Community Support
There are more than 75 cities, towns, villages and rural communities on Prince Edward Island. Every one of them is unique in its own way. They move to different rhythms. Each has its own style, its own way of doing things.
To encourage each community to create its own 125th Anniversary celebration, there will be a small grant for each community. This support will total more than $70,000.
Rural Beautification
The Rural Beautification Society will establish a special category this year to mark the 125th Anniversary. There will be prizes for each county.
Celebrations at Province House
On Thursdays during the summer there will be a birthday party on the grounds of Province House. The parties will have birthday cake and other treats, including a red-coated RCMP officer riding on horseback. These will be double-barrelled birthday ceremonies as 1873 also marks the founding of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Canada Day will be extra special this year at Province House. In addition to the usual celebrations that are held, the original proclamation declaring Prince Edward Island the seventh province of the Dominion will be read from the balcony. This ceremony will be followed by a lively concert of the music and dances of our forefathers as well as dances that illustrate the ethnic diversity of modern Canada.
Flag Promotion
The 125th Anniversary provides an excellent opportunity to remember our past and to promote pride in our province and our provincial symbols. In response to a proposal from the nine Home Hardware stores located throughout the province, a campaign will be mounted to promote the use and availability of the provincial flag.
Red Oak Trees
The red oak is the tree found on the provincial crest and the flag. It was a tree that was once found in great stands all over the Island. There is very little red oak in the province now, but this year the provincial forestry branch will be planting a number of seedlings throughout the Island.
The Island Nature Trust will plant a ceremonial red oak at a special location in each county. These will be young trees, not seedlings, located in a public site to mark the 125th Anniversary.
Story Telling Festival
One of the new initiatives 125th Anniversary funding is helping to launch is a new storytelling festival. Spread over four days in early fall, the festival will be staged in a number of communities across the Island.
In community halls across the province storytellers from the Island and the rest of the world will weave their magic for Islanders and those from away who are smart enough to know a good thing when they see it.
To quote the organizers..."the Festival will breathe new life into art form that is as much a part of Island history and tradition as a plate of squares and a cup of tea."
Summerside
The closing ceremonies for the 125th Anniversary will be part of Summerside's annual New Year's Eve party in Queen Elizabeth Park. They have a number of events planned that will have the 125th Anniversary theme. This is a New Year's party the whole family can attend. It starts early so you can bring the kids.
Summerside will also be turning itself into a City of Lights. All of the major historical buildings in the city will be outlined in bright glimmering lights giving it a festive air, no matter what the event or season. Again seed money from the 125th Anniversary will help launch this new initiative.
Air Show
This fall, visitors and Islanders alike will be able to see the Capital City 125 Air Show. Among other features, this air show will have two aerobatic teams performing precision flying formations. The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be joined in this air show by another aerobatic team, the Sky Hawks. There will also be other aerial and static displays and music by the Maritime Forces Atlantic Band.
These are not all the projects that will be staged this 125th Anniversary year.
Others will be announced when they are finalized.