Kerrobert Courthouse Restoration Society
By Veronica Smith
Things are beginning to ramp up for the Kerrobert Courthouse Restoration Society for the 2023 year for fundraising events. First we’d like to reflect a little on last year’s events. We would like to thank everyone that came out and supported our 2022 fundraisers on December 1st & 2nd that were geared towards the rebuilding of the Courthouse front entrance stairs and sidewalls.
The front of the building where you can see all of the Tyndall stone (which is beige colour) as well as the eaves and cornice, which is what the Restoration Society is focusing on now.
The new stairs during construction
Here is a close up of the original drawings, showing where the Tyndall stone was placed on the front entrance of the Courthouse.
The Festival of Trees on December 1st was a success although the cold temperatures did put a damper on the outside activities. There were a few brave souls that took in the hayrides that were organized by the Tralapa Rangers and supplied by Neil Charteris Reclaimation Services. Thanks to the Chamber of Commerce, hotdogs and drinks were available for a donation. The treat bags supplied by Bick’s Drugs were a hit as were the take and make kits provided by the library and everyone seemed to enjoy voting for their favourite trees and carolling along with Lannette Ressler and Kristin Boyle. Visitors were also able to enjoy artwork on display in the art gallery by Anna Polsfut. Thank you to everyone that helped to make this evening a success! We had twenty four Christmas trees decorated inside the courthouse and with donations for hotdogs, voting cans, tree entries and donations from individuals and service groups, we were able to bring in approximately $2400.00 for the stair project! We were also fortunate to have an addition to our festivities this year with Jessica Mitchell setting up her wonderful Christmas villages in one of the downtown buildings and Santa even made an appearance there which really added to the evening!
The Town Christmas Party was also a success bringing in approximately $5000 in profit for the front stairs project. The restoration society is already planning 2023’s Christmas party that will be held on Friday, December 8th, 2023 with plans for the kick off of the Festival of Trees on Thursday, December 7th. We had a lot of feedback from this year’s Christmas party and it looks like people would like a band that plays more music they can dance to, so we went looking for that! We are happy to say that the band is booked! They are called Slow Walkin’ Walter and they are a popular rock band that has be described as Edmonton’s number one party band. They will be sure to have the crowd up dancing all night long! You can check them out on Facebook!
The front stairs have been in use since the fall and the restoration of the Manitoba Tyndall stone sidewalls will happen this spring/summer. The restoration society is making plans for the reinstallation of the time capsule in the cornerstone before it is laid this summer so stay tuned for that! Thanks to the support of many businesses, local individuals, service groups and grants, the funds have been raised to complete the project! This sure proves that small town hearts can achieve great things!
As side note, as if our courthouse wasn’t already special enough, in January of 2023, the tyndall stone that accents the façade of the building and makes up the side walls has been designated as a global heritage stone resource by a sub-commission of the International Union of Geological Sciences!
Tyndall Stone is a fossil-laden limestone dating back 450 million years and Canada is the only source in the world for the stone, and Manitoba is the only place it is quarried. The cream-coloured stone often has a tapestry-like mottling from marine organisms that lived at the bottom of a tropical sea that once covered the area, which makes it a popular feature in architecture. Have a look at it with this new perspective when you come to the building for your next visit!
KCRS will now continue fundraising for the cost of the restoration of the eaves and cornice of the building. The inner workings of the eaves were repaired by the Town of Kerrobert a couple years ago to stop the water from eroding the stairs and the façade of the building. This was the first project that we were working on until it became evident that the front stairs were in in more dangerous disrepair than anticipated and our focus had to change to the replacement of the front stairs. Current fundraisers that our committee is doing will be focused on completing the eaves project by having the lead paint on the eaves and cornice abated and then encapsulated with new paint that is suited for the metal material that the eaves are made of.
KCRS has already launched our “FRIENDS OF THE COURTHOUSE CAMPAIGN” which we hope to continue to raise funds for courthouse restoration. Please help us preserve this beautiful building by sending a donation to the Town of Kerrobert via e-transfer to kcrs@sasktel.net or by cheque (please make payable to Town of Kerrobert) or a Visa payment at the Town office. Make sure you include your name and address and memo mentioning the donation is for Friends of the Courthouse Campaign, so that you can received your tax receipt for any donations over $20.00!
We are also happy to support the museum committee with a new fundraiser they will be hosting for courthouse restoration which will hopefully be launched in the very near future. We will be sharing all of their advertising for this fundraiser on our Facebook page to help them get the word out! Please watch our Facebook page for this exciting news!
In closing, thank you for your ongoing support to help us preserve the Kerrobert Courthouse building for future generations to enjoy its grandeur, history and it’s beauty.