As an irreplaceable historical resource, the Atlas Coal Mine is making sure the tipple will remain standing for generations to enjoy and learn from.
    Last week Gordon MacDonald and Steve Lawrence of MacDonald & Lawrence Timber Framing were at the Atlas Coal Mine to assess the condition of the tipple.
    “We are looking at it in a more comprehensive way than we have ever looked at it before,” said Linda Digby, executive director of the Atlas Coal Mine.
    Digby said they completed repairs to the south end of the structure a couple years ago, and now are looking at the rest of the structure where the actual bins are located.
    “They are looking at every joint and every timber. They are actually drilling every structural timber to get a Resistograph reading that will tell us how sound the timber is,” said Digby.
    The Alberta Historical Resources Foundation and a Parks Canada cost-sharing program for the project funded the project. The Atlas has also contributes to the project.
    “The mandate of our preservation strategy is always to preserve as much original material as we can. The goal is to keep as much original as possible and only replace what is absolute essential, so this will give us the hard data we need to make those decisions over the next few years,” said Digby. 
    MacDonald and Lawrence’s expertise is in heavy wood structures, and they have completed many varied projects. The Atlas is an interesting project for the company.
    “When someone first looks at the tipple, it is this incredible maze of timbers. It looks like pick-up sticks and after working with it for a few days, and also working with the historic drawings, it reveals these quite simple, rational systems that are all just tangled together. Each of the individual systems are simple and make perfect sense once you can see it for what it is,” said MacDonald “That has been really fun, it is like solving a crossword puzzle.”
    Lawrence points out these are the first substantial repairs the structure has received in eighty years. MacDonald says just important as the original structure is the historical context of the wear and the repairs. It all goes towards telling the story of the building.
    “We don’t want to remove that stuff because it is all part of the exciting story of the place and how it was used and looked after. We want to make repairs to the underlying structure, but not change the story,” said MacDonald.
    The tipple was originally built in 1929 and Digby explains it was moved across the river to its present location. In 1937 the structure was rebuilt. At each of these phases changes were made to the structure. While the museum does not have every detail of the tipple’s lifespan, they are lucky to have the original blueprints for the structure as well as photo documentary evidence.
    “The big task now… is to come up with a method that will give the structure its integrity and enable the historic site to look after it in perpetuity, which is always our goal,” said MacDonald. “From what we have seen it looks like the tipple is going to require a fair amount of work to put it back in that condition, so that will be the big challenge for the Atlas over the next few years.”
    “There is no question it is a treasure and an important one at that, but in these economic times it’s tricky to find sufficient funding for a project.”

    Rosebud theatre is on the cusp of entering the homestretch of 2012 with its annual Christmas production.
    May and Joe opens on November 2 at the Rosebud Opera House. While they are getting ready to hit the stage the theatre is looking ahead to its 2013 season. 
    Next spring Rosebud is opening their season with Barefoot in the Park, a Neil Simon romantic comedy. Paul and Corie are newlyweds with nothing in common. After a six-day honeymoon, they set out to tackle a top-floor, New York fixer-upper with a Hungarian rooftop roommate and beds that barely fit into broom closets. Corie is creating a love nest; Paul needs to go to work. Young love is about to give way to the reality of nosey in-laws, finicky radiators, and learning how to scrap and make up in order to make a home. A Broadway smash hit and classic movie by the master of comedy.
    Barefoot in the Park runs from March 22 until May 11, 2013.
    This is followed by Cotton Patch Gospel, which features music from Harry Chapin. The Good News is coming to Georgia in a re-telling of the Gospel story set in the contemporary American South. Accompanied by bluegrass music and infectious tunes, it’s the greatest story ever ‘retold’—dramatic, prophetic, and compelling—a joyous celebration of the Jesus story that transcends all time. This foot-stomping fresh take on the familiar will set your feet to tappin’ and your fingers to snappin’ with the best music and heart that Rosebud has to offer. Cotton Patch Gospel runs May 31 to August 24, 2013.
Also in the Summer of 2013 on the Studio Stage, Rosebud presents Underneath the Lintel: An Impressive Display of Lovely Evidences. Unexpected adventure drops in the overnight bin when a reclusive librarian discovers a curious return: a book 123 years overdue. A clue scribbled in the margin and an un¬claimed dry-cleaning ticket take him on an obsessive quest to track down the borrower and give him the fine of his life. As he travels across four continents, will he unlock an ancient mystery to awaken his life, or meticulously descend into madness?  This runs July 3 to August 24, 2013.
    Autumn brings Rosebud Theatre’s interpretation of a true classic, Our Town. Change comes slowly to a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century. People grow up, get married, live, and die. But is that just the beginning? This Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatization of life in fictional Grover’s Corners has become one of the most widely beloved and performed plays of all time. This town is every town and the simplicity of life is this: Under¬neath the everyday ordinary are lives that are extraordinary. This runs September 13 to October 19, 2013.
    Fast-forward one year and you will arrive at Rosebud Theatre’s winter production It’s a Wonderful Life: The Radio Play. Idealistic George Bailey considers his demise one fateful Christmas Eve, but is interrupted by an angel who shows him what life would be if George never existed. Complete with live music, sound effects, and 1940’s charm, this holiday event unfolds as a radio broadcast, coming to captivating life with an ensemble that brings over two dozen characters to the stage. An affirmation of life and family, celebrate the season and rediscover that no man is a failure who has friends. This runs November 1 to December 22, 2013.