Daysland Community Visionary: Mandy Spiller

There are a lot of words for the phenomenon: fate, chance, karma, destiny, serendipity. Whatever you call it, life can seem to put things in your path for a reason. That’s certainly been Mandy Spiller’s experience. She didn’t know exactly where life was going to take her, but she feels like she’s ended up where she belongs. And many residents of Daysland, Alberta would enthusiastically agree.

Mandy was born and raised a small-town Alberta girl. She’s dabbled in city living and travelled to exotic places, but something brought her right back to the prairie fields and close communities characteristic of rural Alberta life. That doesn’t mean she’s settling down or settling into anything. Her energy and passion for small towns drives her volunteer efforts and innovative ideas, breathing new life into her community.

Mandy grew up in Bashaw, but she’s travelled as far as Australia. After returning from her adventures down under, she intended to go back. It turns out, life had other plans for her. “When I found a farmer in Daysland, an hour away from my hometown, it was pretty perfect,” she says. She married that farmer.

When Mandy found herself living in Daysland, she was faced with the question of work. Fortunately, another one of those kismet moments struck. A flower shop on Daysland’s main street went up for sale. Mandy bought it and decided in that moment that she’d learn floristry. That’s the type of person Mandy is; she believes in herself and she believes in community. It’s been a winning combination.

Mandy’s passion for small towns extends to local shops and services. “I love small businesses in small towns. I feel like in a city, a little store of 500 square feet would get swallowed up. In Daysland, people are proud of it, so they support it. We have each other's backs,” she says. As a small business owner herself, it was a no-brainer to join the Daysland Business Association. The group organizes a number of local volunteer initiatives: from barbecues to parades, from markets to free kid’s movie nights. The funds raised go back into the Business Association or towards community projects.

When Mandy’s not at her shop or volunteering, she’s busy being a visionary; constantly dreaming up new ideas to refresh and revitalize her town. Mandy cites her “claim to fame” as her idea to start a “Ladies’ Night” at the Daysland Palace Theatre. “Mandy’s Movies” have been hugely successful. They’ve had eight showings already, with no less than 100 women in attendance each time. "The one sellout was 220 women…Word is getting around so much that people are coming from Bashaw, Camrose, Killam, Sedgewick—it’s bringing other communities to town,” says Mandy, “I have so many ideas like that, I just have to execute them. I will. Hold me to it.”

Whether it’s fate or karma, Mandy believes she’s right where she’s meant to be. She truly loves every aspect of her life and contributing to her community is a big part of it. She encourages others to get involved too: “Just get up, do it, and see how your soul feels. If your soul feels good, do it some more…Making people feel good is so fulfilling. And we all need fulfilment in our lives.”