Over a year and a half of construction and many more years of lobbying was finally realized as the Rosebud Mercantile officially opened its doors last Friday.
“When the recession started, we responded with projects that would help build industry, commerce, and Canada. Projects that deal with arts, tourism, and culture are so significant,” said MP Kevin Sorenson during the opening, which also commemorated the 100 year anniversary of the mercantile building.
Sorenson went on to thank the project leaders who hounded government and corporations to access funds.
The $5.25 million project was funded through a number of avenues: $2.318 million from the federal government and $775,000 from provincial, $677,682 from the Rosebud Centre of the Arts, corporate and private donations amounting to $730,781 with much being donated by Encana, and $748,337 in financing.
MLA Strathmore-Brooks Arno Doerksen spoke to the crowd gathered in the Mercantile dining room, “Rosebud is one of the places I’m very proud of, and I look forward to seeing what progress is going to be made here.”
“We saw it as a real opportunity to partner in an area we have worked in for many decades,” said Mike Forgo, vice president of business services and stakeholder relations for Encana.
Built in 1911, the Rosebud Mercantile was created as a store to accommodate the railway that went through Rosebud. Over the years, it passed through a number of owners, until it was finally sold to Rosebud School of the Arts in 1973. From 1973 to 1977 a summer arts camp operated out of the building. Camps continued in the community into the early 1980s while the Mercantile expanded to accommodate a private secondary arts school. This high school program was replaced in 1986 by the post-secondary theatre arts guild school, Rosebud School of the Arts. Rosebud Theatre soon began using the Mercantile as a dining room in conjunction with its performances.
