours.
Dave Proctor, a 41-year-old massage therapist from Okotoks, gives a thumbs up on the Pat Bay Highway near Victoria, B.C. on July 21, 2022 after running from St. Johns, Nfld. in 67 days and 10 hours.Darren Stone/Times Colonist
A Parole Board of Canada hearing that took place virtually July 6 saw Tristan Ryan (formerly Bradley Paetsch) appear via video conference from the Drumheller Institution alongside a parole officer. His request to receive day parole was denied. He was found guilty of stabbing his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Spooner to death in her Okotoks home on Jan. 23, 1991.
A new automotive dealership in Okotoks opened its doors on July 11. A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the grand opening of Okotoks Volkswagen, part of the Wood Automotive Group.
Four Okotoks-area youths took the stage at the Calgary Stampede. At the heart of this year's Bell Grandstand Show, titled AMPLIFIED, was a showcase of vocals and choreography by Young Canadians School of Performing Arts, with Foothills teens Isis Macdonald, Taylor Atkinson, Jack Leathwaite and Maya Pawlick on the roster.
Okotoks Oilers forward Rieger Lorenz was selected in the second round of the 2022 National Hockey League Entry Draft on July 8. The Minnesota Wild selected the forward with the 56th pick, making the Calgary-born player the 10th Oiler alumnus to be drafted into the NHL.
Ukrainian arrivals got a chance to meet each other as well as members of the wider community during a welcoming event July 17 in Okotoks. Hosted by Foothills Community Immigrant Services, the potluck luncheon saw many of the 20 Ukrainian families that have settled in the Foothills descend on Bill Robertson Park to break bread and make new friends.
On July 15, users on the Okotoks Community Discussion Facebook group began remarking about a mini donkey wandering in the street. Shortly after, RCMP members arrived and were able to coax the stubborn ass off the roadway. They were able to make contact with the owner and determined the animal had simply jumped its enclosure.
A Foothills County family was recognized for its commitment to the community and the agricultural industry in early July. The Brocklebanks, who live just west of High River, in Reeve Delilah Miller's Division 2, were chosen as one of 19 BMO Farm Families at this year's Calgary Stampede.
Erma Brown marked her 108th birthday on July 17 at the Rising Sun Long Term Care Centre. Born in 1914, shortly before the start of the First World War, she moved to Black Diamond as a teenager, settling there with her family in 1929.
The Dawgs pause to enjoy the fireworks during the Canada Day game against the Edmonton Prospects on July 1. Brent Calver/OkotoksTODAY
Okotoks youth bowling’s first taste of the national stage proved to be one for the history books. The Millennium Lanes team of Elizabeth Honish and Elisha Delehay were the only Bantam girls team to win medals in both doubles and mixed team after capturing silver and bronze at the Youth Bowling Canada Fivepin Nationals, held July 10-12 in Oshawa, Ont.
Officials from provincial and municipal government gathered in Okotoks on July 20 to announce provincial funding towards a long-term water supply solution for Okotoks and Foothills County. The Alberta government will provide $15.9 million for the Foothills Okotoks Regional Water Project through a grant from its Water for Life Program. The grant amounts to about 45 per cent of the project cost.
Ultra-marathon runner Dave Proctor completed his 7,200-kilometre trek from Newfoundland to the Mile 0 marker in Victoria, B.C. on July 21 in a new trans-Canada record of 67 days and 10 hours, to shatter Al Howie’s benchmark of 72 days and 10 hours — a mark which has stood since 1991.
Turner Valley RCMP investigated after three plaques were stolen from the Little Chicago-Royalities monument sometime between July 7 and 15. The plaques were torn off the stone monument, causing significant damage to the site north of Longview on Highway 22. Police were notified on July 18.
Baseball fans were treated to two sets of fireworks as the WCBL All-Star Game hit Okotoks on July 23. The traditional lightshow followed a walk-off finish in extra-innings as Team West’s Ethan He from the Sylvan Lake Gulls drove in the winning run in the 10th inning as West edged East 9-8 to take the Western Canadian Baseball League All-Star Game Saturday night at a sold-out Seaman Stadium.
Following two years of postponements, Okotoks got its belated opportunity to host the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League Jr. B Tier I provincial championship with the four division winners descending upon the Murray Arena from July 29-Aug. 1.
The Wear Pink to the Park breast cancer awareness game returned to Seaman Stadium on July 31 as the Okotoks Dawgs auctioned off game worn pink players jerseys as an annual fundraising event for the Canadian Cancer Society which has raised upwards of $40,000.
On July 25, a representative from Make-A-Wish, members of the Foothills Fire Department, Okotoks RCMP, friends and family paid a visit to the DeWinton home of Claire Sonnenberg to unveil a swim spa awarded by the non-profit.
The Town of Okotoks began collecting monthly data on response times to medical emergencies given an ever-challenging ambulance situation throughout the province. A report presented to council July 18 shows the Okotoks Fire Department arrived ahead of Alberta Health Services emergency medical personnel 45 per cent of the time on calls where both services were dispatched in June.
Turner Valley council approved a pair of bylaw amendments on July 20 that keep a local brewery's expansion plans on track. The unanimous votes followed a public hearing and are the next steps in the process for the purchase of land by the applicant, Brauerei Fahr.
The 2022 Community Theatre (CAT) Awards, recognizing productions not only from 2022, but also those going back to July 2020, announced 110 nominations across 20 categories. Of that, the Dewdney Players got 17 nominations across four shows, with its playing of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables up for 10, I Take This Man with four, Cereal Offenders with three and Every Brilliant Thing up for one.
Okotoks Dawgs Black ran the table as hosts of the Baseball Alberta 15U AAA Tier I championships, capping a dominant weekend with a 7-4 victory over the Parkland Twins in the provincial final on a July 31 afternoon scorcher at Conrad Field.
Okotokian Finlay Knox teamed up with Joshua Liendo, Ruslan Gaziev and Javier Acevedo as the Canadian contingent earned bronze in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England on July 30. The Canadian women also took home the bronze in the 4x100m freestyle relay event with the team of Summer McIntosh, Katerine Savard, Rebecca Smith and Maggie Mac Neil adding to a four-medal day in the pool for the Canucks.
The host Okotoks Marauders bounced back from two losses with a pair of victories to close the Larry Bishop Memorial Cup, the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League Junior B Tier I provincial championship, in third spot on July 31 at the Murray Arena.
