Lögberg-Heimskringla - 26.09.2003, Síða 1

Week at a glance
Val Valgardson sculptor with a dif-
ference
Page 4
Ainsley Thorarinson visits the
home of her ancestors
Page 6
Friday, 26 September 2003 • Number 33 / Númer 33 • Föstudagur, 26 september, 2003
Lögberg
Lögberg stofnað 14. janúar 1888
Heimskringla stofnað 9. september 1886
Sameinuð 20. ágúst 1959
Heimskringla
The Icelandic Weekly
www.logberg.com
PAP Registration no. 08000
Agreement no. 1402161
117th year /117. Árgangur ISSN 0047-4967
Century-old Hall Gets a Big Lift
PHOTO COURTESY BERNICE ANDERSON
Restoration of 100-year-old Fensala Hall, which was desig-
nated a Historic Resource by the Alberta Government in July
Harley Richards
Central Alberta LIFE
Markerville - Finding a
dime may not seem a
noteworthy occurrence. But
when the 10-cent piece was
minted in 1921 and has spent
decades beneath the floor of a
100-year-old building, the dis-
covery becomes a little more
significant.
Still, recovery of that mys-
terious dime was anticlimactic
compared to the successful
move of Fensala Hall above it.
Bonanza Movers of Red Deer
raised the historic building
from its longtime resting place
earlier this summer, as
bystanders watched and cam-
eras clicked.
“It just came up so nice
and easy,” says Ken Sveinson,
chair of the Stephan G.
Stephansson Icelandic Soci-
ety’s Fensala Hall restoration
committee.
Last Monday the hall was
returned to the spot it has occu-
pied since 1903, a new founda-
tion beneath it.
“It was really neat to watch
it going back on,” says Kath-
leen Raines, manager of the
Markerville Creamery, which
is also operated by the Stephan
G. Stephansson Icelandic Soci-
ety.
A change that wasn’t visi-
ble was the hall’s new designa-
tion as a provincial historic
resource — confirmation of
which was received late last
month. “I was sure it would
happen,” says Sveinson of Fen-
sala Hall’s new special status.
After all, the building is the
oldest continuously used com-
munity hall in the province. Its
origins date back to 1902,
when members of the young
community of Icelandic emi-
grants started building a place
for social gatherings.
They formed Fensala
Stock Company Limited (Fen-
sala was the mythical home of
the Scandinavian goddess Frig-
ga), and 46 shareholders con-
tributed a combined $237 to
finance the project. The hall
opened in November 1903.
Over the years, says Svein-
son, the hall has been the site
of all manner of events.
The 72-year-old remem-
bers Christmas concerts and
war bond drives in the build-
ing.
“Wonderful memories,” he
says. “The old hall has been
used a lot over the years.”
Despite that use and the
passage of time, the wooden
structure remains sound. The
sti-ucture itself is in remarkably
good condition,” says Raines.
But work is required.
“The roof is in bad need of
shingles now,” says Sveinson.
Plans are also in place to
refurbish the building’s wiring
and mechanical system, and to
construct an addition with an
entryway, kitchen and bath-
rooms. A new well is also
needed.
But all that work will
require money — more than
$200,000 by Sveinson’s calcu-
lations. The society has raised
about $60,000, but this was
used for the new foundation.
“There’s a great deal of
fundraising to be done,”
acknowledges Raines. Svein-
son is optimistic. The society
can count on plenty of volun-
teer labour, and he’s hoping
corporate and private donors
will help provide the necessary
funding.
“Hopefully somebody will
see a need and help us out.”
That need is an important
one, stresses Sveinson. Not
only is Fensala Hall a valuable
historic resource, the building
continues to fill a practical
need.
It’s still booked for events
ranging from weddings to
community gatherings, and
Markerville has no other
facility that can accommodate
the tour groups that visit the
community every year.
“You’ve got to have a
place to feed them and the
Creamery isn’t big enough. So
the hall is very necessary.”
Reprinted with permission
from Central Alberta Life, A publi-
cation ofthe Red Deer Advocate
Icelandic Canadian Chamber of Commerce Inaugurated
Performing his last official
function as Iceland’s first
ambassador to Canada, Hjálmar
W. Hannesson oversaw the
founding meeting of the Ice-
landic Canadian Chamber of
Commerce (ICCC) in Toronto
on September 12th, 2003.
The president of the new
organization is Gordon J. Reyk-
dal of Edmonton, AB who oper-
ates The Cash Store across
Canada, and who is Honorary
Consul for Northem Alberta.
Vice-President is Jóhann V.
Ólafsson of Eimskip Canada
Inc. in St. John’s, NF.
Board Members include
business people from Iceland,
Canada and the United States.
From Nova Scotia is John Ris-
ley of Clearwater Fine Foods in
Bedford and Jóhann A. Jónsson
of SIF Canada Ltd. in Yarmouth
County; from Quebec, David
Franklin, lawyer with Franklin
& Franklin and Honorary Con-
sul, and Skúli Mogensen of Oz
Communications Inc. both in
Montreal; from Ontario, Jon
Ragnar Johnson, lawyer at
Goodman, Phillips and
Vineberg and Honorary Consul
General, Adam Kalbfleisch,
lawyer at Stikeman and Elliott,
Linda Lundström of Linda
Lundström Inc., all in Toronto;
and Hugh Porteus of ALCAN
in Ottawa; from Manitoba Max
Johnson of Great Canadian
Travel Co. Ltd. and Arni
Thorsteinson of Shelter Canadi-
an Properties, both in Win-
nipeg; and from British Colum-
bia Heather Alda Ireland, Hon-
orary Consul General in BC.
Also on the Board are Guð-
mundur Eiríksson, Iceland’s
new ambassador to Canada,
Atli Ásmundsson from the Min-
PHOTO BY JON EINARSSON GUSTAFSSON
Valgerður Sverrisdóttir, Iceland’s Minister of Trade and Com-
merce, stands with (from left to right) the first president of the
Icelandic Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Gordon Reykdal
of Edmonton, AB, Ambassador Hjálmar W. Hanneson, and
Jóhann V. Ólafsson, first vice-president of the ICCC, who runs
Eimskip Canada in St. Johns, NF.
istry of Foreign Affairs in
Reykjavík, Gunnar Eklund of
Icelandair in Columbia, MD,
Einar Gústavsson of the Iceland
Tourist Board in New York and
Friðrik Sigurðsson of
TölvuMyndir hf in Kópavogur,
Iceland.
Helga Bertelsen in the
Ambassador’s offíce in Ottawa
will serve as the Secretary of
the ICCC.
The By-laws, prepared by
Jon Ragnar Johnson of Good-
man, Phillips and Vineberg in
Toronto, were approved at the
founding meeting. They state
the objects of the ICCC: to pro-
mote business relations between
Iceland and Canada; to provide
a forum for discussions and
deliberations conceming Ice-
landic-Canadian
Please .vce lcelandic
Canadian on Page 7
Creating Community • Sköpum „Samfélag