Author: BAS-webmaster

Some exciting news for the community is putting our small hamlet on the maps!

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The Story Behind the Pink Pumpjack

Anyone recently driving by Bezanson on Highway 43 has without a doubt seen the bright pink pumpjack on the north side of the highway that proudly supports breast cancer awareness. This pumpjack was installed by Canadian Natural in late April 2018 and was painted a month later in May. Just from driving by, the jack reminds people about friends, family, and other loved ones who have battled or are battling breast cancer. And the story behind the painting of the pumpjack is one that resonates deeply for so many people, not just in the Bezanson community but in the the people just driving by as well.

“The idea [to paint the pumpjack] originated with Canadian Natural employee Rick Holman, who works as a Foreman for field operations in the Grande Prairie region. His wife is battling breast cancer and Rick thought painting it pink would be a wonderful way to support his wife, Donlea, while also being an effective and unique method of creating breast cancer awareness.
Rick contacted a local vendor (IPAC Services Corp.), mentioning that he was considering the option of painting it pink and the reasons behind it. A week later, when calling to further discuss the job quote, IPAC gave Rick some unexpected and greatly appreciated news ― they had generously taken it upon themselves to make arrangements to donate their time to clean, prepare scaffolding and paint the pumpjack pink. Other local vendors were also eager to support breast cancer awareness and donated the paint, steam cleaning services, a new chemical tank and landscaping services.”

– Kevin Gill; CNRL Communications Associate

The oil field is the backbone of the Peace Country’s economy and this positive show of support from the local businesses brings together the area. This pumpjack started as a simple way for a husband to support his wife by raising awareness for breast cancer, and has grown into a large-scale reminder, inspiration, and motivation for community members.
The pumpjack is located by Colleen and Gord Ford’s property. In an interview Colleen said, “They haven’t just painted a pumpjack. It started as one individual but now so many people have been touched by it. They haven’t just done something, they’ve done it with excellence. It warms my heart to see people stop to look at it.”
Colleen even said that a small tour bus stopped to look and take photos of the pump jack. She is so impressed by the level of dedication CNRL has put into the site. They cleaned the fence line, mowed the ditches, and even planted flowers. The gravel road leading up to the site has been in disrepair for a while now and Colleen wishes that the County of Grande Prairie would fix the road now that there is an increase of traffic. If you do pull onto Range Road 32 north, be aware that the pump jack is on a dead-end road that currently, due to all the rain, is in terrible condition. The public needs to be cautious if they are stopping on the highway to admire the pumpjack. It is a high traffic, high speed highway and the pumpjack just happens to be on the curve, so please be careful if you pull over to take a photo.
“Rick and Canadian Natural are extremely grateful to the local businesses who donated their time, materials and services. It demonstrated a tremendous level of generosity and community spirit and we can’t thank all those involved enough for their support of such a valuable cause that touches so many lives. As a small token of our appreciation, Rick has posted a sign near the well thanking all the businesses involved.” 
The Bezanson community would like to thank Canadian Natural, Rick Holman, and the businesses that contributed to this project that touches each and every person in the Bezanson community.

Written by Haley Friesen

Teepee Crowns a New Queen

Bezanson local, Dallas Marthaller, was crowned Miss Teepee Creek Stampede this past Teepee Creek Stampede. She will be representing the Stampede for the next year, and sharing in the ever-expanding legacy and history of the Teepee Creek Stampede. Dallas, 15,  recently finished her grade nine year at Bezanson School, and will attend Peace Wapiti Academy for high school in the fall.

On representing Bezanson, Dallas said “During the competition, there was so much support coming from the community, whether it was from my school teachers, neighbours, or the sponsorship from Lefty’s Cafe. I am proud to say that I am from Bezanson and I will share it with pride to everyone that asks. I may be representing Teepee Creek, but deep down everything that has gotten me to this point is because of Bezanson”

To become rodeo royalty, Dallas and her two fellow competitors were judged based on horsemanship, public speaking, a written exam, personal interview, fashion show, and overall public appearance. The event ran from July 10th to July 14th, and resulted in Dallas being crowned on the final day at the 102nd Teepee Creek Stampede.

Dallas is also a multi sport athlete, who focused especially on playing school league and club volleyball this year. However, she will be centered around competing in rodeo for her high school years, and says “I’ve made the decision to make my main focus my horses. My passion for the sport of rodeo is a lot greater than it is for volleyball.”

Dallas will now have the opportunity to travel across Canada to represent the Teepee Creek Stampede. Being Queen will sure have its perks! When asked which opportunities she is most looking forward to, Marthaller said, “I am most looking forward to being able to travel and meet more people, interact with more children and share the history of the amazing rodeo I get to represent.”

Dallas says she would recommend competing to any local girls with the same rodeo dreams, furthermore “The hardest part of the competition was deciding if I was ready to take on such a great responsibility. I strongly support everyone interested in competing. I learned so much from just the competition and I grew so much without even having the crown.”

And when asked about the experience as a whole, Dallas said “During the competition there were so many people that approached me that I had never met before. No matter what event I was attending, there was always something for me to be doing and somewhere to be. There were multiple queens that showed the true meaning of what is expected of rodeo royalty, they were all very welcoming and super supportive.”

On behalf of Bezanson, we want to congratulate Dallas on having all her hard work pay off, and look forward to what she will do next as a representative for both the Teepee Stampede and our community!

Written by Emma Doris

Bezanson is striving with athletes in the community, from basketball to baseball to kayaking and so much more. On top of our local Alberta Summer Games basketball girls, we have multiple other athletes participating in the Games. Gage and Lane are two of the other athletes participating in this games from the Bezanson Community.

Gage LaValley

Gage LaValley, a Bulldog alumni, is a multi-sport athlete who has played volleyball, basketball and competed in track at Bezanson School as a Bulldog. He has also played for the Sexsmith Shamrocks football team and he hopes to play on the high school basketball team as he ventures on to Peace Wapiti Academy in the fall. His hobbies include snowboarding, dirtbiking and whitewater kayaking.

Gage will be attending the Alberta Summer Games in the kayaking/canoeing events. This includes canoe polo, slalom, and the downriver race. For those who don’t know much about these events, the canoe polo event is an exciting event and Gage says, “you’re always on the go.” The Slalom event is an event where you have to, “race through gates that are on a river where you have to move as slickly and as fast as you can get through the gates, in as little time as possible,” while the Downriver event is where you have to, “race on a reservoir where you have to go a certain distance as fast as possible on the flat water.”

“I am very excited for the summer games and my favourite part so far is attending the pre summer games kayak/canoe camp. I have really enjoyed learning more about canoe polo from all the great coaches. My hope is to go home with any kind of medal  from the games and an excited to get some actual experience playing canoe polo  against other teams. I also look forward to making new friendships and just the whole summer games experience.”

-Gage LaValley

We wish this future Titan the best of luck in his events this upcoming weekend and in his future endeavors!

Lane Moody

Another Bezanson alumni, Lane Moody, will be participating in the Alberta Summer Games, but in a different sport!

Lane played basketball at Bezanson as a Bulldog. His hobbies included playing baseball and basketball. Although Lane will be moving on from the small town school, he will be moving to the big high school next year at Peace Wapiti Academy to become a Titan.

Lane will be playing baseball in the Alberta Summer Games. He plays short-stop, 3rd base and he is also a pitcher. Lane is very excited about the summer games and he says, “My favourite part so far is how the team has come together.” The summer games is an incredible way for young athletes from all over Alberta because they get to meet new people and they also get to grow and develop as individual athletes. Lane says that he, “hopes to get a great learning experience” out of the games and he, “hopes to develop more as a ball player.”

We wish this Bezanson alumni, and future Titan, lots of luck in the games and for the future athletic career to come!

Carter Brick

13 year old Carter Brick is also participating in the Alberta Summer Games. Carter will be playing on the Zone 8 Boys soccer team as a right midfielder. His other hobbies include badminton, archery, hunting, paintballing and airsoft guns. Carter has been a member of the Game Country Archers for around 5 years.

Carter says, “I was very excited to be picked to be a part of this team. We have a good team of players and coaches!” He also says, My favourite part of the summer games is playing with my team. I also like when we watch the other teams.” After playing at a high level like the Alberta Summer Games, Carter hopes, “to get more soccer experience.”

Carter will be continuing onto Grade 8 at Bezanson School this year and we wish him the best in his future career.

Written by Ally Pilgrim

Locals Participating in the Alberta Summer Games Basketball

From July 19th to July 22nd, young athletes all across Alberta will be competing in multiple sports in one incredible event, the Alberta Summer Games. This event holds many events from swimming to baseball to basketball and more. This year, the Zone 8 Alberta Summer Games Women’s Basketball team, holds 5 of our Bezanson locals. This team is coached by Lisa Deneault and Linnaea Vanderzwan.

Danika Cadieux

Danika is one of the 5 members of the Alberta Summer Games basketball team from Bezanson. She also plays U16 Peace Country Thunder Basketball, U14 GPRC Wolves Volleyball, and Bezanson Bulldogs badminton, track, volleyball and basketball. Danika says, “I’m very excited about the summer games because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I love my team and would not want a different team.” After being asked about the team dynamic, Danika says, “Our team bonds really well and we all like each other.” She will be continuing at Bezanson School this upcoming year and we can not wait to see what she does in her future sporting career!

“Danika pours her heart into every step she makes on the floor. She strives to better herself and is not afraid to step outside her comfort zone and try a new skill or technique. An athletic guard who can shoot the ball or take it hard to the basket with a nice little step around.”

 -Coach Lisa Deneault

Taniesha Humbke

Another one of the 5 locals, Taniesha Humbke (green jacket in photo), will be playing on the Summer Games team. Tanisha also plays on the Junior Wolves club volleyball team and the Peace Country Thunder basketball team. She also enjoys riding her horse, swimming and just having fun! Taniesha says, “I am extremely excited for the Summer Games! I have such an awesome team to make memories with and to have a great time with!” After asking Taniesha how the team dynamic is she says, “Our team is very close. We can talk with everyone and I feel like we have grown closer from the first time we met!” We cannot wait to see what Taniesha does on this team and in her future athletic career.

“Taniesha is a true team player who always has a smile on her face and wanting to learn more. She is able to joke around but when the time comes she is an aggressive competitor on the floor. She is always looking to push herself and her teammates to get better.”

-Coach Lisa Deneault

Chloe Hatch

Chloe Hatch is another Alberta Summer Games Basketball and a Peace Country Thunder player. Chloe plays under the coaching of Joel Muller which she says, “is an awesome coach and is fun to play for!” On top of basketball, Chloe’s other hobbies include playing volleyball, reading and traveling. After asking Chloe about how she felt about the upcoming games, she exclaims, “I am very excited for Summer Games because it is a new learning experience for me and I will get to meet new people. It is going to be an awesome experience for me and it will help me become a better player.” She also says, “I love our team because we all get along very well and we easily bonded. All of the girls are very fun to play with and our whole team is really good friends. Our team is always happy and we don’t really fight about anything. It is really fun to be around the team because there is never a dull moment.” Chloe will be back at Bezanson School this upcoming year and we cannot wait to see what she does next!

“Chloe has a competitive mindset and goes out on the floor striving to better herself and her teammates. She continually has a smile on her face and continually asking for things to make her a better player. Chloe is a teammate that is approachable and leads by example on the team.”

-Coach Lisa Deneault

Laurel van der Giessen

Laurel van der Giessen (second from the left in the photo), is yet another Peace Country Thunder and Alberta Summer Games player. She played under Joel Mueller, along with the rest of these girls and says, “It was a great season and I feel that I improved a lot!” Her hobbies also include riding horses, hanging out with her friends and going to basketball practice. After asking about how their season is going so far, Laurel says, “I am really looking forward to the Summer Games and I enjoyed getting to know my team! I love how our team has bonded and gotten to know each other so well.” We wish Laurel the best for her season and for her future basketball career!

“Laurel is a small but fiesty competitor who is not afraid to give it her all. Although Laurel is quiet she is able to motivate through example and continually tries new skills until she has mastered it. Laurel has a fire that lights up every time she steps on the floor and does not stop until the final buzzer has gone.”

-Coach Lisa Deneault

Mia Wilson

Mia, another Bezansonite, also played on the U13 Peace Country Thunder and the Alberta Summer Games team. Mia also enjoys doing nails, hair and makeup as well as animals, the outdoors, acting, baseball, badminton, music and volleyball. After asking about her team this year, Mia explains, “I love that our team has such a close bond and we can have the ability to work together. We have such different personalities, and we also have many different positions on the court. However, our unique personalities and ability to play these different positions works to our advantage. My favourite thing about the team, is the people on it. While playing for this team I have created so many new friends.” We wish Mia the best in her future sports endeavours!

“Mia shows up every practice competing and asking questions to better her skills. Mia soaks up any advice given to her and is not afraid to be competitive in practice. Come game time Mia never gets down and will continually go out and battle those boards.”

-Coach Lisa Deneault

Let’s support our young female basketball players from July 19th to 22nd. For more information and to find the schedule, go to https://albertasport.ca/alberta-games/summer-games/sports/.

The Alberta Summer Games is still looking for volunteers as well, so if you have some spare time to volunteer, head to https://albertagames.rampinteractive.com/public/volunteerreg.aspx.

Written by Ally Pilgrim