Jessica Weightman
Tourism Radville was first established in as an off-shoot of the Radville Chamber of Commerce in 2006. It is a nonprofit organization whose mandate is to create awareness about existing attractions in the community as well as develop new ones to draw people in.
One of Tourism’s most extensive projects to date has been the restoration of the CN station at the bottom of Main Street Radville. They took over management of the station from the Chamber of Commerce and began the work after a great deal of fundraising. This involved social events and silent auctions arranged by the Chamber of Commerce, the raffling of a bureau built and donated by Dave Bellavance, an antique appraisal day, the raffle of a colt, speeder rides, the sale of license plates and old photos featuring the station.
When enough money was raised the restoration commenced. The work began in the basement where several feet of water had collected over the course of the years. Seven high school students donated their time and hauled out buckets of mud and rotten wood. The next step was the replacement and repair of the windows that had been broken over the years. Then the station was cleaned out.
In June of 2005 the floor of the waiting room was completely removed. The following year the living quarters on the second floor were tackled.
This included repair to the walls and ceiling, restoration of the old radiators, the floors and banister. In spring of 2007 fir flooring was salvaged from two houses slated for demolition was used to repair the floor in the waiting room.
After years of work, with time donated by volunteers and business in the community, and artifacts and donations received from many others, the CN station has been returned to its former glory.
With the completion of the station, Tourism then turned its attention to establishing the McNaught Museum, a volunteer fire fighters museum, located behind the Tourism Office. Many of the items now housed in the museum were once in storage in various locations around town. Two items were also put on display in the small park next to the Museum. Displayed here are one of Radville’s early fire trucks and a hose cart.
Tourism Radville has also developed a self guided Heritage Walking Tour. This tour begins at the train station and involves stops at various locations around town where historic buildings once or still do stand. Elda Henheffer has also been known to guide these tours, sharing her own memories of days gone by.
Recently Tourism Radville expanded its horizons, creating a Facebook page to keep the community involved and informed about up coming activities as well as spread the word about the organization (https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Tourism-Radville/404383956247565).
Other activities Tourism Radville is involved in include Heritage Day, Kids Kamps, the Lilac Tea and Bake Sale and special displays at the museum.
Tourism Radville meets the first Tuesday of every month in the Radville Hotel meeting room. They are always looking for volunteers.
