The Victoria Jubilee Hall in Walkerton turns 125 this year, and board member Robin Zettel says it's great to be able to celebrate such a significant hub for arts and culture in the town.
Zettel says the cornerstone was laid on August 12th, 1897, and since then, the hall has been used for a variety of purposes.
"Such as town council, there were social dances, seminars, theatre, opera, many live shows. Also, caretakers would live in the building and take care of the hall through the years."
Three generations of the Ferguson family cared for the hall from its inception up until roughly the 1970's, when the town took over the day-to-day operation and upkeep of the hall. Now, Zettel says a survey is available on the Victoria Jubilee Hall Facebook page asking for input on the hall's next phase.
"The survey is a very short survey, maybe 2 minutes, with 5 questions. Pretty much asking what would people like to see more of or less of. Any input we can gather from the community is great, so that we can continue being the hub for arts and culture in the area."
Zettel also points out the hall is run by a volunteer organization.
"We're always looking for volunteers and our volunteers do a great job. We've just been maintaining the hall during COVID and we look forward to getting together with everyone when it's our time to do so."
Since the original cornerstone of the hall was laid August 12th, 1897, to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, Zettel says they're hoping to have some form of celebration planned on that date this year.
The survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CBC69DZ