Town of Outlook.
August of 2008.
A massive swarm of people converge on the riverside community, but these aren't just regular people. They're Outlook natives; homegrown folks who grew up and made their names in the town. And for this long weekend, they've returned home to do one thing.
Ring in their town's centennial in the biggest way possible.
And the people of Outlook mark the community's 100th birthday in style. A parade that goes all around town is certainly one to remember, with a large handful of memorable floats making their presence felt as it passes by waves of smiling people. The convoy feels like as if it's a mile long; evidently, everybody and their dog (there were several) wanted in on this parade.
Outside of the parade, there's a laundry list of activities and events planned to keep the weekend's itinerary flowing along nicely. There are breakfasts, lunches and suppers, there are ball tournaments down at the Jim Kook Rec Plex grounds, there's entertainment to be viewed, and a dance held on Saturday night that serves as a great opportunity to get reacquainted with old friends, classmates, and other people from a chunk of your past.
By the time the weekend's over, it feels as thought I've been through a hurricane.
Flash forward three years later to July of 2011, over the Canada Day long weekend. Not only is it our country's birthday, but now the village of Conquest is marking its centennial. As those who once called Conquest home return to celebrate, I'm reminded so much of my hometown's past, especially during the daylong ball tournament down at the Elks Park. The flurry of teams that are assembled for this makes me think back to all those enjoyable Canada Day ball tournaments that were once hosted here. It's a great reminder of the past.
The car show over at the rink grounds is turning out to be a very popular affair, and I end up serving as the photographer for a whole lot of family portraits that are taken in front of a tractor that once belonged to my grandfather. Some of the shots I take still exist today, such as the one of my mom sitting on the tractor wheel and sporting a genuine, thrilled-as-can-be smile. It sits framed on the piano at home. She was so happy then.
And what event in Conquest would be complete without a flurry of activity going down at the bar? There's a Rider game, there's a big supper planned, and then there's a fireworks display that's earmarked for when the sun goes down. Who's in charge of that, again...? Oh right, I am. The camera is put away for now and I go play with pyrotechnics for a few minutes, lighting up the night sky and hopefully giving the crowd something cool to see. The fireworks have all been blasted, I cough up a lung or two thanks to smoke inhalation, and we resume with the drinking, music playing, laughing, and reminiscing. It's a good time, and a memorable one, at that.
Such events as the ones described in Outlook and Conquest are really just a taste of some of the celebrations that I've been a part of due to my job. That's a 'perk' of my job that I certainly don't take for granted. I've been able to view, document and photographically capture a slew of monumental community celebrations over the years, whether it was for Outlook and Conquest's centennial weekends, or the ones that have been held in Dinsmore, Milden, Macrorie, Strongfield, and Loreburn. Hell, at this rate, I'm probably missing a town or two.
And then I covered an event that was once again held in Strongfield this past weekend, and it made me question something.
This weekend event certainly LOOKED like a centennial-type of celebration, with a litany of things on the daily schedules that were probably the result of a large handful of dedicated and determined volunteers. There was a parade, there was a big supper, there were ball games, kids games, a dance was held, and there were fireworks. But hold on, Strongfield's centennial was ten years ago, right? I know, because I was there!
But here's the thing - no one cares. This community decided to mark 110 years, and why the hell not? Why do we all have to wait for certain and specific increments of time, such as every 25 years? Who wants to wait for that? Where's the law written that says you can only hold special events for your 100th year, your 125th year, your 150th year, and so on?
It just made me think on the drive back from Strongfield. It made me reflect on all the community events that I've been able to be a part of, and I smiled at a lot of the memories that I was able to capture in those times. Then, at that point - I literally asked no one in particular out loud, "Why wait? What's the point in doing that?"
Doing a bit of basic math skills, I see that Outlook will mark 115 years in 2023. Now granted, it's not the history-making number of 100 and it's not quite the, "Oh, that's still pretty cool!" number of 125, but it makes me wonder if something could be done. Does anyone wanna go halfsies on some cake and ice cream...? Maybe we all pile some cash together and buy literally ALL the fireworks that the Esso has in stock and go nuts somewhere...? Just floating the idea out there.
What would be even better is if some local community said, "Screw it, we're marking 107 years! We don't wanna wait!" Because again, that's what I'm saying - why do we think we absolutely HAVE to wait for some magical number to arrive? I love the attitude that Strongfield's volunteers have. They apparently had some funds and they had the manpower, so they just decided to make it happen. I applaud them, and I think it'd be awesome to see other communities do the same.
If the people are there and they're willing, why not celebrate your community?
It seems like we could all do with some more positivity and celebration these days.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
