Heritage Chilliwack Society’s inaugural Heritage Awards 2016 were handed out Thursday at the Royal Hotel.
The Heritage Business Award was presented to Gord Gagne and Calvin Quaite, owners of Chaos & Solace Craft Brewing.
As well as choosing a mid-century building downtown on Mill Street, originally built for Safeway, the pair also creatively re-used timber from the original store to build tables and counters in their tasting room.
"And with brews labeled, Luckakuck Kolsch, Paramount Porter, All Sappers ESB, and Five Corners IPA, Chaos & Solace continue to showcase Chilliwack’s history and heritage, and for these reasons was chosen to receive the Business Award for 2016," said society spokesperson Laura Reid.
The Sache Family of Rosedale was awarded the Heritage Homeowner Award for their efforts to purchase and move the historic Mercer House, which for more than a century sat on Yale Road in Rosedale.
When Tycrop purchased the property in 2012 with plans to expand their parking, the Mercer House was no longer viable. The manufacturing company’s efforts to find a buyer who would take on the costly move seemed impossible and the fate of the iconic farmhouse was unknown until 2014 when the Sache family took on the challenge of moving the house to their nearby farm.
And rounding off the awards, Heritage Chilliwack member and volunteer Garth White received the 2016 Volunteer Award for his ongoing contributions to Heritage Chilliwack Society.
Heritage Chilliwack Society is a volunteer run, community based initiative established to engage, advocate for and promote Chilliwack’s heritage.