Atchelitz Hall

Back when I was a kid I used to go to Chilliwack for a number of family functions. These ranged from weddings to anniversaries and funerals. You know, the stuff you were usually dragged to by your parents when you were a kid.

And while there was a huge variety of church’s halls and locations that we used one always stuck out in my mind and only because of my story connected to it.

Atchelitz Hall has been part of the Chilliwack Sardis community since 1924 and part of my life since the early 80s.

And so when I was called to take some pictures and make a five-page website for the Hall, truly it would be my pleasure.

See, when I was about five years old I was taken to a wedding reception at the hall. It was a hot summer night and the front doors of the hall were open to welcome the breeze come off the field of the Fraser Valley and cool off the guests who were dancing up quite the storm upstairs.

Well after all that partying I was a little tuckered out and had a seat on the front steps of the hall. The cool breeze was so nice. Some time later my parents found me sitting up fast asleep, completely balanced and by some mystery of physics I hadn’t fallen down the stairs yet.

Since that story and every time my parents mentioned it as we drove past I have always been quite fond of the hall even if I hadn’t been back in over 15 years. So when I was contacted by the Atchelitz Farmers Institute Hall to build a small website and take some pictures of the hall I was more than happy.

Atchelitz Hall Website

The site is a minimalist approach with a matching color scheme to the outside of the hall. For a savy web user this might seem to be a very basic site, but I believe that websites are supposed to serve a purpose of the user, not the designers ability to design a website. So having a basic photo gallery (which actually has SEO unlike flash based galleries) and a contact page is all they wanted and all they were looking for and are quite happy with the results.

For me it was just a feel good project to work on with a funny bit of history from my childhood and a chance to visit with some relatives I hadn’t seen in awhile. What more could you want out of a day in the valley?

Tags: Childhood, chilliwack, family, Fraser Valley, heritage, Historic, Photography, Web Design