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Parkhurst Social Society renamed themselves Parkview Community Club on August 12, 1969, for the purpose of restoring Parkhurst School, NE 12-67-21 W4, to use as a community hall. The club was incorporated on November 10, 1969, and the first executive was Don Ballard, president and Adele Sale, secretary-treasurer. The hall was added on to in1973 including a kitchen and dining area, and later, a stage.

The Grosmont Community Club’s original hall was built in 1929. It measured 52’10” by 27’7” and had a capacity of 175. The earliest surviving minutes are for the Grosmont Community Women’s Club, dated July 1950 – February 1964. The first president was Pearl Barr. Members met in private homes, and they were involved in hall events and maintenance. Men were invited to join in 1960 and meetings then took place in the hall. By-laws were registered in October 1974, and in 1974, the original building had an addition.

The Rochester & District Agricultural Society (RDAS) was chartered on the 21st day of August 1979 and is a non-profit organization that brings people together to celebrate agriculture’s influence on our past, present, and future. The first charter night was January 25, 1980, and the Chairman was Allan Gerlach.
RDAS is committed to promoting agriculture, preserving community spirit, and researching local agricultural history. Hard-working volunteers maintain facilities and run programs and events that bring people together. The facilities include a hall, fair grounds, outdoor horse arena, baseball diamond, beer garden, summer hall, and skating rink with warm-up room.

A bleached kraft pulp mill on the Athabasca River was announced by Alberta-Pacific (Al-Pac) and the Alberta Government in 1988 and Alberta-Pacific submitted to Alberta Environment an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project on May 8, 1989. A series of public meetings to address the EIA was scheduled by Al-Pac. A group of environmentally-concerned citizens formed Friends of the Athabasca Environmental Association on September 19, 1988 to express their concerns about the bleached kraft pulp mill. The group had broad objectives in terms of the Athabasca River Basin, but their main objective was to mitigate the effects on the environment of the Athabasca River. FOTA was aware that the project would brings jobs to the Athabasca area, and was firmly behind the plan, but questioned why a bleached kraft pulp mill was being considered. The group was active between 1988 and 1996.

In the late 1920s, Lewiston School, which was on the west side of Perryvale, Alberta, was at capacity. Percy Jennings, Fred Springler and Charles Kubbernus formed a committee who, along with the district superintendent, petitioned the Alberta Department of Education to fund a new school 3.5 miles south of Perryvale. Perryvale School District No. 4390 was established in 1929 and the one-room school opened in 1930 with Mrs. Parton as the first teacher. Charles Kubbernus was the Chairman of the Board. The secretary/treasurers were H. Jennings, 1932, Charlotte Ward, 1932 and Mary Reneau, 1935 – 38. The school closed in 1938.

The Athabasca School Division No. 42 was established by an Order in Council October 22, 1938. It contained five subdivisions and organizational meetings were held in each subdivision in November in the following centres: Subdivision 1 Meanook, Subdivision 2 Athabasca, Subdivision 3 Boyle, Subdivision 4 Plamondon, and Subdivision 5 Craigend. Eric A. Gilders was appointed temporary secretary. ASD No. 42 operated until 1959 when the County of Athabasca No. 12 was formed by combining the Municipal District of Athabasca No. 103 and the Athabasca School Division No. 42. At this time, there were no longer one-room schools in operation, only centralized schools. The first organizational meeting of the board was held on December 21, 1938. The old school districts were officially absorbed as of January 3, 1939 when an Act of Parliament turned over all liabilities and assets of the districts to the School Division.

The original school division contained the following 86 school districts: Keyes 1882, Tawatinaw 2473, Lahaiville 2637, Parkhurst 2645, Plamondon 2696, Dover 2725, South Athabasca 2768, Plum Lake 2815, Toles 2895, Atlanta 2909, Fairhaven 3044, Cash Creek 3045, Lewiston 3093, Meanook 3105, Flat Creek 3106, West Athabasca 3110, Fork Lake 3155, Rodgers Chapter 3159, Colinton 3169, Forest 3171, Dokeville 3173, McArthur 3266, Silver Fox 3273, Willow Ridge 3292, Bouvier 3308, East Park 3349, Ste. Cecile 3377, Irene 3405, Youngville 3621, Baptiste Lake 3651, Grosmont 3639, George Lake 3820, Lee Heights 3821, Greyville 3836, Mangin 3935, Berney 3937, Quebec 3989, Sarrail 4001, Grandin 4066, Big Beaver 4067, Craigend 4088, Granville 4091, Trieste (Hylo) 4101, Venice 4102, Forfar 4105, Forest Grove 4209, Charron 4224, Vincent 4255, Richmond Park 4280, Rich Lake 4329, Monticello 4374, Perryvale 4390, Hammond 4398, New Pine Creek 4473, Big Coulee 4497, Hallcroft 4508, Larvert 4521, Owl River 4526, Rocky Island 4536, Winding Trail 4549, Narrow Lake 4546, Blueberry Ridge 4562, Black Loam 4565, Green Pine 4568, Ferguson 4573, Deer Run 4597, Gamefield 4597, Spruce Park 4618, Cristy Lake 4621, Helina 4629, Spruce Valley 4652.

Several other districts, formed after 19439 were subsequently added to the division. They were: Blue Jay 4658, Willow Flat 4668, Noral 4692, Laura 4722, Gourin 4755, White Clover 4777, Caslan 4780, South Noral 4781, Birch Grover 4808, Dionne 4813, Nelson 4814, Big Bay 4817, Caribou Range 4836, Mercury 4849, Sun Ray 4868, Cumley 4891, Lawrence Lake 4909, Cloverview 4919, Deep Coulee 4959, Ellscott 4960, Locher 4975, Old Trail 4853 and *Twin Spruce 4864.

In 1944 Lac La Biche School Division No. 51 was formed resulting in the transfer of 36 districts (*) in the list.

In 1946, Eric Hodgson held a meeting of representatives of different community organizations to discuss establishing a library in Athabasca. A committee was struck and met in June 1946 to nominate a library board. The library was known as the Athabasca and District Public Library from 1946 to 1966, the Athabasca Municipal Library from 1966 to 1980, and the Athabasca Municipal Library and Archives from 1980 until it adopted its current name in 1988. The library was located in the Town Hall, the Community Centre, and the former Provincial Building until it moved to the Brick School Complex in 1979. The archival program began as early as 1957 when the library stored historic documents until a historical society could be formed. In 1979 a separate room was designated, and volunteers organized and solicited material for a history book published in 1986. The first part-time archivist was hired in 1988.

Athabasca Clay Products was a business that operated in Athabasca, Alberta from 1964 - 1968. All items were made from local red clay. Pottery was distributed from numerous gift shops in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, including one on Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta.

A weekly and/or seasonal Athabasca and area Farmers Market was researched in January 1978 and this included a local survey of interest and attendance at an Alberta Agriculture Farmers’ Market seminar in Edmonton. The first Farmers Market was organized by volunteers just prior to Christmas, 1978 and was held in the basement of the Athabasca Community Centre. It may also have been held at the Athabasca Arena at various times during the day on Fridays. It was sponsored by the Athabasca Agricultural Society and one of the early managers was Theresa Keith. Early promotional efforts included cake decorating contests, door prizes and the mention of new visitors in a regular column published the Athabasca Advocate newspaper. Early members include Staffie Rypien, Grace Stychin, Mildred Haggith, Shirley Berezowski, Lilo Sanftl, Pennie Hunter, Otto Christensen, Lorraine Schultz, Joy Richards, Pat Williamson, Dorothy McCue, Maria Muller, Maureen Weymouth, Gwen Wolstenholme, Loreen Dagley, Liz Lamoureux, Mary Bart, Mary Schmidt, Mr. and Mrs. Stellmaker, and a BC fruit producer from Westlock. Annual membership was $10.00. Board positions were president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. All vendors set their own prices and a percentage of sales was given to the Market. Items for sale included fresh baking, farm fresh eggs, hand-made clothing, frozen foods, household items, seasonal bedding plants and crafts.
In 1984, the Farmers Market moved to a retail location on the main floor of Dr. Wright’s building at 4902 – 49 Street, Athabasca and was open six days a week from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The store was staffed by volunteers. The store location closed on December 19, 2001 due to a number of factors including volunteer burn out and changes in health regulations which made it more difficult to operate in the same way; specifically, food items that were baked in home kitchens and not on site. The Farmers Market Board donated the remaining $4,000.00 in their bank account to the Athabasca Health Care Centre Ladies Auxiliary.
The Athabasca Farmers Market has always operated with the designation of “Alberta Approved Farmers Market.” This means that 80% of good sold are produced in Alberta. It was billed as the only full-time, year-round farmers’ market in Alberta during the years it was located in Dr. Wright’s building.
There was no Farmers Market in Athabasca between the years 2001 and 2004. It was then brought back under the sponsorship of the Athabasca District Chamber of Commerce and again held weekly/seasonally in the basement of the Community Centre. Due to scheduling difficulties at the Community Centre, the Farmers Market was moved to the basement of the Royal Canadian Legion #103 in 2006.
In 2011, a new organization, the North Country Community Council, sponsored the Farmers Market and it is now held every second Saturday from October to May at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex. During the spring and summer months, it is held weekly on the Athabasca riverfront. The Town of Athabasca donated a one-time start up grant of $2,500 in 2012. During the months of January through November, the market has between 25 – 30 tables and peaks with as many as 65 tables in the month before Christmas. The Farmers Market executive has made donations to the Good Samaritan Food Bank and the Athabasca Santas Anonymous annual campaign.

The Magnificent River Rats Festival Society (MRRFS) was formed in 1997 in Athabasca, Alberta. It grew from Canada Day celebrations, starting in 1987, that featured canoe races from Smith to Athabasca on the Athabasca River, and finished with a bonfire, local entertainment and fireworks. Canoeists paid an entry fee and were also sponsored to raise money for various local charitable groups. Local groups who organized the annual event included the Rotary Club and the Athabasca Chamber of Commerce. Supporters included the Athabasca Metis Association and Blue Heron Enterprises. The MRRFS was formed to formalize the annual event and take advantage of grant opportunities available to a not-for-profit society. They obtained Canada Revenue Agency charitable status in 2005 and received grants from the Alberta Foundation of the Arts, among others. The annual event grew in size through the years, expanding from a one-day event to, at times, two- or three-day events with children’s’ activities, food vendors and nationally-recognized entertainers.