Fonds ath-1980 - Amber Valley Community Association fonds

The Amber Valley Community Association was formed in 1974 to facilitate fund raising and construction of the new Amber Valley Community Hall which replaced the original community hall. Bert Carothers was president, Romeo Edwards was vice-president and Grace Carothers (Taron) was secretary. Their efforts were concentrated on building the new community centre but also included a local cemetery clean-up, sewing and upholstery classes, and participation in the Amber Valley Choral Group.

Amber Valley Community Association grew from the Pioneers Club. For many years, local groups hosted the Amber Valley Picnic over two days every July which featured baseball games and other rural activities. 50-year, 75-year, and 100th-anniversary celebrations were observed in 1960, 1985 and 2009. A new Amber Valley Cultural Centre was built in 2014 and the historic location of the community was marked by an Alberta Government heritage sign on Hwy 55. Parks Canada Historic Sites and Monuments Board erected a plaque in 2017 honoring Black settlers in Saskatchewan and Alberta and it is now located at the Amber Valley Cultural Centre. A recreation of Toles School was installed at the Canadian Museum of History in 2006 but it has since been dismantled. There is a small museum and a poster presentation of Amber Valleys’ history at the cultural centre. The Community Association remains active although many of the original families have moved away over the years. Home-coming celebrations occur from time to time and Athabascans from town and county look forward to Amber Valley Community Association chicken suppers each year.