LAMPMAN — Lampman has joined a growing list of Saskatchewan communities that is trying to gather its history in a digital format.
The town recently announced the creation of Memory Lane, a digital archive designed to preserve and share local stories, photographs, personal memories and historical events through the Memory Keepers platform. The project will also feature a self-guided walking tour, helping residents and visitors discover the people, places and moments that make Lampman unique.
“Whether it's a story about growing up in Lampman, memories of community celebrations, tales from local businesses and farms, cherished family traditions, or the people and experiences that made this community feel like home, we want to help preserve what makes Lampman special," stated a post on the town's Facebook page.
In addition to collecting stories and photographs, the town will also seek volunteers who are interested in lending their voices to help bring these memories to life.
Town of Lampman administrative assistive Kayla McLaren said the project was first used by Moose Jaw, and the town's chief administrative officer Teresa Biller was introduced to it at a convention.
McLaren said the Moose Jaw project was very well done, and it even has a QR code linked to that city’s Memory Keepers project at the base of the famed Mac the Moose statue.
In the case of Lampman, McLaren said they’re hoping to keep memories alive, with stories about businesses, community leaders and more. The town has purchased the necessary equipment.
“I have wireless recording microphones so we can go to the health centre and … get people’s stories and put them in an online platform, a digital platform that will be accessible for umpteen generations to come, for pretty much as long as the Internet’s alive,” said McLaren.
She knows of other communities with similar projects.
“I do believe it is a fairly new platform, but you can have a ton of different albums per town. I believe we, specifically, with our licence, have a terabyte of storage and an unlimited amount of albums. So, if the recreation department is hosting a minor sports tournament, we can give them a QR code, and the players and the parents, they can all upload whatever pictures they want for the QR code, and it’s specific to that album.”
Volunteer Mary Anne Veroba said McLaren has the technological know-how for the project, while Veroba has the connections and the stories.
The walking tour will feature key points around the town, Veroba said, with a QR code that will take people to a story. For example, it would talk about Lampman’s inception and how it was named after the famed Canadian poet Archibald Lampman.
Other key sites in the town would include the school, sports venues, the Shirley Carson Therapeutic Park, the Lampman Public Library, the Lampman branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, and businesses like Gerry’s Store or the local tavern, which still has a Poet’s Corner sign.
“We have to capture them from the people that are around to still tell the stories, who still know the stories,” said Veroba. “I actually do think that we’re wired for stories. People are wired to listen to stories of how things happened, how they unfolded," said Veroba, who believes there are lots of great stories in every town.
She also suggested having tales from people who had their start in the Lampman area. One person from the town worked in embassies around the world.
The committee has already received one story from a man whose mother worked in the telephone office.
Veroba expects people involved with the Memory Keepers project will have to talk to others and ask them for stories, because she believes many people are a little shy in thinking they have something to share.
“The town has purchased a good recording system that we can use to record both visually and vocally,” said Veroba.
People are also encouraged to submit photos.
“I think it’s just going to take a couple of people to start, and maybe we’ll get some stories from people who have moved from Lampman, too, once we start rolling,” said Veroba, adding she believes they will wind up with lots of stories.
Everyone Veroba has talked to, including the town council, has been very supportive, she said.
