SUNDRE – What had initially been held as a gathering to recognize the local museum’s officially-renewed accredited status with the Alberta Museums Association has since gone on to become an annual event to celebrate other milestones and achievements.
The Sundre and District Historical Society’s inaugural Strawberry Tea was hosted in 2022 at the Sundre and District Museum’s grounds, and the third annual gathering was recently held on Friday, Aug. 16 under the cover of the historic barn building amid overcast skies.
“Traditionally, it is in honour of our annual accomplishments,” Carrie Couch, the museum’s executive director, told the Albertan.
The strawberry tea’s return in 2023 was a celebration of the successful completion of the museum’s New Horizons for Seniors Oral Histories Project, Couch said.
The third annual event held earlier this month was “in celebration of all the contributions of our volunteers, community, partners and stakeholders which made the completion of the Bergen schoolhouse roof a reality,” she said.
Mayor Richard Warnock came out for the occasion to join several members of the society including chair Ken Walker for the tea alongside a group of museum supporters.
Couch expressed gratitude to everyone involved in helping to ensure the project to refurbish the historic schoolhouse’s roof could be completed.
“It was a lot of fundraising, budgeting and individual contributions that made it possible,” she said, adding that many people played their own important parts – whether the volunteers who didn’t hesitate to offer their time and expertise, partner organizations who provided fundraising assistance through programs or events, as well as stakeholders making annual contributions either through grants or donations.
She also extended her appreciation for all of the visitors and regular patrons who use the museum’s spaces and participate in programs or even rent out available space in the facilities.
“All this equates to an operational museum and important goals being reached to preserve the history and artifact/archival collection of the Sundre area,” she said.
Initiatives such as the “Raise the Roof” Winterfest pegboard, pie auctions, Christmastime photos with Santa Claus, and even the Christmas cookie walk all contributed towards the successful completion of the Bergen Schoolhouse project, she said.
Additionally, the many hours volunteers invest in helping out at the museum are invaluable, she said, later adding a casino opportunity that requires helping hands to make happen also provided some much-need funding.
“It is those volunteer hours that allow us to remain open and relevant within our community.”
She also praised both the Town of Sundre as well as Mountain View County for providing support in the form of an annual grants.
Courtesy of these multi-faceted support streams, the historical society is able to preserve the history contained at the museum’s grounds, she said.
“The Bergen Schoolhouse was highlighted as the building most critical of the much-needed attention in a 2023 assessment,” she said, adding the south roof exposure was fully re-shingled.
As the work was being completed, the contractor even carried out some spot repairs on the schoolhouse’s north side, she added.
“They also performed a spot repair to the west side of the barn roof where we had a terrible leak with every rainstorm this spring,” she said.
“Hopefully, the repairs will hold the integrity of the roofs until we can take more permanent restorative measures.”
The successful completion of the schoolhouse roof’s restoration has given the historical society a boost in confidence with increased optimism to continue carrying out similar work on other buildings in the historic village.
“We have three roofs within our pioneer village,” said Couch.
Those include the now-completed schoolhouse roof and the barn whose roof requires more permanent attention as well as the Ranger Station, which saw a ridge cap repair in 2023 that so far has held up, she said.
“Our focus will continue to raise monies to support our roof projects,” she said, adding the expense will require thousands of dollars.
“Our current quotes are minimum $35,000 to do the necessary shake roof maintenance repairs, let alone complete shake resurfacing of the roofs in question.”
