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HomeNewsMuseum Society receives $50K towards Sexsmith grain elevator restoration

Museum Society receives $50K towards Sexsmith grain elevator restoration

The Sexsmith and District Museum Society has received $50,000 from the Rotary Club of Grande Prairie to help with the final leg of restoration on the town’s historic grain elevator. With work on the roof in 2019, the money from the Rotary Club will go a long way in helping start and finish the painting this summer, and the interior clean up and final touches in 2021.

Volunteer Linda Drysdale says despite being the grain capital of the British Empire from 1938 to 1947, the elevator is one of the last remnants of the period left in northern Alberta. She adds the thought of the grain elevator no longer standing tall is something she couldn’t accept.

“I was a farm child growing up, and my father took grain to that elevator many times, and when they talked about the elevator going down is when I got involved and felt a need to make sure the elevator was saved and restored.”

“It’s become the brand of the town when people think of Sexsmith they think of that grain elevator, it’s a beautiful building and it’s actually in pretty good condition,” she adds.

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Rotary Club Large Allocation Committee Member Lorne Radbourne says the group chose to help the museum society because he feels the need to keep the memories of the past alive and well for generations to come.

“Keeping our history and our heritage in everyone’s mind I think is really important to a community.”

In all, the full restoration project is expected to cost around $750,000.

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