ATHABASCA — Members of Athabasca’s arts community are looking to honour the memory of one of their own, and a recent decision by Town of Athabasca councillors has put them one step closer to celebrating the life and legacy of Tim McKenna.
Athabasca’s Big River Arts Society (BRASS) renewed its attempt to have the late Tim McKenna memorialized in one of his favourite spots with a Feb. 8 request to town council. During their Feb. 20 regular meeting, councillors reviewed the request to install a memorial bench outside the Nancy Appleby Theatre and voted unanimously to grant the request.
“I’d actually love to see benches throughout our town,” said Coun. Sara Graling. “This is definitely not something I want to discourage.”
Tim passed after a brief illness in April 2021 at the age of 55. In his letter to councillors, BRASS president Brian LeMessurier described Tim as a dedicated community member, family man, and lover of creative expression in many mediums.
“Tim and his wife Margo lived, worked and raised their children in Athabasca, and during those years, Tim devoted a tremendous amount of volunteer time in support of the arts. He was a fixture in the sound/lighting booth of the Appleby Theatre for a multitude of arts events from concerns to live theatre, dance events to arts fundraisers.
“According to his family, Tim believed in giving back to the community, and he did so happily and willingly,” wrote LeMessurier.
Margo McKenna, along with daughters Sarah and Jessica, reminisced about memories of Tim’s passion for performing arts, and his life and work in the community during a Feb. 28 interview.
Hailing from the hamlet of Ferintosh, Alta., almost 40 kilometres south of Camrose, Tim came to Athabasca in 1988. He worked as a water and wastewater treatment employee for the town, but Margo noted he was eager make personal inroads into the community.
“He started with the Athabasca Players, which they’re no longer in existence, but at that time they were going strong,” said Margo. She said the pair met working on a comedy play, and their involvement in the arts community continued to be a theme in their relationship over the years.
“The story goes that he was supposed to be the treasurer for the Athabasca Players, but he ended up working backstage, and then he actually ended up on stage,” said Margo. She added that Tim also offered his technical production knowledge to a variety of other groups in town, like the Athabasca Ukrainian Folk Dance Club, the Heartwood Folk Club, and the Athabasca Dance Society.
“Both Sarah and I were enrolled in the Athabasca Dance Society at young ages,” said Jessica, who recalled her dad was often handling lighting and sound during competitions and recitals. “If I was feeling nervous or anything I knew I could always look up into the booth and he would be there, smiling back at me.”
Margo fondly remembered joining Tim at the theatre for a number of jobs, whether it be painting or building sets, or adjusting the stage lights, often with their daughters in tow.
“When he would go down to the theatre and hang lights, I would accompany him for that, partly because I was terrified that he was going to fall off the ladder, and I would be the one that would be dialling 911,” Margo said with a chuckle.
Margo, Sarah, and Jessica all expressed their support for BRASS’s memorial bench to remember their much-missed and well-loved husband and father.
“I think it’s a great gesture,” said Jessica. “It’s awesome that they’re also recognizing that it’s a loss to the community as a whole, but also greatly to the arts.”
She noted as her and Sarah grew up, they realized exactly how much time and effort Tim dedicated to volunteering.
“He really was the number one go-to guy and was always happy to share the information and teach others.”
LeMessurier said in his letter to council efforts had been made to name the sound booth at the Nancy Appleby in honour of Tim following his passing, but the renaming was not permitted under town policy.
The cost of the bench will be covered by BRASS, and will encompass full price of the bench, plus 10 per cent to cover cement pads for installation. Under the town’s memorial bench policy, the memorial bench will require renewal by the group at a charge of 50 per cent of the initial rate.
