Highway 16A entering Spruce Grove, Alberta, by the light to the Peavy Mart. The guy in the sedan weaves in and out of traffic, then, once his way is clear, cuts across all lanes to get in front of the white truck, and gets out of his car just to spit on it.
I hope he feels like a big man.
I’m going to be staying in Spruce Grove for a couple months and looking for recommendations on good gyms for lifting with a barbell. Most of the ones I’ve looked at appear to only have a couple squat racks and only a single deadlift platform, even gyms that have dozens of machines. My training is 90% based around the main barbell movements and I don’t want to have to wait for equipment (or hog the only platform for 45+ minutes), especially as I usually only have time to go around peak hours. Any suggestions on gyms that are well equipped for barbell training?
I'm going to be 20 in September and have a very hard time making connections because I'm so fearful of rejection. Now I'm really in a tough place because i feel like my best friendship isn't going to last much longer because i think we're just too different, idk. Where do I meet other people my age? It's getting to a point where I'm considering suicide even though my heart isn't really in it because it just hurts to be so lonely for so long. Don't get me wrong, i have coworkers i consider my friends and chat with but i feel so unseen. I feel like this post is just another call for help into the void lol
Friday, July 31, 1987, a date that will forever live in infamy in Edmonton, Alberta and surrounding areas. Also known as Black Friday, the deadliest and most destructive tornado in Alberta's history touched down at 2:55 p.m. MDT just north of Beaumont, and went on a run of destructive terror for over an hour. Leaving 27** people killed, hundreds injured, and over 300 homes levelled. The storm carved a path of destruction 30.8 kilometres (19.1 miles) long and up to 1.3 kilometres (0.81 miles) wide. Reaching peak intensity on Refinery Row in Strathcona County, derailing train cars and turning giant oil storage tanks upside down, crumpling them like they were cardboard.
The immediate aftermath in Strathcona County was severe damage and destruction to infrastructure, with communication and transportation being disrupted, as phone lines went down, and access to healthcare facilities critically hindered. It would take months to clean up and to asses the true damage, with hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage. Strathcona County was set to host the 1987 Alberta Summer Games that August, but with the tragedy and destruction left by the tornado, an uncertainty hung in the air whether or not the games would go on.
“The tornado of ‘87 and its aftermath was a very traumatic situation,” said the Honourable Iris Evans, former reeve and Strathcona County councillor. “The real miracle of those games happening was the preparation; it was very well planned.”
The 1987 Alberta Summer Games were hosted by Strathcona County from August **13 to August 16, 1987, welcoming athletes aged 11 to 16 from across the province to compete in various sports. The games served as a premier provincial multi-sport event designed to foster athletic development for youth across Alberta. Strathcona County is again set to host the province once again for the 2026 Alberta Summer Games, taking place from July 16 to 19, 2026. The upcoming event will feature roughly over 2500 athletes and participants.
“People weren’t sure if the ‘87 games were going to be put on after the tornado,” said Evans, who also served as the Alberta Minister of Health and Wellness and later the Minister of Employment, Immigration and Industry for the Government of Alberta. “It might have been the largest collection of volunteers up to that point to gather and work an event in Strathcona County, and that coupled with fantastic leadership made the event a success.”
In terms of leadership, Evans is referring specifically to Jim Common, the then reeve of Strathcona County, and Doug Fulford, head of the games organization. “The ‘87 games might have been Jim Common’s golden moment as reeve, while Doug Fulford did a great job too, with Doug’s big smile, he welcomed everyone,” Evans said. “Everyone did a masterful job, really igniting the fires of volunteerism in the community.”
Heroic organization and preparation became the keys to the success of the ‘87 games, but it meant nothing if the weather didn’t cooperate. The tornado and subsequent rains did do a number on the facilities, soaking fields, worrying organizers with just days to go before the events started.
“Just right before things kicked off, the sun shone almost defiantly, in the wake of the tornado, it was brilliant,” Evans remembered. “The ground was still a bit soggy for the start but things soon righted themselves.”
The legacy of those ‘87 games stretches far and wide, as it not only sparked a new passion for community volunteerism, but helped initiate the building of recreational facilities. With the games success, it also led to future sporting events being hosted by Strathcona County, including the upcoming 2026 Alberta Summer games.
“It (the ‘87 Games) was a new venture, it was really the first time we had uniforms and ball caps and lanyards, and the credentials started to come in,” Evans said. “It was also the beginning of the development in the enthusiasm for strong recreational facilities being built, like eventually places like Millennium Place came about.”
As for the Honourable Iris Evans’ personal take on the legacy of the games and their affect on the community, she remembers both the immediate aftermath after the games ended, along with its lasting impact.
“When it was over, even later in September when everything was said and done, the staff, the volunteers, the organizers, everybody breathed a sigh of relief, especially going through the adversity with the tornado. The games were very well organized and a success,” she fondly recalled.
“It (the games) put Strathcona County on the map, for more than just for refining operations,” Evans added.
“People look back at the ‘87 Alberta Summer Games with pride.”
we would become an American territory, without the ability to vote. our resources would be taken and we would be give nothing back.
that’s exactly what would happen, and it has already happened to a place.