Get ready to celebrate 150th
Hay River plans events to mark Canada's sesquicentennial year
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, January 9, 2017
HAY RIVER
As the clock struck midnight on Dec. 31, it did not mark the beginning of just another New Year in Hay River.
It signified the beginning of a special year in Canada - the 150th anniversary of the country's founding way back in 1867.
While Canada celebrated its centennial in 1967 - a special occasion that left its mark in many ways, including with the NWT Centennial Library in Hay River - this is the country's sesquicentennial, a word that everyone will become used to saying in 2017 as Canada turns 150.
There will be special celebrations this year across Canada and in Hay River.
"I think it's amazing," said Dale Loutit, the recreation programmer with the Town of Hay River, of the opportunity to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday. "I think that it will be a great year that we will always remember and we will look back on."
She said it is also a time to recognize and celebrate that Canada is a great country in which to live.
A number of Canada 150 events are being contemplated in Hay River.
In fact, the celebrations began on New Year's Eve with a special eight-by-three-foot banner proclaiming Canada 150 that Loutit had created for display, as well as the fireworks over the river and specially-designed cake she ordered to mark the beginning of the special year.
She hoped it would be the first of many times this year that residents will see the banner.
"I want to use it through all the events that I can and even lend it out if people are interested in borrowing it to put the Canada 150 stamp on their events," she said.
Of course, Hay River always has an impressive Canada Day parade on July 1. Loutit is hoping it will be even more special in Hay River, where participants will put the Canada 150 stamp on the event.
"We're going to try to go big or go home for that one," she said. "I really hope that the whole year will be a great celebration for Canada 150."
Loutit is also planning a Canada 150 Winter Celebration, a variation on the first Winter Celebration last year.
She said it will involve a full day of events on Feb. 4, and she is working on the details.
One other event to mark Canada 150 actually began last year. Canada's Garden Route involved the distribution of red and white tulip bulbs to 150 communities and organizations across Canada. Hay River was the only location to receive the bulbs in the NWT.
Loutit said the tulip bulbs were planted at various locations downtown and distributed to individuals for their gardens. They are expected to begin blooming this spring and summer.
"We gave a bunch out to the community," she noted. "People took bags of them. So they should be peppered throughout people's properties."
Loutit hopes that other events in Hay River, such as Polar Pond Hockey and Hay Days, will recognize this special year.
"I'm really hoping that other organizations that do the big events that are set over the year will do a Canada 150 spin in their stuff," she said.
Hay River Mayor Brad Mapes expects there will be other celebrations throughout the year.
"The town wants to play a part in the 150th anniversary," he said. "At the beginning of the year, we're going to set up some plans on what we want to do. I know there are various groups around town that have already got some plans done up and what we want to do is kind of co-ordinate with them."
Mapes, in his role as chair of the Hay River Museum Society, noted some of those events will be at the Hay River Heritage Centre.
"We're trying to develop some exhibits at the museum to celebrate the anniversary," he said.
"We haven't really set up exactly what we're doing but we are going to have something set up shortly."
One of the other organizations planning a special event is Ecology North.
"During Earth Week, we're going to do a Canada 150 Earth Day celebration in Hay River," said Marissa Oteiza, the manager of Ecology North's Hay River office.
Earth Day is April 22 but Oteiza said the date for the Ecology North event has not yet been set.
It is anticipated to include a town-wide cleanup, workshops about composting and recycling, kids' events and giveaways of reusable bags and water bottles.
"It will probably be a full-day celebration," said Oteiza.
Like Loutit, Mapes expects July 1 - including its parade and a barbecue - will be the main focus of the celebrations.
"We definitely want to make it a big event," he said.
"I think our July 1st last year went really well. We changed a bit of it and we want to keep adding on that. The 150th will add to it."
