Towns ready to shine this weekend

Residents and visitors in Black Diamond and Turner Valley looking to spend the day outdoors will have no shortage of activities on Saturday. The neighbouring towns are collaborating to host the Diamond Valley Parade and Discovery Day with barbecues, live music, markets, a petting zoo, rhubarb tea, quilt show, car show, climbing wall, bouncy houses and various other activities on June 2. The day kicks off with a pancake breakfast prepared by Oilfields High School staff and students in the Oilfields Regional Arena at 8 a.m. in Black Diamond and ends with the screening of an outdoor movie in the town’s Maplewood Park. “It celebrates our community heritage and culture together with Black Diamond,” said Monique LeBlanc, Turner Valley community services and business development manager. “It’s going to be well attended and such a great day. It’s grown in terms of the attendance and activities.” Several streets in Black Diamond will close to traffic at 8:30 a.m. to allow for an array of floats, marching bands, horseback riders, clowns, dancers and vintage vehicles in the annual parade, themed 50 Years in the Making, to make their way through town. It starts at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 1st Street SW at 10 a.m. Following the parade, merchants will host sidewalk sales, a pop-up market, live music and food trucks throughout the Historic Downtown District. “The businesses have really come together to make sure that they are keeping people within the town,” said Kelly Tuck, Black Diamond special events co-ordinator. “It’s also important that we support our local businesses and that they’re willing to support us by putting on events.” Bali Bling Gift Store owner/operator Jake Fiveland said she’s working with other merchants to keep people in town before they head west for Turner Valley’s Discovery Day. “Everybody goes to Turner Valley and we wanted to get some of the business back,” she said. “We need a way to keep people in town.” Among the activities planned is live entertainment, a pop-up market and a beer tent offering varieties produced by new local business Hard Knox Brewery. A bus will shuttle people from Country Food Mart on the west side of Black Diamond to Discovery Day in Turner Valley’s Millennium Park, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event features face painting, an artisan market with more than 30 vendors showcasing locally grown, sourced or produced products, demonstrations by local firefighters, Zorb Ball Collision Course, food vendors, climbing wall and the Foothills Lions Club duck derby at the northwest corner of the four-way stop. The Sheep River Arts Council hosts its annual Rhubarb Festival from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Valley Neighbours Club on Sunset Boulevard offering a choice of rhubarb pie or crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a sweet rhubarb beverage. A bake sale, plant sale and quilt show will be next door where people can vote on their favourite quilt starting at 11 a.m. The Turner Valley Spray Park and Dr. Lander Memorial outdoor swimming pool will be open for public use. The pool will feature a demonstration by the Calgary Aquabelles Synchronized Swimming Club at 3 p.m. In the parking lot, people can view a variety of vintage and classic vehicles from the Foothills Model T Ford Club and Vintage Sports Car Club of Calgary. People looking for a relaxing evening after the day’s festivities can head to Black Diamond for its inaugural outdoor movie in Maplewood Park near the water tower with the showing of Pixar’s Coco. Those planning to attend must bring their own chairs and the Little Leos from the Foothills Lions Club will operate a concession. For more details and the parade route go to www.town.blackdiamond.ab.ca and www. turnervalley.ca