A central Alberta community hall that was once the focus of rural life between Lacombe, Ponoka, Bentley and Rimbey could soon be closing its doors forever — a victim of changing times and demographics.
The Lincoln Community Hall has been a social hub since the original white clapboard building was built in 1927. Regular events, including dances, concerts and bingos have attracted residents from a wide swath around Gull Lake.
Since a modern new hall was constructed to replace the crumbling old one in 2001, the facility located about nine kilometres north of Highway 12 on Secondary Highway 792 (Lincoln Road) has continued to host various family reunions, dinner theatres, Christmas concerts and family dances.
But Tony Kamlah, the president of the Lincoln Hall Community Society, wonders whether its days are numbered, since only 11 people showed up to pay the $5 annual membership fee at the annual general meeting in February.
As well, no one’s volunteering to take on two vacant board positions — and filling those is mandatory for the society to keep operating, Kamlah added.
An emergency meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 8, at Lincoln Hall to see whether people from the region want to see the facility continue — or fold.
Kamlah said 300 to 400 letters were distributed to rural mailboxes, and so far, he hasn’t heard much response.
The Lincoln Community Hall was in a similar position in 1998, when an emergency meeting drew a full-house crowd. Soon after, rural residents between Range Road 11, Highway 53, Highway 2 and Aspelund Road rallied forces and built a new $450,000 facility — paid for in cash — to replace the old hall, which had a crumbling foundation, said Kamlah.
But 19 years later, “we have been unable to get people to come out and support our events,” he added.
The society’s letter to the community states: “When people do come out they say it was so much fun we should all do it again, however, numbers just keep dropping…
“This hall needs community support of all ages. We need new blood and fresh ideas. We need to come together as a community and keep this hall from being sold.”
Kamlah said the hall can’t afford to keep losing money on events. While it’s a popular summertime rental space for reunions and barbecues, it needs to be busy year-round to be sustainable.
Much has changed in the past two decades, Kamlah admitted, with the internet, computer games and now a plethora of televised streaming services. Many businesses — including nightclubs and bars — are complaining that fewer people are going out.
At the same time, he said volunteers are getting older and young people don’t seem to be picking up the slack. And there’s been a demographic change in the rural area.
Kamlah said many established community members have moved on or died. Some of their farms have been sold and replaced with acreages. While farmers tend to know their neighbours, many acreage folks don’t know who’s living next door or across the road, he added.
Kamlah would love it if people from the region came together in the community hall to get to know their neighbours.
It might help in the fight against rural crime, he said. But even beyond that, “I think it’s important to have a community that’s bonded together… If you know your neighbour, you can help each other out.”
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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