What this historic rural Alberta pool hall really needs is a new barber

February 11, 2025 Canuck

A unique job opportunity has come up in the village of Vilna, Alta., 150 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

“We are looking for a barber right now, yes we are,” said Ron Farmer, 76, president of the Vilna Pool Hall Society.

The successful candidate will need to be proficient in cutting men’s hair, “but it wouldn’t hurt to have a little bit of knowledge on ladies’ haircuts,” Farmer says.

It also wouldn’t hurt if they’re keen on history, as the shop is located in the Vilna Pool Hall and Barbershop that’s been a fixture in the village since 1921.

“We are the oldest pool hall and barbershop in Alberta,” said Carol Trider, the society’s vice-president. “Alberta Historical Resources designated it, so we’re quite proud of the fact.”

An drone photo of the main street with the pool hall in the shot, it's a white building with blue trim and letters that spell out pool hall. — The pool hall has occupied a spot along Vilna’s main street since it opened in 1921. (Rick Bremness/CBC)

The establishment has a red leather barber’s chair at the front of the shop, along with two antique pool tables and a couple of snooker tables covered in emerald green felt. Trider says the place is still attracting tourists and locals alike.

“I think a lot of them are just amazed at how original it is. It’s like walking back in time.”

The hall was owned by local families — the Pawluks and later the Taschuks — in the early days, but by 1997 it had fallen on hard times. The society was formed to save the building and restore it to its former glory.

WATCH | Get a feel for the Vilna Pool Hall and Barbershop:

How a tiny village is keeping its vintage pool hall and barbershop alive

3 hours ago

Duration 2:37

One of the oldest pool halls and barbershops in Canada is thriving in the village of Vilna, Alta. It’s thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers with a passion for pool, a penchant for pockets and a stick-to-it attitude that has kept this spot on cue for the past 100 years.

Citizens in the village of 300 spent years and raised thousands of dollars to repair the building’s foundation and upgrade the heating and electrical, all with the goal of maintaining the community hub and preserving local history.

Trider said spots like this were pretty common in Western Canadian boom towns in the 1920s. Vilna’s pool hall was a place for men to socialize and get a shave and a haircut, but Trider said it wasn’t considered fit for a lady.

“In 1921, women were never allowed in the pool hall,” she said.

Blonde woman stand looking off in the distance at what's going on in a rustic pool hall. — A visit to the pool hall is like “walking back in time,” said Carol Trider, vice-president of the Vilna Pool Hall Society. (Adrienne Lamb/CBC)

That finally changed about 50 years later, and then the kids would visit at lunchtime, Trider said. “Sometimes the principal or the teachers would haul them out,” or they’d hide in the bathroom or sprint out the back door, she said.

Laurie Kunyk was one of those kids. “I went to Grade 8. I thought I was smart enough in those days,” said Kunyk, who also admits to being a bit of a “pool shark” — and not above cheating.

“In those days I didn’t wear glasses, I could see pretty good. Now I see double.”

Shooting pool cost him 20 cents a game, said Kunyk, who also recalls the barber keeping busy.

Older man in a blue ball cap and black jacket sits in a chair smiling in the corner of the barbershop are of the pool hall. — Laurie Kunyk watches people come and go at the Vilna Pool Hall and Barbershop, where he spent much of his time as a kid. (Adrienne Lamb/CBC)

Pool hall volunteer Linda Yurdiga said prices have gone up since then but the vintage spot is still drawing history buffs, school groups and tourists from the city.

“They think it’s great,” said the 61-year-old. “They have a game of pool for two bucks per person, per game.”

At those prices, the society doesn’t really make any money from the hall.

They keep it going through grants, fundraising barbecues and the occasional birthday party.

And even if shooting stick isn’t your thing, there’s a museum at the back of the hall — a replica of the modest living quarters that was home to the family that ran the joint.

Mostly it’s a place to go to connect with friends and rack up some laughs in the winter time on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Catching up on the news and gossip and that sort of thing,” Yurdiga said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

A man in a blue shirt and ball cap leans over a large green felt snooker table to make a shot while people look on. — Pool has been drawing crowds at the Vilna Pool Hall and Barbershop in Vilna, Alta., since 1921. (Adrienne Lamb/CBC)

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What this historic rural Alberta pool hall really needs is a new barber

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