Around 50 activities have been planned to help celebrate 50 years of Grande Cache. From June 28th to the 30th, 50th Anniversary Committee Chairperson Yvonne Rempel says they will be paying tribute to a place that wasn’t supposed to be around for this long.
“This community was only really built with a vision of 25 years. The coal mine is our legacy and that’s really what the town was built around in 1969. People really didn’t expect the coal mine to be in operation after 25 years [but] here we are 50 years later.”
The weekend kicks off on June 28th with a wine and cheese party at the Grande Cache Arena. The following day there will be a community breakfast, a church service and a BBQ lunch. There will also be open houses at Sheldon Coates Elementary, Summitview Middle School and Grande Cache High School.
Throughout the weekend, free swimming will be offered at the Aquatic Centre, a community market, and the cemetery will be open for visits.
The celebration wraps up on June 30th with a pancake breakfast, a parade, a miners dedication and a sorority gathering. The whole weekend will then end with a fireworks show.
Rempel says more than 750 families have already preregistered for the weekend including people from the UK and the east coast.
“It’s almost a homecoming atmosphere and a celebration. We are so looking forward to listening and recording some of the stories that we’re going to hear… Really it is about a celebration of the community of Grande Cache and the people that have made it.”
A full list of events and times can be found on the Facebook page. People are asked to register ahead of time by emailing [email protected]