I find history fascinating, especially if it has a local connection; it can often demonstrate how we got from there to here with often a change of perspective along the way. There are a few internet pages, Creston Museum included, that often post old photos online which one examines to compare the look of say, Main Street 50 or 100 years ago to present day. It kind of begs the thought what would the complaints be on Facebook if it existed back then – now, its that the snow wasn’t cleared as soon as it fell, there is a pothole on my street and that person isn’t cleaning up after their dog. Looking at old photographs, I would guess the complaints might range from ‘we couldn’t get to town for a week because of snow, the mud is over a foot deep on main street and the horse puckey is piling up in front of the mercantile’.
On a shorter scale, about this time 10 years ago, our focus at the Community Complex was on prepping to open the outdoor pool on the May long weekend and all the searching out and hiring of summer Lifeguards. Interestingly enough, as the Facility Enhancement Project was gathering steam at this point, we were forecasting 2007 as the last year the James Ross Memorial outdoor pool would be open as the original design had the new pool going where the James Ross pool existed then (under the small east parking lot by playground). Evolving through the design process, the aquatic centre was relocated to where it stands present day and subsequently we were able to keep the James Ross open for 2 more summers; providing an uninterrupted history of a summer outdoor pool until 2010. It also meant that anyone using the pools or relaxing in the hot tub are looking at a spectacular panorama of sports fields and mountains rather than a parking lot.
As mentioned, 10 years ago, we were just posting a Request for Proposal for a Construction Management Firm as well as an Architect Design Team which ending eventually being Septra Projects and Vic Davies Architects when the dust settled. While we had a few hiccups over the project, we did pretty darn good compared to many other similar endeavours.
As we did just recently, back then we had just wrapped up the Creston Valley Home and Garden Show which at that time was being run by the Creston Valley Business Association who had run it for a number of years prior to the Chamber of Commerce taking the reins. The Trade Show has moved around a bit as well – at one time, we ran it ourselves with a Trade Show Coordinator but that was even further back in time.
We were also in the final preparations for the Blossomfest TAPS Fundraising Concert that brought in Country Music singer Aaron Pritchett with Jesse Farrell opening. That was an arena size production and a heck of a lot of work for dedicated staff and volunteers from organizations such as TAPS, Valley Community Services and the Community Complex among others. Some compared it to the concerts that happened here way back when such as Tom Jones and Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Seemed so long ago…