After nearly a year of planning and fund raising, the new bronze at the community cenotaph park will be unveiled this Thursday, Oct. 26, in a ceremony that starts at 4 p.m. sharp.

Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell will do the honours of revealing what is expected to be a magnificent 7 ft. statue of a First War World soldier in a memorial pose.

Many others are involved in the ceremony, including the committee that pursued the project, members of the Legion, local army cadets and air cadets from Springbank, trumpeters fom the King's Own Calgary Regiment and the Cochrane Pipe Band.

"It's going to be a great ceremony," says Dave Usherwood, who chaired the project and is 1st vice-president of the Cochrane branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. "I'm encouraging everyone to come out and see the first phase of the project."

"It's the result of a lot of hard work by the committee and everybody involved and the community who stepped up to make things happen. I'm very optimistic everything will come off."

The bronze statue was sculpted by locals Don and Shirley Begg at their Studio West Bronze Foundry and Art Gallery. Terry Norman of OnGrowing Works designed and engineered features into the existing memorial to support the statue addition.

It was local resident Todd Puzey who envisioned an enhanced park in time to honour Canada’s 150th birthday, the 100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge, the Legion’s 90th year,. He believes it will become landmark cherished by the community.

A reception will follow in the Legion and the Lt.-Governor intends to visit briefly before departing for another commitment, says Usherwood.

The reception will also be an opportunity to see the finishing touches that will enhance the park in phase two. Fundraising continues for that part of the project organizers hope to start next spring.

"I'm optimistic that the feds will come through with a sizeable donation, but I have no guarantee of that, so we're looking for donations," says Usherwood.

The result will be a community park that people can use year-round and not simply visit on Remembrance Day.

The annual Poppy Fund drive of the local Legion is being officially launched Friday, although some boxes may appear in retailers sooner. The Legion is utilizing 70 of the new security collection boxes in addition to many others as part of their annual drive to raise funds for local veterans.