Fort Frances residents, of course, didn’t just ring in a New Year at midnight last Tuesday night. We also ushered in the start of our town’s centennial celebrations.
And what a start it was!
Although not officially a centennial event, the “Polar Plunge” on Sand Bay certainly attracted an enthusiastic response among the brave participants and cheering on-lookers last Wednesday. Then later that afternoon, a large crowd was on hand at the Memorial Sports Centre to attend the “Great Centennial New Year’s Day Levee”—even belting out “Auld Lang Syne,” accompanied by Dr. Bruce Lidkea on the bagpipes, to boot!
Then there was Administration and Finance manager Darryl Allan stoically shaving his longtime facial hair to compete in the “Great Centennial Beard-Growing Contest.” Bill O’Leary was another who got into the spirit of things, sporting a suddenly clean-shaven face last week for the contest.
Clearly, Fort Frances is ready to celebrate our 100th birthday (which officially falls on April 11)—and the centennial committee certainly has worked hard over the past months to come up with activities all can enjoy to mark this momentous and proud occasion.
We do have reason to celebrate. Pam Hawley’s “Centennial Countdown” articles that are running for the 100 weeks leading up to April 11 have shown how much the town has changed and grown over the decades.
Another telling reminder was supplied by Fort Frances resident Dorothy Caul, who last week brought in a picture of the home of her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Crowe, who raised horses, cows, and chickens where the Bell Canada building is located now.
Eighty short years later, we’re now working to get high-speed Internet access to Fort Frances. Yes, times have changed.
Our town’s centennial is a perfect opportunity to reflect on the past and remember the pioneers who carved a life out of the wilderness here. The task facing those of us here today is to celebrate that history—and honour their legacy by building the foundation for a prosperous second century for Fort Frances.
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Local News from Across the Rainy River District
