The Village of Ashcroft is once more holding its annual Heritage event, celebrating Ashcroft’s vibrant history. This year’s event is entitled “Heritage Stands the Test of Time”, and will be presented on Sunday, March 11 at the Ashcroft Community Hall starting at 2 p.m., with community members having a chance to be actively involved.
The event will be organized, developed, written, and presented by museum curator Kathy Paulos and Cllr. Barbara Roden. Both are excited about the open-ended theme of this year’s event, which is suggested by Heritage B.C. in conjunction with Heritage Week.
“We could do just about anything with this [theme],” says Paulos, noting that despite several devastating fires over the decades, Ashcroft still has a number of heritage buildings that housed (and in one case still houses) thriving businesses in the town.
Among the buildings that will be the focus of the presentation are the former Public Building (now the museum), which was built in 1917; the Ashcroft Journal building, which was constructed in 1898 and out of which the paper still operates; the old fire hall (1919) and the current fire hall, which once housed the museum; the former BX Express headquarters (1912); the United and Anglican churches, both of which are more than a century old and contain some of the original fittings; and the historic freight wagon at the northern edge of town.
The presentation will look at the construction of the various buildings, their history and use over the years (the BX building has been many things in its time), and their current situation. The Public Building, for example, was only expected to last for 100 years when it was built, but it has entered its second century still going strong.
The organizers hope that some residents will be able to bring in letters, family trees, heirlooms, photographs, and more showing the history of Ashcroft and their family’s place in that history, so that others can see and enjoy it.
Items can be brought to the Community Hall starting at noon on March 11, and they will be displayed around the hall. Anyone who would like to speak about them during the presentation, or prepare a written statement to be read on their behalf, is welcome to do so.
It’s hoped that by sharing these memories and stories, others will get a more vivid picture of Ashcroft’s heritage and history, and how it continues today.
There will be a PowerPoint presentation during the event, and attendees will have an opportunity during the break to peruse the displays. Coffee, tea, and refreshments will be served at the intermission, and there is no charge for the event.
Anyone who would like to bring items to display at the event is asked to contact Paulos at katpaul@telus.net or Roden at broden@ashcroft.bc.ca before March 9.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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