During this year's Summer Oldstice celebrations on June 15, you'll have an opportunity to travel back in time as local residents act out scenes from the history of Olds from 1906 to 1912 during a walking tour of Uptowne Olds.
The tour, entitled See Olds First, is a rewritten version of a play by the same name that playwright and storyteller Mary Hays, formerly of Olds, created.
It takes about 90 minutes to complete the tour.
Hays was initially commissioned by the town in 2000 to write a play about the Battle of Olds for the community's centennial in 2005.
That so-called "battle" was a confrontation on June 3, 1907 between about 400 angry town residents and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) officials when the CPR tried to eliminate a crossing of the railway tracks at 49th Street, a plan that was eventually enacted.
The confrontation became so heated that extra police came up from Calgary, and one, Const. Duffus of the RCMP, (yes, that really was his name) read the riot act to the crowd.
Over the years, Hays has continually rewritten the script as it became a revised play staged during Summer Oldstice last year and morphed into the walking tour this year.
The walking tour begins at 1 p.m. June 15 at St. John's Anglican Church (4821 50th St.) as Billy Dean, the town's mayor in 1906, played by James A.D. Edwards, presides over a meeting of the Board of Trade (known as the chamber of commerce today).
"We get to hear about See Olds First. It's the greatest place ever," Hays says with a smile.
From there, the tour heads basically across the street to the old Craig House.
There, Mrs. S. J. Craig, played by Cheri Woodruff, "emerges from the balcony to talk about the Craig family and her very important work that she did in Olds," Hays says.
The next stop, Hays says, is the Public Lunch Cafe on 50th Avenue, where Stan Wong will tell the story of Wong Pond "and their fine historic legacy that they have in Olds here."
"And then we move on to Maybank's Drug Store, which is RIPS Audio Video, and we have a little story from a kid whose name is Charles Carson. And it's just plain fun," Hays says.
"That story is such a great story. It was actually sent to me by one of the ancestors of Charles Carson and it was sent to me all the way from Florida. So they're still telling their great-grandfather's stories down there in Florida. So that was fun," she adds.
"From there, we walk down to Craig's Store and again, Mrs. Craig tells us about Craig's the merchandisers and what the store was like."
The tour ends on the patio of The Bowl, where Mayor Billy Dean talks about the Battle of Olds.
Hays says although the Battle of Olds actually occurred at 50th Avenue and 49th Street, the decision was made to have the tour end at The Bowl because it's close to the railway tracks and just seemed like a fitting place to end the walk.
Despite the fact the event lasts for an hour and a half, Hays is confident people will be happy to walk along for the entire tour.
Hays piloted the walking tour last year for Seniors Week and says it went well.
"I love it. The walking tour is so fun. It really is," she says.
"Qf course, the weather's going to be awesome," she adds with a smile.
However, if it isn't, she says the group will remain at the Anglican Church, where the whole thing will be staged.
In connection with the tour, donations to the Mountain View Museum and Archives will be gratefully received.
