CANMORE – Some residents of the Cougar Creek area called him Wally.
Others called him Marvin, Uncle Buck or Boris. But all who knew him, for the more than seven years this elk buck roamed, slept and ate in several Canmore neighbourhoods, remember him fondly.
Thanks to a community art project spearheaded by the Town of Canmore, residents can now share their stories about this wild animal that coexisted with the humans that live here too.
Sculpture artist Peig Abbott has teamed up with a group from the Lady MacDonald Drive area as part of the Building Neighbourhoods Builds Community public art project.
"The project we are doing is called Walk With Wally and it is a walking tour of reflections about the legendary bull elk that roamed the neighbourhood," Abbott said.
A Walk With Wally is one of nine neighbourhood-based art projects in the works as part of the overall project, which is funded through the municipality's economic development response plan the COVID-19 crisis.
"Basically, an artist comes in to help funnel the creative passion and drive of the community," Abbott said. "[We are] exploring what is important for the community and why they live there and the passion."
Sherry Dudinsky is one of the Lady MacDonald Drive residents who applied for the Building Neighbourhoods Builds Community project. They were paired with Abbott, who has a studio nearby and is one of the Artists of Elk Run.
"We started out sharing our stories and laughs about Wally," Dudinsky said, adding they realized there were several names the bull elk was known by. "That got us thinking about there being way more stories out there and let's share them."
The idea to create a self-guided walk – Walk With Wally – came about and the group is looking for stories and photographs from residents to create the route. Abbott said a website, online map and audio downloads will be available to highlight key points of interest and help celebrate the life and times of this wild animal.
The older bull elk passed away earlier this spring in a backyard along Grotto Way. The homeowners had noticed his gradual decline in energy over the week prior, and their dog Angus stayed by his side during his final days.
Wally's renown goes beyond Lady MacDonald Drive, with sightings and stories of him in Cougar Creek, Grotto Mountain Village, Eagle Terrace and the horse stables.
"We recognize that his territory was expansive in and around the neighbourhood," Abbott said. "We know he has touched the lives of many, so we are looking for a way to celebrate him."
Another exciting aspect of the art project are markers, or symbols, that residents can put on their homes to indicate they had an interaction with Wally and a story to share along the walking tour.
"We just thought this would also be a great way to get people out in the community for a purposeful walk," Dudinsky said. "I have to say, this started with the Town encouraging us at 7 p.m. everyday to get out and ring our bells for frontline workers and we really enjoyed that camaraderie.
"We had a common purpose and now we have a common purpose to get others out [and to share these stories]."
Email [email protected] or go to the Memories of Wally Facebook page to find out more information, or contribute toward the project.
