The grades four to six students and their teacher, Mrs. Gulach, acting on a TV news story, decided to collect new or gently used blankets, winter boots, gloves, socks and tuques for the Hope Mission in Edmonton. On Dec. 10, the students were driven to the city by Charles Muncy, Laura Gamroth and Kristie Gulach, where they delivered a lot of goodies to a mission drop-off centre. These items are given to persons who are homeless. What a wonderful Christmas gift.
This is a busy time of year at the school. The junior high boys (mixed) basketball team have been practicing with coach Sheldon Grice. They have a tournament planned for Jan. 16. The students will hold their Christmas concert on Tuesday, the Silent Santa box of toys and gifts will be delivered to Castor FCSS on Wednesday and on Thursday the students will enjoy a hayride and wiener roast at the Circle Square ranch to mark the beginning of Christmas holidays.
We send our best wishes out to Estelle Haeberle, who is a patient in the Stettler hospital.
When we were counting up Bill and May Jamiesons’ great- grandchildren last week, we missed Tess Whitney, who was born on November 5 to Paris and Kevin Shannon of Forestburg. Dean and Don Coulthard are the grandparents. Congratulations.
The Christmas Cantata put on by the Castor/Alliance community choir, and scheduled for Sunday afternoon, had to be cancelled due to the cold weather.
Melody Kent attended the the Christmas concert for her grandson, Brian, in Camrose on last Thursday night.
Jan and Rose Koenraadt were in Red Deer on Saturday visiting with Rose’s mother Enida Stewart who recently fell and broke her leg.
We send Christmas greetings out to all our readers and the wish for a safe and happy holiday. Those of you wishing for a white Christmas sure got what you wanted.
Halkirk - 100 years: On Dec. 15, 1909, the track laying machine finally reached Halkirk and a few days later the first carloads of freight arrived. On Jan. 1, 1910, Mrs. Celia Duncan, a bride of one week and her husband Harry, rode what they believed to be the first passenger train east. The slat seats were very uncomfortable. Many Halkirk men rode this train back to Stettler. George Ainsworth went to register the birth of his son, John Halkirk Ainsworth born on Dec. 27, 1909, the first baby born in the new town. All through 1909, the town had been growing with many new business men setting up shop.
(Taken in part from the Halkirk history book, to be continued)