Invermere downtown clock goes up

By Steve Hubrecht

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There is a new landmark in Invermere: The District of Invermere (DOI) now has a freestanding downtown clock.

The stately black-and-white analogue clock with Roman numerals went live a few weeks ago and is now draped in a festive garland and laden with snow – prompting many locals (and some visitors) to post photos to social media Media.

This kind of enthusiasm is exactly what the borough was hoping for, explained Invermere Mayor Al Miller.

“It will be a meeting place. People will say, ‘Let’s meet at the clock,'” Miller told the Pioneer.

For those who haven’t seen it, imagine something that’s sort of a cross between Vancouver’s snorting Gastown steam clock and New York’s shiny, round opaline glass Grand Central terminal clock, but on a smaller scale, of course.

Invermere’s new downtown clock was placed along 7th Avenue (Invermere’s main street) at the north-west corner of the Four-Way Junction at the Banks (commonly known as the Disfunction Junction because of the way the streets meet disjointedly), where it makes a major southerly Counterpoint to Invermere’s other local landmark, Rusty the Moose (which stands a few blocks north of the new clock outside the Artym Gallery at corner 7^th avenue and 10^th Street).

“I think it looks very nice. I really like that it’s analog. It brings some old fashioned charm to Invermere and contributes to our inner city core. I also like that we now have the clock on one end downtown and Rusty on the other,” Miller said.

The clock may only have risen recently, but it’s been almost a year. It was proposed in late 2021 by Columbia Valley dentist Jim Guild, his partner Robin Britton and Doug Kipp in memory of former Invermere resident Kris Scamen (Anderson). Local residents had offered to buy the watch and donate it to the district.

Guild has worked throughout Western Canada and was struck by the aesthetically pleasing nature of several other freestanding city clocks he had encountered, particularly one in Whitehorse, Yukon, which was decorative but also functional as it ensured that everyone in downtown Whitehorse always knew what time it was.

The watch is valued at around $10,000, including decorative details and shipping, making it a lavish gift indeed, and Miller expressed his gratitude to Guild, Britton and Kipp.