Eagle Lake Nurseries celebrated 55 years of operation while honouring the memory of founder Tony Heuver, who passed away in late December.
Staff, family, and residents arrived at the nursery on Thursday (June 19) to enjoy hot food and cold drinks while networking and acknowledging the work that's went into the business over the last half a century.
"Him and his brother decided to buy a chunk of land, which is where we're standing now," said Anita Heuver, CEO of the Eagle Lake Nurseries and Tony's daughter. "They started growing sod and eventually planted some trees."
Eagle Lake Nurseries now consists of four locations surrounding the lake, leading to a total of over 1,000 acres of land. The business also employs over 70 full-time staff members.
"My dad grew up on a small farm in Holland and had a passion for agriculture," added Heuver. "He had a big family of twelve children, and there wasn't enough room at the family farm for all of them, so he decided he would take the plunge and move to Canada."
Despite attending college for sociology, Tony's passion for plants eventually rubbed off on his daughter, which eventually led to her running the family business.
"We thought it would be very appropriate to have an event here at the farm to acknowledge the legacy that he built here on the farm, from a little piece of prairie pastureland to what it's become."
The event also featured the unveiling of the new Eagle Lake Nurseries logo, and the unveiling of the Tony & Anne Heuver Legacy Garden, made in honour of Anita's parents.