CHESTERMERE –At the beginning of the month, numerous Calgary Flames items went up for auction online as part of a fundraising initiative by the Chestermere Historical Foundation.
A signed Cory Sarich jersey, a hat signed by Alex Tanguay, and signed prints of Lee Stempniak, Curtis Glencross and Mikael Backlund are all still up for bid. The prices are still low, only around $50 to $60 depending on the item, as there have been very few bids. The auction is available on Facebook under “Chestermere Historical Foundation – Fire Truck.”
All of the items have been donated by the Calgary Flames organization, and 100 per cent of the proceeds will go toward the restoration of the fire truck, so the members of the Historical Foundation are hoping that more people will go online and help them raise the much-needed funds.
Once enough money is raised, the necessary parts will be purchased, and the group will set to work on restoring the town’s first ever fire truck to it’s original state. When completed, they hope to involve the vehicle in community events and use it as a method of educating people about the town’s history.
The 1952 Ford was used from the late 60’s until 1981 by members of the Chestermere Volunteer Fire Department, which was started by Wayne Paquette and Roy Berg. It began as the Volunteer Fire Protection group, and consisted of around a dozen active volunteers. Luckily, the old truck was kept by the Meier family, who donated it to the Historical Foundation back in October.
On Jan. 9, foundation members gathered together to give the truck it’s first official cleaning, and on Jan. 14, it made it’s first public appearance at the Chestermere Winter Festival.
Foundation member Jen Peddlesden said that many people came by to see the truck at Winterfest, and that they were interested in it’s history and the restoration project. They were able to collect some cash donations, but are now finding new ways to hopefully raise some funds to purchase the necessary materials to fully restore the truck and get it back on the road.
The Calgary Flames items will be up for bid until the end of February. The auction can be found on Facebook under “Chestermere Historical Foundation – Fire Truck.” There is also a link to the auction page on the Anchor Weekly’s Facebook page.
The auction will close on Feb. 29. Anyone who does not use Facebook can still get in on the auction by calling Vince Young at 403-819-4117. The Historical Foundation is looking for additional photos of the original fire truck, particularly side-view photos, to help with the restoration process. If you or anyone you know might have these photos, contact Jen Peddlesden at 403-272-3764.
The group meets every Thursday evening to work on cleaning and restoring the truck. Anyone who is interested in helping out with the restoration project, including sponsoring it or donating parts, can also contact Jen.
For more information about the Chestermere Historical Foundation, go to chestermerehistory.org.
