High River's Sheppard Family Park Society is marking its 25th anniversary this year.

It was originally set up by a group of interested community members who wanted to keep the land as a historical park in keeping with Ruth McCoy's wishes when she bequeathed it to the Town.

At the beginning, the Rotary Club, the Town of High River, the Kinsmen Club, the Lions Club, the Museum of the Highwood and the High river Garden Club got together to take on the job.

Because of a lack of any kind of crop, Carol Knox with the group says they won't hold the annual Threshing Bee this year but people are still welcome to check out the park.

"A group of people came out from Calgary last weekend, they were looking for a day trip and they had never been there before and they were very very excited to explore with their children and they appreciated how calm it was and the beautiful gardens that are at the park, Ruth McCoy's cabin is still there and volunteers have worked really hard to keep that garden very similar to what she would have had when she lived there and so it's a beautiful area just to have a nice quiet tranquil day," she says.

The park is always open for people to take a self-guided tour with new signage in front of the buildings so people can read about the history of them and how they came to rest at the park.

The society hopes that next spring when it's warmer and they can take the celebration outdoors, they'll be able to recognize all of the volunteers that have helped out at the park.

In the meantime, they're always on the lookout for volunteers according to Knox.

"People can donate an hour, a half-day, some people that volunteer are there weekly and we have a variety and tasks that always need doing all the way from cutting the grass and weeding to painting and building things, so volunteers are always welcome at the park.

To get involved you can call 403-652-1128 and leave a message.

 

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