Regulars(Archives)
McMurrians
At Your McMurray Magazine we like to say we’re a magazine for everyone who lives, works & plays here. When we heard about McMurrians, we knew it would be a perfect fit for our pages.
We chatted with Samantha Venator, the person who came up with the idea of McMurrians, to find out more about this exciting feature that’ll be hitting our pages soon. {Watch this space!}
YMM: Samantha! We’re so excited to be bringing McMurrians to the pages of Your McMurray Magazine! Tell us the back story.
SV: McMurrian’s started as a creative social project. I noticed after the evacuation, and actually even before it, Fort McMurray was constantly being viewed as a negative place to live. I was actually in the shower when the idea for McMurrians popped into my head, and I realized I wanted to share the residents of Fort McMurray’s story because it is an amazing place to live and work and raise a family.
YMM: What defines a McMurrian?
SV: Well this turns out to be somewhat of a controversial topic. I say that anyone who lives and loves Fort McMurray is a McMurrian. We have a series running right now that highlights residents who were born and raised here in Fort McMurray, as well as the Beyond Canada series that recognizes and highlights the community members who have come from abroad to make Fort McMurray their home. It’s been very interesting and enlightening to hear why each group of people has chosen to make Fort McMurray their home.
YMM: Why do you value sharing the stories of McMurrians so much?
SV: Whenever I’m outside of Fort McMurray and people find out I live here, I hear things like, “Oh you must make a ton of money to want to live there,” or “You probably come to Edmonton a lot. I’ve heard there is nothing there but dust fields.” If there is one thing I could say about the people of Fort McMurray, it’s that we’re very passionate about our city, and we go above and beyond to support each other. I want the world to see this side of Fort McMurray
YMM: Everybody has a story. If they’d like to share theirs with you, how can they get involved?
SV: I’d love to hear from them and share their story! Please visit our website www.mcmurrians.ca and fill out the contact form on the participate page.
