A specific opening date for the Seaway Kiwanis Club's new log cabin at Canatara Park will be announced in the new year as some "loose ends" need to be addressed.
Kiwanis Past President Ken Stothers said although construction of the new log cabin has come along nicely, there are some delays with the interior, which is why the official opening was not held this month as planned.
"We're building a beautiful fireplace inside the log cabin and that's taking longer than we thought," he said. Stothers also said volunteer electricians from Olgivie Electric are very busy with industrial jobs and unable to dedicate long periods of time to the project at the moment.
"We thought, let's wait until May. The grass will be coming up, things will look much better, the fireplace will be all done, we'll have the furniture inside so we just decided to delay until May and everything will look nice."
The official opening in late May will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the mayor and guests.
"We hope people will want to come and have a look inside," said Stothers. "Some of the furniture inside that's being constructed by one of our volunteer Kiwanis members and her husband, is made out of 100 year old barn wood. So [there's] going to be some interesting stuff inside."
Another interesting item included with the project will be a time capsule, which will be opened in 50 years.
"One of the members, he's a real skilled carpenter, and he's building a miniature version of the log cabin and it will have a plaque on it," he said. "It'll be stored up in the rafters of the cabin."
The time capsule will not include items of dollar value but will include some sentimental items such as photos, project outlines, and a letter from Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley.
Stothers said many community members volunteered time and resources toward the project.
"We couldn't have done it without them."
He said it's interesting to see this project come together and know it could carry special memories for others, just as other projects have.
"Our Seaway Kiwanis Club started the Children's Animal Farm back in 1964 and we have supported it ever since … To watch people go through with their kids to visit the farm, it's wonderful," he said. "This cabin is going to be a nice addition. The picnic pavilion is booked for two or three years in advance for weddings and we expect that some people are going to want to book the new log cabin for weddings as well."
Stothers said the club is also pleased the cabin will likely come in under budget. Between money raised by the club and a large donation from the Judith and Normal Alix Foundation, the club had a budget of $85,000, however, Stothers said the project will likely come in around the $80,000 mark.