Light Horse Park to be new community space
October 25, 2018 - Tim Bryant, Western Sentinel
Light Horse Park in Old Strathcona is getting a makeover.
The park, located north of Whyte Avenue and connected to the old Connaught Armoury, has historical significance as the home of the 19th Alberta Dragoons, Edmonton’s first military unit.
For years the park remained unnamed, but received the name Light Horse Park in 2012, explained Stephen Gallard, chair of Old Strathcona Remembers, a community group leading the push to make over the park.
Once complete, the park will feature a cenotaph and memorial walls, a walking path laid with bricks bearing the names of loved ones, and a stone platform shaped and coloured to match the Alberta shield.
In addition, the park will include memorial plaques from the old Knox-Metropolitan United Church, bearing names of Old Strathcona soldiers who fought in the First and Second World Wars.
The project has received more than $25,000 in grants from ATB and Veterans Affairs Canada.
The end goal is to make the park a gathering space for the community, while also recognizing the contributions the military has made.
“The idea is the military will be recognized and respected, but it will be done so as a community venture,” Gallard said.
Caption
The cenotaph in Light Horse Park is being moved to the north end of the park to be part of the new central feature.
Photos supplied
One way this collaboration will happen is on the stone walking path, which will be called the Legacy Walk. The idea is the names on the bricks making up the path will be those of civilians and community members, while the border bricks will be members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
“The Forces will be the guiding and protecting lines on both sides and the community will be in the middle,” Gallard said.
It’s the bricks that might have the largest impact on the park as a community space, as there will be no restrictions placed on who can have a brick engraved with the name of a loved one. Gallard said this could be especially important for new immigrants to the community and Canada.
“The people who moved here who don’t have a spot where their loved ones are buried will now have a place of memorial in that park and a vested interest as a community member in that park,” he said.
Work continues on revamping the park, but it won’t be complete in time for Remembrance Day this year. However, there will still be a ceremony at the north end of the park this year, near where the cenotaph being relocated.
Related article: Edmonton’s Light Horse Park a new community gathering space (April 11, 2023)
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