Sundre and surrounding area residents looking for some family-friendly activities to celebrate Canada Day need to look no further.
Organizers with the Sundre Pioneer Village Museum in partnership with the municipality as well as some local businesses have lined up a day packed with plenty of events for the whole community.
Festivities start at 10 a.m. on Sunday, July 1 when the pioneer village’s doors will be opened to the public free of charge, said Jaime Marr, the museum’s executive director.
“This Canada Day is the Sundre and District Historical Society’s 50th anniversary,” Marr said, adding the organization incorporated on July 2, 1968.
“It’s kind of a big year for us here at the museum.”
In recognition of that milestone, she said organizers wanted to include a new element to this year’s Canada Day celebration.
“We’re going to close off the street right in front of the museum because we are hosting a car show.”
The display of vehicles is the result of a collaborative effort led by a couple of local businesses as well as the Rural Alberta Motorcycle Ride for Dad, and the museum was able to offer a location for the event that will feature free admission, she said.
“We will have a whole bunch of classic cars and trucks and motorcycles in our pioneer village and streets.”
Anyone interested in registering to showcase a vehicle is encouraged to contact the museum at 403-638-3233.
A beer garden run by Ride for Dad volunteers will also be open from noon to 4 p.m.
A barbecue lunch and concession will get underway starting at noon following the 11 a.m. flag-raising ceremony and singing of the anthem.
“Then we’ll have some of the youth games going on as per usual,” said Marr, adding the youth building that has in the recent past been used for storage will be open for activities.
“That’s going to be something awesome to show off.”
Then, at about 4 p.m., the vehicles displayed at the car show will cruise through town on their way over to the Sundre Community Centre, where the municipality has lined up more family-friendly events that will continue through the evening, said Marr.
“It’ll be pretty neat to watch,” she said about the cruise.
Although the gates at the museum close at 5 p.m., the celebration will continue on at the community centre, she said.
“We do want to encourage people to keep the party going.”
A fireworks display at dusk will cap off the evening, which will also feature a family dance as well as a movie and the Town of Sundre council barbecue supper, she said.
While the museum’s Canada Day events are free to attend, donations are welcome and proceeds received throughout the day will be allocated towards the society’s restoration budget.
Among the projects planned are renovations to the pioneer village’s pole shed that houses farm and agricultural equipment, some of which is exposed to the elements. So the goal is to adequately cover all of those exhibits to better preserve and thus extend their lifespan. Additionally, some of the heritage buildings also require some maintenance such as roof repairs and repainting, she said.
Marr said history happens every day, and being a part of the community to showcase the local heritage is really important for the museum. There is no better way to do that than by creating partnerships to host events that bring people out to see the progress the museum has made over the years, she said, adding the society is keen to host celebrations like Canada Day, which offer a great chance to show off the pioneer village.
“We’re excited and confident that the next 50 years are going to be even better, taking us even further along than we’ve ever been before.”
