Fairgoers will get a chance to walk through history at the Prince George Exhibition this week.
As part of the 100th anniversary celebrations of the event, PGX organizers have put together a special centennial exhibit.
PGX president Nancy Loreth started planning for the exhibit in January and she said the process of documenting the history of the fair and the city was meticulous.
"We've really tried to keep everything as close to those decades as we can," Loreth said. "We spent a lot of time on research and a lot of time on different displays that we had to gather things that we didn't have."
The exhibit in the gymnastics hall opens with a diorama recognizing the community's roots -- the arrival of the railway, Hudson's Bay Company and Barkerville.
"That's the start of Prince George, right there," Loreth said.
The rest of the hall is divided into decades, with different themes for each 10-year block. All the displays have photos from past fairs as well as various authentic artifacts.
To recognize the first ever PGX in 1912, Loreth is re-creating the original vegetable display. She also got a Union Jack flag from England, documents from the Farmer's Institute and the hat from one of the fair's founders, R.J. Blackburn.
"We're so happy we can showcase him," Loreth said.
In addition to Blackburn, a number of other key figures in the history of both the fair and the city are recognized including: Chuck wagon and chariot racing pioneer Fred Wheele, aboriginal trapper and trader Six-Mile Mary, brewer Ben Ginter, steam-tractor owner Harry Burt, plus former mayor and hardware store owner Harold Moffat.
The displays from many of the early decades are fascinating, particularly a re-created gas station from the 1920s.
"They've tried to keep everything to 1920 and that includes the pump and Model T," Loreth said. "It's an excellent, excellent display."
For the 1930s, Loreth has assembled an example of a kitchen from that era. She's also fond of the hat collection she's put together for the 1950s section.
There are also exhibits honoring Prince George's contribution to both the First and Second World Wars.
"The military did actually take part and showcase themselves," she said. "We can document that, in 1947 they were quite involved with the fair."
Other sections look at the involvement of the 4-H club, the steamboat era, the city's first creamery, logger sports, the horse pull and the former experimental farm, which used to play a large role in the exhibition.
There are also posters from recent years of the fair and a display on this year's festivities complete with one of the throws the PGX is selling as a special centennial souvenir.
