50 years ago: The annual Invermere Blood Donor Clinic reached their quota of 200 donors, but was just shy of the 1958 record of 207 with a final tally of 201 donors. Mrs. Martin Leckschas of Invermere made her 27th donation, and 10 others were awarded with 10-time donor buttons. The clinic had been organized by Mrs. J. A. Laird, president of the Windermere District Red Cross branch.

35 years ago: School trustees and rate payers were once again concerned about a rash of vandalism in the Columbia Valley. In the latest incident, it was discovered that nine windows had been smashed at David Thompson Secondary School using “large rocks.” Vandals had also been active at the Canal Flats School as well during the summer, as broken windows and empty beer bottles littered the premises.

25 years ago: Invermere council was presented with another problem alongside a growing stray dog problem — cats. Three angry residents addressed council about the growing problem, with one resident saying she had seen 17 dogs and 10 cats running loose on her block. She went on to say that if the problem was not solved quickly, she would bring a shoebox full of animals to the next council meeting.

20 years ago: Enrolment numbers had increased in the valley schools, with a net increase of 24 students in the Windermere School District. David Thompson Secondary School saw one of the biggest jumps, with 420 students registered compared to the previous year’s total of 340, while Eileen Madson Primary School and Edgewater Elementary saw the biggest drops. In total, there were 1,348 students registered for the upcoming school year.

5 years ago: 65-year-old Invermere resident Larry Meadows had returned from the Tour du Canada, a bike trip where participants would bike about 130 kilometres in an eight-hour stretch for four to five consecutive days at a time. Meadows began his journey in Vancouver and ended in St. John’s, Newfoundland after roughly three months, a distance of approximately 8,000 km.