Oyen
Oyen looking forward to 'normal' in 2010
Medicine Hat News
After several years of intense activity, 2010 may be the year Oyen goes “back to normal.”
A number of multi-million-dollar pipeline projects brought over 600 temporary workers to the town of 1,000, giving local businesses a major boost and leading residents to open up their homes to as many as six pipeline employees at a time.
However, the Ledcor pipeline completed in October of 2009 was the last scheduled project in the area. Oyen mayor Wayne Wilson says plans are being made for another pipeline, but they have yet to be confirmed and work likely won’t begin before the summer of 2010.
“Grocery stores, and tire shops and the mechanics and stuff like that, they’re pretty quiet now,” says Wilson.
“There’s not really much we can do. The only thing, we’ve just got to hope they’re coming back.”
Though the oil and gas industry has slowed, the town’s main economic base - agriculture - is still going strong. The area’s approximately 650 farm families produce a variety of grains, including wheat, barley and rye, and also raise beef cattle and hogs.
Each July, the town celebrates its cowboy roots with the Oyen Bull-A-Rama. Several thousand people turn out annually to watch top local and national bull riders compete for a $10,000 top prize. Many Bull-A-Rama contenders are also regulars at internationally known events such as the Calgary Stampede.
Though the temporary workers have gone home, Wilson says the community has started to see growth from a different direction.
“Right now, in the last year or so, there are a lot of young people coming back,” he says.
Photos courtesy of Canadian Badlands
It’s something the town council - comprised of Wilson, deputy mayor Doug Lehman, and councillors Darrow Tye, Manfred Schroeder, Tom Van Otterloo, Lois Bedwell and Wicki Christianson - is hoping to see continue.
An Integrated Community Sustainability Program is currently in the works, to chart the community’s future growth and find new ways to encourage young people to return to the community.
“They’re short of people in the Special Areas, on road crews and different construction,” Wilson explains. “We bring in people to do this work now, and it would be better if we had carpenters and stuff like that living here.”
The council also hopes to secure plans for a $2 million street improvement plan which would include paving, underground sewage and water improvements and general road repairs.
June - September - Farmer’s Markets (Every Friday)
June 2010
• Ladies Open Golf Tournament . . . . . 5 • Empress Artisans Open House . . . 5-6 • Bindloss Family Sports Day . . . . . . . 5 • Studio 9-41 Art show. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 • Buffalo Rodeo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 • Hogan-Pratt Memorial Golf Tournament. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
July 2010
• Acadia Valley Sports Day . . . . . . . . . 1 • Oyen Canada Day Celebrations . . . . 1 • Capon Sports Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 • Empress Daze Summer Curling Bonspiel . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
• Show and Shine car show. . . . . . . . 17 • Oyen Professional Bull A Rama. . . . 21
August 2010
• Buffalo Fair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 • Oilmens Golf Tournament . . . . . . . . . 7 • Open All Class Horse Show . . . . . . 14 • 4 Man Scramble Golf Tournament. . 14 • Travis Winquist Memorial Bronc Riding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
• U Night the Nite Bed Race . . . . . . . 26 • Buffalo Archery Competition. . . . 28-29
townoyen@telus.net • www.townofoyen.com
14 — REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA 2010 ■ Celebrating our Community
September 2010
• 3 Lady Scramble Golf Tournament . . 4 • 3 Man Scramble Golf Tournament . . 11
October 2010
• Ironperson Golf Tournament. . . . . . . 3 • Acadia Valley sausage fry . . . . . . . . . 9 • Acadia Valley annual Turkey Shoot . 10 • Buffalo Turkey Shoot. . . . . . . . . . . . 16 • Thanksgiving Bazaar . . . . . . . . . . . 16 • Sibbald Haunted House . . . . . . . 29-30 • Bindloss Halloween Dance . . . . . . . 30
November 2010
• Buffalo Fall Turkey Super . . . . . . . . . 3 • Legion Mini Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 • Buffalo Wild Game Supper . . . . . . . 20 • Christmas Social. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
December 2010
• Christmas Farmers Market . . . . . . . 04 • New Brigden New Years Surf & Turf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
• Acadia Valley New Years Bash . . . . 31 • Buffalo New Years Dance . . . . . . . . 31
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1-800-801-3740 • Acadia Valley, AB • www.iwkuhn.com
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