INNISFAIL - Wade Harris reached out for over a year to save history.
But in the end the owner of Innisfail Bowling Lanes had to let it go. The Tribute to the Railroad mural, created more than 15 years ago but badly faded on the west wall of his business at the intersection of Main Street and 51st Avenue, was painted over during the weekend of Aug. 24 and 25.
Harris, who also owns bowling centres in Olds and Drumheller, contacted Ruth Jepson, the mural's retired Didsbury artist, a year ago to have her give the fading work of public art a badly needed upgrade and extension.
But at the age of 85 it was just too much of a physical task for Jepson to undertake. He also called an aunt in Ontario and a regional art society but those efforts were also unsuccessful.
"We wanted her (Jepson) to go around the corner with the mural, an extension. She said she would be unable to do that. It was a shame. I wish she could have come and touched it up," said Harris.
The exterior wall for his business, once adorned with history, will instead soon see barn lights and promotional cut-outs for bowling and billiards.
However, Harris, who adores history, did find a way to preserve the memory of the mural. He created a full tribute wall in his new recreational lounge that honours railway history and the art of Ruth Jepson. The wall includes a large photograph of the mural with the original mural tribute plaque underneath. He also added about a dozen historical railway photographs on the wall for his patrons to appreciate.
"My grandfather was an engineer in the railway and the train mural and trains are close to my heart," said Harris, adding he hopes his bowling centre patrons also appreciate the display and the train heritage of the town. "I wanted to save history as best I could."
Meanwhile, Nathan Harrington, co-owner of the soon-to-be-opened Revive Cannabis, said he made every effort to make sure the town centennial mural that adorned the east exterior wall of his business near the intersection of Main Street and 49th Avenue was not a protected historical resource before painting it over. He said the mural had been vandalized with graffiti.
"We contacted the town and we were told it was not considered a protected historical piece. I did not want to paint it over if it was," he said.
Harrington added his company, which is officially opening the store on Sept. 27, now has new landscaping plans for the bottom of the wall, along with creating an area for customers to properly secure their pets before coming into the store.
