The community hall — what does it mean to the average person? Does it hold any significance in the community? Why do we have these as our heart of our great towns and districts?
I would venture to say these hubs of communal assembly have been in existence for possibly centuries in one form one another. They are the central meeting places for many people and are arguably a true nucleus of the community.
I recall where I was raised and attended school for my first six years, there was a town hall, thanks to the foresight of the farmers and businessmen in and around the town. It was known simply as “The Hall”. At the one end was a stage with side doors and areas to dress and prepare for performances, which at that time were very special occasions for the town and rural folk (remember no television at that time). There were four stuffed animal heads mounted on the walls, one at each side and each end. There was a dahl ram sheep, a white tailed deer buck, a bull elk and a bull moose. These majestic animals mesmerized us young children as we often studied their features and always was an education in itself. The functions that took place in that hall were endless; everything from Sunday school to baby showers, wedding showers, weddings, dances, concerts to funerals. The Hall served well for what it was intended — a gathering place for a brethren of farmers, merchants, labourers and their families to celebrate the momentous events of life.
We have here in our progressive town of Okotoks a centre just as has been described above, only much more elegant and expansive of course. As we all are aware, we have our modern Foothills Centennial Centre (FCC). In no way does the hall where I was raised compare with our facility here in town.
We are extremely fortunate in that we have a state of the art facility which has almost no end of potential.
This centre is so in demand for events that weddings are now often booked one and one-half years in advance. Many Christmas concerts take place here, as well as political meetings and social events of all sizes are housed here.
How did the Foothills Centennial Centre come about? The Town of Okotoks acquired the site for the centre through public reserves. Who were these people who planned and built the Foothills Centennial Centre? The original group was comprised of energetic and far-sighted people who saw the exponential growth of the town and its immediate surroundings and knew it required a newer, larger and more modern communal facility than the Elks Hall located downtown. This conglomerate met with Town authorities, and formed an agreement whereby the conglomerate would plan and construct a facility which would be for the use of the residents of Okotoks and those of the surrounding areas.
Originally, the Elks were approached to ascertain whether or not they would partner on this project. This would have entailed the closing of the Elks Hall and relocating to the new site. The Elks, after great deliberation, declined the proposal. In hindsight, this was wise, as both the Elks Hall and the Centennial Centre are extensively in demand. The Foothills School Division (FSD) was also approached and at that time showed interest in conducting further classroom activity in the centre primarily because of the proximity of the complex to the Foothills Composite High School). At about that time, the Centennial Centre was unfortunately having some financial problems, the FSD lost interest and turned their attention elsewhere.
How did the group eventually become solvent enough to complete the building? There were raffles, there were auction sales where everything from furniture to cattle were sold and there were fundraising dinners. Grants were received from The Town of Okotoks, MD of Foothills and the Alberta provincial government for the purpose of the centre’s completion. Eventually finances were such the building could be brought to completion, and the facility opened to public use.
Thanks to the foresight of the planners, among the many amenities, the centre may be easily cordoned off to satisfy the requirements of many types and sizes of events. It is easily adapted to whatever the demands of the events. The Foothills Centennial Centre opened its doors for business in 2004 with hostesses Diane Turner and Ellen Schmidt assuming the duties of managing and administering its daily operations. These ladies pioneered the functioning of the centre and brought it to the great level that it is regarded today. This great team of ladies operated the centre until Dec. 31 2010, at which time it was turned over to the expert supervision of ladies Val McIvor and Tina Niles-Hook. The FCC is administrated by a board which operates apart from the Town of Okotoks. While the Town owns the premises, the board is responsible for the functioning of the facility. The board is comprised of 16 members from the town and the MD as well as two members of the Okotoks council.
The Seniors Citizen’s Centre is located in the southeast end of the centre. The senior’s group comprises some 450 people from Okotoks and surrounding area. This is an extremely active number of seniors. Among their activities there are: bridge games, cribbage, pool, shuffle board, floor curling and canasta. They have potluck suppers on a regular basis and they also enjoy a Christmas banquet and dance — yes they dance and this is a great event. This past summer the seniors enjoyed a barbequed pig roast and it was truly a great feast. Contrary to what might be expected, one has to be “fit as a fiddle” to keep up with this group of seniors. Anyone 55 or older may become a member of the Seniors’ Club. The fee to belong is a whopping $10 per year.
The people who worked so tirelessly to make this wonderful facility the “heart of the town” must be highly commended for their never-ending endeavours to assure this important project reached fruition. If anyone has the time, it would be advisable to go to the centre and tour the facility to discover it is the nucleus of the community. In fact it is truly “The Centre”.
