As Saanich residents count down the final four months towards the 150th anniversary of Canada’s founding, they have been getting into the spirit of the occasion, says Coun. Vicki Sanders, one of the four local ambassadors for Saanich 150.
Case in point was last month’s Family Arts Festival held at Cedar Hill Arts and Recreation Centre on Family Day. More than 2,000 people checked out the table that organizers had set up to promote the event and Sanders said the response to it was great. Since then, a wide range of groups and organizations have asked how they can be part of local sesquicentennial celebrations.
One reason for the public’s strong resonance was a booth where children and adults alike could take selfies with various props, then post the same online.
Sanders’ council colleague Colin Plant for example used the occasion to don gag googles bearing two Canadian flags in a sterling example of good-natured irreverence that nonetheless speaks to one of the central agendas of the Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee’s Canada 150 Working Group.
One of the goals of local Canada 150 celebrations is to create memories of what life was like as Canada turned 150, said Sanders.
Years from now, those who came to the Family Arts Festival, for example, will be able to look back on this time, she said.
The goal of building and capturing memories — be it through a photo or otherwise — also animates ongoing efforts by organizers to fundraise for a time capsule containing contemporary items to be opened 50 years from now. Sanders said that the organizing committee welcomes corporate sponsorship.
Another lasting legacy for Saanich coming out of local Canada 150 celebrations will be a piece of public art, said Sanders. Planning efforts are currently underway, she said.
This said, the sum of local Canada 150 celebrations exceeds these big-ticket items.
As Sanders’ fellow ambassador Bill Williamson told the Saanich News in January, ambassadors like him and Sanders want to see Saanich celebrate the 150th throughout the years, not just during the run-up to July 1 and July 1 itself, but beyond it as well.
“There are 19 events in Saanich annually and the goal is to have the 150th observed at these and other events throughout the year,” said Williamson.
With two months passed, organizers have already flown the flag, so to speak, at several events. They have included the earlier mentioned Family Arts Festival in February and a public lecture about the impact of the First World War on Saanich held at Municipal Hall, with additional events coming. To that end, local Canada 150 organizers have already reached out to up 30 organizations including community associations and neighbourhood groups.
“We encourage groups and neighbourhoods to celebrate Saanich in whichever way they choose,” she said. Her group might not be providing T-shirts or flags, said Sanders, “[but] we are providing the spirit,” she said.
And it is not just about celebrating Canada’s sesquicentennial. It is also about Saanich residents learning more about each other through block parties and other events and learning more about the history that has shaped their immediate neighbourhoods. “I have never seen people so curious about their history,” she said.