Okotoks

The Town of Diamond Valley is advising residents that a black bear was spotted at the local disc golf course.  

“Fall is a busy season for wildlife, and it’s common to see bears moving through town at this time of year,” the Town of Diamond Valley said in a Facebook post. “Please use extra caution when enjoying outdoor spaces.”  

As summer break is quickly coming to an end, the Dr. Lander Memorial Swimming Pool is only open for a few more days.  

To wrap up the season, there will be a Labour Day Pool Party and Toonie Swim on Sept. 1, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.  

The season wrap up party wouldn’t be complete without a special aquafit class on Sept. 2, at 7 a.m. 

Some hydro excavation and utility work will cause a road closure in Okotoks.

The work will take place on Riverside Drive between Northridge Drive and Riverside Gate on Sept. 2, causing that portion of the road to be closed for the day.

Crews will be doing watermain investigation work, using hydro excavation to complete the work.

The sidewalk in the area will also be closed for the day, and there will be parking restrictions in place along Riverside Drive while the work is being completed.

It's going to be a hot long weekend in the Foothills, with plenty to do.

It will be hovering around 30 above all weekend, with plenty of sunshine. 

Let's take a look at what people can get up to this weekend:

Friday, August 29:

Alberta Day celebrates the day our province became a province.

It was Sept. 1st, 1905, which makes it 120 years ago this September, Alberta has been here.

The Town of High River is celebrating with a free concert, including a local 13-year-old future Country star from Millarville.

Amelia Paquette is opening up the free concert put on by the town on Friday night at George Lane Memorial Park.

She's really looking forward to it, and surprisingly, she's only been singing and playing for a year.

The province is once again giving livestock producers on crown land the opportunity to apply for the Crown Grazing Lease Rental Reduction Program.

Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison says, given the dry conditions throughout most of the grazing season, they are once again offering the program for producers.

"Crown grazing land lessees who have reduced the number of animals grazing on the land are eligible to apply (by the October 31st deadline) for a rent reduction for the 2025 grazing season.To be eligible, the lessee must reduce their stocking rate by 20 per cent."

Those heading to the mountains just west of us, be aware of a fire advisory that is in place.

As of Wednesday, Aug. 27, a Fire Advisory has been issued for the Calgary Forest Area portion of the Forest Protection Area.

This is due to the continued warm temperatures the area has been experiencing, which created conditions where wildfires can start and spread quickly.

When spending time outdoors, be cautious and avoid any activity that could create a spark that could ignite a wildfire.

Update:

Kananaskis Mountain Rescue, Alberta RCMP Underwater Search Team and the Cochrane RCMP, recovered the two drowning victims from Upper Kananaskis Lake.  

The victims, a 33-year-old female resident of Banff and a 34-year-old male resident of Canmore, were recovered yesterday (Sept. 11).  

Peavey Mart is making a comeback.

A message posted to the farm goods retailer's website says the brand that closed all its stores earlier in the year is planning to reopen in select Alberta markets.

The note says Spruce Grove, Westlock, Camrose and Lacombe will all see Peavey Mart return this fall.

The company says the new iteration of the brand will focus on high quality and locally sourced items meant for farmers, ranchers, homesteaders and more.

It promises to release more details about the relaunch in the coming weeks.

People in Calgary can expect to hear a consistent round of loud bangs for at least another day as police try to disarm an explosive substance in a south-end industrial neighbourhood.

Police say a moving company had been tasked with disposing of several substances, including a package of picric acid.

But that package was mislabelled and had been sitting for about 10 days when it was discovered early Tuesday afternoon. Police were notified later in the day.