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A 25th anniversary well celebrated

July 25 and 26, the Leduc West Antique Society celebrated its 25th anniversary.
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LACE LADY - A volunteer demonstrates the art of making lace.

On Saturday and Sunday July 25 and 26, the Leduc West Antique Society celebrated its 25th anniversary, with the tireless leadership of its manager Pam Bakker and her family and the support of its dedicated board of directors, its solid volunteer base and countless friends from far and wide. Rod Bodnar, the society’s devoted president, commented that this 2015 annual exhibition was the largest show ever held by the society, and that “We are deeply grateful to our volunteers, our exhibitors, and of course the regional friends and fans who attend our shows.”

For those who might be newcomers to the area or those who have never had a chance to go and discover that amazing site, Leduc West, as some call it fondly, is an “antique town” located just a few miles west of the City of Leduc. It proudly boasts numerous buildings dating from the turn of the century and decorated with lovely furnishings and genuine artefacts: the grounds host a large collection of impressive machinery, including several CP Rail vehicles. The blacksmith shop sees year-round activity, as fans of this industrial art that precedes welding gather twice a month to perfect their skills, producing decorative and useful wrought iron items.

Three hundred guests enjoyed the Saturday morning breakfast; great crowds attended the antique vehicles parade, the brief opening ceremony with several Leduc County officials on the county float and the Saturday evening entertainment, the mega-talented “Peter & Mary”. Sunday started with eager crowds attending the church service and staying for a day of yummy treats, a vendors’ marketplace and short rides on the train track… Both days saw large crowds enjoying Chicken John’s Petting Farm, the kids’ little “barrel train” and the historic buildings: in the Dniester School (1914- 1957), Leduc’s Black Gold Quilt Patch Guild had two vivacious ladies, Linda Chapelsky and Janet Mireault selling raffle tickets for a gorgeous quilt valued at $1,800. This group of talented quilters complete an amazing 300 quilts each year which are donated to the Stollery Hospital’s young heart patients and to special projects such as the Leduc Community Hospital’s fundraising campaign for a CT scanner.

The list is long of all the fascinating venues to discover at Leduc West (LWAS). Another noteworthy building is the Edmonton Power historic exhibit, with elements re-purposed directly from Edmonton’s downtown power plant: the dedicated group constantly enhancing this complex exhibit is to be lauded. Another group that deserves our appreciation is the society’s volunteers. This year’s new volunteer coordinator was Tracey Hartfelder, a dynamic member of the Leduc Regional Chamber of Commerce team: having created this position, she was helped by her mother Mrs. Edie Mortimore of Leduc, and both ladies shared that by 2 p.m. on Saturday, 134 volunteers had signed in at the Hooper Building, the Volunteer Central for the event, not counting “all those volunteers who went to their duties without signing in!”

Happy 25th Anniversary, Leduc West Antique Society, you celebrated with style and pizzazz, your property is amazing! We shall be back.