BIG VALLEY -- The second annual Hockey Day in Big Valley is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 23. Games begin at 9 a.m. with Endmoor vs. Big Valley Mites Elks followed by Endmoor vs. Big Valley Novice Thunder at 11, Big Valley vs. Endmoor Atom Swordmen at 1, Big Valley vs. Delburne Peewee Thunder at 3 and finally Delburne vs. Big Valley Bantam Outlaws at 5:15 p.m. The Big Valley Oil Kings may have their first Playoff Game in the evening (stay tuned for more details).
Homemade soup and pies will be available at the concession and there will be prize draws and a progressive 50/50 that will run all day. There is no admission for this event. Come down to the Big Valley rink and cheer for your favourite players.
Happy New Year to everyone from the Big Valley Inn crib players. Fifteen players came out on Sunday, Jan. 3 for the first tournament of 2016. Congratulations to Margaret Levesque for winning all eight games and, of course, first place. Lawrence Wilkie won second and Gladys McLeod came in third. Gail Johnson went home with the booby.
Then on Sunday, Jan. 10, 16 players came out to play crib. First place went Dale Kobi who also had eight perfect games. Second was Lawrence Wilkie, third was Margaret Levesque and Caroline Pound took the booby. Congratulations to everyone.
The next meeting of the Big Valley Historical Society will be on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. at the train station meeting room. Remember, 2016 memberships are now due. The Historical Society expects to have a busy year in 2016. Some of the plans include a conservational architectural study of the Blue Church to determine what future work should be done to properly maintain it; a grand opening of the new Tool Museum sometime in the summer—plans are underway; and maintenance work on the northern baggage car, now that the tools are out, the car needs some tidying and insulating before new exhibits can be set up.
According to the April 25, 1928 Big Valley Journal, Big Valley had a very active tennis club and was entered in the Alberta Provincial Lawn Tennis association. The playing hours were each day up to 6 p.m. except on Wednesdays and Saturdays when everyone had to be off the courts at 2 p.m. Numerous tournaments were held at the courts which were located near the railway station.