Original Published on Sep 01, 2022 at 10:46

By Emily Plihal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Smoky River Family and Community Services (FCSS) and Town of Falher joined forces to hold an Afternoon in the Park for residents to enjoy.
The two entities collaborated to present the Parade of Programs and holding a community barbeque. The Parade of Programs showcased businesses, community groups and recreational opportunities offered in the town of Falher.

Smoky River Adult Learning’s Administrative Coordinator Leslie Carbone and her daughter showcased upcoming courses that will be offered to people in the region.

“We’ve done this for a number of years,” says FCSS director Crystal Tremblay, noting that there was a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic. “Our goal when holding the community barbeque is to connect the community with community programs and groups.”
FCSS sponsored the whole day and held the event at the Honey Capital Park.

FCSS director Crystal Tremblay is pictured with Smoky River Chamber of Commerce president Nichole Simard and her son Liam at the community barbeque on Aug. 25.
Smoky River Fire & Rescue were on hand to participate in the Touch a Truck event on Aug. 25.


Food Bank
Smoky River FCSS is gearing up to campaign for donations to the food bank, with Tremblay saying some food items are in short supply. FCSS has created a intra-community food collection competition to help restock some of the items the food bank requires.
“We stay cognizant of the food bank and where the food supply numbers are at,” says Tremblay. “We like to get our residents and communities involved, and with 6 communities in our programming area we thought a friendly competition would be fun.”
FCSS’s Community S’mores night will be held on Sept. 22 for the community who collects the most donations for the food bank.
The contest between municipalities runs from Aug. 24 until Sept 16. There are collection boxes at Falher, McLennan, Donnelly, Girouxville, MD of Smoky River, Birch Hills County municipal offices, as well as Eaglesham Senior’s Centre and library, and Tangent Library. The food bank is in low on canned vegetables and fruit, stove top stuffing, hamburger and tuna helper, canned or boxed potatoes, pancake mix, laundry pods, cereal, toilet paper and canned or boxed soups.
As always, cash donations can also be made to the food bank in person at the FCSS office in Falher.


PD Day Youth Trip
To round out their community-based events for the summer, FCSS will be hosting a PD Day Youth Trip on Sept 16. This trip will provide youth the opportunity to golf at Eaglesham Lakeside Golf & Country Club. Participants must be at least 8 years of age. There will be pick up spots in McLennan, Donnelly and Falher. Lunch, golfing, club rentals and transportation will be included in the $25 fee.
“We like to find activities to keep our youth off the street and give them something constructive to do,” says Tremblay, who says FCSS lined up the PD Day ensuring that all four school divisions had the day off school. “It gives the kids an opportunity to meet new friends from different schools and a chance to have fun.”
For more information on any of Smoky River FCSS’s programs or to register for their events, please call their office at 780-837-2220.
All other programs can be discovered on FCSS’s Facebook page or by phoning their office.

Emily Plihal

This item reprinted with permission from   South Peace News   High Prairie, Alberta