About Al Koop

Since his high school years, Al Koop has been an avid collector and performer of stories, ballads and folk songs. As a member of the Wellington County Historical Society since 1978, he has developed a special interest in local history, oral accounts, stories and songs. Together with his wife Sheila, he edited an oral history book called: OLDER VOICES AMONG US, published in 1981. As a social worker with Family and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington for two decades he researched and wrote their centennial history titled TO CELEBRATE CHILDREN: A HISTORY OF CHILD WELFARE IN GUELPH AND WELLINGTON COUNTY in 1993. Over the years he has presented dramatic performances of the stories  from these books. A firm believer in taking history off the shelves and into public spaces, Al formed a troupe of historical street actors in 2002 which included children, high school students and adults. Two years later he started his own tour and performance business calledOLDER VOICES.  This venture has taken him to the streets of Elora, Fergus and Salem, many schools in the Upper Grand District as well as summer camps and festivals around Centre Wellington.  In October of 2005 he started offering evening lantern tours to the public as part of Elora’s Monster Month. Al Koop’s presentations and tours uncover the “understory” of our local heritage with a special fondness for stories about children and youth.