Foremost Historical Society offers tours of town over July 21-23 rodeo weekend

Commentator/Courier Photo by Anna Smith A piece of history: Picture of the wagons from the tours offered on July 22.

By Anna Smith
Commentator/Courier

Between the parade and slack, the Foremost Historical Society offered a chance to get to know some of the history of their scenic village with horse drawn tours about town.

Initially planned as something to keep visitors in town over the gap between the beginning of festivities and the night rodeo, the society is no stranger to offering tours of the town, as they’ve done in several different fashions since their inception in 2010.

“Our first project was to create the second history book for the town,” said Daphne Johnson, president. “We also have yearly events that we offer to the town at no cost.”

Previous events have included a bus tour to the old county school and church, a sheep barn tour, buffalo ranch tour, the Canada 150 parade, Grandparents Day games, scavenger hunts, and ice cream socials. 

“Our new project right now is to make a map of the town cemetery with names from the past 100 years. We plan to add colour murals and signs to the building, also,” said Johnson. 

This year’s event was a guided horse and wagon tour by “Once Upon A Time Rides” from Stirling, with Stewart Collins as their tour guide, born in the village and offering lively commentary. The last time the society offered wagon tours was 10 years ago for the Centennial. 

“We also offer a self-guided walking tour,” said Johnson. “We plan to have school tours so young people can see all the facilities their grandparents built as volunteers, before paved streets, grass golf greens, the splash park and before the Internet. They can also see their parent’s goofy hairstyles and fashion statements from back in the day!”

The building itself that the society resides in was purchased in 2020, and displays museum-quality antiques and memorabilia from the village’s storied history, such as historic pictures, a player piano, Elks records from the 1930s, and scrapbooks that have every Foremost-centric news story from local papers and newsletters going back as far as 1968.

“We are mostly seniors, and we have recently lost several founding members of the Society,” said Johnson. “We hope to recruit some second and third generation families to continue what their grandparents started.”

Volunteers, of course, are greatly appreciated, as is the continued support of the community, said Johnson, which makes the continued preservation of Foremost History possible.