The Construction

The following is a diary of the bandshell's development from concept through construction.

Click on any image below to enlarge.

May/00:
All the logs are ready. John Foreman and volunteers have sawn, peeled, and hand hewn the white pine logs for the bandshell.

June 03/00:
At 11:30am we had the official sod turning ceremony. Mayor Lloyd Churchill, MP Larry McCormick, and Committee chair Kathleen Leenders turned the first sod for the new bandshell. A very supportive group of community members turned out to watch as well as enjoy cake and coffee afterwards. Some tried their hand at hand hewing a log under the direction of John Foreman.

Bundles of campfire kindling were available at the site for $3.00 each. These were mostly the large chips of wood from the hand hewing process.

July 11/00:
Council agreed to provide the building permit and cover the cost of the foundation. The town also provided equipment and manpower for the excavation.

July 24/00:
A group of dedicated individuals gathered as excavation began for the foundation. The Town of Bancroft provided manpower and equipment to "Get the show on the road". Thanks goes to Mayor Churchill, councillors, and staff for all their help and support. Thanks also goes to Garry Sobry of Bancroft Homes, the contractor hired to construct the foundation.

Aug 07/00:
David Card, the general contractor for the bandshell, started work on the floor. Then John Foreman began laying logs for the walls. This process lasted into the fall.

Sept 21/00:
Jorn Brockhausen of Brockhausen's Wood Construction is building the timberframe trusses for over the stage area. The schedule for putting the roof on is late October. John and his crew of helpers have erected the log walls and Jorn has constructed the two timber trusses.

Oct 23/00:
Jorn has finished the timber trusses and John has finished the log walls. The timber trusses with purlins went up first and then Wilson's Tim-br Mart delivered the factory built trusses for the rear half of the building. To get the trusses up and the sheathing on took just a few days. The roof sheathing was done in tongue and groove boards that were cut from the logs earlier in the year. They were sent to a mill to have the edges done.

Nov 18/00:
The roof is up and the sheathing is on. The rear gable is also sheathed. Even though someone admired the T&G pine a bit too much, and decided that it would probably look better on a project of their own than on the bandshell, things are continuing as scheduled.

Jan 08/01:
Work is now proceding with construction on the interior partitions, plumbing, and electrical. Everything is coming together for the Grand Opening in May

May 19/01:
The Grand Opening Celebration