The weather is quite often a topic of discussion for many people, but for Cassie Molyneux and the bride and groom she was photographing last weekend, it will be a memory that will last a lifetime.

Originally from Drumheller, Molyneux has been a wedding photographer for just over five years and is now based in Calgary. 

The couple, Helen Knight and Owen Chan, wanted their wedding photos atop Tom Campbell’s Hill Natural Park in Calgary because that is where the couple loved to walk their dog, said Molyneux. 

When the bridal party arrived on the top of the hill it, “was still beautiful weather and a great day, you would have never known that was coming by looking at the sky at that point,” she said continuing in saying that once she was finished with the bridesmaids she sent them back to the couples home and began pictures of just the bride and groom. 

“I knew we would only have a very short window to do that, but I really wanted to get a great shot of them with the skyline and all these crazy dark clouds moving over the city,” she said. 

“We stayed out there and got the shot and within 60 seconds after that it just started pouring down (rain) in buckets on us,” she finished. 

Molyneux recalls that one of the groomsmen had two small umbrellas with him at the time and she said they used one for the couple to help shield the brides hair, and the other to help protect her camera equipment. 

“We just booked it to the car and the bride got in there, I got in there, there was only room for a few of us. Some of the boys were still outside trying to shield themselves with the vehicle. Eventually they did all pile in so it was a car of seven people and we were all just laughing. We couldn’t believe it was actually happening,” she said with a laugh. 

She explained that once the rain stopped and they could see and drive they headed back to the couple’s home to get ready for their dinner. 

“Everyone just went into the recovery mode. The girls were blow drying Helen’s dress. Thankfully one of her bridesmaids was her hair dresser, so she fixed Helen’s hair. All the boys were tossing their suits in the dryer, whatever could go in there, and ironing and just doing whatever they could to get dry,” she said. 

“Leaving the house, it had looked like nothing had happened, everyone looked fabulous again. It was crazy. I didn’t think anyone was going to believe us that it had happened,” she told the Mail. 

“It was definitely just the right place, the right time, everything came together for that. It is really cool that it worked out,” Molyneux said. 

The little museum that could has endured 50 years and this summer they are celebrating this milestone.

The Homestead Antique Museum celebrates the human history of the valley and surrounding areas. It looks at the social, economic and family fabric of the past that holds together today. Many of the family names that are attached to the exhibits are still alive and well in these hills of home.

Gilles Danis, manager of the museum explains the museum was founded by a small group of area residents wanting to preserve the history.

“There were 11 homesteaders who thought that times were getting modern, their families were going to take over their farms, and very likely what they owned was going to be sent away to be dumped. So they thought they would do something with it,” explains Danis. “As well, some of those guys liked to restore antiques, such as cars and machinery.”

“They all got together and pooled their resources. The museum was supposed to represent not objects as such, but the people, the homesteaders, it’s their story. It’s the culture, the society and the industry.

Danis said these were the homesteaders who came and broke the land and eked out a life, raising their families.

The museum opened its doors on June 7, 1965, on a parcel owned by the Brilliant Mine.

They succeeded under the legendary dome with an eclectic collection of cars, truck, farm implements, as well as items from their homes, places of businesses, farms, professional offices and institutions. There are items that celebrate Monday morning at work and Saturday night at the dances halls throughout the area. 

This summer they are celebrating this milestone on Saturday, July 25. The celebration starts at 10 a.m. It includes live music from past president Murray Johnson, who will be bringing his fiddle to get toes tapping. They are also hoping for an appearance from Bert Hoy.  

There will also be more musicians as well as snacks and representation from the Atlas Coal Mine and other museums to help celebrate. Any funds raised at the event will go to the operations of the museum, so it can continue preserving memories for another 50 years.