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Government of Alberta

Thank you for the Centennial memories, Alberta!

Year of Celebration - A look back at Alberta's centennial

Even before Albertans rang in 2005, the province's centennial plans were well underway. Funding had already been invested in the first of many centennial legacy projects, 105 Centennial Ambassadors from communities across the province were sharing the centennial spirit and the province had selected an official song to set the tune for the celebrations ahead.

Here is a look at some of the events, programs and legacies that celebrated Alberta's 100th year during the last 12 months.

January

  • Alberta's centennial year officially begins!
  • The Government of Alberta announces The Alberta Centennial Education Savings Plan. The plan contributes $500 towards a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) for every child born to or adopted by Alberta residents in 2005 and after.
  • The Alberta Centennial website is officially launched. By the end of the year the site will have received nearly seven million hits and posted more than 1900 community events.
  • Albertans born or married in 2005 receive a special commemorative birth or marriage certificate.

February

  • Family Day 2005 takes on a decidedly centennial flavour. Provincial parks, protected areas, historic sites and museums hold special activities with free or reduced admission prices.
  • Presentations of the Alberta Centennial Medallion begin. Medallions are presented to about 600,000 school children and 500 centenarians to honour the contributions of our oldest citizens and acknowledge the promise of our youngest citizens.

March

  • The 2005 Tim Hortons Brier takes to the ice in Edmonton. Randy Ferbey is named Alberta's Curler of the Century.
  • Legislation to create the Alberta Centennial Medal is introduced in Alberta's Legislative Assembly. The medal will be awarded to about 8,000 outstanding Albertans by the end of the year.
  • Over 250 visual artists, musicians, athletes, politicians and others begin painting 336 sections of a massive centennial mural. The mural, entitled Buffalo Twins celebrates Alberta's and Saskatchewan's centennials.

April

  • Team Alberta defeats Team Saskatchewan with a score of 7 to 5 in the Centennial Challenge Cup. This special hockey game, held in the border city of Lloydminster, features many of the top junior hockey players in the Western Hockey League.
  • The Centennial Invitation Program begins. By the end of the year, over 36,000 invitations will be sent to 110 countries around the world inviting friends, family and colleagues to visit Alberta during the centennial year.
  • 600 Alberta artists head to Ottawa for Alberta Scene, a 13-day showcase of Alberta talent. About 56,000 people attended 315 performances in 95 events at 19 venues.
  • A new provincial park honours the memory of a beloved former Lieutenant Governor by creating a lasting centennial legacy in her name. The Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park protects an internationally-renowned region for the nesting and migrating of waterfowl and shorebirds.

May

  • Albertans come out in droves to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh during their three-day visit. The Royal couple was treated to a number of special events showcasing Alberta's centennial.
  • The Queen is the guest of honour at a Centennial Kick-off event at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. Despite rainy weather, more than 25,000 hardy Albertans hunkered down in the stands to mark 100 days until the province's September 1st birthday.
  • The Provincial Museum of Alberta is renamed the Royal Alberta Museum in honour of Her Majesty's centennial visit. Highway 2 also is also renamed as the Queen Elizabeth II Highway.
  • Alberta Education's Centennial Song Writing Intensive gives students in grades 4-6 the chance to participate in song writing workshops with Mary Kieftenbeld, the artist behind Alberta's official song.
  • Alberta hosts a centennial-themed Western Premiers' Conference in Lloydminster.

June

  • The Celebrate Alberta Teams hit the road! These two teams of talented high school drama students spent the summer bringing Alberta's history to life at more than 40 community events across the province.
  • Tour guides at the Alberta Legislature don 1905 period costumes.
  • A century of contributions to Alberta are recognized during Seniors' Week 2005.
  • National Aboriginal Day events across the province celebrate Alberta's centennial and the province's first residents.
  • The first recipient of a new $10,000 Human Rights and Multiculturalism Scholarship, established in honour of the centennial, is announced.
  • Ground is broken on a new visitor centre at Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park. The centre, to open in spring 2006, is one of the province's centennial legacy projects.

July

  • Canada Day Celebrations in Alberta and across Canada mark our 100th birthday.
  • A mammoth steel time capsule capturing Albertans' memories and mementos sets out on a province-wide tour giving 200 communities a chance to store away special mementos for the next 100 years.
  • The Royal Alberta Museum opens Alberta Celebrates, an exhibit exploring special events and occasions in the province's first 100 years.
  • The Calgary Stampede gets into the centennial spirit with its annual parade and a special grandstand show entitled Alberta: A Centennial Story.
  • Edmonton's Klondike Days salutes the centennial with an Alberta trade show, Prairie Finds: Alberta Shows Off and the Alberta Centennial Tattoo, a theatrical tribute to the province's military heritage.
  • The World Masters Games are held in Edmonton in recognition of the centennial. The games include 21,285 athletes from 84 countries in 27 sporting events.
  • The Royal Canadian Mint and Canada Post unveil their tributes to Alberta's centennial - a circulation quarter and a 50-cent postage stamp.

August

  • Preparations for the province's official birthday party are in full swing. Free tickets to the AlbertaSpirit Gala, reopening the newly renovated Jubilee Auditoria, are snapped up in a day.
    Alberta hosts the Council of the Federation meeting in Banff. Premiers from across Canada are treated to a celebration of Alberta's entry into confederation.
  • Alberta athletes take home 100 medals from the Canada Summer Games in Regina!
  • Major renovations to the Northern and Southern Jubilee Auditoria are completed. The renovations, one of the province's centennial legacy projects, took 14 months to complete with a total investment of $60 million.
  • More than 3,000 people attend a Centennial Garden Party officially opening the restored Lougheed House. The restoration is one of the province's legacy projects.
  • The RCMP Musical Ride mounts up for two special centennial performances - one in Alberta's historic Cypress Hills and another at Edmonton's Rexall Place, one day before the province's birthday party.

September

  • Communities across the province join in a collective celebration unlike anything in Alberta's 100-year history. Some 250,000 people attending AlbertaSpirit - The Party of the Century in 10 communities across the province came together with TV and webcast audiences to celebrate Alberta's centennial. A day filled with Alberta entertainment and fun, finished with simultaneous fireworks displays.
  • Alberta's provincial parks and museums offer free admission and camping on Alberta's 100th birthday.
  • A tour bus filled with Alberta performers rolls into ten communities as Alberta Tracks: A Centennial Music Celebration tours the province. This centennial celebration saw 30 Alberta musical acts perform 10 free concerts in 10 communities for over 2000 concert goers.
  • Submissions to the Alberta School History Project: If Walls Could Speak.... appear on television and in newspapers. The project invited students to tell the history of their schools in the artistic medium of their choice.

October

November

  • Alberta's prosperous centennial year makes it possible for the province to increase its investment in centennial legacy projects. More than $500 million has been earmarked for 536 projects in 400 communities.
  • The Canadian Finals Rodeo, held in Edmonton, celebrates the centennial with a pyrotechnics display and a feature video looking back on the province's one-hundred year history.
  • The province's investment in centennial legacies grows with an investment of $15 million in the Edmonton Art Galley to create the new Art Gallery of Alberta. The province also makes a centennial investment in upgrades to the Calgary Zoo and the creation of Passchendaele, a film highlighting Alberta's military history.
  • The National Arts Centre Orchestra honours Alberta and Saskatchewan's centennials with a 13-day concert tour of both provinces.
  • The University of Calgary's Faculty of Education publishes the Memorable Teacher Anthology, a collection of 100 stories submitted by Albertans about their favourite teachers.
  • The Government of Alberta marks the anniversary of the province's entrance into confederation with the Alberta Centennial Scholarships Program. The province also presents two Alberta paintings to the National Gallery of Canada.
  • Australia's capital of Canberra welcomes a representative from the Alberta's centennial. Canberra is using Alberta as a model for planning its 100th birthday celebrations in 2013.

December

  • 100 recipients of the Alberta Centennial Salute for Sport and Recreation are honoured for their contributions to sport and recreation over the past century. 
  • Recipients of Alberta's Great Kids awards will go down in history, with the unveiling of the Great Kids wall of honour. The wall is located in the legislature pedway.
  • Canmore hosts special centennial celebrations in conjunction with the Alberta Centennial World Cup. Cross country skiers from around the world competed in the event. Alberta athletes, including Becky Scott and Sara Renner, had their best results ever in a world cup race.