The historic steam engine that greets travellers entering Austin has been given a bright new update, thanks to a four-year revitalization project led by the Austin & District Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with several community partners.
Chamber president Chad Bodnarchuk says the project began with a vision to refresh the area around the well-known local landmark.
"We started with the base, added more trees, and decided to pull the flag down. We put that down on the ground so that we can be more responsive to the times. Then the final phase was, of course, the lights," says Bodnarchuk.
The final result is an advanced, Wi-Fi-enabled lighting system featuring 259 individually controlled LED bulbs, each capable of displaying a range of colours and patterns. The new display can be customized for holidays, community events, or important local milestones.
“The steam engine is important to our community. We found out last Christmas that people noticed when the lights weren't on. That's when the plan came into place, and we decided to invest in this new lighting system. We can control every single light on the strand and you can make them any colour you can think of. It's cool that we can be so interactive with the community with these lights now,” he explains.
The steam engine was donated to the town in 1992 by the Manitoba Agricultural Museum to serve as a symbolic town sign.
"The Austin community sign is a Case 75 horsepower steam engine that the museum donated to use towards creating the town sign for Austin over 30 years ago," says Elliot Sims, executive director of the Manitoba Agricultural Museum. "We appreciate the Chamber of Commerce taking this project on and refurbishing it for the whole community."
The newly installed lights are already catching the attention of residents and visitors alike.
“I know the community is going to appreciate the lights, and I'm hoping the people passing by appreciate them as well,” Bodnarchuk says.
The $8,000 project was funded with the support of Stride Credit Union, North Norfolk Foundation Inc., the Manitoba Agricultural Museum, the Municipality of North Norfolk, R-Jay Construction Ltd., NRG Electric, and Chown Electric Ltd., which also handled installation of the Celebright lighting system.
“It was costing so much money to go up there anyway, so we wanted to invest in something better. We started the project last September, and in true typical Austin form, we were able to put the money together very quickly and move on to the next project,” Bodnarchuk continues.
As the first display of its kind in Manitoba to feature this level of lighting technology, Bodnarchuk says the community is proud of what they’ve accomplished.
Now complete, the upgraded entrance stands as both a technological first and a renewed symbol of community pride.
“As far as we know, this is the first of its kind in Manitoba to have this kind of system and interactive technology, so we're proud of that. We can say now that we're done with the entrance for now, but hopefully this is a long-lasting investment.”
The revitalized steam engine now stands as a modern tribute to Austin’s heritage, one that the Chamber hopes will continue to inspire and illuminate the community for years to come.