Use it or lose it!

It’s as silent as the onset of a cold, but equally as invasive: a growing sense community halls are quietly closing their doors and few seem to care.

Concern has risen recently in Newport Corner and Ardoise; situations governing halls in each of these communities have reached critical mass and only two options remain: use it or lose it.

In Ardoise, the centre has been able to survive by adapting to the demands of the community. It’s now used for non-traditional events, such as an arts and culture show-and-sale that features local painters and woodcarvers.

But this wouldn’t have been possible without a revitalization of community interest and a willingness by all stakeholders to get involved, roll up the metaphoric sleeves and be creative.

We broach the topic on Page 3 in this week’s edition of The Journal and plan to explore the matter further in upcoming issues. We believe community halls have tremendous value and feel they’ve been taken for granted by too many for too long.

Historically, community halls have been a locus, where young and old alike came together to share events in their lives, whether it was a communal supper, wedding, anniversary, flea market, bingo or social gathering.

However, the demographic has changed radically. Issues of succession and lack of interest have practically doomed community halls to dereliction.

Young people no longer remain in the region once they come of age; the world beckons and more and more answer the call. Those who stay have little interest in sustaining an operation the popular mindset deems antiquated and irrelevant.

The pressures of work, family and lifestyle have conspired to move their imaginations in other directions, away from the necessary service requirements upon which the foundation of any area’s community hall depends.

Money is a perennial difficulty, of course, and fundraisers to sustain community halls are routine. Who knew such pedestrian concerns as paying the bills – for light, heat, general upkeep – would carry such weight?

Just as critical is the human resource, which is aging considerably. Newport Corner Community Hall Committee president Lorenda DeWolfe says, “the people who work to raise money are in their eighties. There is only a couple that are younger.” When they’re gone, so too is the era of community halls in rural Nova Scotia. That would be a shame.

Urban creep is a realistic threat to a time-honoured way of life here, but we’re wise enough to concede it’s going to happen. It shouldn’t compromise the essence of our rural lifestyle, nor should it infringe on the importance of those agencies and individuals who work hard to promote the communal values of yesteryear.

A balance must be struck, and awareness is a key part of the remediation process. If there’s a community hall near you, find out who runs it, ask a few questions and plan to get involved in its survival.

Too much has been lost already and community halls, with their myriad roles, must endure.