EVENT: June 12, 125th Anniversary Celebration

It’s time to celebrate!

“Why?” you ask?

April, May and June, 1886, were big months in the lives of people living in Gastown, on Burrard Inlet. Three things happened, in quick succession: they incorporated Gastown and environs as the City of Vancouver (April 6), they formed a brand-new fire brigade (May 28, but only with shovels, axes, and buckets to start out with), and then they lost everything when the city caught on fire and essentially burned to the ground (June 13), costing at least 21 people their lives and leaving 2,000 others homeless.

From that rough beginning, in which the new Vancouverites battled hard to save and then rebuild their new city, now stands a proud, beautiful and bustling metropolitan area of over 2 million people, anchored by the City of Vancouver and the more than 500,000 people who now call this area “home.” We were proud to serve as hosts to the entire world for the 2010 Winter Olympics, our ports are a critical continental link to the Far East, our entrepreneurs are among world leaders in new digital technology, and our residents enjoy world-class entertainment and activities — where else can one ski in the morning, sail in the afternoon, and cheer on an NHL hockey team in the evening?!

All this, in only 125 years. Amazing.

“OK,” you say, “Cool… so how will we celebrate?”

Well, the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services will both celebrate its 125 years of service, and simultaneously commemorate the Great Fire of 1886, with a festival in the heart of Gastown. The Squamish First Nations, the Chinese Merchants Association, and the Gastown Business Improvement Society, whose history is also integrally linked to the experiences of 1886, are working with us to make this day a huge success!

We’ve uploaded a poster and program of the event for you, here!

Schedule:

10:00 am — Parade of fire trucks — Parade begins at Gore and Cordova, heads north on Gore to Powell, then west on Powell to Carrall

11:00 am — Main event begins — Gastown: Powell and Carrall

12:00 noon — Opening ceremonies — Mayor Robertson will officially open the event

4:00 pm — Festival wraps up

Activities — Parade, 1889 horse-drawn steam fire engine (courtesy of the Victoria Fire Department) on display, talk to fire fighters, climb aboard a real fire engine and see what it’s like on the inside, check out a variety of displays, discover some of the history of the fire department, and, last but not least, enjoy listening to the band play! We’ll be providing music in a couple of sets of 45 minutes each throughout the day! (We estimate we’ll play for and then after the ceremony, then again partway through the afternoon…not sure exactly when…) You’ve got to come just for the music alone <wink>!

Oh, and if you take pictures or video, please let us know through our contact form. We’d love to start a collection of both, if you are willing to share with us!

We look forward to seeing you there!