While the 2013-2014 school year comes to an end, another exciting event is about ready to start for the month of July. It’s the Botha Summer Playground Program which will take place various days throughout the month, some being Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and some Fridays. You will have to obtain a calendar of these events and/or they are posted on Facebook. Every activity sounds interesting, so you wouldn’t want to miss. This event is scheduled around parent and child, ages 3-11, but if you’re busy and would love your child only to attend, this will be great, too. So get your child registered soon by getting in contact with Jaimie Wadl at 403-742-5988 or gdwidw@xplornet.com or privately messaging her on Facebook, and get a schedule for all upcoming activities. This program sounds like a blast for everyone who attends. This fantastic program starts at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, July 4 and will be held at the Botha Hall. The first day this program will include “In-house” kick off with playground activities which includes a “walk and stretch” (this will be done on the way to the playground). When everyone is inside the hall, there will be crafts and other activities taking place. At the park, they are asking everyone to bring a towel, blanket, or yoga mat, and wear comfortable clothes and make sure your child has shoes on. Juice, coffee or/and tea provided while everyone has a great time.
Monday, July 7 will be another “In House” activity along with a “Walk and Stretch”, exercises to the park again. Please provide your child daily with a hat, sunscreen, water bottle and bug spray. Then Tuesday, July 8, will be their first “Field Day” trip, where everyone will be going to the Stettler Library, for crafts, tours and a story time. Then they head to the Water Park for their picnic lunch. This will be from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m., so sounds like fun for everyone. Snacks and lunches will be provided this year for everyone, unless your child or you are on a special dietary need or requirements, in which case, they are sorry but you will have to supply your own. So please register for these “Field Day Trips” early as they need at least five child to attend (or these trips cannot take place, unfortunately) and register at least 24 hours in advance to any upcoming event. Notice, with any day camp children without parents being able to attend, please make arrangements to drop your child off at the trip location and also be able to pick them up at the scheduled time. This program will run until July 25, when it will be the wind up day. So make sure you get in touch with Jaimie a.s.a.p. as you and your child would not want to miss any of these special activities.
Today, June 25, is the last day of this 2013-2014 school year, and all the staff would like to wish all the students and their families a great summer. They are hoping to see you all back in the fall.
They would also like to wish all the Grade 5s for this past year all the very best in their future, as they now move into Stettler Middle School, for this upcoming school year (2014-2015). They will be truly missed by everyone, and it was a blast working with everyone (child and parents) for the last five years, thank you.
Cody Morris is celebrating a special day this coming Monday, June 30. It’s his birthday, so Happy birthday, Cody and here’s hoping you have a great one with lots of fun.
Bingo evening will be held Tuesday, July 8, starting at 7:15 p.m. so come out to the Botha Seniors’ Centre and join in the excitement for the evening.
Coffee is at the Senior Centre every Wednesday morning at 10 a.m., so take a break away from your busy schedules and join your friends there, they would love to see you all.
Let’s go back now and look at some more history on our little village talking about the first telephones lines, and operation. Apparently there were 61 individual numbers and eight business numbers listed in their first phone directory which came out in 1915, and by 1920 the numbers increased to 130 individual numbers for Botha only, and by this year the directory increased tremendously as the Stettler numbers where added by this time, too. This was done because all the telephone switchboards were moved to Stettler and Botha’s was closed down. So Stettler took care of the switchboard and all of Botha’s lines.
During 1935-1936, events moved rapidly for Botha. The first meeting of what was to be called Mutual Telephone Co (M.T.C.) was held March 12, 1935. Louis Bassler, was elected chair, where he continued to serve until 1942. At that time Ernie Seyer, served until 1962, until M.T.C. was dissolved. On April 16, 1935, a memorandum of agreement between AGT and the Botha Mutual Telephone Company was signed in Stettler. It was agreed that Botha M.T.C. would furnish continuous service through a central telephone exchange office located in Stettler. The agreement included everyone to pay AGT for the use of its equipment. As years moved on, so has technique, so from this we have changed from the first switchboard to what we have now. The first switchboard was located in the Botha Post Office where Maggie Richardson (picture included) was the first operator in the 1939s. Now most of the telephone lines are located underground, which are first located in bigger centers, with different equipment.
This past Saturday, June 21, was the first day of summer, so really hoping the weather changes and it will improve after such a cool spring (with a fair amount of rain and cooler nights) to warmer days. Nights have been cool and the water hasn’t had much heat to warm it up, so hopefully things improve, for all the holiday makers out there. Also this coming Tuesday (July 1) is Canada Day, so hopefully everyone can get out and enjoy themselves. Have fun this weekend.
BOTHA BOOSTER