You can't celebrate the city's centennial without looking at the past, and on July 10, treasures that have been 25 years buried will be brought to light.
A time capsule commemorating the city's 75th anniversary in 1990 has laid beneath the Welcome to Prince George sign at the intersection of Highways 97 and 16 for nearly 25 years (for reasons unknown, the 75th birthday was in 1990, but the time capsule wasn't buried until June 1991).
In preparation for its excavation, the city's 100th anniversary committee is looking for the 75 people designated as time capsule guardians to be part of the 2015 opening.
The guardians would have been children between the ages of two and 16 in 1990.
So far, 12 people have been identified as part of that group of 75, said committee member Dori Alger. Another 10 people who placed items in the capsule have also been identified, along with another 10 people who remember the event but aren't 100 per cent sure if they have items inside.
Opening the time capsule, which has items such as a photo albums, flags, scrolls and a 1990 phone book inside, will kick off the summer portion of centennial celebrations. The 10 days will include an old-fashioned soap box derby, daily public music performances, an old-fashioned church picnic as well as Summerfest, KidzArt Dayz at Two Rivers Gallery and the unveiling of a 100 Years of Music mural.
The Prince George Construction Association will dig up the capsule on July 10 and parade it through the city before it arrives at the Bob Harkins branch of the Prince George Public Library for the official opening at 3:45 p.m.
Removing the capsule from the ground should be no small affair. According to a story in The Citizen from the day it was buried, the vacuum-sealed metal box sits four feet below the ground, beneath plywood, iron bars and about 20 centimetres of concrete.
The committee is also collecting suggestions of what to put in a new time capsule that will be buried on July 20 for Prince George residents to open on the city's 200th anniversary. There is also a contest open for students to submit art or essays about what should be in the 100th anniversary capsule, what P.G. will be like in 100 years and what has changed the most in the city.
For information on contests, to submit time capsule suggestions or to identify yourself as a guardian, contact Dori Alger at [email protected] or 250-561-7591. Information and ideas can also be submitted to the Prince George 100th anniversary Facebook page at facebook.com/pg100th.
