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Special building, special open house (27 photos)

Renovated Sault Ste. Marie Armoury opens its doors to the public

The Sault Ste. Marie Armoury at 375 Pine Street held an open house for the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, giving families a chance to see some of the areas of the historic building which they may not have realized were there.

Admission was free.

The Armoury is home to the 49th (Sault Ste. Marie) Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) and the 33 Service Battalion.

Recruiters were on hand for those interested in joining the Army as reservists or as full-time soldiers.

Lieutenant-Colonel Lance Knox, 49th (Sault Ste. Marie) Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery commanding officer, who has approximately 100 men and women under his command, gave SooToday a two-hour tour.

The Armoury has benefitted from $6 million in renovation funding, announced by the former Conservative government in 2015.

Apart from military vehicles and equipment, the Armoury includes a theatre for training lectures, a considerable amount of outdoor property for vehicle and equipment storage which many other Canadian armoury buildings do not enjoy, indoor simulators for rifle and artillery training, a military museum (which includes photos of the Armoury’s opening by then-Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent in 1952), and an underground area which soldiers use for training and which has also been used, on occasion, for Halloween parties.

Reservists gave demonstrations of military equipment and physical fitness tests.

Lieutenant-Colonel Knox added, contrary to what many hear, there is no ‘secret tunnel’ linking the Armoury to the former Technical School (later known as Lakeway Collegiate, then the old St. Mary’s College and now the multi-purpose commercial building known as The TECH).

 


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Darren Taylor

About the Author: Darren Taylor

Darren Taylor is a news reporter and photographer in Sault Ste Marie. He regularly covers community events, political announcements and numerous board meetings. With a background in broadcast journalism, Darren has worked in the media since 1996.
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