Members of the Barr Colony Heritage Society were over the moon at the unveiling of the new lean-to at Weaver Heritage Park.
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The addition, located on the north side of the park’s main building, will help preserve Lloydminster’s history while on display.
According to Barr Colony Heritage Society chairman Dick Arie, the lean-to has been a long-time coming and was made possible thanks to two generous donors.
“When we originally built this building, we were looking at needed extra space, so the building had a basic lean-to built into the drawings,” said Arie, noting Brian Robinson of Robinson Acres and Lawrence Davidson pitched in for the project.
“We couldn’t afford the lean-to at the time, so it never got built.
“In a museum, you never have enough storage space and things are always getting moved around.”
For Robinson, the donation meant preservation while celebrating the past.
“My family moved here in 1919, not far after the beginning and this society is about keeping the history of Lloydminster alive,” said Robinson of the meaning behind his donation.
Born and raised in the Border City, Robinson has deep ties to the museum and society members.
“My family bought a new tractor in Lloydminster in 1947 and it runs like a top after Dick worked on it. It’s on display in the museum.”
Davidson, affectionately known as “the rope guy” for his rope-making skills, has been a society member for about 15 years and loves seeing smiles on kids’ faces during days at the museum.
Brian Robinson front left and Lawrence Davidson front right whose donations paid for the lean to accept special gifts from Barr Colony Heritage Society chairman Dick Arie Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
“We needed the extra to get more on display and we didn’t have it,” he said.
“The children coming up don’t know what happened way back when. If we can preserve that history for them in some small way, we’ve done our part.”
The official grand opening included a ribbon-cutting and barbecue with Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers doing the honours.
“I want to thank you for seeing this project through and every other project I see in this room,” Aalbers said to the group before supper. “I’ve had the pleasure of driving some of the equipment here and know the effort and sweat that went into restoring it.
“I truly appreciate the work you do each day in the back to help restore history, so the next generation and the generation after that will have an appreciation of the way things were done in the old days.”
Aalbers, who grew up on a farm, also knows things aren’t done the way they used to be.
“When you did a lot of things in your day, it was a lot easier,” he said. “I remember putting up buildings on our farm and nobody worried about liability and insurance. We live in a new world today.”
Weaver Heritage Park, located at 4420 50 Ave., is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday to Saturday.
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