ONE YEAR AGO
• Canadian Business magazine has ranked Red Deer 25th among the top 40 places in Canada to do business. The top three spots overall all went to communities in Quebec. Sherbrooke was in first spot. Top position for English-speaking communities went to Kitchener, Ont. — which was fourth overall. Edmonton was 31st and Calgary was 38th.
• Lacombe County pulled its support for a regional gasification plant, but the project manager said the venture to turn garbage into electricity was still a go. The county decided last week to drop out of the 15-member Central Alberta Waste Management Commission, which was formed to ensure a supply of garbage for the $100-million Plasco Energy plant expected to be built in Red Deer County, east of Penhold.
FIVE YEARS AGO
• More than 700 Bentley residents gathered to mourn Kenny Gibson, an ever-present figure at community events. Gibson’s body was found on the floor of the bar in the Bentley Hotel. Police believed the 69-year-old man was murdered during an early morning robbery.
• Red Deer voters gave mayoralty candidates an earful about a proposed multimillion-dollar museum and archives. A consultant estimated the facility would cost $22 million. Many voters compared the plan to the Collicutt Centre, which came in $7 million over budget.
10 YEARS AGO
• Red Deer city and rural RCMP forces looked at joining forces to fight crime for less. The proposed merger was expected to bring the two forces together under the city detachment’s roof downtown.
• Arrests in Red Deer were part of a provincial sweep as a major crime ring was broken up. Fifteen local suspects faced charges, and police seized $130,000 worth of crack and cocaine.
25 YEARS AGO
• Red Deer Optimists were praised for their efforts to combat impaired driving with a television documentary. The Optimists are like “ a group of terriers who had sunk their teeth into the issue and wouldn’t let go,” said Jack McGaw, executive producer of the TV documentary entitled Drinking Drivers — The Red Deer Challenge. It was shown to members of the Insurance Brokers of Alberta and received an enthusiastic response. The $300,000 production was funded by the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
• A special spirit passed over the people who attended an open air mass at CFB Namao. “It was very personal . . . it was so friendly,” said Sister Paul-Marie of St. Joseph’s Convent, one of several people who received communion from the Pope. “The look of the Pope on me was something I just can’t forget,” she said. The nun sat in the section next to the altar and said watching the people arrive in family groups with their bags reminded her of a pilgrimage. Michael Oman, who celebrated his 81st birthday at the mass site, said it was difficult to put into words his reaction to receiving communion from the Pope. “It was an extraordinary experience” said Mr. Oman, a longtime member of Sacred Heart Catholic parish.
50 YEARS AGO
• Alberta Hail Studies whose field headquarters were at the R.C.A.F. Station at Penhold, flew hail sample to Davos, Switzerland, for detailed microscopic study of hailstone structure. Alberta Hail Studies, a research project, which had for several years been studying hailstorms in Central Alberta, had collected many samples of hail.
• “Every week is immunization week in Red Deer,” was the comment of Dr. C.G. More, medical officer of health, as he declared the support of the Red Deer Health Unit for the educational program connected with National Immunization Week which was marked across Canada. It was the 17th year that the Health League of Canada had sponsored the special week which was designed to impress on every citizen, the vital importance of immunization against disease. The campaign was directed toward children, through parents, for protection against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis and smallpox.
90 YEARS AGO
• Report of the I.O.D.E. Committee on socks and comforts for soldiers in the trenches: 56 pairs of socks were returned between August 13 and September 10 and had been forwarded to St. John’s Working Committee, Edmonton.
• The choir of the Methodist Church planned to hold a real old fashioned harvest home festival. At that time, Red Deer district had such a great reason to be thankful in comparison with other districts which had suffered from frost and drought, it was felt that some special effort should be made to give expression to that thanks. With this in view, it was planned to carry out special plans for the festival at the church with the fruits of the harvest as decoration and a programme of thanksgiving.
100 YEARS AGO
• Relatives of the late Rev. Leonard Gaetz announced plans to donate a $2,000 pipe organ to the church named after him. “The family appreciates deeply the honor done Rev. Dr. Gaetz in the naming of the church,” the Advocate reported.
• Great West Lumber Co. had plenty of logs to process but not enough workers. The company hoped to attract more employees.