Residents in a small town in central Alberta had the opportunity to say goodbye to a local landmark, while celebrating investment and renewal in their community.

In Empress, Alta., residents gathered Tuesday morning to see crews pull down the old water tower – a seven-story structure that loomed tall in the town of 150 houses that sits on the Saskatchewan border.

What they got was a huge boom, as an excavator yanked a line attached to the 25-metre-tall structure and toppled it.