ELK POINT - In January, the new year started with the good news that all current parks in Alberta, including Kehewin Provincial Recreation Area, would remain parks, and be protected and accessible, after a major surge in camping numbers in 2020.
Elk Point and District Chamber of Commerce held their first ever ZOOM meeting, with excellent response and declared their first ever Festival of Lights a success that would be repeated and expanded in 2021.
School was back in session on Jan. 12 after an extended Christmas break, but students were sent home right after lunch the following day in the first winter storm of the year.
Elk Point Golf and Country Club president Don Schultz started off town council’s new year with a success story, reporting “a nice profit,” increased memberships, green fees and cart rentals compared to the previous year’s $14,000 loss.
Elk Point was among transfer stations and landfills in the area now offering electronics recycling.
February
Elk Point Healthcare Centre experienced their first 24-hour closure of the emergency department, when no onsite physicians were available, as efforts continued to recruit more doctors.
The Winterland Invitational Hockey Tournament that previously filled arenas in Elk Point, Bonnyville and Glendon with players to support Ronald McDonald House was cancelled, with the public urged to be creative with individual fundraising efforts.
Snow, ice and -30 temperatures proved challenging for both residents and Town of Elk Point Public Works staff, with the street sander waiting for repairs and 22 residents receiving reminders to clean their sidewalks.
Grade 5B students from Elk Point Elementary School kicked off Random Acts of Kindness Week with a poster-bearing parade bringing good wishes to the residents of Heritage Lodge.
March
Regionalization and the Municipal Accountability Program introduced by Alberta Municipal Affairs brought the first of a long line of bylaw and policy updates to town council’s agenda.
A crack in a fitting on the pressurized fire suppression system flooded Elk Point Allied Arts and Leisure Centre, with water running out the doors and difficulty finding the shut-off valve.
Elk Point Municipal Library opened its doors for the first time since early December 2020, with up to five mask-wearing patrons at a time able to visit on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
With snow still blanketing the ball diamonds, both the Elk Point Sox and Pumas were taking registrations for the coming season, but a lack of volunteers had the Elk Point Soccer Club’s future in jeopardy.
A three and a half hour special meeting saw town council dealing with a sizeable assessment drop to the lowest figure since 2013, resulting in cuts to the operating budget, including an across-the-board $150 reduction to council honorariums.
April
Elk Point Municipal Library Board executive returned for another term, chairman Laverne Wilson saying the board was now more prepared to deal with the challenges of COVID-19 protocols than they were at the beginning of the pandemic.
A search for oil and gas reserves in the Elk Point and Lindbergh areas in the 1940s turned up another valuable resource as well, with the history of the plant built by the Alberta Salt Company in 1948 and those who worked there as the subject of a book compiled by Gordon Fakeley and Marvin Bjornstad and nearing completion.
The first electrical vehicle in town, owned by George Hahn, pulled up and plugged in to a brand new electrical charging station at the Town of Elk Point administration building, installed days earlier by Jonny’s Electric.
Support for early childhood learning and daycares in the federal budget was seen by Melanie Poulin of Play 2 Learn Daycare as “a very important economic driver that will help to get our country back on the road to recovery.”
May
Restoration got underway on Elk Point’s 94-year-old hotel, which will become a residence and hotel under new ownership when the lengthy process is completed.
Town Coun. Terri Hampson was the first to throw a hat into the ring for the October election, hoping for the mayor’s chair just weeks after Mayor Lorne Young announced he would not seek a second term.
The 2nd Chance Trail Ride paid tribute to deceased members with a moment of silence at a display along a ride that reduced participants to the organizers and caused postponement of the Tunes and Tailgates concert that was to have wrapped up the fundraiser for organ donation recipients.
Elk Point Chamber of Commerce received approval for two summer students for the first time in years, and agreed to have one position devoted to the virtual tourism project and one providing information at the EcoCentre and on social media.
Elk Point was without emergency room services for two 24-hour periods in May, with a shortage of physician coverage once again causing the closure.
June
Representatives of the County of St. Paul and Elk Point FCSS, County of St. Paul, Town of Elk Point, Elk Point Volunteer Fire Department, Elk Point RCMP and EMS took part in a Rural Health Week drive-by to show healthcare workers their gratitude, as staff of the Healthcare Centre coming out on the lawn to accept the tribute.
Dallas Bristow showed the Grand Champion Steer, Lexi Wirsta the Supreme Female and Alexis Danyluk the Rate of Gain winner at Elk Point 4-H Beef Club’s outdoor Achievement Day at Stoney Lake.
Home sales more than doubled from the previous year, and prices were on the rise in Elk Point in the first five months of 2021, with local realtors kept busy with both sales and new listings.
Representatives of six Elk Point organizations met with the Elk Point Skate Park Committee on ZOOM to set the wheels in motion for the future project, with town council giving the project their support in the form of the location and site preparation.
Not only was F. G. Miller High School’s Class of 2021 privileged to hold their graduation ceremonies in person with parents in attendance, their ceremony was followed by the year-late graduation for the Class of 2020, as the school marked its 60th anniversary.
See next week's edition of Lakeland This Week for the rest of the 2021 year in review.
