A wide range of non-profits organizations, agencies and individuals benefited from the collective efforts of volunteers in Jasper recently 

The Coldest Night of the Year raised funds for local charities serving people experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness; Jasper’s longest running Oldtimers hockey team ran the score up for Jasper Minor Hockey in front of 250 raucous fans from the UK; and the Jasper Heritage Rodeo Committee rustled up and distributed an incredible amount of goodwill to community groups and individuals. 

Jasper teams, teens, brave cold to fire up charities

On the evening of Saturday, February 25, 78 walkers and wanderers took to the streets of Jasper in solidarity for people living with housing insecurity. 

Tasha Porttin’s seven-person team, participating under the Jasper mettra Pharmacy flag, was the event’s top fundraising troupe, garnering $2,611 for the Jasper Food Bank and the Jasper Community Team. 

“We had fun, with a little bit of friendly competition,” Porttin said.

Reverend Linda McLaren helped spearhead the CNOY event. She said besides the nearly $18,000 raised by 14 teams, the chilly evening was an opportunity to reflect on how housing insecurity can look different in a small, tourism-based community compared to a big city. 

“There are still challenges here in Jasper,” McLaren said. 

McLaren said it was wonderful to see a group of local teens get involved. The Teen Dream Team, organized through Jasper’s Community Outreach Services’ young adult outreach worker, Tor Begg, racked up $1,775 for the cause. 

“In a town that has a culture of getting outdoors, there’s something really special about setting aside time to do the walk and do it together,” McLaren said. 

McLaren says folks who would still like to contribute can continue to donate to help them get to their $20,000 goal.

Oldtimers introduce international students to Canadian tradition 

Two nights before the Coldest Night of The Year event, on what nearly was the coldest night of the year—the thermometer was at -28 degrees Celsius and dropping—the action inside the Jasper Arena was red hot as more than 250 UK-based students in town on a ski holiday got a taste of the good ol’ hockey game. 

The match, featuring White and Blue incarnations of the Astoria De’d Dogs was by no means elite, said organizer Grant Bradley, but the event helped create a bond between the international visitors and the skate-wearing Jasperites for whom they cheered.

“They’ll leave with a lasting memory of their trip to Jasper and will likely return in their adult lives to visit,” Bradley suggested.

The UK International Students might reminisce about the three-goal effort by Team Blue’s Mike Dillon, the eventual game-winner by Team White’s Jo Nadeau or the staged (or was it?) donnybrook between Reid Jackson and Warren VanAsten. They’ll also have hockey-themed souvenirs to show their friends and family back home, plus the knowledge they helped raise $700 for Jasper Minor Sports through a jersey raffle.

Belt buckle, big benefactions, constitute Jasper Heritage Rodeo’s swan song

When it comes to keepsakes, however, there’s one organization in Jasper that is tough to top.

The Jasper Heritage Rodeo Committee recently honoured longtime volunteer, arena manager, chute boss and rodeo ambassador, Bob Barker, with a commemorative belt buckle. 

The occasion was bittersweet, said fellow Jasper Heritage Rodeo Committee member Donny Kirchhofer, because the ceremony was not only honouring Barker’s longstanding commitment to the sport, but wrapping up a 97-year tradition of rodeo in Jasper.

“Lots of laughs were had, a few tears were shed,” Kirchhofer said. 

Jasper’s Don and Gail Lonsberry, the longest standing members of the committee, have kept the rodeo going in this community for more than 40 years. It was fitting then, perhaps, that more than 40 different organizations benefitted from nearly $100,000 bequeathed by the committee. That committee also includes Helen Switzer, Michael Furzeland, Troy Davis, Norma McLean and Kirchhofer.

In August, the Jasper Heritage Rodeo officially hung up the saddle. The committee’s lease at the Parks Canada grounds near Whistlers Campground was due to expire after 2023 and there was no prospective space for the event’s future. The COVID-19 pandemic was the final nail in the coffin, the committee has said.

“It was a lot of fun while it lasted,” Kirchhofer said. “Thank you to everyone who has supported the rodeo over the years.”

The list of Jasper Heritage Rodeo grant recipients include:

Advocates for Special Kids
Alpine Club of Canada-Jasper/Hinton section
Canadian Rodeo  Historical Association
Canoe Mountain Rodeo Association
Children of Autumn Foundation 
Friends of Jasper National Park
Habitat For The Arts
Jasper Action and Support Group
Jasper Alpine Ski Team
Jasper Bantam U15
Jasper Community Outreach Services
Jasper Community Team Society
Jasper Curling Club
Jasper Elementary Parent Association
Jasper Food Bank Society
Jasper Girl Guides Unit
Jasper Grizzlies
Jasper Grizzlies U15
Jasper Gymnastics
Jasper Gymnastics-Kiara Davis
Jasper Healthcare Foundation
Jasper Heritage Folk and Blues Society
Jasper Initiation Bearcubs
Jasper Park Cycling Association
Jasper Pride and Ski Festival
Jasper Skateboard Park Committee
Jasper Yellowhead Historical Society (pending)
Jasper Yellowhead Museum & Archives
Lane Cust Foundation
Maligne Lake Ski Club
Medicine Lodge Rodeo Association
Minor Sports
Peewee C.
River Valley Riding Association
Royal Canadian Legion-Jasper
Senior Boys Volleyball Team
Society for Parents of Francophone Education
Teen Adventure Seekers (pending)
The Arts Jasper Society
The Association of Jasper Climbers
U11  Jasper Atom
U9 Jasper Novice

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com