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JULY 7, 2015
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Vol. 64, Issue 128
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Cranbrook wins best municipal float at Stampede The new Sweethearts impressed the judges with their 50 Years of Heart theme and historical knoweldge TRE VOR CR AWLEY
Cranbrook made its mark in the greatest outdoor show on Earth over the weekend, winning the best municipal float in the Stampede parade on Saturday. The float was redesigned to fit a Sam Steele Sweethearts theme this year and built by local volunteers. “This year, because we were changing floats
for the 50 years of the youth ambassadors, we had to change the whole design,” said Jim Wavrecan, a volunteer who helped build the float and drove it in the parade. “So we had a group of volunteers came together and put in probably a couple hundred hours of volunteer time. “We wanted to feature the Sweetheart program and specifically
the youth ambassadors, so we had a heart theme,” said Wavrecan, adding that the float was dedicated to Karin Penner, a long-time volunteer with the Sweetheart Society. The City of Kimberley was also recognized with third place honours, behind Cranbrook and the City of Red Deer.
See CELEBRATING , Page 3
Campfires banned within city limits Any kind of campfires are prohibited until further notice due to hazardous wildfire conditions FOR THE TOWNSMAN
Crews continue to battle a wildfire out in the South Country that started over the weekend.
RDEK PHOTO
Fire alerts remain in place Blaze classified as 25 per cent contained as of Monday afternoon TRE VOR CR AWLEY
The Baynes Lake wildfire has been roughly 25 per cent contained, but there are still evacuation alerts in place for the surrounding area and the Kragmont community. The fire saw minimal growth over Sunday night, but is estimated to be roughly 140 hectares in
size. Crews are planning to conduct a burn out, where they will burn towards the active fire to reduce the fuels and create a natural fire break. The burn out will generate some smoke but it is a normal practice in combatting wildfires. There are 35 firefighters on scene, with six pieces of heavy
equipment, two helicopters and air tankers as needed. The fire is burning south of Cutts Road towards the Elk River. In another area of RDEK jurisdiction, a fire north of Spillimacheen has been re-estimated at 54 hectares.
See FIRES , Page 3
Effective at 12:00 noon on Monday July 6 and until further notice, the City of Cranbrook is banning any and all cooking fires and campfires within the municipal boundaries. This ban does not apply to appliances and barbeques that use gas, propane or briquettes. The decision was made by Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services officials Monday morning in support of the campfire and open fire bans put into place by the provincial Wildfire Management
Branch on Friday July 3. “As a community we need to be responsible with respect to public safety and taking a break from burning during this exceptionally dry period only makes sense,” said Fire Chief Wayne Price, director of Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services. “The fire service in the province is overwhelmed right now, and to continue allowing campfires inside our city boundaries sends the wrong message to our residents and neighbours.
“It is never an easy decision to take away any form of recreation, but in this case, asking residents to forego campfires is the right choice, and we trust that everyone can accept this decision.” Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services ask that if you see smoke or fire, please do not assume others have reported it. Call the Southeast Fire Centre toll free at 1-800-663-5555 or call *5555 on most cellular networks.
See NO FIRES , Page 3