Volunteers behind a decade-long effort to document the family history of Stettler and its surrounding area are turning to town council for a final push to get the book sets printed.
Laurie Tait and Joy Wood, representing the Stettler & District History Book Committee, appeared before Stettler Town Council on Aug. 18 to request municipal funding to reach a publisher-mandated minimum order.
The committee has sold 369 sets to date, and needs 31 more sales in the next three weeks to hit the 400-set minimum required to go to press.
At an estimated cost of $440 per set with that volume, committee members say advertising and local donations are being used to offset production expenses.
Town administration requested the group to come back to a September meeting with exact figures for a request to present to council.
The group also thanked the town staff for their help in providing access to municipal records, including Town of Stettler business ledgers and council minutes dating from 1913 to 1985.
The finished collection is to include hundreds of local family histories and area businesses profiles.
The committee’s request to the town follows a decision by the County of Stettler council in June to deny a similar $10,000 proposal, with county politicians instead providing a $1,000 grant citing concerns over unsold inventory.
If the minimum order is met, final edits aim to be completed by Sept. 21, with printing scheduled to begin Oct. 1.
Bookbinding is expected to take an additional two months before the multi-volume sets are ready for distribution.
The project traces back to 2016, with between 40 and 50 volunteers assembling the volumes out of the basement of the coffee house at the historic P&H Elevator across from the train station.
“There’s a lot of information that is being lost over time that we thought should be put down in print so that it’s available for the future,” committee member Stan Eichhorn said during a project launch event in January.
Author: Landin Chambers
Landin Chambers is a news reporter for Hometown Media Stettler. He has a background in broadcast news, with previous roles in Prince George, Red Deer and Calgary. You may also see him as a cameraman for the Stettler Wildcats and Stettler Imperials. Have a story idea? Email: lchambers@htproductionsmedia.ca
