Memory Wall returns for fifth year
Brad Mapes' outdoor photo display pays respect to residents of the past
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Saturday, July 29, 2017
HAY RIVER
The Hay River Memory Wall - photos of hundreds of people who have passed away - has reappeared for a fifth year.
Mayor Brad Mapes stands next to the Hay River Memory Wall, which is his personal project back for its fifth year this summer. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo
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And the Memory Wall, a personal project of Mayor Brad Mapes, has grown since it began as what was to be a one-time thing for the 2013 Hay River Homecoming.
"The first year I started with about 340 pictures, and there are a little over 700 right now," said Mapes.
The year after the celebration, a few people came to him with more pictures to add to the collection.
"So I just kind of kept it going," he said.
Mapes obtains photos and has them enlarged and printed in monochrome, which he believes adds to the visual appeal of the Memory Wall.
The photos are displayed on a fence near The Rooster convenience store, a high-traffic area that results in many people stopping and looking at the display.
Mapes recalled that, in the first year, he asked people for images of family members but some people were hesitant because they doubted putting photos on a fence would look good.
"And then after people realized it's up there and they saw it was kind of unique to have the pictures there," he said.
Mapes, who is also chair of the Hay River Museum Society, puts up the photos because of his personal interest in the history of the community.
"I actually enjoy putting the pictures up," he said, explaining he takes a moment to think of the people he knew and stories he has heard of others.
Mapes said the wall is for everyone to enjoy, including tourists. No photos are placed on the Memory Wall without the permission of family members.
"Some people don't like the wall in the fact that it's people that have passed away, but it's more than that," he explained. "It's paying people respect that have passed and that have made a difference. Some of them never had a chance to make a difference in our community because they died so young, but they could have made a huge difference."
Mapes said people are affected by the Memory Wall in different ways.
"I'm not going to lie and say there's not going to be people that are going to be teared up by looking at it, but it also brings you a lot of good memories," he said.
Mapes started putting up the photos this summer on July 4 and they will remain on display until the end of August.
The Memory Wall is on a fence on a piece of property owned by Mapes and a partner.
Eventually, it will have to move to a new location once that property is developed.
"I'm not 100 per cent sure where it's going to go in the next few years because sooner or later the property there myself and my partner will look at putting up something on there for the town," said Mapes. "So we won't be able to have that fence around there."
However, he definitely plans to continue the Memory Wall in a new location.
"It's how you move forward a community by making sure that you see what amazing things were done to get the community to where it is today," Mapes said. "And sometimes I look at the past."
