When planning began for Sylvan Lake’s Centennial, committee members talked about how to get organizations involved.
That’s when they came up with the idea to have each group create history display boards.
“This is one way of getting lots involved,” said committee chairperson Brenda Dale. “These boards have created more energy in the community, they’re labours of love.”
“They really understood what we wanted, that’s what I’m so impressed with,” added Laurie Chilibeck, who with Judy Scanland is in charge of the project.
So far over 60 groups have created the history boards which are circulating through the community at 12 different locations. Boards are moved every week. They’re located in all the banks, the Legion, library, archives, seniors centre and seniors lodge.
Our goal was 60 boards, said Chilibeck, who’s impressed with the response. They purchased 100 display boards. Scanland said that was the number of people first contacted about the project. They’re still accepting more boards and anticipate an increase as Centennial celebration events begin.
The personality of the creator is evident on every board, said Scanland. There’s terrific response from the people who made the boards and people who get to read them.
Dale added, at the lodge, people are waiting for the new boards to come in each week. “There’s such an anticipation of what the next board is going to be,” added Chilibeck.
“The community has been fabulous in appreciating them” said Scanland. “I’ve seen little kids go up and touch the boards. We have been really, really pleased. Everybody gets to benefit from them — they bring back memories.”
Chilibeck agreed, “the response from the people who made the boards and the people who get to read them is fabulous.”
Four volunteers, Jennifer McLean, Sheena Dixon, Sherry Meloche and Scanland, look after rotating the boards each week.
They’ll be all together at several Centennial events. The first is June 8 at the Centennial Jubilee Ceremony. The boards will be available for viewing in the old arena after the ceremony at the multiplex.
“This is really a time for the groups to shine,” said Chilibeck. They’d like the organizations who contributed boards to have members at the arena to promote themselves and what they do to help Sylvan Lake.
“We’re welcoming groups to come to the events. If you have old jackets, uniforms, sports team shirts, pins or hats, wear them. If you want to pass out something, that’s great. Bring your photo albums,” she said.
Then June 14 the boards will be displayed during the chamber of commerce ‘Meet and Greet’ event and will remain on display June 15 during the Dance of the Century in the multiplex.
After that the boards will be moved back to the community locations. Later in the fall, the boards will be returned to the groups who created them or given to Sylvan Lake & District Archives for cataloguing and safekeeping.
Chilibeck is now working on a feature about Century Families. “We want to feature families who were here in the first 25 years and still have relatives here,” she said. Contact her at 403-887-2403 (dlchilibeck@shaw.ca) to learn more.
The June 8 event is going to be quite interesting, added Dale. The Centennial Jubilee Ceremony will include 10 vignettes (stories) — one for each decade — about Sylvan Lake’s history. Graham Parsons is making his acting debut in the first decade and producer John Treleaven will act in the 10th decade. In between will be a number of other local ‘characters’, said Dale. As well the H. J. Cody band will perform. And included in the ticket price is a Bob Ronnie catered meal.
But she said, tickets ($5 per person or $2 for seniors over 60 and children 3-12; toddlers under 3 and those 100 years and older are free) must be purchased so they can tell the caterer how many people are attending. The deadline for ticket purchase, at the town office or aquatic centre, is tomorrow (Friday). The event ends with the band Wooden Nickel performing.
“Come and watch your community grow up over the decades,” encouraged Dale. “We’re turning the multiplex into a theatre to do it. And you can’t beat the price.” She promised “surprises for young and old. Plan to spend the whole afternoon and be prepared for some good laughter.”
On another event, Dale said, tickets are going quickly for the Dance of the Century which will feature a different decade each hour from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. on June 15. Various groups are sponsoring a decade and planning interesting ways to highlight their chosen years.