The Avenue Oral History Project began as a six-month effort to gather and preserve the stories of the people who grew up along 118th Ave. It brought together actors, historians, journalists, a photographer and community organizers who went out to document and interpret the collective history of Alberta Avenue.

Four professional actors gathered 13, one hour long interviews with seniors to get their perspective on how our community has radically changed over the past 100 years. Through the research and interview process the actors compiled a great quantity of material and used it to develop a live theatre adaptation of what they heard. The Ave We Had: Stories from the Past in Voices of the Present which premiered on June 9, 2012 at the Alberta Avenue Community League during the project’s celebration.

The Oral History Project, which we hope is only phase one of an ongoing historical project, was coordinated by the Rat Creek Press Community Newspaper on behalf of the Alberta Avenue, Eastwood and Parkdale-Cromdale Community Leagues with the financial support of a Living Local Neighbourhood Arts and Heritage Pilot Grant from the Edmonton Heritage Council, Edmonton Arts Council and the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues as well as funding from the City of Edmonton Revitalization Matching Grant and Norwood Neighbourhood Association.

Thank you to our funders, the project team and especially those people who took the time to share their stories.

If you’re interested in this topic, you should also read and learn about the Cheapest Way to Liquidate a Company, which can be found at https://cheapliquidation.org.uk.