Eatonia’s Centennial slated for July 2022
By Joan Janzen
The Eatonia Centennial Committee is “serious this time!” They are going ahead with their Centennial celebrations in 2022! Their community’s very belated birthday celebration will take place July 1st to 3rd, 2022.
Maryanne Becker joined the Centennial committee in the spring of 2019. “We made the decision to postpone in April 2020, so our ideas were able to evolve and mature for the past two years,” she said. Their vendors and performers understood postponing in 2020 and then again in 2021. “I think a lot of them kept our Centennial in mind while we waited to pick a new date.”
Once the date was set, it wasn’t long before their schedule was full. The committee retained their original centennial logo, honouring and celebrating the 1920-2020 time frame, even if it is held two years later. The committee members each contribute something different and valuable to the plans.
One group that will be performing six times throughout the centennial weekend is Global FMX, a freestyle motocross group based out of Saskatchewan and made up of former X-Games athletes. They will also be giving a safety talk to the kids after every show. Kids will also be able to have fun in the bouncy castles and at a scavenger hunt while the adults tour the Eaton school house.
Friday’s entertainment includes The Creeland Dancers and Dean Smth Band from Duck Lake, an Indigenous square dance group from the Beardy’s and Okemasis’ Cree Nation. The group began as a way to promote culture and create an opportunity for youth. Now they are considered as Western Canada’s finest square dancers, providing a high-energy performance. “Part of honouring our past includes the Indigenous peoples who lived on the land before us,” Maryanne said.
Supper will be served on Friday and Saturday evenings, catered by Jackie’s Delicious Delights. Friday evening, the Eatonia Wheat Kings will be playing a regular-season baseball game as the community celebrates the highly anticipated grand opening of their ballpark.
Following a pancake breakfast Saturday morning, the Eatonia Chamber of Commerce is organizing a parade. Everyone is invited to celebrate Eatonia’s belated centennial by entering a float, car, truck, bike, horse, buggy, golf cart or farm equipment. The parade will begin at the school, go up to 6th, down Main Street, across Railway, up 1st Street and back to the school. No entry fee is required, but there will be prizes for best float, best bike and perhaps more.
“We are fortunate to have many community groups help us with entertainment throughout the weekend,” Maryanne said. A Show & Shine will be featured on Main Street, as well as a trade show at the community hall, which they’ve called the Centennial Marketplace.
The headlining band for Saturday’s cabaret is The Steven McQueen Band from Calgary. The band, started by singer/songwriter Steve McQueen, brings a modern approach to classic rock ‘n roll. Mitch Larocque and the 4:54 Band will be kicking off the cabaret on Saturday. “They were always a part of our Centennial planning, as they are such a musical staple in our community,” Maryanne said.
Sunday morning will kick off with a pancake breakfast, a community church service, followed by a community jam session, which will be open to any local musicians. The weekend will conclude with a farewell barbecue.
Amidst all the preparations, people are invited to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win a Dean Francis painting valued at $2,000. Tickets are available at the Town of Eatonia office. Dean also re-painted the murals on the side of the rink this past summer, sharing his talent with the entire community. There’s also Centennial clothing available to purchase if anyone is interested.
The weekend celebrations commemorate the town which was originally called Eaton, named after the T. Eaton Company, but was changed to Eatonia in 1921. The Railway chose Eatonia as a divisional point because of a high volume spring located close to the village, which provided water to the village during the Dirty Thirties. It’s still in use today, along with other wells. The town’s access to a dependable water supply has caused the small, well-treed town to become known as an ‘oasis.’
The one-of-a-kind railway station built in 1925 remains, along with a caboose and an Eaton catalogue house, all located in the Eatonia Heritage Park.
Information regarding registration, schedules and volunteer opportunities can be found on the eatonia2020.com website or the Eatonia Centennial 2020 Facebook page. The committee is planning for 800 registrations. “I think people are looking forward to this event and celebrating 102 years of perseverance, hard work and community,” Maryanne said.
Let’s watch the excitement build as Eatonia’s Centennial celebrations take place in the summer of 2022!
Photo by Kate Winquist
