Last Saturday morning, a jolly group of elves gathered around two long tables at Saffron Collective Studio, cutting and shaping and painting and drying dozens of different porcelain Christmas ornaments.
Each bauble bore the delicate blue swirl insignia of Rock the Waves: the Town of Cochrane’s ongoing campaign to raise money for a new aquatic facility at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
Even though it was a weekend, the artists were all too happy to dive in and give their time and talents to help out such a good cause.
“It just brings us all together and we have good times. It’s fun,” said Brenda Spicer, a member of the artists’ group, while working with a tiny paintbrush. “I think it’s a really worthwhile cause.”
The weekend’s “work bee” at Saffron marked the third big day of crafting for the potters, who were aiming to finish 400 custom ornaments in time for this Saturday’s Cochrane Light Up event.
That’s where residents will get their first look at the Christmas collectibles, on sale for $10 at town council’s booth in Historic Downtown.
After the holiday-themed evening, the festive fandangles can be found at any town facility, as well as Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
Spicer was pleased that officials thought to include Saffron in the production of the handcrafted pieces, rather than source them from another city or a big box retailer.
“It’s nice that they kept it local,” she said.
Engaging Cochrane-based artists to create the unique ornament was an essential element of the project, said Suzanne Gaida, Cochrane’s senior manager of Community Services.
“We’re building a community facility… you want to promote as much local as you can,” Gaida said. “We wanted to offer something that is unique and a bit sought after to give recognition to the project.”
Currently, Rock the Waves has raised approximately half of the $10.6 million goal. Any gap will be covered by Alberta’s Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) funding. The multi-purpose aquatic facility is expected to be open by summer 2017.
