January 2005

Let Us Celebrate! Alberta 100 years

In token for the love which thou has Shown
For this wild land of freedom, I have Named
A Province vast, and for its beauty Famed,
By thy dear name to be hereafter Known.
Alberta shall it be!
(Marquis of Lorne, Canada's Governor General from 1878-1883)

The Marquis of Lorne dedicated this verse to his wife, thus naming one quarter of a great area of land, divided in 1882. The great area, called the North-West Territories, was sub-divided into four regions, Alberta, Assiniboia, Athabasca and Saskatchewan. His wife was Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, Queen Victoria's fourth daughter. Yes, the same Louise for which the lake was named. It wasn't long before the District of Alberta became the new Canadian province. Inaugurations for the new province occurred in 1905, assuming the District of Alberta's name. Alberta now was distinct in her own right as a province. She remains so 100 years later.

September 1, 2005 will mark the official celebration date for Alberta's 100th birthday. There will be major celebrations throughout the province, including here in Medicine Hat. Keep your ears and eyes open for listed events to occur through the city. September 1st will also see an Interprovincial Celebration - Cypress Hills and Saskatchewan border crossing of uniformed staff. Incidentally, September 1st marks the Veiner Centre's 30th Anniversary and they will be planning a coinciding corn roast. Harry Veiner, the mayor of 1955, recognized over 700 babies born that year with a scroll. He stated that the future "mayor of 2005 would make a suitable presentation to all those who present the scroll." The City of Medicine Hat, in the Helen Beny Gibson Lounge, will be honouring this with a monthly reception on the last day of the month to those 1955 babies. Many service clubs will be assisting in these celebrations.

This is the time to showcase Alberta and Medicine Hat. The Esplanade will be our legacy that will showcase our homeland for years to come. There are far too many events planned to list in this space. I encourage you to be as active as possible. Through an Alberta Celebration link on the City of Medicine Hat's website, you will find a list of registered Medicine Hat events for the Centennial year. If you have an event upcoming and are not registered, please do so. I would like to thank Cathy Smith, Chairperson for the Centennial Committee, for her willingness to share information. Congratulations to Cathy and to Bill Bauman for being selected to represent Medicine Hat as Centennial Ambassadors for Alberta.

Questions for me? Please e-mail BeKean@telusplanet.net