January 2015

The 68th Anniversary of the Leduc #1 Well
Join us in the celebration of the oil discovery that
changed Alberta forever...
The Centre will be hosting an open house
on Friday, February 13th. From 1:00 pm 4:30 pm there will be free admission into
the museum as well as an opportunity to
visit with some of our oilfield patch icons
and enjoy some refreshments.
Starting at 7 pm, come and see the
staged reading of ‘Last Chance Leduc’
written by Katherine Koller. A story of
Evalma and Wes as they struggle through
the winter in a tar paper shack with a
new baby and another dry hole. Wes
wants a gusher, Ev wants a garden and
Tricky wants a girl like Ev, his best
friend’s wife. While the men work all day
and all night, Ev meets a lady trapper in
the woods, Nohkom, who helps her
navigate the difficult landscape of a
young marriage. The play is set during
the biggest historical event in Alberta,
the 1947 Leduc oil strike.
Limited seating!
Newsletter No. 69
January 2015
Call 987-4323 for more information and to reserve
your tickets today!
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2014: A YEAR I
JANUARY 2015
PRESIDENTS REPORT: SHELDON WEATHERBY
2014 was a year of interesting events, people and challenges. I was pleased to represent Leduc #1 at several school
presentations, the ISA Conference and as a guest speaker at the Esso Annuitants luncheon, the Federated Gas Co-op
Conference, just to name a few. We were also very happy to play host to several business groups from overseas and
provide them with tours to promote and educate them on our rich Alberta oilfield history.
Our campground was very busy this year and we thank Barry and Val Boyd for acting as our hosts. We were
saddened by the sudden loss of Barry and our sympathies go out to Val and their family. We also made the decision
to try our hand at keeping it open over the winter to generate additional, and much needed, revenue. Thank you to
the staff and volunteer, Don Collier, for making this possible. We attended several special events and trade shows to
promote the Centre, the biggest event being at Heritage Days with crowds of over 300,000 this year.
Our most exciting news was the potential of the original Leduc #1 derrick coming home. We will be working hard to
convince the City of Edmonton that our site is where it belongs!
Our quest for sustainability continues but with the help from the founding municipalities; Leduc County, City of Leduc
and the Town of Devon, and support from their respective Mayors and Council’s, as well as, our MLA’s George
Rogers and Minister McQueen, we feel that 2015 will be a great year. And thank you to all of our members whose
donations, large or small, helped keep our lights on! I also want to thank the Board from Leduc #1 for all their help
and support over the past year as they put in countless hours of volunteer work and helped the Centre to make
numerous important contacts in the industry. We also need to thank our staff Cheryl, Cassandra and our students,
Brittne, Winney, Constance, Austin and Lamont for looking after all our guests and providing excellent customer
service. And last but by no means least, our most sincere thanks to all of our volunteers without whom our events
couldn’t happen, tours couldn’t be conducted and maintenance wouldn’t be kept!
We look forward to an exciting and eventful 2015 and we invite you to our Open House on February 13th or at our
AGM on March 26th.
We are looking forward to a new year of Education programs at Leduc #1 and
currently booking programs for this Spring. Summer will soon be here and we
are planning our summer Junior Roughneck Camp dates. We are excited to be
partaking in this years Earth Science for Society Convention, this March in
Calgary. This will give us an opportunity to show what Leduc #1 has to offer and
teach junior high students the history and how oil affects our everyday lives.
Also we will be doing a refit of the Learning Lab thanks to a generous donation
from Cenovus. New lab equipment and learning supplies will enhance what we
have and allow us to bring on new educational programs! Come and check out
the new look which should be completed by April.
EDUCATION
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IN REVIEW
JANUARY 2015
KICKIN ASH GRILLERS
On August 10, 2014, nearly 1000 people attended our 10th Annual
Rib Cook-Off fundraiser. 1200 lbs of ribs were served by our 10 rib
cook-off teams, along with Frankly Delicious and other vendors
selling burgers, hot dogs, salads and more! This year we sold 1858
servings of ribs! Activities throughout the day included live
entertainment from Leduc #1 has talent, HCHS earth moving
demonstrations, rig demonstrations, beer gardens, museum tours
and the kids zone. Our 2014 trophy winners were: Kickin Ash
Grillers: Saucy Bunch (Distribution Now), Backyard Grillers: The
Champs (Town of Devon), Master Grillers: Canadian Smoke
(Clearstream Energy), Best in Show: Pork - O - Holics (IGA) and
Peoples Choice Award: Devon Lions Club.
BACKYARD GRILLERS
MASTER GRILLERS
It was a fantastic event, but we couldn't have done it without the
help of our dedicated volunteers!!
BEST IN SHOW
Leduc #1 would like to thank Alliance
Pipeline for their sponsorship of the
2015-2017 bussing assistance project.
This funding will be used to provide
bussing for students to the Centre, from
schools throughout the province. We
look forward to our new partnership!
PEOPLES CHOICE
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JANUARY 2015
THANK YOU SOCIETY MEMBERS!
“40 Below and Falling”
Thank you for all the donations that we have
received in 2014 for our “To Keep the Lights On”
campaign. We look forward to your continued
support in 2015.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2015
CORPORATE SPONSORS
Sabre Energy Ltd.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Leduc #1 is always looking for people to assist with
our education and special interest tours. If you think
that this would be fun, contact us and we will tell
you more!
The Leduc #1 site will be featured in the new movie coming out next
fall! 40 Below and Falling is the first romantic adventure comedy
made in 3D. After teaching in a northern, remote fly-in community,
Kate Carter is ready to be returning to civilization and her impending
wedding. When a storm moves in, cancelling all flights and road
travel, Kate is trapped in the middle of nowhere. She is forced to
convince REDFORD, a surly stranger, to make the trip with her via
snowmobile. Getting along like oil and water, Kate and Redford fight
their way across country, facing terrible winter conditions, grizzled
mountain men, wild animals and each other. As the journey
culminates, Kate learns there is a different side to Redford, rather
than just his rough exterior and a lot more to the woman she
thought she was. Leduc #1 is portrayed as a oilfield camp, as the
main character Kate makes her way back across the country. Filming
took place over two days with scenes shot in the ATCO Hall and
outside on the grounds at night .
Leduc/Devon Oilfield Historical Society
Contact Us
Leduc #1 Energy Discovery Centre
P: ( 780) 987-4324
#6-20 Haven Avenue
[email protected]
Devon, AB. T9G 2B9
www.leducnumber1.com
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