Recent History – 2000
June 30, 2000, By Jill Northan, Contributing Writer
The old saying, from dawn to dusk, describes the activities planned for the millennium Canada Day celebrations to be held at Pouce Coupe this year.
Barb Machuik, Office Clerk for the Village of Pouce Coupe and Bob Embree of the July 1st Committee, have this Saturday running at a comfortable pace.
The celebrations will start earlier than some of us will want to be out of bed. The grill at the Royal Canadian Legion will be hot, and bright-eyed volunteers will be ready to start pouring the pancake batter at 8 a.m. For those who need a little longer to prepare for the day, the Legion-sponsored event will last for a while.
The Canada Cake will be cut at the Village Office at 9:30 a.m.
By 10 a.m., participants for the parade should be gathering.
Judging of the entries will start at 10:15 and the actual parade will move out at 11.
In Embree’s own words, the parade route “will start at 49th Avenue and 50th Street, turn right and go up the highway to 52nd Avenue, turns right again on 52nd Avenue, and go all the way down to the Care Home. It will come up from the Care Home and turn left on 51st Street, and then it will go up the main highway for a short distance to 51st, and then back to the beginning of the parade.”
The beef barbecue, the responsibility of the July 1st Committee, will start at 12 noon. They will serve a full beef dinner, or beef on a bun, until about 6 p.m. depending on the crowd.
For those who aren’t in the mood for barbecued beef, there will be hamburgers, hot dogs, home-made pies, snow cones and candy-floss.
The Kiwanis Community Band will play at the park between 1 and 2 p.m., making it an opportune time to enjoy the music while visiting friends and family. Kids games, crafts and clowns will be happening throughout the afternoon along with bingo and a horseshoe tournament.
Both Machuik and Embree pointed out a difference in parking this year.
Said Embree, “The parking area in the park this year is being taken up by the Year 2000 Display. We’re asking that people who are able-bodied and capable of walking the short distance, park in Reg Norman’s gravel pit. And there will be parking attendants there to direct people. Parking in the park is reduced to seniors, those who are physically challenged, and exhibitors. A shuttle bus will operate between the village, Reg Norman’s and the park itself. We’ll have a shuttle bus operating on a 15-minute round trip schedule.”
Machuik noted that there will be a bus leaving Dawson Creek (the Co-op parking lot) at 10:30 a.m., 2:30 and 5 p.m. It will also be making return trips to the city.
The stage show will begin immediately after the Canada Display Presentation at 2:30 p.m.
“It will be different than last year,” said Embree, who is in charge of entertainment. “The house band will be Binder Twang with Bernie Steward. And the band will play behind single country and western performers. There’ll be an exhibition of Highland dancing. Dori Braun who writes and sings her own material will also perform.”
Machuik noted the one-time inclusion of the Year 2000 Display as being somewhat of a coup. “It’s something that I think is very good for the village of Pouce Coupe. They picked us out of the whole province for Canada Day.”
A Legion-sponsored dance which will feature Doug Ezeard’s group, “Old and Broke” will begin at 9 p.m.
The final event will be the fireworks display sponsored by the Village of Pouce Couple. It will be set up behind the school and Embree suggests the playground of the school as a good spot to watch it from.