Can you remember a year more life-changing than 2020?

We saw the loss of life from the pandemic, storms, snow and hail pelted the province, and protests swept the streets. At the same time, years of technology advancements seemed to happen in mere months—and now vaccinations are rolling out at a record speed.

But before the virus arrived in Canada and in the months that followed, there were plenty of other major events that have forced us to change our thinking, give thanks, and crack a few smiles.

Here's a quick look back at 2020! Some of the top stories and memories of this wild... WILD year

January

High River Family Welcomes First Baby Of 2020

Jan 7th: Harper Eileen Kent was born shortly before 6 a.m. New Year's Day to Lynette Kent and her husband at the High River Hospital.

Could Okotoks Land the Royals?
Jan 27th: The Town of Okotoks is hoping the royals will consider a previous marketing campaign when they make their move to Canada later this year.

February 

Okotoks Resident Hopes to Win Big on Big Brother Canada

Feb 27th: Kyle Rozendal only moved to Okotoks a few years ago, and he's already left - for a pretty good reason.
The 31-year-old electrician / body-builder has been a fan of the show for so long, it actually helped build his relationship with his wife Claudia. The couple and their two kids moved to Okotoks to be a little closer to family.

Okotoks Firefighter Celebrates His 10th Birthday

Feb 29th: Despite having been alive for forty years, Ryan Kaiser was born on February 29th, meaning he only gets to celebrate his true birthday once every four years. He turns 10 today.
He says it's always good for a laugh.

March (when everything kinda... changed)

First Presumptive Case of COVID-19 in Alberta

March 5th: The Alberta provincial government has confirmed the first presumptive case of COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus, in the province.

K-12 Classes Closed says Alberta Government

March 15th: In a conference Sunday afternoon, Alberta Premier Jason Kenny and the Alberta Government announced that effective immediately student attendance at schools is prohibited.

Okotoks Resident Shares Her Story After Testing Positive for COVID-19

March 21st: Following a vacation abroad, Leah Beingessner returned home on March 12th and experienced a number of severe symptoms.
She immediately self-isolated.

April 

Okotoks Teen Manufacturing Protective Gear for Alberta's Healthcare Workers

April 3rd: 13-year-old Owen Plumb began 3D printing face shields about a week ago, after 3D printer company Prusa Printers released a design for the masks, encouraging members of the public to produce their own to distribute to healthcare workers across the world.

Okotoks Man Recovering After Being Youngest Albertan in ICU with COVID-19

April 15th: A young man from Okotoks is recovering after being one of the youngest Albertans recorded in the ICU with COVID-19. 
When the 24th rolled around his symptoms returned with a vengeance with no appetite or ability to distinguish between tastes along with swollen lymph nodes and tonsils.

May

No Injuries, Minor Damages After Boat Airlifted out of Sheep River

May 25th: A crowd of onlookers gathered by the Sheep River today as a helicopter lifted out a boat that had become stuck in a logjam.
The boat was one of the Okotoks Fire Department's river rescue boats that had become jammed after over-correcting during rescue training drills on Sunday evening.

Okotoks Mother Thankful for the Kindness of Strangers After Giving Birth on Overpass

May 29th: Okotoks resident Melissa Gordon took to social media on Wednesday to share the remarkable story of the birth of her daughter. On the morning of May 27th, two days after the expected due date, Gordon went into labour.

June 

Okotoks Youths Hold Rally in Support of Black Lives Matter Movement

June 4th: A group of young Okotokians held a peaceful rally this afternoon to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Around twelve residents, many of them recent high school graduates gathered near the Okotoks post office with signs declaring their support and solidarity for the movement.

Parade Still A Go This Year (With a Twist)

June 12th: The Town of Okotoks won't let COVID-19 get in the way of an annual tradition. This year's Okotoks Parade will still be happening, with a bit of a twist.

Black Lives Matter Rally Draws Their Biggest Crowd Yet In Okotoks

June 22nd: Okotoks was host to another Black Lives Matter rally Saturday, June 20, with over 100 supporters marching throughout Town to have their voices heard.

July 

Widespread Canada Day Power Outage Affecting the Foothills 

July 1st: According to Fortis AB, the cause of the outage was a bird. "Sometimes birds can interfere with the equipment, get in the substation or build nests which can all cause outages. In this case, a bird was on one of the transformers which caused the line to fault.

Calgary Pulls The Trigger On Mask Byalw

July 22nd: Calgary City Council voted Tuesday, July 21, to make masks mandatory in most public spaces.

No Mandatory Masks in Okotoks For The Time Being

July 28th: Okotoks Town Council deliberated a bylaw Monday, July 27 which would have seen face coverings mandatory in all indoor public spaces in town.
However, the bylaw wasn't approved by Council, though an amendment to the proposed bylaw could see them made mandatory in municipally-run buildings only.

August 

Okotoks To Be Home To Cutting Edge Technology

Aug 7th: CEGEN Environmental Group, a firm based in Okotoks, will be bringing a new type of Data Centre to rural communities across Canada, starting in Okotoks.

Okotoks Town Council Approves Two Mask Bylaws

Aug 17th: The Town of Okotoks passed not one, but two mask bylaws at their meeting Monday, August 17. The first, Bylaw would see masks made mandatory in all indoor municipal spaces, and the second, would see masks made mandatory in all indoor public spaces if active cases of COVID-19 within the Town of Okotoks reach 15.

Two Okotoks Teens Take Home Crowns at Miss Teen Calgary

Aug 22nd: A pair of Okotoks teens have were crowned at this year's Miss Teen Calgary Pageant earlier this month. 16-year-old Genevieve Van Muyen was the recipient of the Miss Jr. Teen Southern Alberta 2020 title and 14-year-old Emma Glowatsky was honoured with Miss Jr. Teen Calgary.

September 

Schools Back in! ...and out.

FSD Provides Details on Meadow Ridge Schedule Following Tuesday Closure

Covid-19 Outbreak At Foothills Composite High School

Zombies Take Over High River

Sept 26th: Filming on the Netflix series 'Black Summer' has wrapped up after a couple of weeks in High River. The show which stars Jamie King is in production on its second season after their initial eight-episode season last year on the streaming service.

October 

Devil's Head Wildfire Out Of Control

Oct 6th: A wildfire burning near Canmore for the last month is now out of control with the Municipal District of Bighorn west of Calgary near the mountain parks declaring a state of local emergency.

Mission Thrift Store Getting Creative After Influx of Donations

Oct 15th: Thrift stores reopening after strict lockdown rules are finding themselves with an overwhelming amount of donations and nowhere to send them.

Town of Okotoks Invokes Mandatory Mask Bylaw

Oct 26th: Monday, Oct 26th's COVID numbers were announced and the Town of Okotoks has followed through with their mandatory mask bylaw.

November 

Local Girl Raising Money For Veterans Through Poppy Keychains

Nov 8th: Hannahlyn Clifford is an Okotoks girl who is no stranger to giving back and decided to do the same this year by selling poppy keychains and donating the money to veterans.

Cookbook Commemorates 35 years for the Okotoks Food Bank

Nov 12th: 2020 marks the Okotoks Food Bank Association's 35th year of operation and to mark the occasion the food bank is releasing a cookbook highlighting Foothills talent.

Christmas Light Drive Through Returns to Spruce Meadows

Nov 28th: Christmas light tours are a popular alternative to larger-scale events this year, providing a festive sightseeing experience from your own car.

December 

Suspect Taken Into Custody After Incident in Okotoks

Dec 12th: At around 9 am, Okotoks RCMP received a call from a warning of gunshots in an Okotoks residence. The complainant was a bailiff attempting to serve an eviction notice to a resident and had called RCMP after hearing a gunshot from inside.

Okotoks McDonald's Manager Recognized With National Award

Dec 14th: An Okotokian has been recognized by McDonald’s Canada on a national level. Yogendra Khatri, Manager of the McDonald’s location at Big Rock Lane, is a recipient of one of this year’s Outstanding Manager of the Year Awards.

Conjunction A Once In A Lifetime Viewing Opportunity

Dec 20th: Some interesting viewing coming up over the next few days in the skies to the southwest. The planets Jupiter and Saturn are lining up in such a way, they're going to be very bright in the sky around dusk.

 

 At the time of writing this, it is (looks at watch) 5:50 am on the 31st. Plenty of time for more stories to hit us in 2020! 

On the bright side, thanks to lockdown we never got used to writing 2020 on things, so 2021 should come easier.

 

Here's to 2021! 

~Logan