WESTLOCK – While the late-January fire that gutted the Old Timers Cabin, one of the area’s noted historic buildings remains unsolved, so too is the fate of the structure itself as the Westlock Agricultural Society has yet to decide what to do with it.
Last week the ag society relocated the tiny home from its perch at the east side of the ag society’s grounds on Range Road 265 (Old Pickardville Road) further west near the fence line of the property. Ag society president Carl Larsen said the structure is unsafe following the fire and needed to be moved as the grounds played host to the Blue Suede Music Festival over this past weekend and they are preparing for the annual ag fair Aug. 18-20.
“There is somebody who is maybe interested in restoring it, but we’ll see. It’s in pretty rough shape. Simply, we needed to move it because it’s a hazard,” said Larsen.
At the end of March, police confirmed the overnight fire was arson and Westlock RCMP Cpl. Brad Schram stated July 26 the file remains open and they’re still looking for help from the public.
Town of Westlock firefighters were dispatched to scene around 4 a.m., Jan. 31, after a passersby saw smoke coming from the structure. The southeast corner of the building, which is where one of two doors and steps are, suffered most of the damage — the building is only open to the public during the ag fair and was not connected to power.
People with tips are encouraged to call the detachment at 780-349-4492, while if you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store. Sutherland also previously noted that there was no video surveillance of the site, “which makes it slightly more challenging for us.”
The cabin’s history
According to past reporting, the cabin was an old food booth on the fairgrounds before volunteers decided to renovate it around 1951.
During the 2019 fair, the last before the event went on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Westlock and District Old Timers Association celebrated its 100th anniversary with a cake cutting during their tea-and-biscuits event in the little cabin that’s been on the ag grounds since 2011 as previously it was located in Mountie Park.
The story of the association goes back to 1919, when a collection of early pioneers to the area formed the Pioneer Association “to provide a meeting place to honour the settlers each year, visit and reminisce about good times” while in 1938 the name was changed to the Westlock and District Old Timers Association.
