Harvest Moon Oral History

3. Clearwater Memorial Hall

The original Clearwater Community Hall burned down in 1941, along with the store. In need of a new building, a committee of Clearwater residents located the current building—the decommissioned Souris Air Base—in Souris, Manitoba. In 1947 the building was purchased for $1500.  It was dismantled at Souris and transported to Clearwater where it was reassembled. Mr. W. Blackburn acted as foreman along with a dedicated group of volunteers and completed the job that same year. In 1949 the hall was dedicated as a memorial to all who served in both World Wars, and a war memorial sits adjacent to the front entrance. Dances were held every Friday with the Royal Canadians supplying the music for many years. Over the many decades the hall has seen several renovations including a larger entrance, a modern kitchen. The memorial hall has been the setting for many annual Clearwater events and has served as main stage for the second Harvest Moon Festival.