Centennial Projects

LIST OF 100 CENTENNIAL PROJECTS (with 1967 explanations where available):

1. Centennial Recreation Building
2. Centennial Messengers sent to Charlottetown
3. Centennial Farm Name Plates sent to Farmers (“Our local Auction Mart is giving free Centennial Farm Name Plates to farmers.”)
4. Special Centennial Mass  (“One of our local priests is writing a special Centennial mass.”)
5. Centennial Bell Project – to raise money for children  (“We have a Centennial bell that is raising money for our children.  It is an old Indian Mission Bell and acknowledges the past.  This project has had several ramifications, such as the sale of small bells, and has led to the ideal of obtaining pledges from different parts of the world asking for the ringing of bells on January 1st, 1967, for Canada.”)
6. Centennial play money for retarded children in N.E.A.
7. Sketching Competition for Indian students  (Oscar Whiskeyjack won a trip to Paris for his art)
8. Centennial Petition to achieve franchise at 18 years of age
9. Centennial Toques
10. Centennial Schoolhouse preservation (County)
11. Pioneer Acknowledgement by way of photos and publication
12. Cowhide Scrolls – Margo Lagassé  (“Since September 1st, 1964, we have used cowhide scrolls on no less than 20 occasions.  These scrolls represent an ingenious way of adding to our Centennial memories.”)
13. Centennial Clubroom upstairs in the Rec Centre, St. Paul Elks  (“Our local Elks have spent over $3,000.00 in completing the upstairs of the Recreation Building as their Centennial project.  The recent visit of the Conference to the National Centennial Commission proved the value of this reception room.  This room is open to all organizations in town.”)
14. Canadianism – illustrations by Journal and St. Paul Co-op
15. Trailer signs
16. Centennial Emblems – beadwork  (“Our young Indian Girl Guides in Saddle Lake, Alberta, decided they could best help this area and themselves by working on Centennial emblem beadwork crests and ties.  A separate fund is being set aside to finance a trip for these young Canadians in 1967.  Purchase can be made by writing to J. L. Lagassé, Centennial Chairman, St. Paul, Alberta.”)
17. Centennial Film Club Association – with N.F.B.
18. Samuel de Champlain Awareness Project
19. Centennial Gate  (“A personal project, this gate was autographed by John Fisher when he visited St. Paul in the spring of 1966.”)
20. Animal Ear Tags with ‘Canada 1967’ logo  (“One of our local druggists is giving out cattle ear-tags to registered male cattle born in 1967.  These are inscribed ‘Canada, 1967’ and will go on stock which will end up in various parts of Canada and the USA.”)
21. Centennial Symbol to Recreation Building  (“One of our Chamber members, Paul Drolet, at his own cost, put up the Centennial symbol outside our Recreation Building.”)
22. St. Paul’s Gift to Canada – 265 toques and 265 bells
23. Provincial Floral Emblem Garden  (“A local farm housewife, Mrs. John Kossowan, now has six floral emblems in her garden and is trying to obtain the rest between now and the end of this year.”)
24. Best Province Contest
25. Centennial Bubblegum
26. St. Albert – St. Paul Challenge  (“A friendly challenge by St. Albert has let to mutual visits by a great number of residents of each town.”)
27. Bilingual Play
28. Centennial School Report Cards
29. Collection of Dated Costumes  (“One of our local ladies’ wear stores is collecting old costumes and will have a complete collection of no less than one costume per decade in 1967.  Anyone having dated costumes, please contact Aline O’Driscoll, St. Paul, Alberta.”)
30. Centennial Bank Account – Credit Union
31. Centennial Banquet – Fish and Wildlife Association
32. Alberta Tartan  (“Several means and ways of advertising our lovely Alberta tartan have been devised, on the basis that Canada’s Centennial Period is a time for knowing more about Alberta.”)
33. Petit-Point Collection
34. Acknowledgement Plaques for Companies
35. Student Exchange to Quebec
36. Centennial Calendar
37. Centennial Song  “Composed by a local rancher’s wife, the St. Paul Centenial Song has met wide acceptance and is being finalized for publication.”)
38. Construction of Entrance to Rec Centre Grounds
39. Collection of Studio Portraits of Well-Known Canadians
40. Operation Gap
41. St. Paul Centennial Investment Club
42. Arts and Crafts Festival  (“St. Paul Arts and Crafts festival sponsored by the St. Paul Arts and Crafts Club.”)
43. Old Picture Collection – Peter Vaitkunas  (“A collection of old photographs – one of our local photographers, Peter Vaitkunas, is collecting old pictures to assure that yesterday’s memories are not forgotten.”)
44. Old Farm Machinery   (“Nick Wanchuk of St. Paul is collecting old farm machinery and he now has over 16 unique pieces in his collection.”)
45. Centennial Poem Competition  (“The poem you see on Poster No. 45 was composed by a grade 7 student.  Sponsored by the local Literary Club, this project has brought home to some of our local students how fortunate we are to be Canadians.”)
46. Teenage Boys – visit RCMP Training Centre  (“With the full cooperation of the RCMP, we intend sending several of our young teenaged boys to visit the RCMP training college in Regina in 1967.”)
47. Centennial Fund for 4H Club (“Our local Junior Chamber of Commerce has set aside a Centennial Fund for 4-H Club encouragement in 1967.”)
48. Operation Rosebush (“To help advertise Alberta, this project has, in several ways, made known our floral emblem, the wild rose.”)
49. Co-op Annual Scholarship
50. Scrapbook and Essay Contest
51. Ukrainian Folk Dancing  (“Organized only recently, these young girls and boys will contribute greatly to 1967 celebrations.”)
52. Centennial House Project
53. Veteran Acknowledgement
54. New Hope School Project
55. Art Club’s Historical Oil Painting Project
56. Centennial Sun-Tan Project  (“Properly launched with the kind cooperation of Mr. Justice Alfred Monnin, this very simple idea should be adopted by all Canadians to advertise Canada’s Centennial.
57. Car Decal Transfers Project
58. Centennial Kerchiefs for Scouts Project
59. Donation of a Hereford Heifer – by Belzil
60. One Flag Per Family – Knights of Columbus Project
61. Construction of Ski Hill
62. Centennial Gift of Centennial Flags
63. Plastic Centennial Emblem Lapel Buttons
64. Personalized Jacket Pocket Letter Carrier Project
65. Centennial Landing Pad Project
66. Landing Pad Float
67. Flying Saucer Tokens
68. Beer Bottle Drive
69. Clay Oven
70. Wishing Well
71. Names of Streets
72. Canoe Pageant
73. Ten Commandments of a Canadian
74. Notre Dame Boys’ Choir
75. Peter Pan Ballet
76. Picture-a-Month to the Nursing Home project
77. First Home for Retarded Children
78. Freda’s Centennial Steaks
79. Picture of each Legislature Building
80. Centennial Library
81. Martian Hairdos
82. Centennial Coffee Tables
83. Centennial Ukrainian Easter Eggs
84. 700 Students forming Centennial Emblem
85. Community Curling Rink
86. Pacemaker Heart Machine
87. Water from All Provinces Mixed to be blessed
88. Centennial Baby
89. Sister Jeanne Portugal
90. Les Amis de la Chanson
91. St. Paul Peewees, Western Canadian Champs
92. Flower March
93. Blue Quills Student Exchange to Ontario
94. Settlement Project
95. Centennial Piano Project
96. Auction of Martian Property
97. Twinning with L’Assomption, Quebec
98. Paul Pomerleau Project
99. Auction of Moon Property
100. Centennial Time Capsule

St. Paul started on the road to 1967, Canada’s historic 100th birthday, three years early. In 1964, the first official centennial project in Canada was completed here – the $200,000 recreation centre, which would really get the centennial ball rolling. Lead by the local Chamber of Commerce and with the entire community pitching in, project after project was developed, eventually reaching one hundred of them. As stated by then Mayor Jules Van Brabant, “Centennial fever has this town on fire.” Notable projects were the construction of the world’s first UFO landing pad, and the sending of students to Charlottetown as Confederation messengers. Others, such as the humble centennial tuque and bell, would gather momentum and garner recognition nationally and beyond. St. Paul became known as the “Star of Canada” after being called so by “Mr. Canada”, John Fisher, Ottawa’s Centennial Commissioner. “This distinction arises from the fact that we have proven ourselves to be a community which has phenomenal co-operation, unity of spirit and ingenuity”: Nov. 18, 1966 St. Paul Centennial Progress Report.

Saint Paul comenzó sus preparaciones para 1967, el cumpleaños historico nacional de 100 años, tres años antes.  En 1964, se concluyó el primer proyecto oficial para el centenario, que fue el Centro Recreativo, a un costo de $200 000.  Con eso, el espíritu centenario comenzó a tomar fuerza.  Dirigido por la Cámara de Comercio, y con apoyo de la comunidad entera, se desarolló proyecto tras proyecto, eventualmente enumerando un total de cien.  Como declaró el entonces-alcalde, Jules VanBrabant, « La fiebre centenaria tiene encendido a este pueblo ».  Entre los proyectos mas notables, contamos a la construcción de la primera pista de aterrizaje para OVNIs, y el envio de estudiantes a Charlottetown, PEI como mensajeros de la Confederación.  Otros proyectos, como el Tuque (Gorro) Centenario, y las Campanas Centenarias, tomaron impulso y conseguieron el reconocimiento nacional e internacional.  Saint Paul se destacó como la « Estrella de Canada », luego de haber recibido ese apodo del « Señor Canadá », John Fisher, el Comisario Centenario en Ottawa.  « Esta distinción surge del hecho de que nos demostramos una comunidad que cuenta con un espíritu fenomenal de cooperación, unidad e ingenuidad. » (18 de noviembre de 1966, Informe de Progreso Centenario en Saint Paul).