Thorsby, Alberta
Something very special is taking shape in the community of Thorsby.
The Thorsby Fallen Heroes Park is being created as a permanent place of remembrance where visitors will be able to do more than read the names on a cenotaph—they will be able to discover the people behind those names.
Slated to open for Remembrance Day 2026, the park will feature a new cenotaph, landscaped park space and walkways, 22 individual soldier storyboards, and an online archive preserving the stories and information of Thorsby’s fallen.
Putting Stories Behind the Names
At the heart of the project is a simple idea:
Every name on a cenotaph belonged to a person.
The 22 storyboards planned for the park will introduce visitors to the individual soldiers being remembered, connecting their military service and sacrifice to the community they once called home.
Visitors will be able to walk through the park, stop at each storyboard and learn something about the person behind the name.
Together, the cenotaph, pathways and interpretive storyboards will create an outdoor military history experience rooted in Thorsby’s own history.
Preserving Their Stories Online
The stories will also extend beyond the physical park.
An online archive is being developed to preserve information about Thorsby’s soldiers and provide room for photographs, documents, military records, newspaper articles, family information and additional research that simply cannot fit onto an outdoor storyboard.
The archive will make these stories accessible to descendants, students, researchers and visitors whether they are in Thorsby or hundreds of kilometres away.
A Community Effort
Bringing a project of this size to life takes an enormous community effort.
The Fallen Heroes Park is beginning to take shape through the work and support of many partners, sponsors, donors, volunteers, businesses, organizations and community members.
The Canadian Military Tourism Association has been honoured to help shape elements of the project, working in conjunction with the Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation and Kaymor Industries as Thorsby develops its new cenotaph, interpretive park and soldier storyboards.
The project has also received support through Veterans Affairs Canada’s Commemorative Partnership Program.
The community itself is recognizing the many people, organizations, partners and sponsors making the Fallen Heroes Park possible.
Follow the Project
Want to see the park taking shape?
Follow the Thorsby Fallen Heroes Park on Facebook for the people being honoured, project updates, construction progress, partners and sponsors, and information leading up to the park’s planned Remembrance Day 2026 opening.
Add Thorsby to Your Alberta Military History Journey
The Thorsby Fallen Heroes Park is a wonderful example of why exploring Alberta’s military history means travelling beyond the major museums and cities.
Military history lives in Alberta’s smaller communities too.
It lives in local stories, family photographs, cenotaphs, Legion branches, archives, memorials and the determination of communities like Thorsby to ensure their fallen are remembered as people—not simply as names carved into stone.
When the Thorsby Fallen Heroes Park opens, make it part of your Alberta military history journey.
Walk the pathways. Read their stories. Remember their names.