What a 100th birthday celebration it turned out to be.
From the moment a full bus left Barrhead in glorious morning sunshine, to the moment it returned to an early summer evening’s warmth, the party-going passengers ensured St. Mary Abbots’ big day was a memorable one.
They took home memories of a spectacular 161-kilometre ride through Barrhead’s Anglican history, including visits to churches, halls and cemeteries.
For many it had been a chance to reminisce, to share family histories and anecdotes, and pay respects at the burial sites of loved ones.
For others it had been an opportunity to see rural Barrhead at its summer best, to ride past glinting canola fields, to go up rutted tracks bordered by multi-coloured foliage and woodland, and to learn something about the area’s homesteaders and pioneers.
“It was a wonderful day, as good as we could have hoped,” said Rita Milne, from the church’s anniversary committee. “We were truly blessed by glorious weather.”
Anyone walking by St. Mary Abbots at about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 7 would have known something special was taking place.
Firstly, the school bus was festooned with bright balloons that bobbed against the mustard-coloured paintwork. There were ovals of blue, purple, pink, green, yellow and white.
Then there were the coolers, containers and bags being stowed on board by a relay of outstretched arms.
Thirdly, the passengers clambering aboard were some years past their schooldays; several walked a little stiffly, even if their spirit had a youthful glimmer. While most were from the Barrhead area, some had come from as far as Edmonton.
A passer-by would not have known that inside the bus were more balloons and on each seat a copy of Rita’s book, Here I Am, The history of the Anglican Church in and around Barrhead, Alberta. It was to prove an invaluable resource, supplementing tour guide Doug Gibb’s microphone commentary. More than 90 years old, he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the area, having witnessed much of Barrhead’s history.
After Rita’s husband, Jim, counted 44 people on board – most of them women – driver Albert St. Louis turned on the ignition and gunned his bus up Highway 33. The first stop was Belvedere Community Church, eight miles south of Barrhead and nestled off Highway 654.
A pretty white structure, its true glories are within: an organ donated by ferryman Morgan Buck and the original homemade pews. There is also a large, beautifully carved altar donated by Clark Lumber Yard in Edmonton in memory of Edith Clark (Emsley).
For Gibb, Belvedere is full of memories. Born on a homestead about three miles east, he recalls marrying and then farming in Lawton.
Over the years he has been involved with the maintenance of the 100-year-old church and cemetery.
Carol Graham, who lived in Barrhead 27 years before moving to Edmonton with her husband, Brian, remembers dancing at Belvedere Hall.
The second stop was St. Peter’s Church, Lac La Nonne, where drinks and marshmallows were served. Tucked away from the highway and surrounded by trees, the church has an air of peace and serenity, something it has never lost since being built in 1911. A sign informs visitors that services are held at 9 a.m. on the second and fourth Sundays and that Rev. Donna Willer is the minister to contact.
Refreshed, the party next visited the site where St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Sion was destroyed by arsonists 42 years ago.
Kenn Tuckey, who lived in Barrhead between about 1960 and 1990 before moving to Edmonton, said he had not visited the site for 30 or 40 years. He was surprised to see how it had become overgrown.
“Last time I came here it was open, now there are all these trees,” he said.
Nearby is a cemetery off 2001 TWP RD 570. It is fronted by a sign that reads: “Sion St. Luke’s Anglican Church built by pioneers of the Sion area in 1912 and destroyed by arson in 1970. Early pioneers are buried in the cemetery.”
It was now time for lunch, at the home of Don and Jennifer Scott. The couple had wanted to be there to play host, but the day clashed with a family wedding. So they lent St. Mary Abbots their key and gave the party-goers the run of the house.
The Scotts had acquired the property by auction in 2006. From basically a shell, they transformed it into a splendid family home, with a vast theatre/playroom, a magnet for children and grandchildren.
It was here that potluck lunches were spread out on tables: pasta salad, potato salad, coleslaw, cold meat slices, sandwiches, homemade pies – there was more than enough food for everyone. Much more. Some worked up an appetite with a game of air hockey.
Sport was also on Ruth Pihowich’s mind, although for a different reason.
She remembers going to the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, with her ice hockey-playing husband, Paul. They filmed the games and showed home movies at Sion Hall. She still has the tapes.
“I played them so often I got fed up with watching,” she laughs. “Do you know how much it cost us to go to the games? It was $200 for a ticket.”
As she reminisced, Lois Mortimer, Hazel Wolfert and Anna Vandergriend clambered on stage for an impromptu performance, singing hymns to a keyboard accompaniment. For a short while, Doug Gibb also sang.
Others strolled around outside, remarking on one of the house’s distinctive features – a first floor door opening on to the front yard. Apparently Don is planning to build a balcony.
Near the entrance to the yard is a hall built in 1948: it was probably here that Ruth showed her home movies. There used to be another hall in the grounds, but it has long gone.
After lunch the bus drove by the Fawn Lake site where St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church was burned down, probably in the 1960s. It then pulled up outside Willow Wilde Cemetery.
The group, now 43 after one member suffered vertigo and was taken to hospital, posed for a photograph in front of the cemetery sign.
A centrepiece of the cemetery is Doug Gibb’s plaque commemorating Alberta’s centennial year, 2005. It is a tribute to the homesteaders and pioneers, and their wives and families of the Heaton Moor district and surrounding area.
Several in the group spotted names of family members, friends or neighbours on the plaque.
Mary Meilicke (Gibb) visited her parents’ gravesite – Marie Kirsten (1905-2002) and Alexander George (1904-1989). She also saw the grave of Jim Lathan Kelso (1884-1951), a childhood neighbour.
“I remember a story about Jim Kelso,” she said. “The poor man was blinded while Indian wrestling. That must have been in the 1920s, before I was born.”
After driving by Barrhead Cemetery, the bus pulled up outside Edith Strawson’s house. People queued in the kitchen to help themselves to strawberries, cookies, iced tea or juices; then they sat in the living room or on the patio.
Set in immaculately tended grounds, the property resembles a rustic Swiss chalet.
It provided a perfect resting place for the group as it prepared for the last leg of the tour, which started with a visit to St. Aidan’s Church, Glenreagh.
According to Here I Am, regular services at St. Aidan’s were stopped in 1966, although the Harvest Thanksgiving Service was held annually until 1975.
On July 11, 1975, the Diocese of Edmonton sold St. Aidan’s to the community of Glenreagh for $1. By June 9, 1976 the sale was complete and St. Aidan’s became a community church.
The tour ended with a service at Pioneer Memorial Church officiated by Rev. Chuck Mortimer.
After singing “The Day Thou Gavest Lord Has Ended”, the group headed home to Barrhead.
They returned with memories of fellowship, great food, amazing hospitality and an unforgettable journey into local history.
It was a day when the weather matched the mood throughout. It was day to give thanks.
