A loving husband, father, and friend.
A tribute to Peter Biemans.
Peter Biemans passed away in August 2009 after a hard fought battle with ALS. ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) is a disease that robs a person of the use of their body while keeping their sense of touch and mental alertness. It is a disease that leaves the affected completely dependant on others, trapped in a body that they can no longer control. To watch Peter turn from an outgoing, active person to someone who could only sit and watch the world go by was absolutely heart-wrenching.
As a family, we were motivated to raise money and awareness for the ALS Society of Alberta while celebrating the life of a truly wonderful man. We participated in our local ALS Walk but in 2010 the walk was cancelled due to a lack of organizers. Thus, Quonset Days was born. The first Quonset Days was organised in 2010 in only a little over a month and we were able to raise over $7500 our first year!
In 2016, we realised that Quonset Days had grown so much that we required help with organizing the event. Thanks to some great friends, the Quonset Days Board of Directors was formed. Our goal with this board is to continue making Quonset Days better every year. Quonset Days has grown to include a silent and live auction, kick-off party, live bands, crazy games, beer gardens and camping. The event is held on our family farm – It truly is the “Greatest Outdoor Party on Dirt”!
Every penny raised from Quonset Days goes to support the ALS Society of Alberta for research and support of those affected by ALS. We have raised over $400,000 since our start in 2010!
Where did the name come from?
Some of you might think that Quonset Days is an odd name for our fundraiser (especially when you come and see there are no quonsets in the yard). The original Quonset Days was held around 30 years ago as a joke.
Anyone that knew Peter knows that he had a great sense of humour and loved a great party. Peter was working in Lethbridge and farming at Seven Persons. His “city” friends couldn’t figure out what farmers did for fun. Peter and a coworker convinced them that once a year the farmers would take their quonsets, flip them upside down, race them down the irrigation canal and then have a big party after.
The “city” people thought that sounded like fun so they made the drive from Lethbridge to see the races. Not wanting to disappoint them, Peter hosted the original Quonset Days party. He made sure to point out to the “city” people the size of the quonset and size of the canal.
We wanted to pay tribute to the man that started it all, thus Quonset Days – ALS Fundraiser – was born!
